Although the core of the plan had been proposed by Charles, the actual execution was arranged by Finn.
To this "Braver," Charles's strategy was far too... reckless.
Rather than calling it crude, it would be more accurate to say that Charles's original idea was simply to charge in head-on.
Finn, however, considered much more—such as having the team split up and return to the surface covertly to catch the enemy off guard, and even preparing contingencies in case the surprise attack failed.
Once again, Charles was reminded of the vast gap between himself and true tacticians.
Whether in the worlds of Black Clover, Fairy Tail, or here, his so-called strategies had only worked thanks to his foreknowledge of the story.
Still, Charles couldn't just start acting like Finn. Strategy and cunning, while learnable, ultimately depended on talent.
Rather than forcing himself to be a strategist, Charles figured he'd be better off focusing on strengthening his own power—after all, plans could fail, but power would always decide the final outcome.
Following Finn's command, the group dispersed and returned to the surface separately. Then, under cover of night, they regrouped.
The first to return were Ais and Bete, whose job had been to observe the Dionysus Familia.
Bete handed a marked map to Finn and said, "No suspicious activity. That god Dionysus and the White Witch haven't left. No unusual visitors either."
Charles frowned. The fact that everything seemed normal was, ironically, the most alarming sign.
Surely Dionysus, of all people, couldn't be unaware of the mounting unrest in Orario. He should have made a move by now.
Finn shared the same unease, gnawing thoughtfully at his sore thumb.
Riveria, familiar as ever with Finn's mannerisms, asked, "What do you think? Should we change the plan?"
Finn looked up. "No. We proceed as planned. Whether it's a trap or not, we need to deal with Enyo, the mastermind behind all this. If he thinks he can bait us, then I'd love to see just what kind of trap this god has laid."
Charles nodded. Dionysus clearly saw himself as bait, gambling that they wouldn't pass up the opportunity to strike.
With the plan set, the team quickly advanced and arrived at the Dionysus Familia's headquarters.
Being only a mid-tier Familia, Dionysus's base lacked the grandeur of the Loki or Hephaestus Familias. It certainly wasn't on the same level as Freya's or Ishtar's, who controlled entire city districts.
Instead, it was just a two-story villa, cloaked in shadow with barely any lights on.
"Start with a magic bombardment to test the waters!"
As soon as Finn gave the command, the rear-line mages began chanting.
But the moment they started, the ground exploded as a swarm of man-eating flowers burst forth.
These new monster breeds were highly sensitive to magic, so they immediately targeted the chanting mages.
However, the Loki Familia's casters were among Orario's finest, and their chanting remained steady even as the monsters lunged.
Because they trusted their comrades to protect them.
"Wind!"
Ais swung her despair-colored sword wrapped in emerald streams of wind, slicing through the attacking monsters with ease.
She had grown faster—likely thanks to the suppression bracers Charles had made for her. Returning from the expedition, it was clear she had grown significantly stronger.
Not just Ais—the rest of the Loki Familia had clearly leveled up as well.
The Amazon twins and Bete leapt into the fray, shredding the man-eating plants with ease.
Finn raised his spear of courage and shouted, "No need to hide anymore. Full assault!"
At that moment, the mages finished their chants. A barrage of powerful spells rained down, flattening the entire villa.
Flames blazed in the wreckage, lighting up the night sky—and the grim expressions on everyone's faces.
No one believed for a second that the bombardment had finished off Dionysus.
Sure enough, the burning debris was suddenly blown aside.
Layer after layer of leaf-like petals unfurled, revealing three figures within.
At the center stood the blond god Dionysus. On his left was the elven girl in white—Filvis. On his right, a cloaked figure wearing a full mask.
Dionysus gazed out and said, "I suppose I shouldn't have hoped for a miracle. So I've been exposed. Can you at least tell me where I slipped up?"
Charles replied coldly, "What would be the point now?"
Dionysus nodded. "True enough. One way or another, only one side will see the sunrise."
Just then, a badly wounded adventurer—one arm missing, body burned—crawled toward Dionysus, only to be intercepted by the masked figure.
"Lord Dionysus... why?"
The adventurer had once been a member of Dionysus's Familia, tricked into changing allegiances to Penia's name after being plied with divine wine.
Now he was full of confusion—why had the Loki Familia attacked? Why was his god siding with monsters?
Dionysus looked down at his "follower" with a gentle smile. "Poor child... Perhaps ignorance truly is bliss."
The masked figure raised a foot and snapped the man's neck.
Blood sprayed from his mouth, staining the cloak red. It flowed onto the masked figure's shoes, yet he made no effort to move away.
Everyone present wore expressions of fury. Despite the warmth on Dionysus's face, they all sensed his cold indifference.
It was as if that loyal follower had meant nothing to him.
Finn said, "Then there's nothing more to discuss. Let's fight!"
Charles had already lost patience and was the first to charge at Dionysus.
But before he could reach him, Filvis and the masked figure stepped forward to block his path.
The three clashed briefly and then retreated, entering a tense standoff.
Charles sneered, "Drop the act. In your current state, you won't be able to stop me."
Indeed, the masked figure and Filvis were one and the same.
The mask came off, revealing Filvis's face—only now it was twisted with madness and malice.
Filvis had been resurrected during the nightmare incident on the 27th floor thanks to the corrupted spirits. But the once-pure elf had been turned into a defiled monster.
Unable to accept what she had become, she had awakened the spell "Ansel," using it to split off her darker self and half her power into a separate form: the masked figure.
Now, as she reabsorbed her double, she achieved her full form—her strength surging to high-end Level 7.
"Fantasy ends, soul returns—bond unbroken!"
With her chant, the double merged back into her, and her presence grew overwhelmingly powerful.
Charles didn't waste time with taunts. He and the full-powered Filvis launched at each other immediately.
Finn didn't bother watching their fight. Even with Filvis's terrifying strength, he had full confidence that Charles would handle it.
Instead, Finn focused on Dionysus and said, "If all you've got is the White Witch, that's not nearly enough. Dionysus—or rather, Enyo—what else have you prepared?"
Dionysus showed no panic. He spread his arms and said, "Then allow me to show you the gift I've prepared just for you."
The ground erupted.
A massive green monstrosity burst forth from the earth.
A corrupted spirit avatar—the Heavenly Bull—had appeared.
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