Genichi's figure appeared in the Astraea Familia's sitting room.
The portal behind him slowly closed and vanished without a trace.
The bloody stench of the artificial labyrinth still clung to him, a smell mixed with rust, rot, and death. Even from several steps away, it was easy to catch.
Demeter and Astraea had been talking. When they saw Genichi return, both of them were just about to ask what had happened.
Before either could speak, Genichi spoke first.
"Orario is very likely about to fall into extreme chaos. If there's no urgent reason, neither of you should go back. Stay here and keep your heads down."
His tone was calm, but the coldness beneath it carried crushing weight.
The smile on Demeter's face froze.
She knew Genichi too well. If something truly serious had not happened, he would never have spoken in that tone.
Astraea, meanwhile, immediately fixed him with a sharp, suspicious gaze. A hard gleam shone in those divine eyes.
"What did you do?"
Her question was direct and cutting, filled with disbelief.
Genichi met her eyes without the slightest attempt to avoid them.
"I didn't do anything. The three gods I cornered refused to accept defeat, so they triggered Arcanum in the Dungeon and returned to Heaven."
Arcanum.
Those words landed in the room like thunder.
Astraea and Demeter instantly understood what that meant.
For a god to choose suicide and force a return to Heaven was an act carrying enormous risk precisely because it was forbidden by the gods.
And to release divine power inside the Dungeon was like throwing water into boiling oil.
The Dungeon would be enraged.
It would spawn specially strengthened monsters.
It would drive monsters from the deeper levels mad and send them surging toward the surface.
It would throw all of Orario into an unprecedented crisis.
Astraea's face turned pale in an instant.
She understood better than anyone what that meant.
"Those three gods...?"
Her voice shook slightly.
"Thanatos, Ikelos, and Rudra."
Genichi calmly gave the three names. "They were the patron gods of Evilus. I killed every Evilus member inside that labyrinth. They weren't willing to leave like that, so they chose this method to get revenge."
Astraea fell silent.
She knew those three deities.
They were all core figures within Evilus, beings who should have been driven out of the lower world long ago.
"You said the artificial labyrinth was destroyed?"
There was still disbelief in Astraea's voice.
"Yes. Their return to Heaven blew open the artificial labyrinth and caused it to collapse."
Astraea looked at Genichi for a long moment.
"And Jura?"
She suddenly asked, "The culprit most responsible for the deaths of my children... is he dead?"
Genichi shook his head.
"No. I didn't find him in the artificial labyrinth. He probably wasn't there at the time."
Disappointment flashed through Astraea's eyes, but it was quickly swallowed by deeper concern.
"With the Dungeon enraged, it will probably spawn specially enhanced monsters. And with the artificial labyrinth destroyed, Dionysus will very likely move up his plan and activate the Six Spirit Circles ahead of schedule."
Genichi continued, his tone still calm, but each sentence struck Astraea like a hammer blow.
"So Orario is basically a powder keg that could go off at any moment."
Astraea's expression changed at once.
Not because she was worried for herself.
Because she was worried for that one person.
Ryuu Lion.
One of her finest children. That kind, upright, courageous elf girl.
After the Astraea Familia was destroyed, Ryuu had chosen to remain in Orario because she still wanted revenge for the fallen members of her Familia.
And now that city was about to face a disaster unlike anything before.
The Dungeon's uprising.
A monster flood.
The threat of the Six Spirit Circles.
Any one of them would be deadly. Any one of them could leave Ryuu there forever.
Astraea drew in a deep breath and tried to steady herself.
But her hands were trembling slightly, betraying worry and fear she could not suppress.
She had already lost everything once.
She had lost all of her children, watched them fall one after another, and been powerless to do anything.
That pain, that despair, that bone-deep regret still tormented her every night.
She could not lose Ryuu too.
She would not.
Astraea lifted her head and looked at Genichi with unwavering resolve.
"Send me to Orario."
Her voice was calm, but the determination inside it was like steel tempered a thousand times over, impossible to shake.
Genichi said nothing.
He only looked at Astraea quietly, a complicated emotion flickering through his eyes.
He knew why she had made that decision.
Not for the countless citizens of Orario.
Not for the duty of a goddess of justice.
But for that one person.
For Ryuu Lion.
For the child she had once lost, and the only one she still had left.
"Are you sure?"
Genichi asked softly. "Orario is dangerous now. The Dungeon could erupt at any moment, and the Six Spirit Circles could detonate at any time. If you go, you may not come back."
"I'm sure."
Astraea's answer came without even a heartbeat of hesitation.
"Ryuu is still there. I can't leave her alone to face that by herself."
Genichi fell silent.
He thought of Demeter's trust in him, of that foolish woman's willingness to give everything for him.
He understood the bond between a god and their child.
"All right."
He stopped trying to persuade her.
From his pocket, he took out an inconspicuous object. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary keychain with a red ribbon tied to it.
"This is a Portkey."
He handed it to Astraea and explained how to use it.
"Hold it, concentrate on where you want to go, and it'll take you there. The destination is the Hostess of Fertility in Orario. It should be relatively safe there."
Astraea accepted the Portkey and examined the ordinary-looking object carefully.
She knew it was a magical item, one that contained the power to cross space itself.
"Thank you," Astraea said softly.
Genichi shook his head.
"There's no need. This is something I should do. If I hadn't forced those three gods into this corner, Orario wouldn't be facing this crisis. Not that I regret it."
Astraea looked at him, her expression complicated.
"You did nothing wrong."
She said it seriously. "Those Evilus people deserved to die, and those gods deserved to be banished. What you did was an act of justice."
An act of justice.
Genichi was slightly stunned.
This was the first time anyone had used the word justice to describe what he had done.
He had killed many people.
Their dying screams, pleas, and wails still echoed in his ears.
He had never thought of himself as some champion of justice, only as an ordinary person willing to do whatever it took to survive and to take revenge.
But Astraea said what he had done was justice.
"...Maybe."
Genichi replied lightly and did not argue further.
Astraea looked at him deeply, then called in the other girls of her Familia.
They were the new children she had taken in after starting over in the forging city.
They were not many. They were not strong.
But they were proof that Astraea had begun again.
"I'm going to Orario."
Astraea said to them, "You will stay here and follow Demeter's arrangements. If I do not return, you may choose to join the Demeter Familia or find another path. Whatever you do, live well."
The girls looked at one another, their eyes full of worry and reluctance.
But none of them tried to stop her, because they knew this was their goddess's decision, something they could not change.
"Lady Astraea, please come back safely."
A young girl stepped forward and gently took Astraea's hand.
Her eyes were shining with tears, but she did not let them fall.
Astraea softly patted her on the head and smiled.
"I will."
After giving her instructions, Astraea turned to Demeter and Kotori.
"I'm leaving."
Demeter stepped forward and embraced Astraea gently.
"Take care."
Astraea nodded, released the embrace, and tightened her grip on the Portkey.
She took a deep breath, focused, and brought the image of Orario to mind.
The Portkey began to glow.
A warm, gentle power wrapped around Astraea. Her body grew light, as though she were about to float away.
In the next moment, her figure vanished from the sitting room.
The room fell quiet.
Demeter stood by the window, looking out in the direction of Orario, deep worry filling her eyes.
Genichi walked over to her and gently put an arm around her shoulders.
"She'll be all right."
He spoke softly.
Leaning against his shoulder, Demeter said quietly, "Genichi, you should go to Orario too. Protect Astraea."
Genichi paused, then looked at her in confusion.
"She's going there alone. I can't feel at ease with that."
Genichi was silent for a moment.
"All right."
He nodded and agreed to Demeter's request.
"I'll go to Orario. If all goes well, I'll bring Astraea, Ryuu Lion, and Nonoa back here."
He spoke seriously. "But you have to promise me something too. Stay here. Don't run around. Wait for me to come back."
Demeter smiled softly, rose onto her toes, and gently pressed a kiss to Genichi's lips.
"I'll wait for your return."
Genichi touched the place she had kissed, and a rare smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
In the next moment, he opened a portal and stepped into the passage leading to Orario.
Behind him, Demeter stood by the window, watching him leave.
(End of Chapter)
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