This place… was the command center directing the entire Evilus in their battle against Orario.
In the dim firelight, the members of the Thanatos Familia could be seen rushing back and forth restlessly, shouting all kinds of things, some giving orders, others passing on information. Their frantic movements were mixed with traces of fear.
The battle had progressed to this point; the offense and defense had already entered the white-hot phase. Especially with the team led by Riveria advancing, they were about to reach this floor.
Everyone here, without exception, was filled with deep pessimism, no longer holding the confidence they once had. Even their faith in their god was beginning to waver.
It was no wonder. The speed of the coalition's assault was simply too fast. Not even two hours had passed since the battle began, and the defensive lines they had built were being shattered like rotten wood, forcing them to retreat at high speed.
Even their home base had been breached.
Anyone with half a brain had finally realized it, this time, the Loki Familia and the faction coalition weren't performing reconnaissance or strategic probing like before.
They were launching a full-scale assault!
This was entirely beyond their expectations.
In their thinking… the enemy didn't have detailed maps or diagrams of the traps. With what exactly did they believe they could clear Knossos?
Unfortunately for them, they never imagined that due to the outbreak of the Xenos incident, the direct descendant of Daedalus, Dix, had fallen into their enemies' hands.
Naturally… the small notebook he always carried was also taken by Riveria.
That notebook was none other than the design blueprint of the Man-made Dungeon: Knossos.
With that and the replicated "Daedalus Eye," the conditions for an assault were essentially complete.
…
"My lord, what do we do!? The Loki Familia has already reached the 12th floor!"
A frantic believer questioned the figure seated on the stone chair.
The outcome of this attack would completely determine the fate of the Thanatos Familia, and the promise their god had made to them.
In other words, this battle would not end hastily, because the Loki Familia would not allow it. The only outcomes were victory or defeat.
The god's body swayed slightly as he slowly raised his gaze.
"How troublesome… Even after arranging everything so carefully, we still can't stop their advance. Ah… ever since they escaped that time, we've been at a disadvantage."
Thanatos took a few steps forward, looking down at the transparent water-film projection spread open in the center of the hall.
Projected through the "eyes" embedded in the devil statues installed throughout the Man-made Dungeon, his brows furrowed tightly.
The projection was divided into multiple small screens, each showing flashes of figures and their units.
There was Fron and the vanguard team, fighting in the corridor of the deep 13th floor.
The Amazoness sisters and Amid's team were eliminating scattered members of the Evilus, while the support unit carefully collected and stored the "Cursed Weapons."
There was Gareth's team, the Elf unit, and more.
In the images, they weren't only suppressing the gates using the "keys" they had acquired, they also had countermeasures for cursed tools and had prepared responses to all kinds of traps.
Clearly, before the battle had begun, they had already gathered intel from earlier probing operations and compiled complete strategies against them.
On the other hand, although the Evilus had the descendant of Daedalus, Valga, remotely controlling the opening/closing of gates and activating traps, the Loki Familia's command team, using the design blueprint and their hastily drawn maps, was able to quickly pinpoint the locations of the "eyes", the surveillance devices hidden cleverly within the pupils of devil statues or the carvings.
And they were destroying them all. This brought unparalleled trouble to the Evilus.
Everyone knew: without surveillance to gather intel and track the enemy's precise movements, then no matter how much control they had over the overall layout, remote trap activation was meaningless.
Thanatos stared at the water-film, seeing the faces of Finn, Fron, the Amazon sisters, Amid, and the others reflected on the surface. Though he was the leader of the Evilus, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Lord Thanatos!? What do we do!? It's urgent! The monsters we released are being wiped out like fodder, and even our own people are suffering constant losses! Ever since that Dea Saintess joined the assault, our casualties have risen even faster! At this rate we won't be able to hold out!"
His subordinate was deeply anxious, yet the god's face showed no such panic.
"Heh… The children we sent out still have their keys, don't they? Then there's no problem. You should trust in the great works forged by the plan of Daedalus. As long as the enemy doesn't obtain enough keys, their numbers will remain limited, and the gates will obstruct their advance."
Thanatos had already seen through the core of the battle.
Now that the base was being invaded, the one thing they absolutely needed to guard against was the enemy seizing their people's keys.
As long as their keys weren't stolen, the number of invading adventurers would remain fixed, and the multiple layers of obstacles they'd prepared could effectively hinder the enemy's rampage.
"Rather than the full invasion, what concerns me more is… this."
Although he looked calm on the surface, seeing Fron's team's invasion route and speed sent a chill through him.
"A high-speed advance, ignoring all sniping attempts and traps, and without slowing down. Most crucially… their target is clear."
"They're obviously heading straight for us, perhaps even toward the location of the 'Spirit Avatar.' Did the higher-ups analyze this, or does that Nightweaver possess some kind of sensory skill?"
Thanatos narrowed his eyes, thinking quickly.
"Of the three invading teams, only the Nightweaver's group remains on the 12th floor… No, there should be four teams, shouldn't there? Where is the last one?"
"My lord! Emergency! The 18th floor has been breached!"
"Oh? Who's leading them?"
"It's… the Nine-Hell and the Sword Princess!"
That explained it. Thanatos curled his lips slightly.
"A pincer attack, assaulting us from the surface and from the 18th floor. Truly a masterful tactic."
"It seems they've figured out the Spirit Avatar is on the 14th floor."
…
"Ravage!"
The voice of the elves sang throughout the cold, deathly silent labyrinth.
"Stay with Ais! Do not lose formation!"
"Yes!"