Fels led the way, with Ryota following closely behind.
They walked through the alleys in the Seventh District, eventually arriving at an ancient stone statue, so weathered and eroded it was almost unrecognizable.
Fels came to a halt, raised his gloved hand—ink-black and etched with arcane patterns—and pressed lightly on an inconspicuous depression beside the statue.
Click—Rumble—
A mechanical sound echoed from behind the statue.
A moment later, the stone wall seemed to be drawn apart by some invisible force, slowly sliding open to reveal a deep passageway covered in dense, glowing runes.
"Please follow me," said Fels.
With that, he stepped into the passage.
Ryota gathered his thoughts, then flickered forward and vanished inside as well.
The tunnel was long and narrow, cold air swirling through it.
The ancient runes carved into the walls shimmered faintly with a dark golden glow, pulsing as if alive.
They didn't know how long they had walked until a light finally emerged ahead. At last, they reached the end.
The view opened up—
It was an enormous underground hall.
The ceiling soared high above, supported by a dozen massive stone pillars, each crowned with roaring flames.
At the very center lay a smooth, open floor.
And at the far end, on a raised platform, sat an old man clad in a black robe, eyes closed in meditation.
Ouranos.
The god known as the "Founder of Orario."
Hidden for years within the deepest altar below the Guild, he used his divine might to suppress the Dungeon, preventing monsters from spilling onto the surface as they once had in the ancient times, maintaining balance and order in the world of DanMachi.
He was more than a symbol of the Guild—he was Orario's oldest god.
A hoarse, ancient voice echoed through the grand chamber:
"…You've come."
Ryota gave a small nod.
His gaze was calm, but his demeanor unusually solemn.
Even now, with the Rinnegan, Kurama's chakra, Sage Mode, Susanoo...
Any one of those would be enough to shake Orario to its core.
Yet facing this old man, Ryota still held deep respect.
This neutral god, who protected the DanMachi world, bore everything silently.
Without him, this world might have long since descended into chaos.
What's more, Ouranos was the only god capable of using divine power on the surface.
He was the Neutral God, the Pillar of Orario, and the only one untouched by Freya's charms.
Back during the War Game, it was only with his approval that Hermes had been able to project the entire match onto Orario using divine power.
The old man seated on the stone throne spoke again:
"Ryota, I hope you'll do me a favor."
Ryota raised an eyebrow, just about to speak, when Ouranos continued:
"Or rather… this is a formal commission issued under my name."
"I hope you'll go to the Dungeon on my behalf."
"Because… something has changed down there."
Ryota's expression shifted.
Even though he'd already had his suspicions, hearing this confirmation stirred an unfamiliar sense of unease deep within him.
"Changed?"
Could it really be… because I went too hard down there?
Ouranos seemed to read Ryota's thoughts, his voice calm as he said:
"You know about the three major Adventurer's Commissions, don't you?"
Ryota nodded.
Rather than "commissions," they were more like three monsters.
"Ever since the gods descended, those three missions were classified as impossible to complete."
Ouranos slowly raised his hand, and a faint light appeared in his palm.
"The first, Behemoth—slain by the Zeus Familia."
"The second, Leviathan—sealed and eventually defeated by the Hera Familia."
"But—"
His tone suddenly changed.
"The third, the Black Dragon."
"In that battle, Zeus and Hera's Familias joined forces… and were utterly annihilated."
"The Black Dragon remains sealed. It is still the last unfulfilled ultimate commission in this world."
He paused, his tone growing increasingly grave.
"And the unrest in the Dungeon began intensifying shortly after your return from that expedition."
"The seal is weakening. The Black Dragon has awakened."
Ryota stood silent.
Trying to process what he had just heard.
He'd thought the ruckus he caused had, at most, stirred up monsters on the sixth stratum.
But now Ouranos was telling him that the Black Dragon—the final commission sealed on the 100th floor of the Dungeon—was awake.
All I did was slay one dragon… and that somehow woke up the bottom-floor boss? That's ridiculous...
"That expedition of yours was indeed one of the triggers," said Ouranos. "But not the only one."
"The imbalance among the gods, the Dungeon's long-repressed fury... all of it has weakened the seal."
"The Black Dragon's restlessness is the result of many forces intertwining."
Hearing this, Ryota's gaze flickered. He asked the most practical question on his mind:
"I'm just an LV.4."
"What do you want me to do about it?"
Ouranos fell silent for a moment, then smiled.
A god's smile—an uncommon sight.
"You forget," he said.
"Gods can see through people."
"But—I can't see through you."
He fixed his gaze on Ryota.
"There's something on you… like a fog, a veil."
"And that's exactly why I believe—you might be someone outside this world's fate."
"That's why I want you to go into the Dungeon."
Ouranos leaned back into his stone throne.
"...To a place no one has set foot in since the fall of Zeus and Hera's Familias—"
"The 59th floor."
Ryota shook his head without a moment's hesitation.
"...No."
Ouranos blinked in surprise, looking up at him.
Even Fels, hidden in the shadows, froze for a few seconds.
Standing in the shifting light between the pillars, Ryota's face was expressionless.
"You want me, an LV.4, to solo past the 59th floor?"
"I may be arrogant, but I'm not stupid."
His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly through the vast hall.
"And let's not pretend you don't know what's happening in Orario right now, Lord Ouranos."
"Even if I made it through the 59th floor—hell, even the 61st."
"Guess who's going to take the credit in the end?"
A sarcastic curve tugged at Ryota's lips.
"Lord Ouranos, do I look like the kind of sucker who lets others leech off my achievements and reputation?"
He had never hidden his disdain and cold indifference toward the Freya Familia.
From ignoring them outright during his first Familia selection to rejecting both the status update and vice-captain role.
It wasn't about emotion—it was about principle.
Or rather, a soul-deep rejection of Freya herself.
Besides, he was part of the Loki Familia.
And more importantly, he still had his ultimate goal: Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Ryota looked up at Ouranos and continued:
"This isn't something I should be doing."
"At least, not right now."
Just then, Ouranos spoke again:
"What if I promised to support everything you're about to do? Would you still refuse?"
Ryota paused.
What…?
Ouranos… knows what I'm planning?
Did he see through the Infinite Tsukuyomi?
But before he could think it through, Ouranos continued:
"I don't know what's on your mind. Nor will I intervene in what's happening in Orario."
"My duty lies with the Dungeon. That's all."
Ryota's eyes narrowed.
He suddenly understood the unsaid meaning in Ouranos' words.
No action. No interference. No stance.
That was his answer.
And Ryota knew very well—this old man on the throne was no ordinary god.
He was the first god. The one who introduced the Falna to the lower world. The architect of the DanMachi system. The origin of all "divine authority."
If Ryota ever completed his fusion progress, triggered Infinite Tsukuyomi, pulled all of Orario into a new world, rebuilt its order, and forged a new system of singular faith…
And Ouranos decided to step in at that moment…
Everything would become unpredictable.
This was a god who could erase another deity with a single thought.
And Ryota hated unpredictability more than anything.
But now, in his words, Ryota heard something unmistakable—
Approval.
Or perhaps, Ouranos was offering him a key.
In the name of the oldest god of DanMachi, Ouranos had opened the door to Ryota's next phase.
He was the one who guarded the Dungeon's balance.
And Ryota would be the one to break the old order and build a new world from the ground up.
In this false world, eroded by charm and twisted consensus, he would use the truth reflected in the Rinnegan to rip through Orario's illusion.
After a long pause, Ryota let out a slow breath.
He understood now—this was a deal.
A mutually beneficial deal.
"As for your concern—about the Freya Familia taking all the glory," Ouranos added,
"I'll issue an official joint investigation commission under the Guild's name."
"That way, even if you do everything, the credit will be shared—reasonably—between the Freya Familia and the others."
He paused, his voice carrying a weighty undertone.
"Of course, the true merit… will be remembered on the correct side of history."
"I accept."
Ryota chuckled and looked at the old man on the throne.
"Pleasure doing business, Lord Ouranos."
As his words fell, a familiar mechanical chime echoed in his mind.
Only this time, two different prompts rang out simultaneously:
[Ding—Fusion Progress +3%]
[Current Fusion Progress: 25%]
[Ding—New Ability Unlocked: Takami Musubinokami]
[Ding—Main Branch Quest Triggered!]
[Explore the Dungeon's Glacier Territory and return safely]
[Current Status: Incomplete]
[Reward: Unknown]
...
Three days later.
Nineteenth Floor of the Dungeon, Large Tree Labyrinth.
"Ryota… are you sure? You really want me to attack you?"
Lefiya clutched the Forest's Teardrop in her hands, several large question marks practically floating above her head, her voice laced with hesitation and uncertainty.
As she spoke, she sneaked a glance at the blonde girl beside her.
Ais tilted her head slightly, also waiting for Ryota's response. Her clear golden eyes practically said, "I don't really get it either."
Standing some distance away, Ryota's eyes shimmered faintly with violet ripple patterns. He smiled and nodded.
"Yeah."
"Go all out. Don't hold back."
Lefiya nodded obediently.
Her gaze sharpened. She raised her staff high, and magic surged forth like a rising tide.
As the final line of the chant dropped, a massive arrow of light—formed entirely from Elven magic—hurtled toward Ryota.
But Ryota didn't move.
He stood exactly where he was.
Until the arrow came within a few meters—
He raised his right hand, and an overwhelming gravitational vortex erupted outward.
The next second, the massive magic arrow, which should've exploded on impact, suddenly froze in midair, then reversed course as if forcibly pulled, spiraling into the vortex in his palm and disappearing completely!
Lefiya was dumbfounded.
"Eh—EH—EH—EEEHHHH?!"
But in the next instant, Ryota casually flicked his left hand.
The magic arrow he had just absorbed reformed, compressed, and reconstructed in his palm.
Then—
A blinding arrow of mana, many times stronger than the original, burst from his hand and blasted into the distance.
BOOM—!!!
The explosion shook the air. The shockwave rippled out with such force that even Ais had to shift her body slightly to brace against it.
Ryota shook out his hand and nodded in satisfaction.
"Takami Musubinokami. A unique ability of the Momoshiki Rinnegan. Not bad at all."