Leon didn't hesitate either. Once Finn was out of sight, he spun on his heel and headed for the next destination, where Ais, Tione, and the others waited.
He arrived to find them resting inside a small cave chamber carved out by nature. Laughter echoed softly within the hollow space. The atmosphere was relaxed, and unguarded, not because they were careless but because they were confident and for good reason.
With the combined strength of Ais, Tione, and Tiona, most threats within Knossos posed no danger to them.
Traps? They had the key mechanisms to disarm them.
Monsters? They could kill them with ease.
One? Dead. Two? Dead. Ten? Bring it on.
To them, this wasn't a death march, it was a vacation.
"Leon! You're here!" Tione was the first to spot him. She waved cheerfully, her usual energy bubbling to the surface.
The others turned as well, smiling as they welcomed him.
"Yeah." Leon nodded lightly as he landed gracefully in front of the group, his silver-blue cloak fluttering behind him like a streak of wind.
"Ais. Tione. Tiona. We need to split up from here." His words were calm, yet decisive, leaving no room for hesitation.
"Got it! Leon, just tell us what to do, we'll follow your orders to the letter." Tione responded immediately with a bold smile, her eyes flashing with confidence.
"Leon-san! Please give us your instructions." The others echoed, voices filled with trust and determination.
Seeing everyone's willingness, Leon didn't waste time. He pulled out a copy of the map he had created and began issuing commands with clarity and precision.
"Tione, Tiona, you two will lead the team here." Leon said, pointing to a marked location on the map. "Ais, you'll head to another point with Alicia and the others once they arrive."
"Understood!"
Without missing a beat, Tione and Tiona took the map from his hand and quickly began organizing the forces under their command, setting off toward the designated path with swift, purposeful strides.
As the two Amazoness sisters vanished into the labyrinth, Ais turned to Leon, her golden eyes steady. "Where should I go?"
Leon glanced at the passage ahead and nodded. "Let's go. Alicia and the others should be arriving soon. I'll take you to the rendezvous point."
"Alright." Ais didn't ask for more details. With quiet trust, she followed Leon as he led the way deeper into the artificial dungeon.
It didn't take long before they arrived at the mouth of a shadowy passage. The air here was heavier, soaked with the presence of magic and ancient power.
As expected, Alicia, Haruhime, and the others arrived soon after, having rushed through the upper floors to reach this depth. They moved with the swiftness and discipline of seasoned adventurers.
Wasting no time, Leon immediately handed over instructions. "Alicia, Haruhime, you'll accompany Ais and proceed to this location." He pointed at another marked area on the map, the confirmed site of one of the demi spirits.
The moment they were gone, Leon's expression shifted subtly.
'Before Riveria and the others arrive, I'm going to pay Dionysus a visit.'
His eyes narrowed, lips forming a cold smile. 'That bastard… he's searching for something. I need to stop him before he finds it.'
In the blink of an eye, Leon vanished, darting into a narrow corridor that led directly to Dionysus. It was the shortest and most direct route and he had no intention of letting this opportunity slip.
While Leon rushed off on his lone mission, elsewhere within the labyrinth, Riveria's group had just encountered another familiar face.
"Tsubaki? You're here too?" Riveria's emerald eyes blinked in surprise as she spotted the familiar smith and her group approaching.
Leon had only notified the Ganesha Familia. Riveria hadn't expected others to descend.
"Yeah." Tsubaki replied, casually swinging her oversized sword over one shoulder. "Once the Guild figured out what was happening below, they called on every adventurer they could reach. We're just the vanguard. Reinforcements are coming in waves."
"I see…" Riveria nodded thoughtfully, her expression serious but unsurprised.
Given what Leon had told them about the Gate of Heaven and the threat they posed, this reaction from the Guild made sense. The scale of the crisis was massive, enough to threaten all of Orario. In a situation like this, sitting still would be foolish.
"I heard from Guild members that Royman went to Folkvangr himself. Do you think the Freya Familia will mobilize too?" Tsubaki asked, her gaze briefly flickering with curiosity.
"Freya…" Riveria's expression tensed ever so slightly at the name. Memories of barely surviving Freya Familia's wrath still lingered at the edge of her mind.
Tsubaki noticed and quickly changed the subject. "Forget that. What's the plan?"
"Six locations. Six demi spirits." Gareth spoke up in Riveria's place, his tone calm but sharp. "Each team is assigned to eliminate one. Leon already mapped the tenth floor, he'll assign targets as we move in."
Tsubaki's eyes lit up. "Heh. Just as I expected. With Leon leading the charge, everything becomes easier."
Riveria chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. "Without his detection magic, we'd be blundering through the labyrinth like headless flies. But now… it's like we're working with a bird's-eye view."
And while Tsubaki and Riveria were coordinating efforts on one front, Leon had already reached his own destination. There he stood face to face with Dionysus.
"Dionysus. We meet again."
Dionysus raised his head and narrowed his wine-colored eyes. "…Leon."
Leon didn't even consider diplomacy. This time, Dionysus wasn't getting away. To defeat a god, divinity was necessary but using his own was dangerous. Though he could suppress Dionysus with raw divine force, doing so might reveal too much.
If Dionysus relayed his true identity back to the divine realm upon returning to heaven, the consequences would be catastrophic. The gods would take notice. Investigate. And then…
Slice him open like a specimen.
Leon wasn't ready to face the entire divine pantheon—not yet. So, he used his Thought Projection magic. From the shadows behind him, a radiant silhouette emerged.
Lucifer.
His divine alter ego.
A perfect mask—divine power, divine presence, a god in all ways that mattered. Even if Dionysus were sent back to heaven by Lucifer's hand, he wouldn't be able to trace anything back to Leon.
"Lucifer!" Dionysus snarled.
His composed expression cracked with fury and disgust. Memories surged behind his glare—humiliation, anger, and the thirst for revenge. The god of wine clenched his fist.
"Attack!"
He didn't bother with words. One of the massive bull-shaped Demi spirits let out a thunderous roar and charged.
The ground trembled under its weight. Its hooves struck like earthquakes. Its body was a mountain of muscle and bone, and the sheer force it exuded threatened to tear the very dungeon apart but Leon didn't flinch. Instead, he activated Tenseigan Mode and surged forward.
The Demi spirit's power was indeed terrifying but it wasn't enough. Its physical strength was leagues above most magical constructs, built for close combat and carnage.
But Leon was no ordinary adventurer. He was a hexagonal warrior—a being who excelled in every combat domain.
Since awakening his system, before every level up, he had reached the extreme limit, SSS1999. And even though he had only formally reached Level 5, his base power already rivaled Level 8 adventurers. And in Tenseigan Mode, he was something else entirely.
The Demi spirit lunged, its shadow covering the battlefield like a storm.
But Leon? He met it head-on, fists glowing with raw energy, the ground cracking beneath his feet.
There was no need to dodge. He would crush it, no question.