'???'
At this moment, every Evilus god had a row of question marks running across their foreheads.
'It's not a misjudgment. That was really Lv. 8.'
Just from that surge of aura earlier, they could tell—it had clearly surpassed Lv. 7 and reached the peak of Lv. 8.
They were still wondering why the Spirit Clone had reached Lv. 8 and yet failed to kill all the Loki Familia kids, but the situation in front of them was clearly far more serious.
If there was no doubt that the Spirit Clone had reached Lv. 8, then it obviously looked like the handiwork of Evilus.
But who did it?
Even if they had the intention to make it happen, would the Spirit really cooperate with them?
That was clearly unrealistic.
Even if someone among them had managed to develop a self-destructive power-boosting method, there was no way the Spirit would agree to being used as a suicide weapon.
And it was also obvious the Spirit hadn't taken that path.
A Lv. 8 bomb wouldn't care how tough the Loki kids were. If it exploded, it would absolutely take all of them out.
But what happened?
Not a single one died. That's the outcome of the Spirit choosing not to self-destruct.
So who made this happen?
Sure, they had helped the Spirit collect the Magic Stones, but they hadn't participated in any method to boost its power.
And even if they wanted to, discovering something like that wouldn't be easy—not even for them.
If the Evilus gods were really that capable, they would've toppled Orario long ago.
Yet right now, the whole situation screamed of Evilus involvement. So what the hell was going on?
It couldn't be Loki, could it?
That thought crossed their minds—but they quickly dismissed it.
Even if Loki wanted to, she wasn't the kind of god who could pull off something like this.
Besides, could she really guarantee her children would face a Lv. 8 Spirit and still come out on top?
No one could guarantee that—unless a god lifted the seal on their divine power.
But would Loki really go that far for something so thankless and exhausting?
Clearly not.
As long as the divine power seals stay in place, no god could be sure their children would survive a confrontation with a Lv. 8 Spirit Clone.
But explaining any of this wasn't going to help.
The hostility toward Evilus among the gods had already reached a boiling point.
At this point, trying to explain anything would only make it seem like he was part of the Evilus.
And really—was this not the work of someone from their side?
It was just too in line with the Evilus' usual methods. It was hard not to assume the culprit came from among them.
"If that's the case, then why haven't the Evilus launched a direct attack on Orario if they already possess that kind of method?"
A god in the Denatus suddenly asked this question.
At once, everyone's gaze turned toward the one who spoke.
"Dionysus, you're not secretly with the Evilus, are you?"
"I'm merely offering a logical hypothesis. If the Evilus had truly mastered this technique, it would be easy for them to destroy Orario. Which is why I believe the method is still unstable. I'm just saying—it's not something they have full control over yet."
Accused of siding with Evilus, Dionysus let out a sigh and slowly shook his head before calmly continuing.
"The biggest question now is whether the Evilus have fully mastered this method of self-destructive power enhancement. If they have, we need to prepare accordingly. If they haven't, then capturing them alive becomes all the more important."
"We also need to prepare for the possibility of an all-out war with Evilus."
"On top of that, I think we gods must be more cautious about our own safety. The greatest concern now is the use of suicide attacks. If they take us down, then Orario falls with us."
Maybe Orario was built by gods and the children of Genkai together.
But once those children lose the gods supporting them, they'll be stripped of the power they wield—effectively destroying the force that protects Orario.
Everyone listening fell silent, lost in thought.
Indeed, as Dionysus had said, the situation remained unstable.
Whether Evilus had mastered the technique or not, they had to be treated as if they had. After all, the case of the Spirit Clone had already proven it could work.
Just then, Freya raised her hand.
"Oh? Freya, do you have something to add?"
Ganesha noticed her gesture and immediately invited her to speak.
Freya smiled gently and picked up where Dionysus left off.
"Dionysus is right. If Evilus had truly mastered that technique, Orario wouldn't still be standing. I even suspect there's another faction operating within Evilus."
"Oh? Do you have any evidence for that, Freya?"
"Evidence...? Of course not. I'm not part of Evilus, after all. But I'd wager there are some gods among them who enjoy 'playing around.' Otherwise, how could something like this even be invented?"
...
Freya's smile grew even brighter.
But the Evilus gods were filled with unease. It wasn't hard to hear the implication in her words—someone had infiltrated them.
"As for that technique..."
Freya paused, lightly tapping her lips with her finger. That simple motion alone left the surrounding gods unsure where to look.
"It's probably still unstable."
"Otherwise, with the Spirit Clone already at Lv. 8, why would the Loki Familia kids be allowed to walk away alive? If it were fully under control, a Lv. 8 Spirit would've torn them apart instantly."
Her words sent a chill through the gods present, and many instinctively turned toward Loki.
They quickly noticed that Loki's face had darkened, her expression thunderous, and a vein bulged visibly on her forehead.
"Hey! You lovestruck bimbo, who are you saying would get torn apart!?"
Loki shot up from her seat, her usually theatrical expression now blazing with fury.
"And don't underestimate my kids! Orario won't be the only Familia with Lv. 7s for long. My kids are there too—and I've got three of them!"
"!?"
...
For more chapters, feel free to follow me on P@treon.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
[email protected]/PinkSnake