"Braver. We shall withdraw for the time being."
"Following the information from the Daedalus Orbis, we will begin resupplying each unit."
At Asfi's words, Finn smiled and expressed his gratitude to them.
"It is thanks to your assistance that this battle has progressed so favorably up to this point."
A bright smile crossed his face.
"As the commander-in-chief of this operation and the captain of the Loki Familia, I thank you on behalf of everyone."
"....."
Asfi was momentarily flustered by Finn's sincere gratitude, falling silent for a heartbeat before replying with a hint of embarrassment.
"Please, stop."
"It was because the Loki Familia and the Dionysus Familia fought on the front lines that we were able to move so freely."
She offered a small smile.
"You entrusted your lives to us while doing such a thing. We had no choice but to respond in kind."
Finn maintained his smile at Asfi's humility, then turned his gaze toward Amid.
"Amid."
"Captain Finn.... I have caused you concern."
"Can you move now?"
"Yes, my Mind has recovered. Let us proceed."
However, Finn, with a look that suggested something was still weighing on him, decided to send Amid, Asfi, and their group out of [Knossos].
"But...."
"Curses of that magnitude likely won't appear again. The elixirs each unit possesses should be enough to handle any further issues."
He gestured dismissively.
"We still have the stock we received from the Hermes Familia. There will be no problem."
Seeing that the incident was nearly over and that there were no casualties, Amid offered a joyful smile, and her companions shed tears of relief.
Step, step—
"Do you believe there will be a counterattack from the enemy from this point on?"
"Through normal means, they cannot overturn the situation."
Step—
"If they have anything left, it would be releasing the Demi-Spirits to let them run wild. But if they do that, it's our victory."
'We withdraw, reorganize our lines, and settle this with the second invasion.'
With victory within their grasp and no casualties, they were on the verge of repaying the defeat they suffered during the first assault.
'That should be the case.....'
Yet, Finn was still plagued by a sense of deja vu.
The Creatures had not appeared at all. Why were the red-haired woman and the masked figure not moving?
"Even if they release the Demi-Spirits...."
'I already have several countermeasures in place.'
So why was he so anxious? Why, what exactly was out there.....
Throb—!
'The pain in my thumb won't stop.'
Finn set aside his worries for the moment and asked Amid to move all the wounded to the vicinity of the retreat route, along with a defensive line to prepare for the Demi-Spirits.
"Is it alright?"
"The encirclement will not be broken."
".....I understand."
Having sent Amid and the wounded out of the labyrinth due to his lingering foreboding, Finn contacted Fels.
"Braver, as you said, we have discovered the monster capture pens."
"We have disposed of them along with the main plants."
"The enemy is currently being built up as we ascend the floors; though the units are divided, it is a complete success."
Fels asked about the next course of action, noting that the Xenos units were also clearing floors without any anomalies or casualties. Finn simply told Fels to contact him if anything happened and cut the signal to the magic item.
"Tiona, Tione, Olba, Nick."
""""Yes!""""
"We will strike with just our group. Our objective is to search for Enyo and Thanatos!"
With that, Finn's group also headed toward the control room.
"...So you're gone, Barca-chan."
Standing in the control room, Thanatos felt the death of Barca, one of his children.
"....You've worked hard until now. Your obsession, your pitiableness, your purity, and your cruelty."
"That soul, more distorted than anyone else's....."
Step, step—
"I truly, truly loved it....."
She was sincere.
To her, a soul was good if it was dark, and just as good if it was pure white.
"I guess we really did need Akuo-kun after all~?"
Step, step—
"I thought everyone besides the Loki Familia was just an extra."
Swoosh—
"We've been completely outplayed by Dionysus and Hermes as well."
'The remaining executives have all gone out to buy me time to escape.'
Continuing down the path, she finally reached the room marked with her symbol—the place where she always spoke to her children.
"Time flies, but this is just too much work~"
Step—
"It's a pain.... going this far..... seriously."
And then, she finally met her.
"Ein-chan."
"...."
"We've been beaten by the Loki Familia. My kids suffered a total defeat."
Swoosh—
"So let's bring out the Demi-Spirits. This isn't the time to be stubborn about the surface invasion or whatev—"
"I refuse. The Spirits have their roles. I cannot allow them to move from their positions."
Ein flatly rejected Thanatos's request for help, staring her down.
"Ha.... even for Enyo's doll, there's a limit."
"Look at the situation. This isn't the time to be leisurely singing songs, is it?"
Swoosh—
"If a secret weapon ends as a secret, there's no greater farce than that, you know?"
Dumbfounded by Ein's words, Thanatos threw out a provocation to get her to move.
"Are you planning to turn Enyo into the Emperor with no clothes?"
Thanatos tried to provoke Ein, who possessed a fanatical faith and love for Enyo, but—
Step, step—
"You are a clown."
".....?"
"You, too, are a clown."
To Ein, adventurers and Evils, good and evil, clowns or heroes—none of it mattered anymore.
Step—
"Do not obstruct the King's progress."
"What does that mean.....?"
"An amusement for the King. You have done well until now."
Step—!
"Now, all that remains are the grapes and the rice."
"!!"
At those words, Thanatos realized.
"You've worked hard."
Step—
'Everything is for him.'
Something Ein served—no, something she loved—had fundamentally changed her.
"Just what did you see out there....?"
"Chaos."
The immediate answer brought Thanatos a fit of laughter.
"Haha.... Hahahaha!!!!!"
'Chaos in front of the God of Death?'
"Hahaha.... Ha...."
Grip—!!!!!
"Don't make me laugh, you pieces of shit....!!"
As Thanatos swallowed her rage, Ein simply watched her before heading deeper into the Dungeon toward the man waiting for her.
"Are ye Thanatos?"
"..."
"We've cornered ye, Thanatos."
And then, the Loki Familia appeared.
"....Ah."
Swoosh—!
"I've been cornered, Loki."
'Honestly.... I don't know what's what anymore....'
"Orders have come down to pull back the front lines!"
Finn's command reached Raul, and most of the forces were withdrawn.
"The Dionysus Familia will set up a camp near the exit!"
Step, step—
"We will go to search the two unexplored staircases and the surrounding area!"
Just as Raul gave the instructions to the Dionysus Familia and was about to leave for the investigation—
"[High Novice].... May I say one thing?"
"Yes, of course."
"If we set up camp further inside at that location, we can monitor not only this entrance but also the stairs connecting the floors ourselves."
"..."
Raul was taken aback by the suggestion made by one of the Dionysus Familia members, who spoke up with nervous courage.
'According to the Hermes Familia's information, what we want to suppress are the three doors on this 9th floor, and the stairs leading to the doors on other floors.'
A rough map of the Dungeon formed in Raul's mind as he confirmed the current deployment.
'Bete-san, Aki, and I have secured the doors. There's one unexplored staircase nearby, and another further in.'
'If the Dionysus Familia monitors the doors and stairs, the Loki Familia can pass through the other staircase and retreat directly through the doors on different floors....'
"But....."
That would simultaneously place a burden on the Dionysus Familia and expose them to monster attacks.
"There's no need to worry. The number of monsters is decreasing."
"If anything happens, we'll escape through the doors."
The Dionysus Familia members knew the risks, yet they would not easily give up.
".....I understand. Everyone from the Dionysus Familia, we're counting on you!"
Dash—!!
"Please stay safe!"
Raul trusted them and left the area for the investigation.
"Is it really okay? Saying stuff like that? There are 20 of us, but most are Level 1s....."
Swoosh—!
"What now.... I suddenly want to run away."
The man who spoke lowered his head; in truth, they were all terrified and wanted to survive in a safer place, but—
"I mean, seeing someone like that leading the unit of the city's strongest Familia, I guess I.... went a bit crazy too...."
'He's completely different from the Braver or the Sword Princess....'
".....Should we really run?"
Bonk—!
"No, no, no. Dionysus-sama is fighting, so that's not an option."
Though he desperately wanted to flee even now, he couldn't give up.
"Before I joined the Dionysus Familia, I.... left a comrade in the Dungeon and ran away...."
"But that guy survived and came back, so I couldn't stand being in the Familia and ended up running away from there too."
Swoosh—!
"Dionysus-sama was the one who approached a piece of trash like me."
He looked up, fearing his story would be poorly received, but all of them began to share their own stories instead.
"My dream was to be a high-tier adventurer, earn a lot while I was young, and live a comfortable, lazy life in retirement."
"But adventuring was impossible. I couldn't stand the pain or the hardship, so I practically gave up."
Swoosh—!
"But Dionysus-sama told me that even someone like me was fine."
A female member spoke up, and others followed suit.
"I'm an Elf, but I had no talent for magic."
"I couldn't use a sword and couldn't even touch a monster's corpse. I was about to be sold to the Entertainment District when Dionysus-sama saved me."
The Elf adventurer shared her story as well.
"I'm much the same. We're all failures with nowhere to go."
"Half-wits who would have died in the streets if we hadn't met Dionysus-sama."
Eventually, even a Dwarf adventurer agreed. They all shared similar backgrounds, and Dionysus had accepted them all nonetheless.
"That's why.... because he told us to fight together....!"
Grip—!!
"This is the adventure we've absolutely decided to undertake.... We have to do it!"
"That's what I think...."
—Kikikikik!!!!!!!!!!!
""""""!!""""""
A swarm of monsters approached them as if delivering a trial.
"This is the perfect chance to repay Dionysus-sama."
""For Dionysus-sama.""
They gripped their weapons and steeled their resolve. This, too, was an adventure for them.
"It's okay. The Loki Familia is doing the dangerous stuff."
"It'll be over in just a bit."
"When we get back, let's all have a toast like usual."
"I hope it ends quickly...."
What kind of end would they meet? That was something even the Gods did not know.
"This is the first time we've met like this, aye?"
"Ah, that's right. I was stuck in the shadows, so we had no connection in the Heavens."
Thanatos replied nonchalantly to Loki's words.
"It's the end, Thanatos."
"Ah~ Game over."
"..."
Thanatos's attitude felt strange to Loki, amplifying the oddity she felt in her heart.
'It's weird..... It's too easy.'
"Are ye the one who called yerself Enyo?"
'What's with this feeling of swingin' at thin air?'
"Didn't you hear from Lefiya-chan? I'm not someone like Enyo."
In Thanatos's mind, a presence even greater than that Enyo was rummaging through her thoughts.
"I don't see a form, I don't hear a voice."
"I don't even know if they exist.... I even doubt if they're really a God."
Of course, now was not the time to think about that.
"The one who was used by that unknown entity is me."
"...What?"
Loki couldn't understand what she was saying, but—
"Not showing themselves before me, and making it seem like they weren't participating in any game....."
"To think it was all to hide."
Grin—!
"Well, of course. It's impossible to see through an opponent who has never shown their face."
"Even a battle of wits between Gods couldn't be established."
Thanatos was sincere. Loki perceived this and realized that she had indeed been used.
"Enyo never thought of this place as a fortress from the start."
"To that bastard, this place is an altar, and I am the sacrifice."
A possibility flashed through Loki's mind.
'An altar? A sacrifice? Where? Who?'
What if the man-made labyrinth itself was a trap? What if Enyo didn't care about the Evils at all? Who could have predicted that?
"!!"
'It's possible.... If that's the case, all the inconsistencies....!'
Everyone had been deceived. As Loki thought this, Lefiya's voice reached her.
"Gareth-san! The masked figure....!"
"!?"
"Dragging a swarm of monsters....! The unit is retreating....!!"
"Lefiya!? Oi, Lefiya, what's happenin'!!"
But no answer came, and Loki could only imagine one worst-case scenario.
'Who was it that lured us in by makin' us think we had 'em in checkmate? Just who is tryin' to bring the sword down on us?'
"Loki, were you alone until you got here? Or did you have no precious comrades?"
"!!"
What came to her mind was the God who had entered the labyrinth with her.
"Narvi! Sharon!"
"Dionysus-sama is....!"
"Dionysus!? Where's Dionysus!?"
"!! Didn't he come here!? We came here to find him too...!!"
Grip—!
"Oi, Dionysus!! Where the hell are ye right now!!?"
Loki immediately picked up the Oculus and kept calling for Dionysus, as if hoping her premonition was wrong.
"I don't know exactly.... but it's dark."
"It's a truly dark passage."
Dionysus was currently in an incredibly dark passage.
"I apologize for acting on my own, but please forgive me."
Grip—!!!
"I.... will take revenge with my own hands!"
Even so, he had to move forward.
"What are ye talkin' about!?"
"They're here."
Grip—!!!
"Right here, the source of all this is right ahead!!!"
Grit—!
Holding a dagger and gritting his teeth, he walked forward, prepared to kill even if it was a fellow God or a child.
"It's dangerous right now! Somethin'! Somethin' is happenin'!!"
Step, step—
"Ye can't do it alone!!"
"Don't worry, Filvis is here. You're here, aren't you, Filvis?"
Filvis's answer reached him. He could feel it because she was the child he cherished most.
"...Wait."
"Wait, Dionysus!?"
That voice also reached Loki.
"Are you alright, Lefiya!"
"Yes, I'm fine, Filvis-san!"
From Lefiya and Filvis, who should be fighting the masked figure on the 9th floor.
"Who the hell are ye talkin' to!!!!?"
At those words, a chill ran down the spines of both Loki and Dionysus.
"Yer child ain't by yer side! She's with Lefiya! There's no way she could be there!!!"
"...."
Spin—!
'Surely..... until just now.....'
Dionysus hurriedly turned around, but the presence of his child that he had clearly felt behind him was gone. He couldn't believe he had been mistaken.
'An illusion? A daydream?'
"Impossible....!!"
'I am a God! A transcendent being...!'
It was impossible to cast an illusion on a God's omniscient and omnipotent body. He couldn't have fallen for a mortal's supernatural power.
"Yes, it's impossible! There's no way it makes sense!"
Swoosh—
"It makes no sense for it to make sense!"
"So it's impossible!!"
"It's impossible!!"
"I said it's impossible!!!"
Was he alone? Did he really make no sense? Was it really a mortal's power he had fallen for?
"Dionysus!!"
"!!"
What begins is a comedy.
What begins is a tragedy.
'Countless... masks.....'
'Countless.... me.....?'
It is an opera, a mime, a farce, a play, a madness.
"AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Fill the air with the sound of applause and frantic laughter.
"Enyo....?"
With tears streaming down, a headache like a beast's howl, his personality being torn to shreds, and cheeks becoming hot like a girl in her first love.
With saliva flowing from his mouth, he breaks under the shattered mask.
Drunk on darkness, drunk on darkness, drunk on darkness.
'Ah, truly.... this is just like....'
"A clown, indeed."
Enyo approached him.
Stab—!!
And then, a pillar of light simply rose.
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 177
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T