The instinctive scream rang in Fron's ears, but it meant nothing to him. Even if it was his goddess Loki, Fron had no time to face this calmly. As long as he could escape, anything was fine.
And, if one were to look down from Loki's perspective, one would see the hideous green flesh still surging upward like a jet of fire, like a volcanic eruption, ferociously chasing them from the massive hole below.
It was clearly unwilling to let any life escape, pressing forward relentlessly.
Just thinking that being caught by that thing meant being devoured into a dried corpse in an instant, then returning to nothingness… it made one's scalp tingle.
"Finn, hurry!!"
The twin sisters and Gareth at the front of the escaping group shouted toward Finn, who was at the rear.
Fron, carrying Loki, also looked back.
In the fierce pursuit of the wave of green flesh, the adventurers all exerted themselves with desperate strength, leaping and climbing along the walls of the pit, none of them frozen stupidly in fear.
As for Finn, logically, Fron wasn't too worried. The Pallum's mastery of agility allowed Finn to move flexibly even in tight spaces, weaving nimbly through the waves of green flesh, he could even afford to show off a bit.
Perhaps that was why Finn chose to hold the rear, not just because he was the commander.
As for Fron, with his status, carrying Loki did nothing to hinder him. The tunnel pierced through by the pillar of light had floors and ceilings of each level exposed on both sides, giving him footholds.
With his leg strength, it was easy to overturn escape the pursuit behind them.
In that life-or-death moment, every second tortured their hearts. Until finally, they reached the exit on the surface.
"Everyone, we're almost there!!! One last push!!!" Gareth roared, boosting everyone's morale.
Their tense and exhausted spirits trembled slightly from the roar, and somehow they all found the strength to burst forward, leaping out of that deep "hole" in one go.
Fron looked up, took a deep breath, bent his legs, and stomped off the edge of the pit.
With a loud bang, he shot toward the end of the hole in a swift leap.
"!!"
They passed through the pit. Stars glittered in the night sky. The wind of the surface brushed against them.
"We… survived, ?" Loki, her brain dizzy from being shaken violently, squinted at the night sky and stuttered rarely.
When Fron's feet touched solid ground, he inhaled deeply and exhaled the suffocating stale air. His whole body felt relaxed.
Loki on his shoulder also quickly regained clarity.
Watching each adventurer climb out of the pit one after another, until Finn reunited safely with the group, just as they were about to celebrate…
But next came:
"!!"
The green flesh roared like a monster, thundering from below and filling the layers behind them.
Looking again, the massive hole pierced by Thanatos's use of "Arcanum" was now completely sealed, filled entirely with the scalp-numbing, hideous green flesh, even overflowing beyond the edges.
The adventurers who had landed in a district of Daedalus Street quickly backed away from the green chunks bubbling up like a geyser.
Even first-class adventurers were no exception; after all, the sight of those being devoured was still fresh in their minds. No one wanted to die in the gutter after finally escaping.
After a moment of panic: "…It seems… it stopped?"
Tiona crouched cautiously, voicing the question carefully.
Fron: "..."
Everyone: "..."
The group surrounded the pit's edge, staring at the now-motionless green flesh, it had formed a grotesque fountain of flesh with a radius of over ten meters.
As if… covering and hiding some "altar" used for a certain "ritual," it had come to a complete stop.
"..."
Loki rubbed her strained lower back and limped to Fron and Finn's side. Her crimson eyes opened as she stared silently at the scene before them.
Fron's expression remained calm as he surveyed the surviving adventurers. After silently counting their numbers, he sucked in a sharp breath.
This loss… even the Guild Headquarters would feel their scalps go numb.
These weren't Lv.1 lower-ranked adventurers, they were veterans who had fought through countless dangers, survived death, and earned their ranks.
To lose so many at once would not only plunge Orario's strength into a downturn, it would cause unparalleled shock among all.
"It looks like the coming days… this city won't be peaceful again."
...
That day, the "First Offensive" of the artificial labyrinth, despite being pushed forward at a crushing pace, ultimately ended in failure.
The results: the complete annihilation of the remnants and collaborators of the Evilus faction; and the return of their faction god, Thanatos.
The losses: the Dionysus Familia, all dead except for the vice-captain Aura, who fainted from emotional collapse when her god was sent back. By chance, she fell near Asfi and was carried out at the last moment.
In other words, it was practically a total massacre.
The Loki Familia–led joint coalition was forced to retreat, no, "flee in defeat."
And the price they paid was far too many lost adventurer lives, so many that one could hardly count them without checking a detailed list. It was horrifying.
And in the end, the artificial labyrinth Knossos, what should have been conquered, became a new "demon city."
…
According to post-battle reports, around eighty adventurers were lost in this operation, a massive blow.
This was where the difference in strength and discipline between Familias showed clearly.
The Loki Familia and the Hermes Familia's special operations team, despite suffering various injuries, remarkably maintained zero deaths. In sharp contrast… the other mixed Familias could only mourn their losses.
As for the Ganesha Familia, who had been stationed on the surface for perimeter security, they also narrowly escaped disaster. Afterward, Shakti reportedly felt chills down her spine for quite a while.
....
T/N: So despite Fron being there nothing changed?
No losses in Loki and Hermes Familia, only in other Familia, it's almost like they are cannon fodder for Fron and the others to advance.