Sorry if the quality is lacking in this chapter, I did it in a bit of a rush, not to mention I was a little short on ideas. This is that necessary transition moment between one scene and another, but since nothing important is happening, I needed to invent things to make it more engaging.
We finally reached one hundred chapters! I won't say anything now. I'll leave that for the end-of-arc notes, but thank you for everything.
//
Eleventh Floor, Upper Labyrinth.
In the darkness that pervaded the entire labyrinth, fingers reached over the edge.
— Ehn, arg, uhm... — Luki let out a few groans of effort as he pulled himself out of the hole, revealing his current state.
He wasn't injured or anything, but he was covered in fresh blood, red as wine.
— Finally, we got out. — he said, instinctively wiping the sweat from his forehead, only to touch his helmet instead.
Real life isn't a fantasy, especially when it comes to killing monsters and having blood spray everywhere, mostly on you.
— Where to now, Luki-sama? — Lili asked, her breath ragged even though she hadn't done anything; the tension and adrenaline alone had been enough to shake her.
— I don't know. — he replied.
Luki looked from side to side. Even in the dark, he could see everything clearly, and as expected… corridors, more corridors, and even more corridors stretching endlessly.
If he didn't naturally like this environment, he probably would have gone mad with pure hatred at the sight of those same walls every single day.
— As always, let's just keep going straight and hope for the best.
— Uhm, I'm with you, Luki-sama!
— Haha, that was a good one. — He let out a short laugh and turned to leave.
But he stopped.
Slowly, Luki turned back toward the hole behind him, his expression neutral, though it was clear he was unsettled, deep in thought.
'Back there…' The reasoning wasn't complete, but the feeling behind it was.
He remembered that specific moment, when everything no longer seemed to be what it was.
He remembered how everything around him seemed to change, as if he were blind, yet at the same time able to see everything around him. That feeling in his chest. That emotion. And especially the moment when it "clicked."
It was all so strange. It felt as if he were no longer the same person, just a spectator behind his own eyes, watching and feeling firsthand as his body moved on its own, like an enhanced version of a sleepwalking.
Fear? Apprehension? He didn't know how he was supposed to feel in this situation, but he admitted he was very curious about it all.
'Am I awakening some new Unique Skill? Maybe my first spell? Or perhaps… something related to my world-hopping? Is my "Golden Finger" finally appearing after so many months?' he thought, pondering the matter deeply.
But, as expected…
'It doesn't matter. Whatever it is, I don't think it will hurt me. Later, I'll try experimenting a few things to understand it better.' He dismissed the thought with a lazy shake of his head.
— Luki-sama, is something wrong? — Lili asked.
— Uh, no, nothing. It's nothing. — Luki denied it and turned to leave, this time for real.
The two disappeared into the darkness of the labyrinth without looking back, as if they were leaving their past behind.
A pity.
If they had looked, they would have noticed they weren't the only ones there.
Crack! Crack- crack!
The monotonous atmosphere was pierced by the dry sound of breaking stone and falling rubble.
Very familiar.
Something seemed to be climbing the walls in the same way Luki had.
BOOM!
The edge of the hole shattered outward as something slammed against it from below.
Crack!
Thick claws hooked onto the stone ledge.
Massive, curved talons made of dense, yellowed bone dug into the floor, splintering rock as if it were fragile glass. Dust and fragments rained down as the claws tightened their grip.
Slowly and heavily, it began to pull itself up.
First came the horns, black and jagged. Then a massive, skull-like visage framed by hardened crimson scales. A long snout exhaled hot smoke with each breath, while long, serrated fangs lined the inside of its mouth.
A colossal body followed, plated in deep red and dark crimson scales, streaked faintly with yellow. Tiny spikes protruded along its spine all the way to the tip of its long, whipping tail.
A dragon.
A massive red dragon emerged fully from the hole, its wings partially unfolding as they scraped against the labyrinth walls. Its eyes shone intensely, unlike those of normal monsters.
They had white sclera, thin red veins crawling along the edges, and bright scarlet pupils.
There was awareness in them. Real intelligence.
And it was staring in the exact direction Luki and Lili had gone.
— Hunfff! — The lizard snorted, hot air bursting from its nostrils, its scaled face twisted with something very expressive.
Rage.
Obsession.
Then, as if driven by a clear purpose, the dragon began to move forward. Its head lowered slightly, nostrils flaring as though it were tracking a scent.
...
[Meanwhile, fifteenth floor, middle maze.]
— Hestia, I said I would support you in anything, but I can't help saying this: what you're doing is madness! Do you have any idea of the consequences this will bring?! — Takemikazuchi said hysterically.
— That's right. Using divine power so blatantly inside the Dungeon is completely against the rules. When this is over, you will be banished to the divine realm for the next millennia. It's simply not worth it! — Miach added, equally agitated.
Both gods, along with a multitude of other people, were making their way through the Dungeon while keeping pace with a superior being who was fed up with everything.
The bricks ahead moved almost of their own accord, magically folding and unfolding, opening a path that completely ignored any obstacle. Walls ceased to exist, bridges formed over abysses, and paths created themselves in real time directly toward the objective.
And leading it all was Hestia, in all her divine majesty, radiating light and authority.
She remained silent, without answering, her expression neutral but slightly annoyed.
The two gods, ever since they had caught up with Hestia, who had taken the lead, had been constantly pressing their points as if that would change anything. The damage was done; now, all that remained was to go all the way.
But that didn't make it any less irritating.
— I don't want to meddle in other people's lives more than necessary, as long as it's not self-serving, but I must agree with them, Hestia. — Hermes joined the conversation, his expression more serious, though still relaxed.
— When this is over, the other gods will eat you alive for this, especially now that you've used so many favors. You're politically and socially vulnerable. Even being you, they won't hesitate to betray you. — he said, concern clearly etched on his face.
Perhaps it wasn't like him to show his emotions, but as has been said before, Hestia is very well liked among the gods, Hermes included.
But even that "goodwill" has its limits. Hestia is still an opponent, a rival on the path toward greatness that every Familia seeks to achieve. A weak one, perhaps, but a rival nonetheless. Removing her from the board is simply the right mindset, especially now that she has given them a reason to do so.
Gods live forever; their perception of time is entirely different from that of mortals. A few thousand years is hardly anything to them. The worst part is losing someone you have grown fond of, but that is only a problem for those who were fortunate enough to find such a connection.
After all, most gods see their children as little more than pieces on a board, pawns and servants in a world-sized, fantasy, clan-focused MMORPG.
— Stop talking nonsense. You're talking like this is the end. — Hephaestus said nonchalantly and calmly, though she also exuded irritation.
But that wasn't all; Hephaestus was different from moments before. She had a large war hammer resting on her shoulders, black with red runes. It looked like something straight out of the hands of an ancient cosmic god from Lovecraft's tales.
On its shaft were written the words, "Love and Affection," in stylish letters… very funny.
Furthermore, her hands were covered by gauntlets that reached up to her elbows, and she wore greaves that extended to her knees, all following the same black-and-red style.
But it wasn't just Hephaestus who was armed; the other gods were as well.
Takemikazuchi had a katana-style sword, but it was extremely long and thick, something that would normally have to be wielded by someone about three meters tall. Miach, who had never been a combatant, carried a simple wooden staff. Hermes held a spear with a double-pronged head, like a fork.
The other gods who were still present in the Dungeon were nowhere to be seen; perhaps they didn't want to be part of this mess, or perhaps Hephaestus simply hadn't called them. But there was someone who had…
— That's right, boys, you're too tense. If you keep exaggerating things, it might end up becoming reality. — Freya said nonchalantly, perched on the shoulders of a gigantic, incredibly muscular man.
That was Ottar, simply the strongest man in Orario. A powerful warrior with blows capable of sinking mountains and carving rivers… yet he was nothing more than a beast of burden to Freya.
Not that he cared.
— And don't come at me with that. All of this is happening because of you! — Takemikazuchi snapped at Freya, pointing at her with his sword.
— Uhm… — Ottar grunted as he reached for one of the blades on his back.
Immediately, everyone's eyes widened, whether out of fear or in warning.
But Ottar didn't care much. For him, there was only one thing in the world that mattered: his mother, goddess, and idol, Freya. Anyone who opposed her was dead weight.
But before anything could happen,
— Ottar, be a sweetheart and lower your arm. There's no need for so much fuss over such a small thing. — Freya said in her usual melodious and sweet voice, accompanied by her simple and affectionate smile.
That seemed to be enough to calm Ottar, who, without disagreeing or questioning, simply released the sword's hilt and continued on his way as if nothing had happened.
— Tch! — Takemikazuchi complained. Even though he was weaker, he wasn't intimidated by Ottar's strength in the slightest.
To tell the truth, he was kind of looking forward to this fight, for many reasons only he knew.
— Fufufu~ — Freya laughed, bringing her hand to her mouth.
...
At the same time, in the back of the group, the Loki Familia followed behind the procession of gods. Most of them were amazed by the divine path ahead, twisting unnaturally and reshaping under Hestia's authority.
However...
— Finn! You're bleeding! — Tiona's voice rang through the corridor, not even bothering to use respectful terms after his name.
— It's just a scratch. — He answered monotonously, practically dead inside.
After that "hard-fought" battle, where he almost gave his life to win, Finn came out with several very serious injuries, covered in blood, an- Bah, who would believe that?
He had a few scratches here and there, with only one injury on his shoulder that would take a little longer to close. To Tiona, however, it might as well have been dismemberment.
She suddenly crouched in front of him despite the group still walking, forcing him to stop, and began tending to his wounds, wrapping bandages around them as if she wanted to turn him into a mummy.
Where the hell did she even get those from...
— Don't move! What if it's poisoned?! What if it's cursed?! What if your arm falls off later?!
— I assure you, Tiona, my arm will not be falling off. — Finn replied calmly.
She grabbed his arm anyway.
— Riveria! Look at this! It's deep! I can see the white inside!
— I'm not going to waste my magic on this. — she replied, visibly backing away.
— How could you do such a thing to my Finn? Can't you see he's suffering! — Tiona lifted him by the armpits like Simba in The Lion King.
Finn was trembling slightly, his cadaverous expression even more pronounced. He then moved his mouth slowly without making a sound so Tiona wouldn't hear.
— Help... me...
Riveria looked at her captain's deplorable figure, internally said a prayer, and walked away to be with her girls.
— Bah, that tree-hugging, big-eared spellcaster. I'll take care of it myself. I learned a secret technique in my homeland that helps heal injuries. All we need is to get rid of these clothes and find a place to sleep. — She said energetically, innocently, as if she completely believed the nonsense she was spouting.
— Please, no...
— Don't worry Finn, I'll be gentle, just leave it to me and everything will be alright!
The others watched this comical scene in silence, both not wanting to meddle in the affairs of a certain love crazy Amazon, and because they were used to it.
— This thing has problems, many problems… — Bete muttered from the side.
Bete's words were enough to awaken memories in everyone's minds, almost like a post-traumatic stress reaction.
Suddenly, Hephaestus had arrived at the Loki Familia's camp and told them to prepare for battle and such. Then, when they entered the 17th floor, they found Finn and Bell standing in the middle of a sea of blood and corpses.
Anyone would be shaken by such a sight, but for them, it was just another weekend.
However!!!
Tiona saw Captain Finn's bloodied figure and immediately activated her Amazonian fury to five hundred percent, beginning to attack the already-dead bodies around her, shouting profanities about how those bastards dared to hurt her Finn and other colorful things.
It's worth mentioning that she only acted that way now, because he was so covered in other people's blood that the cuts weren't visible.
After he cleaned himself up, Tiona finally noticed, and that seemed to trigger her "crazy lover" mode.
— Why are you holding him like that? Let go of Captain! — Tione's eye twitched, annoyed and embarrassed by her sister's behavior.
— I'm checking his injuries! — Tiona answered with a straight face.
— By hugging him like a teddy bear?!
Indeed, Tiona had somehow pulled Finn halfway into her chest while "inspecting" him.
Finn's feet were barely touching the ground.
— Tiona… I can still walk on my own.
— Not if you faint from blood loss!
— I have not lost that much blood.
Riveria sighed from behind them.
— Girls... If you ever meet a guy you like, please don't be like her. If not, I will take matters into my own hands.
— A g-g-guy?! — Bell squeaked.
The female rabbit froze in place, her face turning bright red in less than a second. She immediately covered her face with both hands.
— A b-b-boy…? L-like that…? H-hugging and— a-and…?!
Steam might as well have started coming out of her ears.
Lefiya was not much better.
— W-What are you even saying, Lady Riveria?! T-That kind of thing is highly inappropriate in the middle of the Dungeon! — she protested, ears twitching violently.
Yet despite her words, she discreetly glanced sideways.
At Ais.
Very discreetly.
Extremely discreetly.
Skyrim level of sneaking skill!
Beside her, Ais who couldn't notice such level of discreet, blinked innocently.
Then she tilted her head slightly.
— Riveria… Why would I do that with a boy? — she asked in her usual blank tone.
— Ahhh... — Riveria let out a long, tired sigh.
She stepped forward and gently patted Ais on the head.
— When you're older, I'll explain it properly.
Ais puffed her cheeks immediately.
— I am old enough.
She swatted Riveria's hand away with mild indignation.
Their banter continued as they walked, light and careless, as if they were not deep within the Dungeon, because none of it posed any real threat not to this group.
For the moment, at least.
What they did not realize was that the board was already in motion. Three groups. Three separate objectives. All converging toward the same point.
Something great was about to happen.
The moment was drawing near, an event that would not simply shake Orario, but divide what came before from what would follow in history books.
A turning point to the whole world or even the entire universe as we know.
Whether it would mark the rise of a hero, the demon king, the awakening of a calamity, or the beginning of something far more dangerous… remained to be seen.