"My Leon… he's really amazing…" Freya murmured softly, her gaze fixed on the screen.
There, Leon sat on a glowing platform of light in the sky, his arms crossed casually as he watched over the battlefield. His Gate of Heaven bathed the entire field in divine light, like a celestial deity.
Freya's eyes sparkled like a maiden in love, her tone bordering on dreamy.
Ouranos: "…"
Fels: "…"
Ottar and the others: "…"
They were speechless.
Their goddess was clearly in love and with Leon, no less. Yet not a single one of them could find it in themselves to protest. Leon was stronger than all of them, strong enough that even Ottar had to admit it.
So long as their goddess adored someone stronger than them, what complaints could they possibly have?
Still, the awkwardness hung in the air like a heavy fog.
Ottar and his comrades turned away from Freya's lovestruck expression and began murmuring among themselves.
They had seen it with their own eyes. The battlefield Leon had commanded, how he enabled Finn and the others to fight like gods. Their minds were filled with envy.
Even Ottar, silent and unshakable, couldn't help but feel the stirrings of battle lust. Who wouldn't want to fight with someone like Leon standing behind them?
They had their own ace, Heith, a powerful golden witch with strong healing magic. But no matter how skilled she was, she couldn't compare to Leon. Her magic, while excellent, was only on par with someone like Airmid.
They had no reason to oppose Leon. In fact, they were hopeful they could fight beside him, venture deeper into the Dungeon than ever before.
But…
The thought of cooperating with Loki Familia, with whom they had long-standing animosity, was another matter entirely.
It wasn't just Ottar. Even Hedin and Hogni, who respected Riveria immensely, were clearly reluctant to collaborate with the rest of her Familia.
Although they wouldn't start a fight upon meeting, working together smoothly was another matter.
"Stop overthinking it. I'll make the decision."
Just as their hesitation reached a peak, Freya, having recovered from her swooning, smiled with confidence.
"If Ouranos can convince Leon and Loki, then Freya Familia will join the next expedition."
"Freya-sama?" Ottar raised a brow instinctively, unsure.
"What? You're questioning my authority now?" Freya's eyes flickered as she turned to look at them.
Her voice was charming, but held an unmistakable pressure.
"Of course not." Hedin said quickly, shaking his head.
"Or would you rather fall behind Loki Familia?" Freya's words cut deep.
"You've seen it for yourselves. The tide has already turned. The new age is here and if you don't march forward with it, you'll be swallowed by it."
She didn't shout. Her voice was soft but it echoed with undeniable truth.
Ottar and the others fell silent because she was right.
"Since there are no objections, it's decided."
Freya turned to Ouranos with a satisfied smile. "I'll leave the coordination to you."
Ottar and his companions said nothing. Their silence was as good as agreement.
"Understood." Ouranos nodded solemnly. "I'll take care of it."
Freya added with a sly smirk, "By the way, if you're recruiting my Familia to help Ottar and the others grow and prepare to fight the Black Dragon, why not include the Kali Familia as well?"
"That little Familia already has two Level 6 adventurers, after all."
Ouranos folded his arms and said, "The Kali Familia has had continuous friction with the Loki Familia. I'm not sure Loki will agree. And besides…"
"They've only just arrived in Orario. I don't trust them yet."
Freya nodded in understanding. "True. They're a troublesome bunch."
She turned her gaze back to the screen. Leon and the others were resting beneath the Gate of Heaven, the divine light washing over them.
"By the way, Ouranos, you've been watching their expedition the whole time, haven't you?"
"Tell me, what happened before this?"
"I was going to tell you anyway. Freya, something is off." Ouranos' expression turned serious.
"A new Behemoth was just born. You saw it with your own eyes."
"But before that, on the 59th floor, Leon and the others encountered a mutated floor, an unnatural space where a Level 8 monster and a creature bearing the same origin as the one-eyed Black Dragon appeared."
"What?" Ottar's brows twitched. The others leaned forward.
They were expecting something powerful but a Level 8?
And then—
"…A Black Dragon!?"
Ottar's voice echoed through the hall.
Even for someone as stoic as him, this was a shock.
The Black Dragon, the very creature responsible for annihilating the Zeus and Hera Familias, was no trivial matter.
If it had appeared again…
No. It was almost unthinkable.
The Behemoth had been shocking enough but to learn that a Black Dragon had shown itself on the floor just before?
The target of two of the three great quests had already appeared. Was the Leviathan next?
"Ah, it's the Black Dragon."
"That Black Dragon is only Level 8, but the Dungeon is doing everything in its power to protect it."
"Even when Leon made his move, the Black Dragon still managed to escape, it fled deeper into the lower floors."
"I suspect the Dungeon is planning something." Ouranos narrowed his eyes, his tone grim.
"Is that so? How interesting." Freya, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke. Her eyes narrowed with intrigue, and a gleam danced within them.
"When Leon and the others return from the deep floors, I will use my divine power to probe the depths myself." Ouranos continued, his voice resolute. "Even if it provokes the Dungeon and causes unrest, it must be done."
"It's about time we took a proper look." Freya agreed, nodding with a rare seriousness. "The deadline we set is approaching. We can't afford more surprises."
With that, she fell silent once more, her gaze returning to the screen. She had no intention of leaving.
Neither Ouranos nor Fels objected to her lingering presence.
Soon, the scene on the screen shifted. Leon and the others, having rested, were preparing to move once more.
It didn't take long for something unexpected to appear before their eyes.
"A portal?"
Freya's voice rang with disbelief as she leaned forward.
"Is something like that really possible… in the Dungeon?"
Portals were a divine tool of the heavens. Only the gods used them to travel between realms, and such things should never exist in the mortal plane. For one to appear here, in the Dungeon, was unthinkable.
Freya's surprise was visible in her furrowed brow.
Ouranos, however, wasn't quite as shocked. After all, the report brought back by Fels had already mentioned the possibility of a portal. But even he couldn't remain calm when the next image appeared.
"What is that?!"
Ouranos' voice echoed in the altar, eyes wide as he stared at the massive structure that appeared before Leon and the others.
A colossal light cocoon, glowing in rhythmic pulses of blue, as if it were breathing, alive.
Freya and the others shared his shock. Their faces mirrored the disbelief and alarm that gripped the room.
Though Leon and his party had no idea they were being watched, their reactions were nearly identical. Leon, too, was stunned.
To think that such a massive cocoon existed between the 60th and 61st floors. Just one glance, and it was obvious that something was being nurtured inside.
"Fels, did this cocoon exist when you first entered this place?" Ouranos turned sharply toward the hooded sage.
"No." Fels replied immediately, shaking his head. "That space is vast and intricate. When I arrived, it was nothing but a dead void."
"If I had seen something like that, I would've recorded it without hesitation."
"It must be the center of the spatial rift, then…" Ouranos mused, eyes narrowing in thought.
There was no doubt. Leon and his group had reached the heart of this strange domain. That enormous cocoon couldn't be anything but central.
***
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