After a period of retreat (fleeing), the Loki Familia and the other fortunate adventurers gathered inside a fairly safe, enormous stone hall.
Judging from the setup, this was clearly a safe house that Thanatos had prepared as a fallback route. By using the Daedalus Eye to seal the door, everyone gained a brief moment of safety.
Only this was temporary, and everyone knew it very well.
They had just witnessed with their own eyes the terrifyingly fast advance of the green flesh. Without teammates assisting them, escaping this "demonic labyrinth" alone was impossible.
Once dragged into that tide, one would be swallowed instantly, perhaps not even leaving behind a complete corpse.
Rumble,
Anakitty swiftly activated the Daedalus Eye, and at the very last moment, the one covering their retreat, Fron, slipped through the final gap like a bolt of lightning.
After that, the gate closed completely, turning the hall into a sealed chamber.
The adventurers gained momentary safety; the green tide was blocked outside. But clearly… they were also completely trapped within this predetermined reality.
No one was stupid, outside the gate was surely already submerged in green flesh.
"What a pity, Loki. Although this hall's main gate is forged from Orichalcum… unfortunately, as a god who specializes in plots and schemes, there's no way I would place full trust in a collaborator. So… when constructing this chamber, I naturally made a few 'adjustments.'"
Finn: "..."
Loki: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Fron, who had just regrouped with everyone, twitched at the corner of his mouth. Then he simply stared in shock at the walls, which were rapidly dissolving like fabric drenched in water.
Loki opened her scarlet eyes, expression blank.
"We, weapons are being eaten too! What the hell…!"
"The magic swords can't destroy it fast enough! The green flesh regenerates even faster!"
"We're done for!"
The adventurers were pushed to the brink. A pessimistic atmosphere spread through the hall like a virus, sighs and cries of despair rising and falling.
Their desperate resistance was meaningless. Even as explosions of magic burst across the walls, the advance of the green flesh never stopped.
They kept stumbling back, forced away from the walls, retreating toward the opposite corner.
Eventually, with the two gods at the center, the entire group was squeezed and herded into a dead end.
Sweat dripped. Breathing turned frantic. Pale, strained faces could barely maintain composure.
As the strongest present, Fron, wielding powerful rapid-fire magic and wide-area spells, naturally stood at the forefront.
Facing these endless, crazily proliferating masses of green flesh, he knew full well that the "Fallen Spirits" hiding deep within was "singing" its ritual.
Yet Fron had no countermeasure. He was only one person. In a man-made labyrinth of this size, with unknown ritual mechanisms, acting rashly would be suicide.
Since the ritual couldn't be stopped, handling this green flesh became a nightmare.
At that moment, Fron felt something stir in his heart and looked toward Finn.
He discovered that Finn was already looking at him.
And Fron remembered the idea that had come to him during their escape.
"If we reach the point of no return, Fron, go all out. Blast open a path and get Loki and the others out… toward that 'big hole.'"
Finn's face was full of resolve. If all hope was lost, he would burn everything he had as Captain of the Familia to carve out a final path for his comrades' survival.
"Finn…" Even the Amazoness sisters, though unaware of Finn and Fron's intentions, could feel that fierce determination.
"No need to say more. This is my duty!"
Fron looked deeply at Finn. He understood… Finn had decided to stay behind.
If so… Fron looked toward the slouched "god" beside Loki.
'You, what will you do?'
'Toyed with like a monkey, used as a sacrifice in the end, would you really accept that? Especially as a god…'
As if sensing Fron's gaze, Thanatos, turned his head toward him.
Azure eyes and violet eyes met, silence for a moment.
"Heh… hehehehe… interesting, far too interesting… hahahaha, "
Thanatos suddenly burst into manic laughter. He laughed so joyfully that Loki stared blankly, completely confused about what in the world was going through this god's head in such a desperate situation.
"Thanatos!"
"Haha… if Loki and your children retire here and now, then the labyrinth city Orario, the surface, will collapse in no time. Balance, order… everything will crumble in an instant. After all, you're one of the two pillars supporting Orario."
At this moment, Thanatos' expression returned to serenity, and he began speaking a monologue to himself.
"What do you mean?"
"As long as Enyo takes over, the lower world will return to chaos. In that case, souls returning to heaven will increase, and this nearly unemployed god will become busy again. My wish would be fulfilled."
A workaholic, Loki's mouth twitched as she silently labelled him a super weirdo.
Yet she still found it strange: at such an inappropriate moment, this guy was rambling nonstop, speaking as if declaring an oracle, ignoring the situation entirely.
Could it be, A farewell poem offered to adventurers about to meet a tragic end?
Or perhaps, A declaration of victory?
But from Loki's perspective, it was neither.
It was,
"Don't joke with me!"
Yes, this was the raging fury of a god who had been made into a clown and humiliated.
In Thanatos' violet eyes burned a towering grey flame.
"Even a god like me has dignity, Enyo. Being used like that… is not pleasant."
"Thanatos, don't tell me, "
With her divine intuition, Loki already sensed what he intended to do.
"Heh… when someone is used, even mortals instinctively seek revenge. Let alone a god."
"That's right. Revenge." The God of Death laughed.
"The 'obsession' my child built was treated like this… even little Barca and the others won't get their due."
Seeing that, at the very end, Thanatos revealed a faint trace of 'affection' for his familia, Loki held her breath.
Then, in the next instant, Thanatos drew the short sword at his waist…