As Ryota's hand came down—
In that instant, the space around him shattered like glass.
Crack—
Golden and violet fractures spread outward in jagged lines, accompanied by a deep, resonant hum.
—Bzzzzzzzzzz!
The air seemed to come alive. The laws of the world broke apart and reformed in the blink of an eye, as though something was pushing through the seams of time and space, awakening from a distant shore.
Ryota instantly realized what was happening. He glanced over his shoulder toward the wide bed behind him.
Ais, Lefiya, and Hestia were still fast asleep, breathing evenly.
"…I almost blew up the bedroom."
A vein twitched on his temple.
Then, with a thought—shff!
The next second, his figure vanished from the top of Babel Tower.
When his senses returned, he was already standing on the Ninth Floor of the Dungeon.
Even though Ryota was now the supreme being of this world…
He still wasn't a god.
He was merely someone who had trampled the gods beneath his feet.
Even with the power to rewrite the world in his hands—
Ryota was still Ryota.
The air around him began to shudder violently, as if something was about to be torn away from this world by sheer force.
Thoom—
A dull boom rang out, like a god knocking on the door of the world, echoing across the Ninth Floor's empty expanse.
From the stillness of the Dungeon, a figure stepped out of the void.
A tight black combat suit, layered with deep red armor plates. That unmistakably wild mane of hair.
His expression was sharp and arrogant, his very presence radiating overwhelming pressure.
After scanning this unfamiliar Dungeon, his gaze finally fell on Ryota.
"…Master."
Ryota didn't answer. He only locked eyes with the man.
Those eyes—the rippled pattern of the Rinnegan—
Purple light swirling, identical to his own.
Ryota gave a satisfied nod.
He drew his gaze away from Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan.
As the creator of these reincarnated beings, Ryota had no fear that Madara would reverse-engineer the jutsu and break free like in the original timeline.
His Reanimation was nothing like the perfected version Kabuto had used.
This was an advanced Reanimation.
The Madara before him wasn't a bound soul forced into servitude—he was a king born for battle.
A being Ryota had spent a full one million chakra points to "exchange" from the system.
His reanimated body was no pale, withered shell—it was brimming with flesh and blood, even stronger than in life.
And the Rinnegan in his eyes?
They came from Ryota himself.
A fused Rinnegan.
Ryota was just about to send Madara back when the latter glanced down at the ground, then at the Dungeon monsters wandering nearby.
In a voice devoid of emotion, he asked:
"Shall I take care of them?"
Ryota nodded lightly. "Go."
In the next heartbeat—
Madara's figure blurred into a streak of black, ripping through the air.
No Susanoo, no jutsu—just raw taijutsu and killing intent. With each step, he left craters in the ground like meteors striking the earth.
Boom!
Boom boom boom—!!!
Explosions echoed one after another.
Before Ryota's eyes, the entire Ninth Floor became Madara's personal training ground.
The wandering monsters didn't even have time to cry out before they were pulverized into ash.
Within a few breaths, Madara was back before him—armor spotless.
Looking down at Ryota, he said flatly:
"Too weak."
"These creatures are even weaker than the Allied Shinobi Forces."
Ryota chuckled. "Don't worry—there's a bigger one waiting."
Madara didn't respond—just gave a calm nod. But deep in his eyes, a flicker of battle-lust glimmered.
Standing on the shattered ground of the Ninth Floor, Ryota looked ahead.
The Orario world's endgame was near.
Tasks, enemies, temptations… all resolved.
Only one remained—the Black Dragon.
"Once the Black Dragon dies, I can open the gate."
It wouldn't just be a portal—it would be a dimensional shift.
Once he took that step, a completely new world awaited.
He could bring Ais, Lefiya, Hestia…
And the new order he had built… to a stage truly worthy of them.
But—
"The main world must be spotless."
"And right now, the only stain left… is the Black Dragon."
From the moment he'd awakened the Sharingan, from the moment he grasped the Rinnegan's power—
This world had been slowly breaking and reshaping beneath his feet.
But that creature, buried deep underground—the ultimate being even Zeus and Hera failed to defeat—remained a poisonous thorn in the Dungeon's heart.
It had to be pulled out.
"I didn't bother with you before because I had to clean up the surface first."
"But now…"
He turned to Madara.
Madara, arms crossed, seemed to sense his intent. He nodded slightly.
"Leave it to me."
No wasted words, no needless emotion—
Just the perfect unity of command and obedience.
That dragon—the one even Hera and Zeus, together, couldn't slay—
Would become the Dungeon's final sacrifice. And for Madara, it would be both his first and last battlefield in this world.
---
Twilight Manor
Ryota sat on the familiar sofa in the hall.
Opposite him were familiar faces—Loki, Finn, Ais, and others.
With Freya banished from Orario, the Loki Familia had become the city's most powerful group.
Loki stared at him for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Ryota… you're really going after the Black Dragon?"
The words shattered the brief silence in the room.
"That's one of the Three Great Quests."
"The ultimate mission even the Zeus and Hera Familias failed to complete."
"Don't you think you should reconsider?"
Ryota smiled at them.
"I know what you're worried about."
"But I'm not taking you with me."
"This isn't an expedition. It's not a quest. Not an adventure."
"This is my own final chapter to finish."
He gestured with his hands.
"How should I put it… like a story you've been writing for years—"
"I want to turn the last page myself."
The group's expressions varied, but every pair of eyes was heavy with concern—especially at the thought of him facing the Black Dragon alone.
It was unthinkable.
Loki rubbed her forehead, then glanced at Finn.
He immediately caught on and gave a small nod.
The Pallum captain rose to his feet and said steadily:
"Ryota, there's no way we're letting you do this alone."
"The Loki Familia will go with you."
"That creature is this world's ultimate calamity—we must face it together."
"This isn't a burden—it's an honor."
Ryota blinked. He hadn't expected that.
He'd planned to end things himself. Only he had combat power on Madara's level; anyone else would just be along for the ride.
But then his gaze fell on Ais.
The girl stood silently, her eyes fixed on him—complex, unreadable.
Yet within them, he saw the burning heat, the trembling need, the stubborn resolve.
Her deepest scar… had always been the Black Dragon.
If she could witness its end with her own eyes—perhaps she could finally find release, and be reborn.
With that thought, Ryota nodded.
"…I hadn't planned to bring you."
"It's not a matter of trust—I just didn't want you getting hurt."
"But if it's for yourselves… and to truly put an end to it—"
His gaze locked on Ais.
"Then let's go together."
The words seemed to freeze the air for a beat.
But Loki's sharp eyes caught a detail.
Her gaze swept over Ryota, Ais, and Lefiya.
Then, as if a thought struck her, she asked:
"Come to think of it—these past three days—"
"Ais hasn't come home, Lefiya's been skipping training with Mama, and that little shrimp from the fried potato stand on North Main has vanished too."
"And you've been missing as well."
"Where exactly did you all go?"
"…?"
Silence.
Lefiya's face flushed bright red in an instant. She practically retracted into her clothes like an ostrich.
Images flooded her mind—
The wide bed, the soft blankets, pressed close on both sides… three days lost in bliss.
She felt like steam was pouring out of her ears.
"D-didn't go anywhere… just… just training…"
Ais didn't flush as hard, but her gaze drifted away, a faint pink coloring her ears.
If Loki looked closely, she might even catch the rare hint of shyness in those normally calm golden eyes.
Ryota cleared his throat twice, forcibly dragging the atmosphere back.
"…The Dungeon."
"I was training Ais and Lefiya for a few days."
Loki raised a brow, staring at him with a knowing look.
"Training? Three days and nights of training?"
"Doesn't sound quite right to me."
Ryota's smile turned awkward.
"Uh… come to think of it, Hephaestus… yeah, the forge—she's got something for me to handle."
"I'll head over now."
Before anyone could respond, he was already halfway out the door.
It was still swinging when his voice floated back in from outside:
"Two days from now—"
"We go into the Dungeon… and end the Black Dragon!"
But Ryota didn't head for the Hephaestus Familia.
That excuse was just to shake Loki off his trail.
Turning a corner, he slipped through the bustling streets until he stopped before a familiar tavern.
The Hostess of Fertility.
"Can't forget our green-haired elf, now."
With that, he pushed the door open.