Barca walked out of the secret passage and silently stood for a while at the entrance of the hall, stroking the luggage he kept tucked inside his belt, quietly murmuring the name of the man who had already died.
Was it remembrance, lament… or a sense of loss? In the end, Barca slowly walked up to the device and stared fixedly at the Pandora's Box he was about to open with his own hands.
What lay before him was the "activation device" of something.
It had the same structure as the mechanism that opened the Orichalcum "gates," but its function was vastly different… or rather, it wasn't something built by the same person at all. In fact, this device wasn't part of the design of the man-made labyrinth.
Clearly, under extreme emotion, someone who hated his own bloodline and resented his own life had constructed this thing that ran completely counter to the ancestral wish… something that could even be said to completely destroy the Knossos.
This device, put simply: could remove the "pillars" of a specific floor. And the resulting outcome was "collapse."
Barca had come here precisely because he correctly understood Thanatos's "intentions" and intended to use this "device" to make a designated floor collapse in an instant, crushing the Loki Familia inside.
This function, of course, was not recorded anywhere. The one who created this device was none other than Dix.
The hateful stepsibling who loathed the "Daedalus' compelling," cursed his own fate, and despised the man-made labyrinth itself… a man who never acknowledged his younger brother of shared blood. This was his final rebellion.
Perhaps Dix, who longed to be freed from the "cursed blood," had once dreamed of plunging the entire labyrinth into ruin… no, he definitely had such a dream.
Only if this "demonic pit" disappeared completely from the world could he finally be freed from the curse that had tormented him from birth and obtain a true life!
But the man was dead, things changed, people gone, and all came to nothing.
Unfortunately, all of that was already in the past. All that was left for him was remembrance and sighs. Facing a brother\, Barca felt, in rare fashion, something resembling a human "emotion."
But under the heavy pressure of the invaders and the persuasion of the god, standing at this crucial moment in time, it was already too late for Barca to make another choice.
He subconsciously dwelled on these trivial matters, wandering in thought…
What he did not know was that, when one is just about to achieve something, living beings tend to relax their instincts, lowering their awareness and vigilance toward their surroundings.
Even if Barca was called a "monster" unlike any human… in the end, human instinct is not something the surface self can truly overcome.
In the shadows, multiple pairs of eyes stared tightly at his every move and expression, like hunters waiting for the right moment.
...
In a corner of the hall, a small squad watched the dazed Barca and whispered quietly among themselves.
"Captain, this is the mastermind Boss Fron mentioned? But he doesn't look like a combat-type adventurer at all… more like a craftsman."
Falgar Batros, the tiger-headed warrior, front-line shield fighter of the Hermes Familia and their vice-captain, asked in a low voice.
"According to the intel Fron provided, this guy belongs to the Thanatos Familia. But his other identity is that he's a descendant of the Daedalus, the same bloodline as the Ikelos Familia captain, Dix, though they're half-brothers."
"Unlike Dix, he inherited Daedalus's wish and ability. He is the current builder of the Man-Made Labyrinth: Knossos ."
Hearing Asfi's soft explanation, Falgar's face showed sudden understanding.
"So… all the labyrinth 'mechanisms' and 'doors' are under his control? If that's the case, then his importance really can't be ignored."
Asfi's eyes stayed locked on Barca's movements. If he approached that dangerous device, she would follow Fron's suggestion, even if it meant exposing themselves and risking being surrounded, to stop him!
"Uh, big sis… about Gale… you forgot to tell the boss. If something really happens, won't we be in trouble, maybe even blamed?"
Just as the tension was thick and the situation felt ready to explode at any moment, the Lulune Louie quietly reminded Asfi.
Asfi: "..."
Everyone: "..."
The Hermes Familia captain stiffened; even her eyes seemed to slip off her nose bridge. Her body swayed slightly.
"Ahem… yes, I need to report that."
...
"Burn all before you, Sword of Surtr , my name is Alf!"
"Advanced Sword of Victory!"
"...."
"BOOM BOOM BOOM, "
Within the cramped underground passage, s blazing crimson inferno, having found an outlet, surged forward with a madness that swallowed everything.
The temperature in the passage rose rapidly, the air itself twisting.
On the other side of the rubble-blocked exit, Anakitty and the squad retreated in a hurry, again and again, only relaxing once they could faintly sense the heat decreasing.
Wiping the sweat from their foreheads, someone spat out dust, and someone complained:
"Does he have to be this over-the-top? This is the 13th underground floor, and a man-made labyrinth at that. Who knows if the structure's strong enough, if the boss burns a hole straight through, that'll be real fun!"
Anakitty glared fiercely at the speaker. "Stop talking nonsense. Eyes ahead, maintain formation."
During their tense wait, the pile of shattered rocks softened rapidly under the heat, then, With a loud boom, was completely pierced through.
In the shimmering air, stones melted into liquid, the fire flickering.
From the depths of the dark passage, a cloaked figure leaning on a staff staggered out, looking rather battered.
"Cough, cough… damn it… that really took a lot out of me."
Releasing wide-range annihilation magic in such a narrow space meant even Fron got hit by the backlash. His ash-covered appearance made it clear he suffered quite a bit in that short time.
Add in the self-destruct ambush earlier that nearly took him out, today had been chaotic and exhausting.
"Hey, Fron, it's Asfi. Can you hear me?"
"?" Just as Anakitty and the others approached him, Asfi's voice transmitted from the magic item on Fron.
Unless under special circumstances, Asfi's infiltration squad only contacted others at set intervals.
If she was calling outside the scheduled time… something urgent must have happened. And just a few minutes earlier, they had already spoken.
Fron frowned slightly.
After checking his surroundings for any "surveillance" measures and confirming the area was safe, he finally took out the "communication device."
"What's the emergency, Asfi?"
"Sorry, there was a piece of news I forgot because the target suddenly appeared. It's like this… when we were scouting the 'Evilus' hideout' and gathering intel on enemy forces, Ryu had a bit of an incident. Um… she saw an acquaintance and chased him, getting separated from us."
"..." Fron fell silent, an image instantly forming in his mind.
Exchanging a glance with Anakitty, he spoke in a low, serious tone: "Who was it? Do you know him?"
"An ex-member of the Rudra Familia… Jura Halmer."