A man who looked like he hadn't slept in decades stood before the control panel, his eyes darting anxiously across countless water membranes.
One membrane suddenly shattered, and he hurriedly turned his gaze toward it. But before he could recall which surveillance point it was, another membrane broke apart.
There was simply no time to deploy troops.
Helpless, he could only focus his attention on the exit of that floor.
The main force arrived near the exit with unexpected speed. He lowered multiple gates in succession and activated all the pit traps on the ground, yet in the blink of an eye, the enemy vanished again.
"Damn it!"
He cursed in frustration.
This was a labyrinth built by their own clan. As the inheritor of this generation, he knew every inch of it like the back of his hand and could manipulate any mechanism at will. Yet even so, he couldn't capture those trapped rats.
"Barca-chan, haven't you located the hero yet?"
Just as his eyes burned with impatience, a lazy voice reached his ears.
"Valletta-chan is getting impatient, you know?"
"Tell her to piss off!"
The man called Barca turned around, glaring with bloodshot eyes.
"Oh my, could it be you've lost track of them?"
The one who spoke with feigned helplessness was a strikingly handsome young man with long black hair.
Though male, his appearance was so alluring it could captivate most men.
Only the aura of lethargy surrounding him dulled his charm, casting a shadow over his striking looks.
"Hey hey, seriously?"
Seeing Barca suddenly fall silent, the listless young man froze.
"That can't be right. We just launched our attack—they shouldn't even have figured out the routes yet. Tracking them should be easy, no?"
Faced with this artificial labyrinth made of ultra-hard and hardest metals, it was impossible for them to find the real passage leading outside in just over ten minutes.
That's right—for the sake of troop deployment, Barca had deliberately left a passage for his own people to traverse. With the underground waterway's gate jammed by adamantite, the Loki Familia did have a way out.
But theoretically, only his own people knew about that passage. No matter how quick Loki Familia's reactions were, they shouldn't have been able to find the exit within days.
So unless there was a traitor, the chances of Loki Familia escaping were practically zero.
Wasn't this like catching turtles in a jar?
Wasn't this just the struggle of a cornered beast?
How could they still lose track?
"You're asking me?"
Barca glared coldly at the young man.
"I don't know the reason, but judging by the destroyed surveillance, they've already found the route leading toward the Dungeon. They might not even be in the labyrinth anymore."
The artificial labyrinth Knossos had more than just the Daedalus Street underground waterway as an entrance—there were over a dozen in total, most located within the Dungeon, with exits on the 14th, 16th, and 18th floors, among others.
Loki Familia's main force had likely already found the route to the 14th-floor exit and had probably left the labyrinth by now.
"How is this possible? Barca-chan, don't tell me you've betrayed us?"
The lethargic young man looked at the disheveled man in astonishment.
"Bullshit!"
Barga gave him a look that screamed "idiot" before turning his attention back to the other water membranes.
The talk of betrayal was obviously a joke.
He hadn't stepped outside in years—there was no way he could have contacted the Loki Familia.
Moreover, the Loki Familia moved too swiftly, so fast that even an inside man wouldn't have been able to help. Truly befitting the strongest familia in the city, overflowing with talent!
"This complicates things. We lured them in specifically to eliminate the Loki Familia here, yet the biggest fish has already slipped through the net..."
The disheveled young man let out a frustrated sigh.
"What's this, Thanatos? Weren't you the one who repeatedly assured me everything was under control?"
A youthful, girlish voice suddenly rang out.
A masked loli goddess appeared in the control room, speaking with an oddly mature tone as she mocked him.
"My familia members have all been taken away by the Guild. If you can't deliver the ultimate pleasure to me, I won't let you off easy!"
The goddess of slaughter flashed a bloodthirsty grin.
"Ahaha, of course not! I won't disappoint you!"
Thanatos responded with an equally bright smile.
"Barca-chan, think of something quick!"
"Piss off!"
"Is that any way to talk to your patron deity?"
Thanatos looked genuinely troubled.
Well, that aside, the current situation was indeed problematic.
Thanatos felt a pang of tension. This operation had fallen far short of expectations—exposing the artificial dungeon without capturing even a single executive of the Loki Familia was a terrible loss.
"Send word to Valletta-chan and Revis-chan. Tell them to intensify the hunt for the remaining prey."
"Revis has intercepted the Sword Princess. It's only a matter of time before she finishes her off."
"Revis-chan is amazing!"
"Argana from the Kali Familia is just getting in the way! She insists on fighting the Jormungand one-on-one!"
"Uh... what about the others?"
"The elf trio... No way. How do they know the only escape route?"
Barca suddenly stiffened in shock.
His gaze locked onto one of the water membranes, where Riveria and her two companions were shown navigating the passageways.
To his disbelief, they were moving with pinpoint accuracy along the very path Barca had left open, ascending floor by floor without the slightest deviation. At this rate, they'd reach the entrance to the underground waterway in no more than half an hour.
"A mole?"
Thanatos stared incredulously at the trio of elves—emerald, golden, and pure white—on the screen.
"Barga-chan, you—"
"Shut it!"
"Fine~"
"The others are already beyond our reach."
The D-shaped rune in Barca's left eye pulsed with a crimson glow.
"But those Amazon sisters and the Sword Princess will die here."
"Three executives? That's... acceptable, I suppose."
After a moment of contemplation, Thanatos nodded reluctantly.
"Oh, one more thing."
Barca suddenly looked up. "A short while ago, our sponsor entered the labyrinth using a key. They should be arriving in this hall soon."
"Wait, why didn't you mention this earlier?"
"Does it matter?"
"Barca-chan, you have zero social awareness! That goddess is a handful!"
Thanatos groaned. "You should've told me sooner so I could prepare!"
Just the thought of that goddess's arrival deepened his aura of lethargy.
"Do you really dislike me that much, Thanatos?"
The door to the control room suddenly swung open, and a voice devoid of any discernible emotion reached Thanatos' ears.
Thanatos inwardly groaned.
She was here.
The troublesome sponsor.
At the entrance.
A brown-skinned beauty dressed in an extremely provocative and revealing gown stepped into the control room, casting an alluring glance at Thanatos that made him instantly feel overwhelmed.
"Ahaha, Goddess Ishtar, what brings you here today?"