"Finn, I smell people!"
Bete suddenly spoke up.
His words instantly put everyone on edge.
"Finally encountering someone after descending this deep, huh?"
Gareth stroked his bushy beard, though his expression remained far from relaxed.
"This means they're already prepared... or rather, we're walking right into their trap."
Riveria's voice was low and grave.
"But we don't have a choice."
Finn's expression remained composed, showing not a trace of panic.
"Ultimately, our goal is to eliminate the remnants of Evilus. Since we've come this far, facing them was inevitable. Now, we'll just have to adapt as we go."
Seeing their leader's unwavering calm, the rest of the Familia members couldn't help but feel reassured.
As long as Finn was here, Loki Familia would never fall.
Finn was the pillar of Loki Familia.
This was something everyone agreed on.
"Bete, lead the way."
At Finn's signal, Bete nodded silently and took the front.
They passed through several corridors, walking for several minutes.
Finally, a massive chamber appeared before them.
At a glance, the surroundings were nothing but metal—gleaming silver adamantite walls, with even the ceiling and floor reflecting dim metallic hues under the glow of magic stone lamps.
The room was vast, with length, width, and height all exceeding a hundred meters—easily spacious enough to hold over a thousand people.
Because of this, the light from the magic stone lamps couldn't fully illuminate it, leaving the metallic chamber eerily dim, with visibility extremely low.
"Finn, it's better not to go in."
Just as they were about to step into the enormous chamber, Eiji suddenly spoke.
"What do you mean?"
Finn halted, his eyes flickering slightly.
"Ever since entering this Dungeon, I've had a bad feeling, but thankfully, nothing dangerous has happened yet."
Eiji stared at the massive chamber ahead, his gaze wary, as if facing some unseen, ferocious enemy.
"But if we step inside, there's no turning back... That's what my intuition is telling me."
His instincts were vague—they only warned him of approaching danger, without revealing its nature.
Since entering this place, everything in the man-made Dungeon had felt intensely perilous.
And this enormous metal chamber was the epicenter of it all!
Stepping inside would mean disaster!
His sense of impending doom was that overwhelming.
Finn fell into thought.
He wasn't oblivious to the danger—in fact, his thumb was throbbing painfully. But after all their preparations, they hadn't even glimpsed the enemy's true form. It was frustrating to consider retreating without achieving anything.
"Hey, bastard Finn! What's with the hesitation? Don't tell me you're scared!"
But just then.
A voice brimming with madness echoed from the opposite passage of the chamber.
Under the dim glow of the magic stone lamps, they saw the figure of a woman.
She was tall and lean, clad in a monster-fur coat and leather pants. Her face, far from beautiful, was twisted with hatred and fury, her eyes filled with venom.
The target of her murderous glare was none other than Finn, standing a hundred meters away.
"...Kill Emperor, you're still alive?"
Finn narrowed his eyes, his expression gradually turning cold.
"Hah! Indeed, I still live!"
The woman called Kill Emperor laughed wildly as she strode into the room, her face twisting grotesquely.
"I crawled back from the depths of hell! All to take revenge on you, you sanctimonious hypocrite!"
"Is that so? But unfortunately, I won't be dying today."
Finn stepped forward, raising both his spears in perfect unison.
"If you've returned from death, then I'll simply have to send you back again!"
His movement served as the signal for Loki Familia to enter the metallic chamber.
Sigh.
No helping it.
Eiji rubbed his temples with a troubled sigh, suppressing his wavering emotions as he entered a state of serene clarity, preparing for the imminent battle.
"Who's Kill Emperor?" Tiona whispered.
"Kill Emperor—her name is Valetta," Riveria explained to the younger executives. "One of the Evilus's leaders, and an exceptional commander. She's faced Finn in battle several times before. She was supposed to have perished in the Nightmare of the 27th Floor, yet here she stands."
An exceptional commander?
No wonder Finn took the initiative to engage. He must understand Valetta's capabilities all too well—if they didn't eliminate the enemy's leader now, she'd undoubtedly cause major havoc later.
"How strong is she?" Eiji pressed.
"Level 5, six years ago," Riveria said sharply. "Stay alert. There's definitely an ambush here."
A mere Level 5—Level 6 at most—daring to confront Loki Familia's main force, packed with Level 6 adventurers? The danger ahead was obvious.
"Did you lead us here?" Finn asked, advancing with his twin spears while feigning nonchalance.
"Hmph, more or less," Valetta sneered, tilting her head arrogantly. "Trying to pry information from me, huh? You always did love beating around the bush. But fine—I want you to die knowing exactly why!"
Her hatred for Finn was palpable.
What satisfaction would there be if he died ignorant?
"Then I thank you for your kindness," Finn replied with flawless composure.
"Enough with that fake smile—it disgusts me, you demon in human skin! Six years ago, you wore that same smile as you abandoned the 27th Floor to its fate and attacked our patron god, didn't you? That's how you secured your filthy victory!"
Valetta's face twisted in revulsion.
The members of Loki Familia remained silent.
Most were hearing this secret for the first time—their captain had such a ruthless past.
From the exchange, it seemed that six years ago, Finn had deemed the Familia lured to the 27th Floor beyond saving. So he abandoned the rescue and instead ambushed the Evilus's patron deity.
It was this battle—where several evil gods were forcibly returned to Heaven—that cemented the righteous faction's victory.
"Do you have any idea what happened to us after our god was sent back? With our Falna sealed, we were left at the mercy of the Dungeon—I was devoured by monsters more times than I can count!"
"Not a shred of sympathy is deserved, considering the sins you've committed."
"You bastard! Ever since crawling back from hell, I swore I'd kill you for revenge! The Evilus can go to hell for all I care, but you must die!"
Valletta's eyes gleamed with murderous intent, like a bird of prey locking onto its target.
"This will be your graveyard. I'll bury you and your entire Familia in this man-made labyrinth, Knossos!"