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

"Lefia..."

Only Ais frowned deeply, her heart aching.

She could more or less guess how Loki had managed to get Rafia back on her feet.

The care and encouragement from Ais and the others failed to reach Lefia's heart.

Naturally, all that remained was to instigate her to "take revenge".

The deliberate revisiting of the massacre of compatriots ignited a raging fire in their parched hearts.

Ais glanced at the God who had remained silent until now, and a trace of worry flashed through her mind.

Wouldn't doing this prevent her from ever escaping the shadow of revenge?

Would doing this make her become like me?

Wouldn't doing this leave her scarred and wounded by the flames of revenge?

Although the girl was standing right in front of me, her former lovely and cheerful figure was no longer there.

Watching Lefia walk straight ahead, Ais couldn't help but reach out her hand.

"────"

But—

When Ais saw clearly the eyes that Lefia revealed when she looked up.

Those azure eyes that met my gaze.

She had forgotten to breathe and silently lowered the outstretched hand.

The words I wanted to say have all vanished without a trace.

He could only let the girl pass by him.

"...Is it really okay to just let her go like this?"

Tiona, unable to hide her unease, voiced her doubts.

Ais remained silent, simply watching the figure resolutely moving forward and gradually disappearing into the distance.

*

"I never expected it to be the 'Secret Technique of the Great Immortal'...!"

The magician's bitter words echoed in the hall illuminated by the magic stone lamp.

This is the thirtieth floor of the towering white Tower of Babel, which stands in the city center.

This round table hall, which is usually used to hold the "Assembly of the Gods," is temporarily open to the people of the lower realms for the consideration of Uranus and his comrades.

Those who participated in the meeting included Finn, Fells, Shakti, Tsubaki, and representatives from various organizations.

In other words, the leaders of the righteous factions gathered here for a strategic meeting.

As for the sole objective, it is to find a way to stop the enemy's plan to destroy the city.

"To resonate with the six 'Fairy Spirit Avatars,' causing the magic to circulate, and finally unleash its power to destroy everything... the 'Circular Poem'..."

"The enemy really went to great lengths."

After learning the full details of the enemy's plan from Finn, Shakti and Tsubaki each shared their thoughts.

The "heretics" who were digging their way forward did not mishear; a massive chanting of an extremely long text was taking place deep underground.

Once the spell is completed, Orario will be destroyed.

While the chief gods of various factions were busy with "another matter," their retinues were also here sharing information and discussing countermeasures.

"It seems that the other side activated the 'altar'... not only to annihilate us in one fell swoop through the artificial labyrinth of another world, but also to replenish the 'nutrients' called magic power."

The implication is that this refers to the tragedy that led to the complete annihilation of the Dionysian Familia.

With a sense of defeat and dread, Fels spoke these words in a heavy tone, which echoed throughout the hall.

"To what extent did the enemy execute their plan without our knowledge...?"

"The mastermind behind the enemy is called the Urban Destroyer, right? Such tactics transcend human intelligence. However... speaking of gods, perhaps they all possess such a dark side."

Shakti and Chun both frankly shared their views on God.

At the same time, they also feel fear about being surpassed by higher dimensions.

Everyone present remained standing and silent, and the room around the round table was temporarily shrouded in silence.

"But we must defeat this 'god' now."

Finn was the first to break the silence.

"Otherwise, the people and things we cherish will be stripped away one by one, plunging the world into an unprecedented abyss of despair. Whoever the opponent is, we have no choice but to win, do we?"

Only the brave warrior remained calm and resolutely expressed his stance, deeply moving Shakti and the others.

There is no way to retreat; only by standing up and fighting can we have a tomorrow.

Everyone present nodded in agreement, as if they had made up their minds.

"As mentioned before, the enemy's 'core'—the trigger point that will destroy the city—has six locations, and we must find a way to destroy them all."

"Finn, according to you, you plan to attack all the chambers on the tenth floor simultaneously, is that right?"

"That's right, exactly."

"That's quite a straightforward battle plan. But speaking of the power of the 'Fairy Spirit Clone,' I remember it's far superior to the floor master's, right?"

"We've long since moved beyond the stage of playing clever tricks. We can't win unless we 'fight it out' with the enemy."

After Finn confirmed her points one by one, Tsubaki couldn't help but smile.

"Wait a minute, isn't it enough to defeat one of the enemy's six fairies and cut off the source of one of their 'chantments' to stop the 'Grand Arcane'?"

"I have confirmed with Uranus and the others that even if one fairy is missing, the others will continue to 'chant'. It may be possible to delay the activation, but the spell cannot be dispelled until the last one is defeated."

Fels answered Shakti's question.

Shakti and the others all looked grave at the insights offered by the man in black, who was posing as a magician.

"Shakti, how's the 'pathway' work on the artificial maze coming along?"

"The vice-captain and the other members are digging as hard as they can. It's ironic, really. Probably because all the 'magic' has been transferred to the spell, the closer the enemy's secret technique gets to completion, the weaker the 'green flesh's' counterattack becomes, allowing our work to proceed at a faster pace."

"so?"

"Yes, we will clear a path to the tenth floor before the 'second wave of attack' begins."

"The 'heretics' also dig inside the dungeon. Other capable 'familias' have come to help because of the mandatory missions."

Shakti offered his opinion on Finn's question, with Fels adding his own insights.

In order to finalize the battle plan, they did not hesitate to use the power of the "guild" to make preparations in advance.

This fact can indeed create a sense of crisis, but it can also make people careless and feel their blood boil.

This is an unprecedented "adventure" where the entire Orario community is united in challenging a powerful enemy.

Finn nodded in satisfaction and began to formally formulate the battle plan.

"First, at the start of the operation, Ganesha, Hephaestus, and our Loki Familia invaded the man-made labyrinth from both the surface and underground. The team was divided into five groups."

The map was spread out on the round table.

Then he took out the chess pieces.

"I will command the First Division of the Commander-in-Chief, followed by the Second Division led by Riveria and Ais, the Third Division led by Grace, the Fourth Division led by Tiona and Tione, and the Fifth Division led by Bert..."

Finn named each of the first-level adventurers and placed the chess pieces on the map.

He placed the chess pieces from the north side, clockwise, on the various caves within the tenth level of the man-made maze, where the "celestial spirit clones" were hidden.

The first team is due north, the second team is northeast, the third team is southeast, and so on. Teams are assigned to be responsible for the five target locations in sequence.

"Members below the second-tier adventurer level will also be incorporated into the various teams. In addition, we will request manpower support from other factions."

"I see. So you divide the Loki Familia's forces into five groups and then incorporate us into them?"

"That's right. Tsubaki, you'll join Grace's Third Division, while Shakti will follow my First Division. As for the outstanding combat forces, led by the Ganesha Familia and other first-class adventurers, they'll be assigned to the Second Division in order."

Seeing that Chun's expression seemed to indicate that she understood, Finn continued to explain.

"【Red Panther】Ilta Fina is in the second unit, 【Deankaite Familia】Amid is in the fourth unit, and Angie and Lefia are in the fifth unit..."

To distribute the combat strength of each unit evenly, Finn called out the renowned adventurers and healers in turn—

"Wait, Finn."

Shakti suddenly interrupted him.

"We need to defeat six 'Fairy Clones' in total, and the team you've assigned is simply not enough... What exactly are you planning?"

Indeed, just as Shakti questioned, Finn only fielded five teams.

The "Sixth Unit" has become vacant.

Is it due to insufficient combat strength?

Or are they boasting about attacking simultaneously, but intending to ignore one of them?

Or is one of the teams under particularly heavy burdens, and must gather their forces to defeat "two fairy spirits" in one fell swoop? Shakti asked the question with sharp eyes.

Could it be that they're considering forming a "do-or-die" unit with little chance of survival?

"--The last one will be left to the 'heretics'."

The person who answered this question was not Finn.

Instead, it was Fels dressed in all black.

"Regarding the selection of personnel for the battle, I have requested that those within the dungeon choose from among their comrades. Although they lack exceptionally strong 'individuals' like the [Hero] and others, their potential abilities are all above Lv.3. In terms of numbers, their overall combat strength is not inferior to other units."

Everyone present knew of the existence of the "heretic".

Fels explained this point in an orderly manner.

A detailed explanation of the availability of the "monsters".

"...Since you are all so determined to go all in, I implore you to have faith in them."

This is a crucial battle that will determine the survival of the city, implying a desire to entrust some of the heavy responsibilities to the "heretics."

Although this was considered from a combat power perspective, Fels wanted to ask everyone to consider the lizardmen's concern for humanity and the surface world, and to agree to cooperate with the monsters.

However, this silence did not last long.

"I have no objection. In any case, the situation is so urgent that I would like to use the monster's help."

Chun was the first to speak.

"I learned from my old friend Will... from former colleagues and the Lord God that they are like cats, a group of strange monsters with human hearts. Since you all choose to believe in them, I am willing to support that choice."

"【The One-Eyed Master】..."

"Besides, we don't have time to be picky about the current situation, so let's just ask them to do their best. Right, everyone?"

"...That's right, this is precisely the divine will of the [Group Owner]."

"I had no objections from the very beginning."

Among the group, Chun, who had almost no contact with the "heretic" and was arguably the least involved, raised the corners of her mouth and slightly narrowed her right eye, which was not covered by an eyepatch.

Shakti and Finn both smiled in response to this statement, which was based on "belief" rather than theory and acted only according to what they believed in—a style very much in line with the "craftsman" mentality.

Upon hearing this, Fels' hood swayed slightly as he bowed his head, and he quietly thanked everyone.

"Getting back to the point. Fels, because the plan changed, you will be operating as a 'special forces' unit, not affiliated with any other unit."

"Are you in charge of 'pranks'? No problem."

"In addition, I will organize several non-combat units around Raul as the center. Their role is to ensure supply routes and reserve combat power. They can be used to reinforce the units when the situation becomes urgent, but everyone should not have too high expectations and try to complete the mission with the current six units. In addition, each unit is equipped with a 'crystal' for communication."

"Finn, what's your strategy for dealing with that red-haired guy? I heard that among the remaining enemy forces, the one who killed Hassanal is the only one we need to be particularly careful about, right?"

"The enemy's plan is nearing its end. Even if we hold onto 'Fairy Essence' to the death, it will be pointless. This red-haired monster will most likely target Ais."

The war council, centered on Finn, proceeded very smoothly.

Even though the participants came from different factions, the discussion proceeded swiftly and decisively, quickly identifying key tactical and strategic points.