"Finn, Ais, proceed to the lower levels immediately—head for the tenth floor." Leon's voice rang out through the communication orb, clear and commanding.
"What happened?!" Finn and Ais were both mid-run through separate passages when Leon's sudden message came through.
"Do you hear the song?" Leon's tone sharpened. "That's the Gate of Heaven. It's a high-tier, joint ritual magic performed by demi spirits. If they complete it... Orario will be obliterated."
The line went silent for a moment. Then Finn responded, his voice unusually grave. "Understood."
Without wasting another second, Leon contacted Riveria and Gareth next. "Riveria, Gareth—come down now. Don't guard the surface. We need all hands in the labyrinth."
As soon as they received the message, Riveria and Gareth exchanged glances before nodding firmly and leading their units into the labyrinth.
Leon continued, switching the orb to contact Fels. "Fels, the ritual has started. Gate of Heaven. Alert the Ganesha Familia, get them down here immediately. Also, mobilize the Xenos."
"Understood." Fels answered at once.
Leon clenched his fists. So it really hadn't ended with Filvis. Dionysus was still moving forward with the original plan.
In the canon, Dionysus had orchestrated this entire operation to destroy Orario and its adventurers—the so-called 'weapons of the gods.' He had wanted them all gathered in the artificial underground labyrinth when he struck.
But now the future had deviated. Filvis had been taken out earlier than expected.
Would Dionysus still follow through? Or had he already changed tactics?
Leon couldn't afford to wait for the answer. He pushed his mind harder into the light veins, searching frantically for the sealed location of the seven great clones.
He didn't bother calling on other familias. Knossos was no place for weaklings. Only elite first-class adventurers could survive here.
Even a solid team needed at least several Level 5 adventurers to hold the line and preferably two or more Level 6s.
Hephaestus Familia? They only had one first-class adventurer, Tsubaki, and the rest were smiths. They wouldn't last long.
Freya Familia? Leon didn't trust them, nor did he believe they'd respond unless it served Freya's interest.
Of course, if Fels mentioned Leon's name, they might move but Leon wasn't counting on it.
He felt confident in the current force. Ais, Tione, and Tiona had already reached Level 7. They were each now on par with Ottar. And with Haruhime and himself in the fray, they had more than enough strength to confront the Gate of Heaven.
Leon's job now was to locate each chamber using his detection magic and guide Finn's units toward them. That was why he had separated from Alicia and rushed ahead—time was too precious.
Meanwhile, though Leon hadn't thought of contacting Hephaestus or Freya, Fels had. The moment Fels learned from Leon about the Gate if Heaven, his heart grew heavy with dread.
He remembered clearly—when Loki Familia and Leon had ventured into the deep floors before, it had taken all their might to bring down just one demi spirit.
Now there were seven.
Even with Ganesha Familia and the Xenos joining, it wasn't enough, not if they wanted to stop this ritual.
And so, without hesitation, Fels rushed to the Guild and reported everything to Ouranos himself.
In response to the rapidly escalating threat, Ouranos made a swift and decisive move. He immediately ordered the Guild to mobilize every faction of adventurers across Orario, uniting them under a singular cause—to launch a full-scale assault on the artificial dungeon.
"This is the situation, Freya-sama. I humbly request that you extend your divine hand and offer assistance." Royman, the Guild's notorious pig-like official, had personally traveled to the opulent Folkvangr of the Freya Familia.
In his hand, he held a scroll marked with the divine seal of Ouranos himself, a testament to the urgency of the mission.
Freya sat elegantly on her throne, her long silver hair cascading like moonlight, and a glass of wine gently held between two fingers. Her eyes half-lidded, she regarded Royman with an unreadable expression.
"Oh? So something like this has occurred…" Her voice was light, but a tinge of icy sharpness lay beneath it.
"Is this truly the will of Ouranos alone?" Freya narrowed her eyes into slits, her tone soft, but undeniably laced with suspicion.
Though the question was calm on the surface, Royman felt a bone-deep chill crawl down his spine. He swallowed hard, suddenly wishing he hadn't drawn the short straw for this particular mission.
He wasn't a fool. Everyone in Orario knew of Freya's obsession with Leon. Her infatuation with the silver-haired adventurer wasn't exactly a well-guarded secret. The Guild had known for a long time and Royman, of all people, understood just how delicate this subject was.
This time, Leon had only contacted Fels, passing word to the Ganesha Familia. He had pointedly excluded the Freya Familia from the initial plan. Royman could already feel the storm cloud brewing in the goddess's heart.
To her, it must have felt like being… discarded.
A pang of divine jealousy, perhaps?
"Leon was unsure if you would wish to participate." Royman quickly explained, mopping the sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand. "That's why he didn't make any assumptions. However… if Freya-sama were willing to dispatch your familia, I am certain Leon would be absolutely delighted."
At that moment, Freya's violet eyes shimmered. A soft, glowing light passed through her gaze, unreadable and dangerous.
"…Forget it."
She leaned back against the cushion of her throne, exhaling softly. Her voice, though gentle, carried the weight of something deeper.
"That child is still wary of me. Even now, he refuses to involve me in something like this." Her voice dropped into a whisper.
"Ottar. Move out."
"Yes, Freya-sama." The towering warrior beside her bowed deeply without hesitation, his voice firm and unwavering.
Royman nearly sagged in relief. He hadn't been killed. More importantly, Freya hadn't refused. That was good—no, that was a miracle.
"Then, Freya-sama, I shall take my leave now." Royman said quickly, giving her a hasty bow.
"Leave." Freya didn't bother to hide her dissatisfaction. Her response was a dismissive flick of the hand, cold and distant.
Elsewhere in Orario, the flames of war had already begun to burn.
Tsubaki, the head smith of Hephaestus Familia, had summoned all the top forgers. Carrying crates filled with powerful magic swords, she led them into the artificial dungeon without hesitation.
At the entrance, she encountered Fels. The mysterious robed sage stood waiting, silently handing over a special key and a communication orb before nodding toward the depths of the maze.
Within the Guild, activity had reached a fever pitch. Couriers and messengers ran in every direction, spreading word to every familia across the city.
The reactions were swift and grave. When news of the Gate of Heaven spread, it caused a collective ripple of shock. None doubted the truth, not when the ethereal hymn of the Great Spirit had resonated from the depths of the artificial dungeon and echoed all the way to the surface. All of Orario had heard it.
The haunting melody shook adventurers to their core. It was no ordinary song—it was a divine voice that inspired not awe, but dread. The tremor in their souls made one thing clear: this was a crisis of annihilation.
Flight was not an option. The only way out was through. To eliminate the source of the corruption at its heart.
And while Orario's adventurers weren't all heroes, in times of such peril, even the cowardly were compelled into action by the weight of expectation or sheer survival instinct.
With the Guild's directive issued, countless adventurers began to prepare. Equipment was polished, weapons drawn, armor fastened. The great familias of Orario awakened to war.