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

"I'm here to 'check the answers' with you, Demeter."

Hermes said.

He put the hat back on his head, touched the brim with his fingers, and then focused his gaze on the divine object in front of him.

"Ah... we were discovered. That's right... it seems you found out."

The response I received was like a line from a play, full of exclamation, but the tone was quite flat.

The Hermes Familia guards, who were hiding in the shadows in front of the balcony and on the steps, were all startled by the sound.

Demeter slowly turned around, her breasts, covered by her divine robes, swaying slightly with the movement.

The goddess who always wore a gentle smile on her face is no more.

She has now lost her expression, and her "expressionless" demeanor is chilling.

This is the true face of the goddess hidden deep within her heart.

"Only you, Hermes, and your children? That's a miscalculation... no, it's regrettable. I don't expect Loki and the others to come here, but at least Uranus's personal guards would have been fine."

Demeter had already seen through the clansmen hiding nearby, but her tone remained calm.

As for the gaze that shot towards her, it was so cold that even Hermes, who came from the same hometown as her, had never seen it before.

"...Are you doing this to distract our forces?"

"Yes, after all, everything is ready, and the dice are no longer in my hands. Even if you arrest me immediately or send me back to Heaven, the gates to the Underworld have already been opened."

Nearby

In this "warehouse" belonging to the Demeter Familia, not a single one of her members was to be seen.

The scene was eerily quiet, shrouded in an unsettling silence.

"...Where are your clansmen?"

"Not here. No, not in this world."

"...Why do you say that?"

"Were they sent to that 'demon city'? Or have they already become 'nutrients' for cultivating flowers...? Which do you think the answer is?"

Ka--

One of the Hermes Familia members who was listening nearby accidentally moved his weapon.

Everyone present was sweating profusely, and they were already overwhelmed just trying to catch their breath.

Because Demeter is so terrifying now.

Her voice, tone, and attitude all felt very unfamiliar.

Even without unleashing her "divine power," she was already enough to make people tremble all over.

Perhaps this is precisely what makes God God—the unique ruthlessness that transcends existence.

The feeling that lingers in the hearts of the inhabitants of the Nether is a “fear” that is completely different from the fear they feel when facing monsters.

"Hermes... I told you before, didn't I?"

Demeter's bangs were gently blown by the wind.

Her eyes, hidden beneath her hair, were as empty and lifeless as flawless glass.

"I feel extremely 'dissatisfied'. Known as the mother of all things and bearing the name of the earth, I am 'very dissatisfied' with the current state of the lower realm—to the point of being unforgivable."

Demeter gradually intensified her tone.

She opened her glassy eyes wide and cried out:

"Such 'unreasonableness'! Such 'prejudice'! Such 'discrimination'!"

To vent one's intense emotions.

Hermes, whose heart felt as if it were being squeezed, couldn't understand what Demeter was trying to say.

Completely incomprehensible.

It has already surpassed human understanding.

But the only thing they understood was that if anything were to happen, they were prepared to sacrifice themselves to protect God.

"...Yes, I have indeed heard it from you. You are the embodiment of compassion, yet you are unable to love the contradictions and entanglements of all things in the world."

"Then you should understand, right?"

The two gods are looking at each other on the balcony.

The situation on the scene was so tense that it could erupt at any moment.

Demeter let her hands fall limply to her sides and lowered her head.

"You should understand why I did that—"

The next moment.

Hermes seemed unable to contain himself any longer—

He shook his head and interrupted the goddess.

"This farce ends here, Demeter. Your tricks have been exposed."

Loki stared intently at the fragrant ground and began to search carefully.

It was as if she was absolutely certain that something was hidden here.

Then──

"...Got it."

She poked at the gap between the stone slabs with her finger, then pressed down, and the slabs slid open to the side.

It is a "secret passage".

"There are always secret passages in conquered cities!"

"Don't miss the hidden passage!"

A statement Grace made at the end of the "first wave of attack" was proven true in this way.

The mastermind behind the killing of the gods and the repatriation of the pillar of light—"Enior"—used this "secret passage" to escape being preyed upon by the green flesh.

There was a staircase beneath the open stone slab, and Loki quickly slipped into the "secret passage" before the entrance closed.

She carried the magic lamp down the steps.

The narrow stone steps lead downwards, creating a strong sense of oppression.

But Loki's crimson eyes did not waver in the slightest, remaining fixed on the horizon.

After a period of time──

"..."

Loki finally reached the top of the stairs, where there was only a wall. She activated the mechanism in the same way, opening the "secret door" in front of her.

This "secret passage" leads to a cylindrical space.

A complex web of passages unfolds before you—each likely a secret passage—leading to various locations. Ancient murals can be seen on the surrounding walls.

The painting depicts a crowd trying to escape the monster, a raging inferno, and lives lost.

Destruction and slaughter.

Devastation and chaos.

A brutal and inhumane feast of death.

The scene is referred to as hell or the underworld.

Then──

"────"

He stood in the center of this space.

He wore a long, indigo robe that covered his entire body, with a black shawl over it.

Several masks were hanging on the shawl.

That chilling appearance seemed to symbolize that even gods have many faces.

Loki stared at "him" and said:

"You're the real mastermind behind this, aren't you?"

"W-What did you say...?"

Demeter abruptly raised her head and managed to squeeze out the question.

Yet one could hear a slight tremor in the goddess's voice.

"I'm saying, if you continue like this, you'll only highlight your pathetic state. I don't want to see you with that expression, nor do I want to see you become a clown."

Hermes felt genuine sympathy and looked at Demeter with pity.

"Demeter is the goddess of fertility, and as mentioned before, she is the embodiment of love for all things. Indeed, when you are angry, you can be so terrible that you can cause the world to fall into ruin... but in your character, you would not resort to such direct means."

Demeter's face began to turn pale.

No one could know the goddess's state of mind at that moment.

Even Hermes, who was also a god, could not tell whether she felt regret, sorrow, or despair.

But in order to never see her in such a heartbreaking state again, Hermes uttered the decisive sentence.

"You are not a 'city destroyer' at all."

*

After a long fall, Lefia and the other adventurers finally landed on the stone slabs.

It is a huge cave.

Even if half of the Fifth Division members fell in here and were separated from Anachiti and the others, there would still be plenty of space in this stone room.

Based on the time of the fall, this should be the eleventh floor of the man-made maze... no, it should be the twelfth floor.

Lefia quickly surveyed her surroundings, considering her options.

At the same time, she turned her gaze to the "masked man" that had landed in front of her.

"Tch! To resort to such a boring trap..."

As Bert smacked his lips in self-mockery, the cave directly above was completely blocked by the green flesh attached to it.

It is no longer possible to return to the tenth floor from here.

Unless another way can be found.

This cave has many passageways that lead to other places.

There are even other entrances and exits at higher levels. Judging from this, this might be a relay station connecting to various parts of the maze.

Whether it was because the power was concentrated on the tenth floor and this area was neglected, or it was intentional, there was not much green flesh here, and more than half of the space retained the original appearance of the man-made maze.

Rotten, yellowish-brown chunks of flesh peeled off the walls and ceiling, resembling giant slugs falling to the ground.

The adventurers, who had been inadvertently separated from the other members, straightened their faces and raised their weapons.

"..."

In contrast, the "masked man" did not make any further moves, but simply stood still.

Not even a single breath came from beneath that strangely patterned mask.

However, his indigo robe swayed slightly due to the vibrations caused by the fierce battle upstairs.

...Won't he take action?

The adventurers all had the same doubts in their minds.

The two sides thus became locked in a strange stalemate.

The "masked man" showed no further reaction after activating the trap. Despite the overwhelming numerical advantage of the adventurers, the strange man's passive attitude seemed very unnatural. Even Bert frowned in puzzlement.

“…………”