Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

The person he was looking for stood there, gazing up at the tattered regimental flag.

"Little Ye En".

"..."

Masked Man.

This person is the mysterious figure in the underground force known as Ye En among Revis and others.

Sanatos stopped nearby and called out to the man behind him, who was wearing a blue-purple hooded robe.The masked man stopped looking up at the badge and slowly turned his head away.

"I have been defeated by the Loki Familia. My children have been routed and have nowhere to retreat."

"..."

"So, please send out your 'Fairy Spirit Clone'."

He made this request to the strange man who could be called a "filthy fairy's" retinue.

They were powerless to stop the Loki Familia. They were like checkmates on a chessboard; the only way to turn the tide was to use the multiple Fairy clones hidden within the man-made maze.

Originally, the "Fairy Clones" were meant to be summoned on the surface to destroy Orario's "key" to destruction, but now is no longer the time to be picky.

Sanatos made this request...

"I refuse."

But I received an unexpected answer.

The masked man clearly refused.

"You refuse...?"

The fairies have their uses and cannot be separated from their designated positions.

"Are you serious? Look at the situation. This isn't the time to leisurely 'sing' anymore, is it?"

"Doing this would go against the will of my master, Enyo."

Upon hearing the masked man's nonchalant reply in a voice that was neither clearly male nor female, Sanatos sighed.

He didn't seem impatient or agitated.

He was dumbfounded when he was replaced.

"Even if it's called an Enyo doll, there should be a limit. If a secret weapon ends up being a secret forever, that's worse than a comedy, isn't it?"

"..."

"Do you want your master to become like the king in new clothes?"

Just as a mocking smile was about to appear on Sanato's lips—the next instant…

"You're the clown."

The masked man told him this, extinguishing his smile.

His tone was exactly the same as before, cold and indifferent, as he spoke indifferently.

"————"

"No, you should be called a clown too."

The hooded robe, imbued with darkness and sending chills down one's spine, fluttered slightly.

Addressing the stunned Thanatos, the masked man continued:

"My master has a message for you. — [That's all, thank you for your help.]"

"……What?"

"I will complete the plan to destroy the labyrinth city (the script), and I will open the path to the underworld for you. For this—"

Then he pronounced the verdict:

"Become an offering, God of Death."

The words of absolute zero echoed in the dark, stagnant hall.

Sanatos was unable to move.

Sanatos was unable to respond.

There was no confusion, no wavering, and no chaos.

They had no time to feel humiliated by being looked down upon by a lower realm being who was not even a god.

However, being a god, he unfortunately grasped the meaning behind the masked man's words at that moment—the divine will of the "mastermind" lurking behind the scenes.

"...Everything is exactly as the master intended."

Leaving those words behind, the masked man vanished into the depths of darkness.

Silence enveloped Sanatos, who had been left alone.

The silence and darkness, which penetrated the ears even more deeply than sound, merged together and tightly embraced the body of the male god.

Tick.

He felt as if, somewhere, he could hear the ticking of a clock.

"Heh...ha..."

Sanatos bent down.

He first let out a small breath, then, as if unable to suppress a laugh, let his emotions burst forth.

"—Haha ...

God's laughter broke the silence.

He burst into uncontrollable laughter like a broken music box, venting the impulses that were surging within him.

"Please stop! Please stop! This is the most unbearable humiliation for the gods who think they know everything!!—How dare they engage in such an unreasonable act of 'exploitation'!"

He laughed wildly and frivolously.

This is the first person to understand the current state of this labyrinth, venting their anger and self-mockery, hatred and despair, and the passionate laughter that comes from all of this.

"Really, please don't do this. How could you deceive me, the kind Grim Reaper? — Damn you, you stinking god <Ernio>."

In the very end, the "loser <Sanatos>" ignited a fire of anger on his face, which had been devoid of a smile.

Not long after...

"—You must be Thanatos?"

When Sanato's maniacal laughter subsided, someone called out to him from behind.

Looking back, they saw a goddess with crimson hair, accompanied by a retinue led by a dwarf warrior.

It was as if the will of a third party had brought about this inevitable confrontation; the opposing faction's chief gods had made their declaration:

"Gotcha, Thanatos."

"...Yeah, you caught me, Loki."

—I really can't play this game anymore.

Sanatos muttered to himself in a volume Loki couldn't hear, and chuckled.

Illustration 56174

"Speed ​​up the reorganization of troops! There are still some blocks that require 'keys'! Prepare for another attack!"

Finn continued to give instructions.

He reorganized the Loki Familia forces, which had suffered considerable damage in the battle with the "Baka Monster," and prepared for the next wave of operations.

"Those who have run out of tools and supplies, gather together and head back to resupply! The Hermes Familia has already established a supply route from the retreat secured by Angela and the others!"

The ninth layer of the encirclement is now complete.

Thanks to the swift actions of Bert, Anachiti, and Raul, the three entrances to the dungeon were suppressed. According to the "Eye Crystal's" report, the enemy soldiers and monsters on the same floor have been almost completely driven out. The obvious staircase also appears to have been captured in conjunction with the Dionysus Familia.

Now that the army has almost completely suppressed the resistance of the dark faction, Finn, taking advantage of the fact that no one was looking, brought a crystal to his lips:

"How's the situation over there?"

"The 18th floor is fine too. [Hero], just as you said, we've also discovered the monster capture area and dealt with it along with the main breeding bed. We've now climbed to the 13th floor while driving out the enemies."

The recipient of the communication was Fels.

Although the alliance with the monsters had been announced within the faction, openly contacting them would still upset the crew members. Finn lowered his voice and checked the situation with the other party.

"Due to some reasons, I split my troops in two, but the surrounding area has been completely suppressed, and I haven't seen any remnants or ambushes. The retreat route to the lower floors should also be cut off. What's the next step? Should we go and confirm the location of the immortal clone?"

"Okay, thank you for your help. ...Sorry, I have to end the call now. Contact me again if you have any questions."

Finn sensed someone approaching and ended his communication with Fells.

"Commander Finn... I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Amid, are you alright?"

"It's okay, you can walk around now."

Amid, her silver-white hair swaying, walked over on her own two feet.

She had just been subjected to a powerful "curse".After being attacked by the curse, the incantation has finally been lifted, and the physical condition seems to have improved a lot.

However, after carefully observing the girl's expression, Finn gave the following instructions:

"Amid, leave the artificial labyrinth. I need you to retreat outside the dungeon."

"But……"

"I don't think we'll encounter such a strong 'curse' again. We can handle it with the 'secret medicines' carried by each unit."

"……I see."

Although he won the battle, Finn advised the girl to leave the labyrinth ahead of time, considering that her body had been severely affected by the curse.

Amed didn't insist and readily and decisively chose to concede. Although she had improved considerably, the wise therapist must have objectively judged that she was currently severely exhausted both physically and mentally, and might actually be a burden to everyone else.

Afterwards, Amid will leave with the personnel who are temporarily turning back for resupply: she spoke with Finn before the troops were ready.

Do you think the enemy might launch a counterattack?

"I think it's impossible to turn the tide through normal means. If there's still a way, it's to release the 'Fairy Essence Clone' and let it go out of control and charge wildly. But if the enemy does that, victory will almost certainly be ours. At that point, I will temporarily retreat and then use the prepared 'second wave of attack' to decide the outcome."

Everything was proceeding as if it were a combat operation.

He told Amid that if the enemy were to play their final trump card, he should act according to the plan he had in mind.

Finn never believed that a single attack could annihilate the entire force lurking within the man-made labyrinth. The purpose of this "first wave of attack" was to gain knowledge of the labyrinth's structure and wipe out the dark faction in one fell swoop. Now, the "Daedalus Handbook" has almost helped them achieve the former goal, and the real enemy, the "Fairy Clone," can be dealt with later.

There's no need to be greedy at times like this.

Finn had no intention of alerting the enemy before the "second wave of attack".

After hearing what he said, Amid also showed a look of sudden realization.

The overall victory of this first wave of offensive is now unshakeable.

(...Yes, that's how it should be.)

however.

Finn himself said this to Amid, but he couldn't ignore the "strange feeling" lingering in his heart.

(We've come this far, and the enemy still hasn't made a move. What's going on? Loki and Grace have already gone to capture the god Thanatos; the Dark Faction will crumble sooner or later.)

The enemy is moving too slowly.

Even if he were to use the "Celestial Clone," at this stage, the encirclement was already complete, making such an action meaningless. With their escape routes secured, the Loki Familia and other alliance members could now easily pursue or retreat. Finn had considered the possibility of the "Celestial Clone" going out of control and devised several countermeasures, but now they were all useless.

The enemy didn't have time to keep up with Finn and his men's marching speed—

Is it really possible to make such an optimistic judgment?

(Or perhaps they're having internal strife? The underground forces... the eccentrics have betrayed the dark faction?... But they don't need to abandon the dark faction. Doing so would only be a pointless loss of fighting power.)

He explored every possible possibility, but still couldn't get a clear answer.

Of the enemy's forces, the only one still capable of fighting is Rives.

Is it possible to use her power to turn the tide? No, it's still impossible. Even if successful, it would only be a tactical victory. The strategic victory and the overall trend of the game remain in our hands.