"Is this the suspicious location mentioned in the notes?"
In the dimly lit corridor, Eiji and Ais stopped before a mural.
They were deep within the 12th floor.
On the right side of the hallway hung a mural of unknown origin, devoid of any color and covered with traces of time's passage.
"What's depicted here?"
Eiji was utterly confused.
"I don't know either."
Ais shook her head blankly.
Even the local Ais didn't recognize it?
Scratching the back of his head, Eiji had no choice but to memorize the contents as best he could.
There was only one scene depicted.
A massive evil dragon dominated the upper portion of the image. Though merely a mural, it exuded an eerie aura that instinctively unsettled viewers.
Below the dragon, six human figures surrounded it, their arms raised as if performing some unknown action.
Strange undulations seemed to radiate from the six figures, enveloping the evil dragon, which had its maw open mid-roar.
That was the entire scene.
"According to the notes, this mural was placed here by Enyo's orders, so it must have some significance."
No matter how he looked at it, nothing seemed unusual—it appeared to be just an ordinary mural.
Eiji could only commit the image to memory for later analysis.
"Enyo..."
Ais softly murmured the name.
"In divine language, it means 'City Destroyer'—the true mastermind behind this series of events!"
All this information was recorded in the notes.
Barca wanted to defect to Loki Familia, so he documented many crucial secrets about Barca.
For instance, that the dungeon's core area was on the 9th floor, and the corrupted spirit's duplicate was stored on the 10th floor—all clearly written by Barca.
The man had been quite proactive to save his own skin.
According to him, Evilus had suddenly emerged years ago. They recruited Barca, seized the artificial labyrinth, and used this unknown maze to conduct many secret operations.
After Bete joined Evilus, Barca saw an opportunity. He secretly communicated with Bete multiple times before finally deciding to offer the Daedalus Notes as proof of his defection.
The entire message could be summarized as: "I'm innocent, I really want to switch sides, please take me in."
Of course, these were just Barca's claims. How to handle him would ultimately depend on Finn and the Guild's decision.
Among all the intelligence, "Enyo" was the most critical.
Enyo was the mastermind behind everything.
Whether it was communicating with the corrupted spirit or luring Loki Familia, all were Enyo's designs—the Monster Festival, the 24th-floor food storehouse, the corrupted spirit's duplicate on the 59th floor... every single incident was orchestrated by Enyo.
This divine being, who had remained shrouded in mystery until now, was the true culprit behind it all!
Thanatos and Revis were merely actors on stage—Enyo was the director of this entire play.
"Let's go, Ais. It's time we completed our mission."
After committing the mural to memory, Eiji called out to Ais.
"Mm."
Ais responded softly, her gaze resolute.
The two of them weren't following the main force—they'd been assigned a special mission by Finn.
The frontal assault had been left to Dionysus and other familias. Their task was to deal with a particular enemy.
One that was undoubtedly the most troublesome in the current labyrinth—an opponent only they could handle!
Screeeech—!
The woman dragged her blackened greatsword.
Blood dripped from its tip, scraping against the ground and sending up countless sparks.
She had short red hair and wore clothes torn from slain adventurers, barely covering her vital areas while obscuring her alluring curves.
Her expression was cold and grim, eyes filled with predatory light.
As she walked toward the upper floors, the tremors beneath her feet and the distant sounds of battle only fueled her impatience.
"Aria... and that man. Where are you?"
Her murderous intent grew thicker.
She completely ignored the allied familias. Though Finn and the others had tensed upon seeing her, she showed no interest in engaging them, brushing past the coalition as if Evilus's fate meant nothing.
She only wanted to find those two—and kill them!
Yet after scouring multiple floors, she still hadn't found Aria or the man.
"Huff—!"
Suddenly, a breeze brushed against her face.
"Wind?"
The red-haired woman halted, then broke into a frenzied grin.
"Hahaha! So you're looking for me too? Wait for me, Aria!"
Laughing wildly, she charged down the passage.
Natural wind was nearly nonexistent in this artificial labyrinth—this could only mean Aria was announcing her presence. The unceasing gusts seemed to be searching... or perhaps guiding.
Black corridors flashed by as the red-haired woman streaked through the maze like a beam of light.
In a vast chamber spanning over a hundred meters in all dimensions, she finally spotted the golden-haired girl.
"ARIA!"
She roared with exhilaration.
Swinging her black greatsword without hesitation, she lunged at Ais!
"Revis!"
Ais's expression hardened, her eyes brimming with killing intent.
"This time, I'll end you!"
Again and again, this woman had appeared before her, destroying everything she held dear.
Revis's gaze locked onto Ais alone.
But from the corner of her eye—silent as a shadow—a figure emerged.
Without warning.
The man held his blade, its speed blinding yet utterly soundless.
Revis's face twisted in alarm.
"So it IS you!"
Her feet pivoted violently, spinning her body like a top as she swung her greatsword upward to meet the attacker!
CLANG!
A dull impact rang out.
Tremendous force wrenched at Eiji's wrist. His eyes narrowed as he planted his stance, spine straight as a pillar, channeling the shockwave into the ground.
CRACKLE!
The adamantite floor shattered instantly, metal fragments scattering.
"This woman... her casual strike is even stronger than last time?"
After the exchange, Eiji retreated several steps.
His eyes burned with astonishment.
Last time, he had briefly crossed swords with Revis, who already possessed the strength of Level 7 back then—capable of defeating both Finn and Ais with a single move.
But this time, when they clashed again, Revis's power had grown tremendously!
Even Ottar in his beastified state couldn't compare to Revis's current pure ability values!
"Did you consume more magic stones to grow stronger?"
Eiji quickly deduced the reason.
"Thanks to you!"
Revis shot him a wolfish glare and sneered.