"Incredible…" muttered a voice from within the Hermes Familia residence.
Hermes, always wearing a smile that seemed to know too much, tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I had thought that Leon and the Loki Familia would be enough to deal with that place… but to think it would escalate to this degree."
The Guild's message had arrived not long ago, and with it, knowledge of the Gate of Heaven. The six Great Spirits that guarded it were distributed in six separate directions—one even deeper still.
No matter how strong Leon and the Loki Familia were, there was no way they could simultaneously eliminate all of them.
Loki had shared intelligence with Hermes. The demi spirits were formidable, easily equivalent to Level 7 monsters.
Among all who ventured into that dungeon, only Leon could stand against such a foe one-on-one. The others would need to band together just to survive.
In the previous expedition, it had taken a joint effort from Loki's first-class adventurers to fell just one.
Leon could handle one. The rest of the Loki Familia, at best, could manage two. That left four. And they needed backup.
"Ah, it's only been two days since we returned to the surface… now we're going back already? It's too much." Lulune groaned, her ears drooping in exasperation.
They hadn't even gotten a full day's rest.
"Enough with the complaints! This concerns the very survival of Orario." Asfi scolded sharply.
"Y-Yes, ma'am." Lulune straightened immediately, stiff as a board.
"Asfi." Hermes turned to his trusted advisor. "What's the situation?"
"The Guild reports that the Freya Familia and Ganesha Familia have already mobilized. Then we go as well." Asfi's voice was resolute.
Hermes gave a lazy shrug, but his eyes glinted with focus. "Ah… well, it's our city, too. Let's lend a hand."
"If we don't stop this, Orario will be wiped off the map."
"Understood!" The members of the Hermes Familia chorused.
And so, as the forces of Orario surged into the artificial dungeon, at the vanguard of this assault, one man had already arrived.
Leon.
He had reached the tenth floor ahead of everyone else.
Without wasting time, he activated both Veins of Light and Shadow—his twin detection magics. The spells expanded outward in all directions, sweeping across the massive expanse of the tenth floor.
The size of this floor was astounding, comparable to the entire breadth of Orario itself. The complexity of the labyrinth was staggering. Even with all his power, scanning it would take time.
From his system storage, he pulled out an enormous scroll of paper. As his detection magic scouted the paths ahead, his shadow magic recorded everything onto the scroll in real-time.
They had no prior map, no intel—nothing. They were essentially blind. He had to do this.
While he worked, he detected the familiar magical signatures of Finn and the others. They had arrived at the tenth floor as well but they were far from him, on the opposite side.
"Finn, Ais. Stay put for now. I'm mapping the terrain and will send the map to you shortly." He spoke through the communication orb, his tone composed.
"No problem!" came Finn's confident reply, followed by Ais' soft affirmation.
With time, the map began to form in full detail. Leon not only charted the terrain but also pinpointed the locations of the six powerful demi spirits.
And then… something else appeared on the map. Something unexpected.
"…Dionysus? And those two beside him…?"
Leon narrowed his eyes as his magic picked up their presence.
Gate of Heaven had already been activated but what stunned Leon wasn't just that. It was what stood beside Dionysus.
Two bull-shaped Demi-Spirits, towering, monstrous, pulsing with divine aura. Their presence alone distorted the air. This… should not have been possible.
In the original course of events, there had only ever been one of these Bull-type Demi-Spirits. That singular entity was created from the union of resources between Ishtar and Dionysus, a secret weapon designed to crush Freya Familia's Ottar. But history never allowed it to be unleashed.
Before Ishtar could wield the bull demi spirit, her entire Familia had been annihilated by Freya and her elites. And the Demi-Spirit, unfinished and unused, had eventually fallen into the hands of Evilus entrenched within Knossos.
Back then, when the Loki Familia first launched their offensive into Knossos, that very Demi-Spirit had posed a near-fatal threat to them. And now, Dionysus had two of them.
Leon's gaze sharpened, and his thoughts turned like blades.
Did Filvis retrieve it from the deeper floors before she vanished?"
Or did Dionysus himself descend into the depths and snatch them at the cost of his own safety?
The mystery gnawed at him, but there was no time to dwell on it. At the very least, Dionysus's current location was still some distance away from Finn's position. That was a small mercy. Nothing should happen to them—yet.
"I need to send the map to Finn and the others first… Then I'll go settle this." Leon murmured to himself as images and data streamed through his mind from the detection magic.
His eyes narrowed, reflecting a quiet resolve. A single demi spirit was already a catastrophic threat. And now there were two under Dionysus's command.
In Knossos, aside from himself and Ais' group, only the parties led by Finn and Gareth had managed to make their way this deep. But they hadn't yet reached the tenth floor. If those bull demi spirits encountered any of them, it would be a massacre.
Even if Haruhime lent them her enhancement, a small unit wouldn't stand a chance.
Leon had no intention of letting that happen. He would be the one to strike. He would take down the demi spirits and Dionysus would be sent back to heaven where he belonged. This time, there would be no escape.
But first, he had to deliver the map to Finn, Ais, and the others. There wasn't a single moment to waste.
With his detection magic, Light Veins and Shadow, still activated, Leon surged forward, his body becoming a blur in the dim corridors of the artificial dungeon.
Activating his Tenseigan Mode, he navigated the complicated labyrinth with precision, moving swiftly through the mapped route. With each step, he closed the distance to Finn's party. Moments later, he appeared before them.
"Leon! Have you mapped out the route already?" Finn asked immediately, sharp as ever, wasting no time with pleasantries.
Leon gave a slight nod. "I have. This is the map."
He unrolled the parchment and pointed at a specific location.
"Head here. There's a demi spirit stationed at this point."
The position Leon marked was the closest target for Finn's group and more importantly, it didn't intersect with Dionysus' current location. There was no risk of an early confrontation.
"Understood. We move now." Finn said, his expression firm as he accepted the map.
But just as the group began to mobilize, Leon raised a hand. "Wait, Finn. Once you locate the demi spirit, contact Haruhime. Have her activate her support skill for you."
Finn paused, blinking in surprise. "Haruhime's in your party, isn't she? How can she support us from such a long distance?"
"She's already marked your group." Leon explained calmly. "Distance won't matter."
"Haruhime's skill will raise your combat ability by one full level."
Finn's pupils dilated. An enhancement… that bypassed distance? That raised one's entire level?
He knew Haruhime was powerful but this?
According to Leon, her skill could amplify even his abilities, despite being a seasoned Level 6. And it wasn't a solo buff, it applied to the entire group.
If he, Bete, and the others came into contact with this skill…
Then he and Bete could operate at Level 7, while someone like Anakitty could break into Level 6.
A terrifying auxiliary ability.
No wonder Leon's forces could stand toe-to-toe with even Freya Familia.
In the War Game against Apollo Familia, it had been that fox girl. Haruhime, who single-handedly trapped and disarmed dozens of Apollo's elites.
So this was why. This was her power. She had once been part of Ishtar Familia. After Ishtar was obliterated, Leon had claimed the girl for Hestia Familia without hesitation. No doubt, it was because of this skill.
Leon, you really are something else...
Finn's gaze lingered on Leon for a heartbeat, then he gave a respectful nod. Without another word, he turned and led his group into the shadows, marching toward their objective.