"Haha, what a lively gathering we have here."
A golden-haired, blue-eyed male god stepped forward with gentlemanly grace, holding a crystal-embedded short staff, his friendly smile directed at Loki Familia.
"Lord Dionysus."
Finn gave him a slight nod, showing proper deference to a deity.
"Children of the earth find it difficult to disrespect gods. Even attempting it leaves psychological scars, which is why godslaying must ultimately be done by us deities."
Dionysus nodded with a knowing smile as he explained to Eiji.
"It's precisely this reasoning that allowed me to convince Loki to bring our familia along. My thanks for your irreverence, Loki."
Beside him, Loki nodded vigorously in agreement.
Even when dealing with gods, it's best left to other gods.
Dionysus had persuaded Loki with this logic, promising that he and his familia would join the main force entering the artificial labyrinth to deliver divine judgment upon the evil god Thanatos.
"Miss Filvis!"
Lefiya's joyful voice rang out from behind.
The White Priestess's icy expression softened immediately.
"Is that Lily?"
"Lefiya is amazing!"
Murmurs of admiration came from Narvi and others in the rear.
"Killing gods? Is it really that hard?"
Eiji looked genuinely perplexed.
"Uh..."
Dionysus froze mid-sentence.
"...Why the hell am I even explaining this to you?!"
Loki was similarly at a loss for words.
Finn and the others could only smile wryly at this exchange.
The brat standing before them had personally slain a god. The goddess Ishtar, now forcibly recalled to heaven for overtime work, probably went into fits of rage whenever Eiji crossed her mind.
In his eyes, deicide might truly be no big deal.
"Hmph, still as boastful as ever!"
A composed voice cut into their conversation.
A woman with striking blue short hair approached, her previously sharp gaze now filled with heartfelt emotion.
"I always knew you were extraordinary, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine you'd reach my level in just a few months!"
"Had I known you'd become this formidable, I would never have given up on recruiting you into our familia back then."
Her expression turned distinctly sour.
"You're mistaken there, Shakti!"
Tiona planted her hands on her hips triumphantly.
"Eiji hasn't just reached your level—he's already left you in the dust!"
"Huh?"
Shakti's eyes widened slightly.
"No way, that can't be right. Even the Sword Princess took three years to..."
A bead of sweat formed on her forehead as the implications hit her, the pressure suddenly intensifying.
"He did it in just over a month."
Ais glanced at Eiji, her eyes shining with undisguised admiration.
"...You're really Level 6 now?"
"Just broke through today. Haven't had the chance to tell everyone yet."
Eiji maintained a humble expression.
"...Alright then. I suppose I should feel honored to be the first outsider to know."
After a long silence, Miss Shakti walked away, her steps heavy with melancholy.
"See! I told you this would crush people's spirits if word got out!"
Tione grumbled indignantly.
Even her fellow Familia members couldn't help feeling the urge to punch someone.
Adventurers at Level 1 and Level 2 had long regarded Eiji as a descendant of gods and given up competing with him, but the Level 5 and Level 6 elites had their own pride and wouldn't admit defeat so easily.
Yet before Eiji, even the most arrogant Level 5 powerhouses could only retreat in dismay.
"Gather the leaders of each Familia. It's time for pre-battle deployment."
At Finn's command, Raul, acting as messenger, quickly located the captains of each Familia.
Among them were Shakti, the Level 5 Elephant Staff of Ganesha Familia; Tsubaki, the Level 5 One-Eyed Blacksmith of Hephaestus Familia; Filvis, the Level 3 White Priestess of Dionysus Familia; and Asfi, the seemingly Level 2 Alchemist of Hermes Familia—each a renowned adventurer in their own right.
"Thank you all for answering the call to participate in this expedition. I'll skip the formalities. For this artificial dungeon assault, I'll divide you into teams by Familia, each accompanied by one of our Loki Familia's Level 6 members."
Finn explained his strategy in detail.
"We're with you!"
The half-dwarf Tsubaki readily agreed.
"The Braver is trustworthy!"
Shakti added her support.
The remaining Familia leaders had no objections.
The Braver's reputation had stood strong for over a decade. Since leading the allied forces against Evilus, he had been the natural choice to command this coalition against their remnants.
"Thank you for your trust. Then I'll proceed with team assignments..."
Maintaining his composure, Finn meticulously laid out the operational details.
Under his direction, adventurers from various Familias swiftly mobilized from the plaza, marching toward their designated entry points.
The artificial dungeon had six surface entrances: southeast, northeast, due north, northwest, southwest, and due south.
"Advance!!"
Finn raised his Eye Crystal and roared like thunder amid the solemn atmosphere.
"Ooooh!"
"Charge!"
The fully prepared adventurers bellowed war cries, their banners fluttering with valor as they surged like tides into each passage.
The northeast route was assigned to Ganesha Familia—the strongest in overall combat power and numbers—accompanied by Anya, who carried the key.
Due north went to a boisterous group of master blacksmiths, with Gareth in tow.
Northwest was Dionysus Familia's route. As the weakest among the allied forces, they were supported not only by Riveria but also second-string elites like Lefiya and Alicia.
And so it went.
Meanwhile, the southeast route was spearheaded by Loki Familia's formidable forces, led personally by Finn.
Indeed, though commanders typically avoid frontline combat, Finn defied convention by positioning himself as an active combatant.
Among the six main assault teams, nearly each had one of Loki Familia's Level 6 elites accompanying them.
Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Tiona, and Tione were dispersed across five teams, sharing their hard-won dungeon experience with the other Familias.
Everyone was charging forward on the battlefield, except for two people who were nowhere to be seen.
"It seems things have already begun up there."
In the dimly lit labyrinth.
Eiji held the Eye Crystal, while Ais gripped the key.
The two of them moved swiftly through the maze's passages.
There were no others around, no troops to lead—just the two of them.
"Let's pick up the pace on our end too."
Eiji spoke to Ais beside him.
"Mm."
Ais nodded silently.
The two accelerated again, quickly vanishing into the shadows.