"Why?"
"[Gale] is about to find us..."
Yama's words instantly caused the surrounding Rudra Familia members to explode into a clamor.
[Gale] is coming to find us?
For real?!
Then we should definitely make a run for it!
The members under the God of Violence and Evil had already suffered significant losses during the [Great Feud]. Almost all of the current ones had joined later.
The original core members had long since been killed or injured, and even the Captain and Vice-Captain were nowhere to be found.
In the eyes of the God, these current members were all unqualified failures.
"So, you are afraid?"
The high and mighty God's eyes were still filled with disdainful arrogance.
He raised His head, looking down at these "children" of His, thinking that in today's Orario, it was indeed difficult to find children who suited His tastes.
Rudra was the God of "Violence and Evil," and also the "Lord of Beasts."
He was a God who brought down destruction and natural disasters.
The children He liked.
Were those who had completely cast aside human rationality, who did not suppress their primal instincts in the slightest. Like beasts, they allowed rage and madness to consume them completely, disregarding everything else, destroying everything in their path like a storm.
To be fair, Rudra actually quite fancied Ryuu.
The Elf girl who had previously vented her inner hatred in madness was, in His eyes, simply the most suitable Familia member.
What a pity...
The God's sneer instantly silenced the interior of the church.
But the problem was, these members of the Rudra Familia were genuinely afraid. They were no match for [Gale] at all; that was a Level 4 adventurer!!
Most importantly.
As Tamers, most of the monsters they had tamed were in the Dungeon.
The Death God's side would occasionally help transport monsters from the Dungeon to the city through special channels.
This was also the original cooperation between them.
Rudra was responsible for managing the surface operations, whether it was smuggling adventurers in or smuggling monsters out of the city.
But even so, the monsters stored in the city were very few and could not be considered a combat force at all.
At this moment.
Both Yama and these Rudra Familia members realized it.
Their God could sit there high and mighty, drinking wine while watching them be slaughtered by [Gale], and even laugh heartily, treating it all as a good show.
The Cat Person youth obviously understood his own God very well.
After all, he was one of the very few "veterans" surviving in the Familia now.
So Yama quickly changed his rhetoric.
"God Thanatos's preparations are almost complete. If we go over and tame another batch of monsters, we will be able to destroy Orario in one fell swoop when the time comes."
"They are almost ready?"
"Soon. That person in the Deep Floors has already engaged the Loki and Freya Familias, hasn't he?"
"..."
Hearing this.
The God of Violence and Evil was clearly moved. He thought for a moment and finally nodded.
Regardless of the Death God's plan, when the time came, He would be able to witness a feast far more interesting than [Gale]'s revenge.
Between a big source of amusement and a small source of amusement.
Any God of a Dark Familia would make the correct choice.
"Let's go."
As the God's words landed.
While all the Rudra Familia members present breathed a sigh of relief, in the distance...
Inside a similarly abandoned tower outside the church.
Isagi and Ryuu watched as the Rudra Familia members, led by Goro, left their hidden base and prepared to head toward the Dungeon. They also breathed a sigh of relief.
The boy's combat plan was very bold.
Use hypnotic Divine Wine to get Goro drunk, and then have him trick the God and everyone in the Familia into going to the Dungeon.
Ryuu initially didn't quite understand why they had to do this.
But the reality was.
They indeed couldn't do the same as last time: use Goro to offer the hypnotic Divine Wine to Rudra, kill everyone in his Familia, and then find a way to send this Dark God into the Dungeon.
The simplest reason.
Before, it was outside the city, or rather on the sea outside the Port City.
But now, they were inside the city.
Killing people, setting fires, getting a God drunk, then getting Him out to find a place to lock Him up, and finally finding someone to send Him into the Dungeon—all of this required time.
What if the guards of the Ganesha Familia came over by then?
And with the previous lesson, after the Ganesha Familia discovered something happened to the Rudra Familia, they would definitely strengthen the guards at the Dungeon entrance.
As the city's law enforcers.
From their perspective, they would definitely want to take the Dark God away to face judgment, rather than letting someone exact private vengeance like this—this was an easy thing to understand.
Therefore.
Isagi made such a bold plan.
Actually, in the boy's view, it was fine. Especially after hearing that the Death God was indeed hiding in the Dungeon, this plan seemed even more reliable.
A so-called lie is mixing one part falsehood into nine parts truth.
"See, Ryuu-senpai, there was nothing wrong with the lie I made up, right?"
Everything the hypnotized Goro said was, of course, taught to him by Isagi.
First, use the matter of [Gale] to scare the other Familia members, then use the "upcoming Dark Familia counterattack" to attract the interest of the arrogant God.
The Elf girl watched the Rudra Familia group already walking toward the Dungeon.
For a moment, her heart was somewhat complex.
[Lying is naturally not an act of justice, but what if one lies for the sake of justice?]
No, no, no.
That isn't the point!
The point is that Isagi is too skilled at this! Why does he look so incredibly practiced at fabricating lies?!
Is this really the Vice-Captain of the Goddess of Justice's Familia?!
"Let's go."
"Oh!"
The boy and the girl quickly tailed the group of Dark Familia members until they watched the other party enter the Dungeon.
Midsummer night.
Ryuu still didn't have a sense of reality.
Is everything happening now real? Is the hatred of herself and everyone else finally going to be requited?
Following the boy beside her.
The Elf girl had never imagined that the ending of her revenge would actually turn out like this—
"Say, the Death God and the others are hiding in Rivira on the 18th Floor, right?"
"After all, it is the Under Resort. Even if they aren't in the town, they can hide anywhere in that lush forest outside."
"There's no need for that. Anyway, there are already many fugitives in Rivira."
The group from the Rudra Familia was somewhat noisy.
Only Goro walked at the very front, and he deviated from the Guild's main route.
His explanation for this was.
To avoid being seen by other adventurers, especially encountering high-level adventurer parties returning from the Deep Floors, or the expedition forces of some Familias.
Until.
The Cat Person youth looked at the map in his hand and arrived at the spot Isagi had marked long ago. Then, he suddenly struck, directly knocking out all the surrounding Familia members.
Goro was a Level 2 adventurer; otherwise, even with a precious weapon like the "Red Whip" in hand, it would be impossible to tame a Deep Floor Rare Monster like the [Great Serpent of the Well].
Therefore, relying solely on the crushing difference in basic Ability Scores was enough to knock all the current ordinary members of the Rudra Familia to the ground, one by one.
"Oh?"
God Rudra watched all this, revealing a look of considerable interest on His face.
"Yama, what are you doing?"
No answer.
This was natural, because the hypnosis ended here. All of the Cat Person youth's "commands" were completed.
And seeing the other party's dazed look, Rudra quickly understood something.
"Were you affected by Divine Power? I thought you had some crazy idea of your own. How boring."
The God of Violence and Evil curled His lips.
He couldn't tell what kind of Divine Power the Yama before Him had been affected by to deliberately deceive Him and the other Familia members into coming into the Dungeon.
Was it the Beauty God's charm?
That should be the most convenient method.
Or perhaps...
"So, what next?"
Even if they wanted to target Him, they should have gone deeper into the Dungeon, right?
Rudra thought of Magatsuhi-no-Kami, who had been swallowed by the Dungeon earlier.
Rumors in the city said that was [Gale]'s revenge.
So is it the same now?
Then they should have taken Him to the Deep Floors of the Dungeon. If it's only the 5th Floor, He could leave anytime He wanted...
Children of the lower world couldn't harm Him, nor could they stop Him.
And using monsters of the Upper Floors to kill Him?
Was He being underestimated?
Of course.
If [Gale] had the help of a God, that would be a different story. In that case, it was indeed possible to bury Him in the Dungeon.
But who would that be?
Rudra was very curious about the guy who knew [Gale] and was willing to commit deicide with her, allowing a God to be swallowed by the Dungeon.
Loki?
Hermes?
Or some unknown guy in the city, or perhaps... Astrea?
If the Goddess of Justice who had left the city came in person, that might be somewhat troublesome.
However.
The guess of the God of Violence and Evil was wrong from the start, because He would never have thought that what was coming next was—
Silently and breathlessly.
The Dungeon was undergoing a "change."
The God only had time to cast His gaze toward the depths before He saw the earth suddenly sinking, pale stone walls rising, countless large and small houses, streets filled with monster fragments and corpses, and pale stones spreading out beneath His feet.
"?"
The speed of all this wasn't actually fast.
Changing from the distance and gradually spreading over, it lasted for at least a few minutes.
Like an unfolding wave, it continuously "swallowed" and "altered" the original Dungeon, eventually turning it into a completely different appearance.
Rudra just found it interesting to the extreme.
He had heard some rumors about a "Special Zone" appearing in the Upper Floors of the Dungeon.
But He had only heard of it.
So He had never thought that such a thing would happen, and that He would see such a scene inside the Dungeon.
When the God of Violence and Evil raised His head.
He found Himself located in the center of some massive structure, surrounded by empty spectator stands. At the same time, inexplicable characters surfaced from within His heart.
[Goblin Kingdom · Amphitheater].
Simultaneously.
Many, many spectators began to enter. They were Goblins wearing magnificent clothes, sitting around in a circle, casting gazes filled with malice toward Him, laughing, roaring, and celebrating.
When did the Dungeon become like this?
Even the Dark God, who had been in the lower world for an unknown number of years, couldn't help but ask such a question.
Until.
A height of about two meters, muscles robust all over, body surface pitch-black like coal... Ant?
Rudra looked at the strange monster appearing before Him and became curious again.
The opponent possessed a completely human shape, even including facial features and a face—but overall, it retained the appearance of an insect, especially the two antennae between its forehead.
Resulting in it looking simply incredibly strange.
At the same time.
Slowly and leisurely, some of the Rudra Familia adventurers who had just been knocked out gradually woke up.
They were even more confused about what on earth this place was. However, there were still some who were relatively well-informed, especially the guys who had come to the Dungeon with Goro today.
They quickly recognized it: isn't this the interior of the Pale City?!
This arena...
"Run... Run away!"
A few quick-reacting guys immediately ran toward the exit of the arena in the distance, which was also the direction of the city gate, as if their lives depended on it.
However.
The incredibly muscular Killer Ant also mobilized.
Pu!
With just one palm strike, the head of a certain Rudra Familia member was smashed like a watermelon.
Deep crimson mixed with fishy white.
Immediately after, it was an indescribable "slaughter."
Punching, kicking. Amidst flying flesh and blood, very quickly, a Rudra Familia member who had managed with great difficulty to almost escape the arena discovered something.
Far away.
A boy cloaked in black, dragged by an Elf girl also wearing a mask and a crimson cloak, was coming toward this side at high speed.
Thus.
Before he even had time to leave, the boy and the girl had already entered the arena.
It was also at this moment that the city gate, which was originally wide open allowing people to leave at will, was suddenly covered by a layer of gray hazy mist.
"Eh?"
The fog gate was like a solid substance. No matter how hard this Rudra Familia member tried, he couldn't breach it in the slightest.
Until.
A severed arm flew from behind and abruptly pierced into his chest.
"Isn't this efficiency a bit too fast?"
Isagi spoke with some emotion.
After entering the Dungeon, he had asked Ryuu-senpai to rush here at top speed—the Elf girl had even "overcome" her mysophobia and dragged him all the way here.
That speed, with sparks and lightning along the way, gave Isagi the illusion that he had arrived at Mount Akina.
As a result.
The people of the Rudra Familia had already been mostly wiped out by that Muscular Killer Ant.
The remaining ones were also dying at a rapid speed.
It seemed there was no need to do it personally anymore—Isagi was actually indifferent about it; it mainly depended on what Ryuu-senpai herself thought...
...
Goro slowly woke up, only to see deep crimson and scattered severed limbs filling his eyes.
"Ah?"
Countless memories flooded into his mind at this moment.
Whether it was drinking Soma's Divine Wine, or being hypnotized by another kind of Divine Wine afterward.
All memories did not disappear.
Instead, they emerged completely after sobering up.
For a tiny moment, the Cat Person youth's brain crashed directly. He couldn't understand what the situation before him was, or what he had done.
Until.
He saw the Elf girl in the distance.
Ryuu Lion!
That gaze of [Gale], filled with killing intent, caused his legs to go weak instantly.
People who cling to life always fear death; this is a matter of course.
So.
The Yama of this moment thought of nothing. He didn't even have time to look at the boy standing beside the Elf girl. Instead, using both hands and feet, almost instinctively, he just wanted to get farther away from the other party.
Only suddenly, he seemed to bump into something hard.
Yama blankly turned his head and raised his gaze. What he saw was the Muscular Killer Ant, pitch-black all over under the Dungeon's unique phosphorescence.
"Eh?"
[What kind of monster is this?]
Before his head was crushed by the opponent, this was the Cat Person youth's last thought.
The headless corpse fell.
Signifying the end of Ryuu Lion's revenge. The enemy she wanted to kill with her own hands no matter what was, at this moment, swatted to death by a monster like a roadside wild dog.
The Rudra Familia, suffering wanton slaughter by the Muscular Killer Ant, was exactly the same as that terrifying nightmare—no, it wasn't like that at all.
Her friends stepped forward to protect her, risking their lives to fight that monster.
They were completely different from these Dark Familia members who only knew how to wail and scream, running in all directions, not knowing what mutual aid was at all!!
The Elf girl felt relieved.
She even found the scene before her somewhat funny.
Soon.
The entire arena was left with only Isagi and Ryuu, as well as that God of Violence and Evil.
He was also standing in front of the fog gate at this moment. However, it didn't look like He wanted to leave; instead, He was looking up and down with curious eyes.
"Interesting. Is this the power of the Dungeon?"
Even a God could not leave.
Rudra turned around and looked at the instigators, Isagi and Ryuu.
He had originally thought.
The children of the lower world had persuaded some, or a certain, God of Justice to cooperate, first finding a way to "trick" a Dark God like Him into the Dungeon.
Then let the God on the side of justice take action to defeat Him, and finally be [Swallowed by the Dungeon].
This was the most reasonable method Rudra could think of.
Because no matter what, children of the lower world couldn't harm a God. So, even if He swaggered out of the Dungeon and returned to the city right in front of their eyes, they wouldn't have any way to stop Him; they could only watch from the side.
And monsters of the Upper Floors couldn't pose any threat to Him at all.
That was why He was waiting just now. The God of Violence and Evil, having already fallen into the trap, thought that without defeating the righteous God who came to send Him back, He naturally couldn't leave easily.
But.
The result was completely different from what He had thought.
The boy and girl's trump card wasn't borrowing the power of a righteous God, but relying on the Dungeon to kill Him?
Interesting!
"This monster is very strong. You intend to use it to commit deicide?"
Rudra walked straight up to the pitch-black Killer Ant whose muscles were exploding. The tall God even had to raise His head to see the full appearance of this incomparably robust monster.
It could easily kill a Level 2 adventurer (Yama).
Presumably, it wasn't weak.
Of course, the Cat Person youth was a Tamer, so his strength as an adventurer was weaker than guys of the same level. But even so—
"At least Level 3?"
Answering the God was a pitch-black and powerful fist stained with fishy blood and meat scraps!
Only.
"Still not enough."
Rudra's fist pierced through the Muscular Killer Ant's chest first. Subsequently, He tore the Magic Stone out of its body in one go.
"That's why I said, things would only become relatively troublesome if the Goddess of Justice came in person..."
___
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