Orario, Babel Tower.
The gathering place of the gods was located on the thirtieth floor of Babel Tower. This floor had no other sections—an entire level consisting of a vast, open hall. Thick, towering columns stood in long rows, supporting the lofty ceiling above.
Within the spacious hall, there was only a large round table placed at the center. The surrounding walls were made of enormous glass panels, shrouded in clouds and mist, making the place resemble a palace in the sky.
The gods of Orario had all gathered here.
A War Game—under the rules established by the gods—was a conflict between two familias.
And this time, it was the Astraea Familia versus the Dark Faction's Rudra Familia, which made the gods who loved excitement positively thrilled, their faces filled with anticipation.
Justice versus darkness and evil!
There were also quite a few gods casting unfriendly gazes toward a dark-skinned male god.
The god of the Dark Faction—Rudra.
During the great conflict two years ago, many gods on their side had nearly been sent back to Heaven. They held no goodwill toward these evil gods who delighted in chaos and death.
"To think I'd actually be able to enter a divine assembly—how ironic!" Rudra sneered. As a god of the Dark Faction, he had never walked the same path as gods who abided by order, and up until now, he had never set foot in this place.
Naturally, no god welcomed Rudra.
"I am Ganesha—!"
Seeing how awkward the atmosphere had become, the burly god wearing an elephant mask rushed out and shouted loudly.
"Haha, Ganesha, you're still as cheerful and optimistic as ever," Rudra laughed. As fellow gods from the Indian pantheon, he naturally knew Ganesha well.
In the Indian region, Ganesha was revered as the god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles, a symbol of good fortune and success—one of the most beloved gods in India.
As for Rudra, he was an evil god who reveled in chaos.
"Rudra, what exactly are you trying to do this time?" Ganesha lifted his head and looked at him seriously.
The gods were taken aback—this was the first time they had ever seen Ganesha look so solemn.
"Don't misunderstand. This time, it was that woman who came looking for trouble with me," Rudra said, spreading his hands.
Ganesha fell silent. The children of his familia were close friends with hers, and he also had a good relationship with Astraea. Yet it was his own compatriot who had committed such evil deeds.
"Enough nonsense! Hurry up and announce the rules of the War Game!"
"I've already taken my pants off, and this is what you're showing me?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
…
Many gods grumbled in complaint, yet there was nothing they could do.
Since the War Game involved the Astraea Familia and the Rudra Familia, the rules naturally had to be agreed upon by both sides for it to proceed. Only under special circumstances—and with the unanimous consent of all gods—would rules be decided by drawing lots.
Astraea and Rudra exchanged glances. They had already settled the rules of the War Game in private—this was merely a formality.
"The rules of the War Game are—"
"Challenge the Dungeon!"
Astraea and Rudra spoke in unison.
The moment their words fell, the entire vast hall plunged into dead silence. Even the sound of breathing could be clearly heard.
Sitting in the back row, Loki leaned against her chair with her hands clasped behind her head. Her half-lidded eyes opened slightly—her guess had been right. They really dared to play it this way!
Thinking of the conflict between the two familias, many gods had already realized what this meant. Still, one male god asked, "What do you mean by 'challenge the dungeon'?"
"Exactly what it sounds like!"
A vicious grin appeared on Rudra's face. "Both familias will enter the dungeon. Within a limited time, whichever familia reaches the deeper floor wins!"
As soon as those words were spoken, even an idiot could understand—was the dungeon a place to play games?
This wasn't a game. It was slaughter!
Cold sweat poured down the backs of many gods. Wasn't this going way too far? Both sides were aiming to wipe the other out completely!
Ordinary War Games were games in name and substance—no one would die. But this was using the name of a War Game to settle past grudges inside the dungeon!
"Does the Guild agree to this?"
"Cough—cough!"
The unfortunate man sent over—Ramer—stood nearby and nearly choked on his own saliva. "The Guild happens to be investigating the dungeon tremors from a few days ago. The entrance has already been sealed by the Ganesha Familia. It's fine for the two familias to enter, but the Guild will take no responsibility whatsoever."
The dungeon entrance was currently in a state of "exit allowed, entry restricted."
Under normal circumstances, adventurers would have exploded in protest. After all, they made their living by hunting monsters and exchanging magic stones for money.
But the recent dungeon anomaly had connected straight to the surface, raising monster attributes by an entire level. It had terrified everyone, injured many adventurers, and drastically reduced the willingness to enter the dungeon in recent days.
As a result, the opposition was not as strong as expected.
The Astraea Familia and the Rudra Familia also had no way to enter the dungeon early to pull any tricks.
"Since neither side has objections, it is decided. The rules of the War Game are 'Challenge the Dungeon.' The familia that reaches the deeper floor will be the victor!"
As for the reward—there was no need to even mention it.
The victor would gain absolute dominion over the defeated party: seizing assets, disbanding the familia, exiling the god, or even forcibly sending them back to Heaven—nothing was off the table!
…
When Roy opened his eyes again, he saw an unfamiliar white ceiling—yet a familiar environment. He was lying on his own bed.
This was the Garden of the Stars.
"Hiss—!"
Roy tried to move slightly, but a wave of intense pain surged through his body, making him suck in a sharp breath.
After taking a bomb head-on, three bottles of low-grade potions were clearly not enough to fully heal his injuries. His whole body felt like it was about to fall apart. Yet amid the pain, a warm current flowed within him, helping to ease it slightly.
"You're awake?"
A blonde, pointy-eared elf girl walked into the room. Her sky-blue eyes fixed on him. "What kind of dangerous secret realm did you run off to this time, ending up in such a state?"
A trace of exhaustion flashed through the elf girl's eyes. After discovering Roy gravely injured in the courtyard, she didn't know how many times she had cast Noah Heal to save him.
Roy forced a faint smile. "Same as always—plans can't keep up with changes…"
Ryuu sighed helplessly and couldn't help complaining, "You run into way too many 'changes.'"
Roy gave an awkward chuckle. Though he encountered accidents all the time, sometimes he was deliberately seeking excitement. He changed the subject. "Where is Goddess Astraea?"
At the mention of this, Ryuu immediately perked up. "At Babel Tower, attending the divine assembly. The War Game has begun!"
Roy looked out the window toward the distant towering spire. It seemed his plan was going smoothly, steadily advancing.
"Being able to hold yourself back was impressive," Roy said, looking at Ryuu. Even though she wished she could grind every member of the Dark Faction to dust, she had restrained herself when protecting Goddess Astraea and facing Rudra.
Ryuu clenched her silver teeth. "If I had acted then, at most I could have killed two people. It wouldn't have been enough—absolutely not enough!"
Even if she captured Rudra and had Goddess Astraea send him back to Heaven, what then?
Those members of the Rudra Familia would simply convert to another evil god and continue stirring up chaos in the world.
Just as Roy had said—if you're going to do it, do it thoroughly. Eradicate the familia and send the god back as well!
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