"Ikelos vanished into thin air? Who was he with at the end?"
"It was the god Hermes."
"Hermes..."
Hearing that name, Thanatos wasn't particularly surprised.
"Vanishing into thin air is unlikely—it must have been a tool made by Hermes's child."
"That kid has the rare Development Ability 'Mystery'. Crafting stealth or transfer-type items in secret would easily fool your eyes."
If that were the case, Hermes must have been prepared to retreat before the operation even began.
'So that bastard knew our people were nearby from the start?'
Thanatos's eyes narrowed, a rare cold gleam flickering within them.
'As I thought... there are extra eyes within Evilus. Otherwise, that bastard wouldn't know our every move.'
Thinking back on Evilus's string of misfortunes lately, Thanatos grew increasingly irritated.
The Guild and the gods of Orario were responding more fiercely each time, and their methods were growing harsher, as if they intended to wipe Evilus out completely.
Yet Thanatos was certain he hadn't provoked the Guild or Orario's deities to that extent.
So who was pulling the strings?
The Ishtar incident, then Loki, then Freya, the Dungeon upheavals, and now today's campaign against Ikelos—everything seemed orchestrated, manipulated from behind the scenes.
And what was most maddening was that after so many major incidents, the hand behind it all hadn't shown even the slightest trace.
"Which familias in Orario have been making the biggest moves?"
"The Ganesha Familia, the Loki Familia, and the Freya Familia."
Thanatos gave a slight nod.
"The Ganesha Familia's job is to maintain order in Orario. Ever since Astraea descended, he's always held that position."
In other words, the Ganesha Familia's actions were routine.
And with Ganesha's close ties to the Guild, Thanatos knew the Ganesha Familia would never side against them.
But the Loki Familia and Freya Familia... they were another problem entirely.
"This is troublesome. If only that child of Loki's hadn't grown stronger..."
Thanatos bit his nails, frustration evident.
Their situation had already turned against them. If it worsened, the other gods of Orario might cut ties with them—a disaster.
"What about those materials?"
"Part of the fusion is complete. They can be used in combat now. But... they're unstable. Sometimes they lose control and go berserk."
"Berserk? That never happened before."
"Yes. For some reason, the fetuses suddenly became unstable a month ago."
"A month ago..."
Thanatos suddenly recalled. A month ago was when the Loki Familia returned from their expedition into the Dungeon.
'So that's it... Loki's children must have damaged the Spirit's avatar down there.'
It was an unexpected discovery—but Thanatos couldn't feel happy about it.
"And that was also when contact with the Spirit side was lost, wasn't it?"
"Y-yes."
"Then it really must have been something Loki's child did."
The fetuses' berserk reaction, combined with the severed connection to the Spirit guardian, made it clear the Spirit side was in serious trouble—so serious they couldn't even keep control of the fetuses.
And an unstable tool always carried the risk of turning against its own side.
If even the Spirits were suffering such issues, he couldn't afford to act rashly.
But in Thanatos's mind, one troublesome figure stood out.
Enyo.
Nominally, Enyo shared direct interests with Evilus, yet to this day Thanatos didn't know whether the figure was truly a god or just a child of Genkai.
Always shrouded in secrecy, Enyo was like a venomous serpent lurking in the dark, ready to bare its fangs at any moment.
Thanatos never trusted him, and Enyo never trusted Thanatos either. Both sides simply ignored that fact. As long as their interests aligned, cooperation was possible.
But these weren't normal times.
Evilus was already being thrown into chaos by some hidden hand. And in a situation like this, the most suspicious one of all was that shadow-shrouded Enyo.
He was deeply suspicious—never once revealing his true face until now.
'Enyo, I hope you're not the one scheming against me from the shadows.'
Thanatos marked the name in his heart. If future events proved Enyo really was behind this, he would make sure that bastard paid dearly.
...
Inside the Guild's prayer room, Ouranos stared at Ikelos's corpse lying on the ground, silent for a long time.
The flickering light in the chamber reflected his unstable emotions.
"The gods of Tenkai have confirmed it— Ikelos has not returned."
Just moments ago, Ouranos had inquired about Ikelos's status with Tenkai and confirmed that, unlike other deities, he had not ascended back.
With Ikelos's body lying before them, it was undeniable—the god had truly been slain.
"I doubt he could return even if he wanted to."
Hermes lowered the brim of his hat slightly, his gaze falling on the corpse with only the faintest trace of mockery.
In the end, it was this fool who had thrown himself to his death. No one else was to blame.
"Godslayer? That child isn't at that stage yet."
Ouranos said this with absolute certainty.
Hermes gave a small nod. He didn't deny it—Bell simply didn't yet possess the power to kill a god. Even the boy himself had admitted as much.
"Exactly. Which is why what we must do is give him enough time to grow."
The events of today had been so surreal that Hermes wasn't sure if Ouranos would think him mad if he spoke his full thoughts aloud.
But some things were better left unsaid.
"Ouranos, that child is more important than any of us gods."
Hermes's meaning was clear. Ouranos glanced at him silently, then withdrew his gaze.
"I understand."
"Good."
...
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