The golden full moon cast its silvery light over the plaza in Daedalus Street.
A sacred pillar of light pierced the heavens, breaking through the artificial dungeon's ceiling as numerous adventurers leaped out, their faces etched with relief at having narrowly escaped death to return to the surface.
Eiji set down several people he had caught after their unstable landing, then turned his gaze toward distant Daedalus Street.
The commotion behind him and the city's uproar no longer concerned him.
What mattered most now was assessing the extent of the damage suffered by the allied familias.
Upon returning to the surface, Finn immediately organized rescue efforts, dispatching Eiji, Ais, Bete, and others underground to assist various teams in retrieving members from each familia.
Within half an hour, everyone had regrouped at the plaza.
Only the living, that is.
The reason for this qualification became clear as the wave of Green Flesh finally surged to the uppermost layers, even reaching the exit itself.
However, upon arriving at the exit, the Green Flesh lost its momentum, ceasing its expansion and falling into a slumber-like stillness.
Some attempted to destroy the Green Flesh, but their efforts proved largely ineffective.
"How severe are our losses?"
In the plaza, the leaders of each familia reconvened.
Finn posed the question to the group.
"We lost several members."
"Same here."
Hephaestus Familia and Hermes Familia each responded with heavy hearts.
Every familia had suffered casualties when the green flesh first erupted. Fortunately, their orderly retreat had prevented further deaths.
Loki Familia and Ganesha Familia had been luckier, having entered a room earlier where the timely lowering of a gate spared them any casualties.
"From this perspective, the greatest loss is—"
Finn's eyes swept across the assembled leaders.
Among the gathered familia heads, one figure was conspicuously absent.
The white-clad elf often scornfully called the "Banshee"—the white priestess, Filvis.
"Dionysus Familia... completely annihilated!"
Finn's expression darkened.
Even for someone accustomed to death, witnessing the complete destruction of a hundred-member familia shook him to his core.
"With the death of God Dionysus, all members including Filvis lost their Falna, reverting to ordinary humans... none could escape."
Riveria clenched her teeth, her face filled with self-reproach.
"Even so, it was my failure—I couldn't save a single one!"
Upper-class adventers could outrun the Green Flesh.
But ordinary humans stood no chance against its advance. Every member of Dionysus Familia had been consumed, including the vice-captain and captain alike.
In the distance, Lefiya stood staring blankly at the labyrinth, her spirit seemingly shattered.
She and Filvis had been exceptionally close—so much so that Filvis had even taught her unique barrier magic, "Holy Grail of Salvation."
"This wasn't your fault. No matter how strong an individual is, that situation was beyond anyone's control."
Finn couldn't bring himself to say such words, so Shakti spoke them in his stead.
Riveria was covered in a layer of dust, her beautiful face now smudged and grimy—something intolerable for an elf, yet she had no room to care about it now.
"No matter what, we can't leave this demonic lair unchecked!"
Finn's gaze fixed on the exposed green flesh in the distance, his expression grave.
"Enyo orchestrated this scenario using Evilus's defeat—the scale is immense. If we leave it alone, who knows what will happen next!"
Hearing this, the others nodded solemnly or resignedly.
Even if they wanted to retreat, they had no choice but to press forward now.
As one of Orario's top-tier Familia, they bore the responsibility of protecting the city. Even if they refused, the Guild would surely issue a mandatory quest afterward—no one could decline.
"Finn, come here for a second!"
Just then, Finn heard someone calling him.
He approached the labyrinth and saw Eiji pressed against the green flesh, seemingly doing something.
"Hey, isn't that too dangerous?" Finn couldn't help but speak up.
"Relax, the green flesh isn't devouring anything anymore. I've already tested it—no danger," Eiji waved dismissively before gesturing again.
"More importantly, put your ear against it too. I think there's a sound coming from inside?"
A sound?
Finn's eyes sharpened immediately.
He stepped closer to the Green Flesh and pressed his ear against it.
Hmm.
Indeed.
If he listened carefully, there was a rhythmic sound emanating from within.
"This pattern… is that singing?"
Finn frowned, concentrating.
And it wasn't just one voice—it sounded like multiple voices gathered together, celebrating something in unison.
Like some kind of ritual.
"What in the world is this sound?"
Finn fell into deep thought.
"Still unclear… Wait, what about that mural?"
Eiji suddenly had an idea, recalling the mural.
"Mural?"
"Yeah, the one mentioned in the notes—the only suspicious thing Enyo personally transported into the labyrinth. That evil dragon mural!"
"Tell me more!"
Finn leaned in attentively.
...
The artificial labyrinth conquest ended in a dual victory—for the allied Familia and for Enyo.
Evilus was the sole loser—their base raided, their executives dead, their patron deity sent back, and even their cloaked followers devoured entirely by the green flesh.
Thanks to them, the true mastermind—Enyo—had finally surfaced.
With a single move, they annihilated the Dionysus Familia, seized the artificial labyrinth, and created the terrifying Green Flesh, turning the entire labyrinth into a demonic lair.
"Damn it! We can't find anything!"
Tione lifted her head from a pile of books, her face twisted in frustration.
"Evil dragon, six people—there's no trace of any clues! And while we're drowning in books, Eiji's disappeared again. What if some fox spirit latches onto him?!"
"Quit complaining. The sooner we find it, the better. Or rather, hurry up and keep looking! Don't you love Sacred Tales?"
Tiona snapped impatiently.
"You're only this motivated because the captain praised you! Eiji never compliments me!"
"Then work hard so I can get more praise from the captain!"
"You're shameless, Tiona!"
The two quickly got into a scuffle, throwing punches and kicks.
"Please, calm down a little..."
A girl in the guild staff uniform timidly ran over to intervene.
Only then did Tiona and Tione awkwardly withdraw their fists, clearing their throats in embarrassment.
"But even if we ignore our familia's library, we can't find even a single clue in the guild's library either! This is impossible to search through!"
Tiona grumbled under her breath.