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

"That's right, the world still longs for the arrival of a 'hero'."

In a place some distance away from the labyrinthine city.

Hermes, just like that day, gazed into the darkness ahead and whispered the same words.

"Hermes...?"

"Even with all our forces assembled, we still lack sufficient pieces and must play this trump card."

Ignoring the bewildered Demeter, the male god continued talking to himself.

"We need a white light to dispel the darkness, a bell to save the chosen ones, and a final hero to shoulder the responsibility for the 'Age of Promise' that will one day come."

The sound carried by the wind to the city where the war had broken out.

At first glance, it sounds like a prophecy about to come true.

And this was the oracle that belonged exclusively to Hermes, which sounded so uncertain, so ambiguous, so wishful thinking, yet also carried a sliver of hope.

"To be honest, I wanted to keep this trump card... but now there is no other way but to throw it into this great war that will not be celebrated, and I beg it to save the 'world' once again."

Then──

Hermes smiled innocently, like a child reading a favorite storybook.

"That's right, in order to fulfill the world's long-cherished wish—I've decided to play the trump card called 'Hero'."

*

"Is this the place?"

The "last reinforcements" quietly confirmed their arrival.

"Yes, please."

When asked by the "boy", Asifi nodded in response.

In the labyrinthine streets shrouded in darkness.

Hearing the shouts of reinforcements arriving from all directions, the "last hero" that the gods had been waiting for looked down at the "pit" leading to the abyss.

"Seriously, we just got back from the 'expedition' and immediately got caught up in trouble... The main thing is, is there anything we can do to help with Lily!?"

"Since it's a 'mandatory task,' we can only obediently do as we're told, right, Riko?"

"That's right. If there's anything we can do to help, we'll certainly do our duty."

"I heard Sister Aisha and the others' voices... Let's set off quickly."

Only four people responded.

Even though their momentum and scale paled in comparison to other reinforcements, for some reason, in Asfi's eyes, they were still the most reliable group of people.

It should be said that this group of people has become very reliable.

They are the [Family] led by the "last hero" mentioned by the main god.

"Orario is in crisis, and Miss Ais and the others are fighting a bloody battle, so I want to lend a hand."

The three companions smiled at the boy's determination, while the only one who remained silent, the little girl, nodded reluctantly in agreement.

Her hair, as white as fresh snow, swayed in the wind.

Those deep red eyes held an unwavering will.

He also moved his left hand, which was not yet fully healed.

"The Unfinished Hero" - Bell Craney leads the Hestia Familia into battle.

"Set off."

(Illustration 018)

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 12 Chapter 7 Final War II

Led by the "strongest," a large number of reinforcements entered the artificial maze one after another.

A powerful roar still echoed within Orario.

But it was as if they had replaced them—no, it was as if they had suddenly appeared just as the time had passed since they left.

"Wa ...

On the surface of the earth at this moment.

Amidst the scene where the "Immortal Essence" grand spell transformed into specks of red light that rose slowly, a scream suddenly pierced the air.

A group of carnivorous plants broke through the stone pavement and emerged from the underground sewers.

They opened their petals and gaping, mucus-dripping maws, extending countless tentacles outwards.

"That's a new type of monster!? I remember it appearing at the Monster Festival!"

After receiving the devastating boost in magical power from the "Fairy Clone," the man-eating flower, being a member of the Familia, began to go berserk.

As if wanting to take advantage of the chaos to play a "prank," the mastermind behind the scenes secretly laid this trap.

"What exactly is this red light that started appearing just now!?"

"And the earthquakes just won't stop...!"

"Has something terrible happened?!"

The carnivorous plants that appeared throughout the city became a fatal blow that drove the public out of control.

People were already worried and fearful because of the obvious abnormality, and this disturbance plunged them into complete panic.

The scene before me was nothing short of a chaotic feast.

The helpless residents and merchants screamed and scrambled to cover their heads and run away.

The cries of children echoed from all directions, and the adventurers, annoyed and clicking their tongues, immediately stepped forward to fight the monster.

"Ughh ...

"That's... way too strong!?"

However, the man-eating plant's potential abilities surpass those of most adventurers.

Physical attacks are ineffective, and they react to "magic" and prioritize attacking mages. Faced with this group of powerful enemies who have never appeared in the dungeon before, who are both "unseen" and "unknown," even high-level adventurers are at a disadvantage.

The tough adventurers, the backbone of the city, happened to be away reinforcing the man-made labyrinth.

Therefore, they had to rely on the remaining fighting force stationed on the surface to try to control the situation.

Although adventurers, mainly from the Ganesha Familia reserve force, came to rescue the citizens, the monsters wreaking havoc still posed a significant threat.

As cries for help from increasingly disadvantaged adventurers echoed throughout the city, and the battle situation took a sharp turn for the worse—

"Hey! Come on then, you bunch of stinky flowers!"

Suddenly a group of "fishermen" appeared.

"Don't be reckless, Rhodes!"

"Rest assured, God Nyod! Although it wasn't by my own free will, I've long since figured out these guys' habits!"

They are the Nyod family.

Regardless of whether the Kali Familia, who were stranded in the port city, were willing to come to their aid, they set off immediately upon hearing that Orario was in crisis.

Commander Rhodes gave a spirited smile to the concerned god Njord.

"This is my dad's leftover 'magic powder' from when he was the mayor! Watch me scatter it all here!"

The sacks that Rhodes and the others carried on their shoulders were filled with powder used to grind up the "magic stone" and lure the man-eating plants.

This was both a prop made by Njord and the mayor to protect the port city's coastal waters and evidence of their crimes.

Rhodes and his group began to spray powder indiscriminately.

The carnivorous plants all turned to look at them, ceasing their attacks on the fleeing civilians.

"W-Why do I have to do this?!"

"Shut up, Rupert! Get to work and lure them all to the high-level adventurers!"

Rupert, who had switched from being a guild branch manager to a fisherman, was so frightened that he cried and screamed, while Rhodes rushed forward to attract the monster.

"This is very bad, Perth!"

"Damn it, I finally made it back to the surface and this crap happens to me! I've had enough of these man-eating flowers in Rivera Town!"

Within the northwest district of the city.

Perth Elder, who happened to return to the surface, couldn't help but complain bitterly.

The town of Rivera was nearly destroyed in the "Precious Pearl Fetus" incident, and now the nightmare is repeating itself before our eyes.

Despite his underlings being pale with fright, Perth glared menacingly at the carnivorous plants, poised to unleash his fury.

"Damn it, this half-baked weapon is completely useless! Randomly attacking will only get me a piece of scrap metal!"

Faced with the man-eating flower's notoriously tough outer skin, not to mention blunt weapons, even swords designed for slashing strikes would dull after just one cut.

Just as Perth and his group decided to play it safe and were preparing to make a quick getaway—

"Take it."

"You, you are... Old Man Gubernau!!"

A petite old man called out to the group of thugs.

He is the god of forging, Gubernius.

"I have opened the [Family]'s warehouse; take our weapons and fight."

The blacksmiths of the [Gubney Clan], upholding a spirit of simplicity, shouted as they delivered weapons to the adventurers.

Perth and his companions, who had been forced to retreat by the ferocious monsters, were overjoyed and rushed forward after seeing the "treasures" one by one.

"This...this is the first-class weaponry of the [Gubney Clan]...!"

"These are all weapons we'll never even get to touch in our lifetime!"

"Holy crap~ I feel so good right now! It's absolutely amazing! I'm so glad I'm alive! Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Not only was Perth, a weapons fanatic, moved to tears, but even his underlings' emotions shifted from fear to immense excitement.

They swung their weapons with gusto, easily slicing through the enemy's tentacles and hard skin, gradually driving the carnivorous plants back.

"Although we had prepared for the worst... we didn't expect the outcome to be just as Loki and the others had predicted."

The scene shifts to the "industrial zone" in the northeastern part of the city.

Hephaestus, who was a forging god along with Gubernius, squinted her left eye, which was not covered by an eyepatch, as she watched the adventurers fight against the monsters.

"The senior blacksmiths, including Chun, have all gone to war with the Loki children. I understand that this task is too heavy for junior blacksmiths, but I'm still asking you to take care of it."

""yes!""

"When engaging in battle, everyone should focus on using the 'Demon Sword'! The adventurers can take care of the vanguard!"

The blacksmiths responded loudly to the Lord God's instructions.

The Hephaestus Familia channeled their passion for forging directly into fighting spirit, each wielding their prized "magic swords" in a barrage of attacks.

Hephaestus personally took command, ordering a barrage of fire and lightning projectiles to be rained down on the evacuated areas to attack the monsters.

Faced with the city's greatest crisis, these blacksmiths even resorted to using the works of master blacksmiths to fight the enemy.

"A bunch of idiots! We need to learn to cooperate with mages! Those carnivorous plants react to 'magic'! Lure the enemy away from the civilians, and use your ranged advantage to annihilate them!"

The guild members also performed their respective duties, contributing their share to this war.

The most unexpected thing was that the person in charge of command was none other than Guild Master Loiman.

"Huh? But you, President, often say that using 'magic' in the city is too dangerous, and therefore it's listed as a prohibited activity..."

"There's no time to worry about these things now! Get the facts straight before you speak! Zul! Pass down the order for all [Familia] to cooperate fully!! And this matter absolutely cannot be left to Flotte!!"

“Yes, yes!”

"Don't you think that's going too far, President!?"

Lloyd dismissed the half-elf waitress, while responding with a roar to another waitress, Missia Flott, who was crying loudly, and continued to give other instructions.

Lloydman, who was the guild member who knew best about the crisis Orario was facing, was now pale. He was not only exhausted but also overwhelmed with work. If he could, he would just drink his stomach medicine like alcohol and crawl into bed to comfort himself that it was all a dream.