Orario, Babel Tower.
The gathering place for the Gods was on the thirtieth floor of the Babel Tower. This entire floor was a spacious hall, with long, thick columns lined up to support the towering ceiling.
In the vast space, only a large round table was placed in the center. The surrounding walls were made of huge glass panels, enveloped by clouds, making it feel like a celestial palace.
The Gods of Orario were gathered here.
The War Game was a contest between two Familia, fought under the rules established by the Gods.
The fact that it was the Astraea Familia versus the Dark Faction's Rudra Familia excited the Gods, who loved finding entertainment. Their faces were filled with anticipation.
Justice VS Darkness and Evil!
Many Gods also directed unfriendly looks at the brown-skinned male God.
Rudra, the God of the Dark Faction.
During the Great Conflict two years ago, many of their own Gods were almost sent back to heaven. They had no goodwill toward these wicked Gods who reveled in chaos and death.
"It's ironic that I can even enter the Symposium!" Rudra sneered. As a God of the Dark Faction, he was not aligned with the Gods who chose to obey order, and he had never set foot here before now.
Naturally, no God welcomed Rudra.
"I am Ganesha—"
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the muscular God wearing an elephant mask burst forward, shouting loudly.
"Haha, Ganesha, you're still so cheerful and optimistic," Rudra laughed. As a God of the Indian pantheon, he naturally knew Ganesha.
In India, Ganesha was known as the God of Wisdom and the remover of obstacles, symbolizing auspiciousness and success, and he was the most popular God in India.
And he, Rudra, was a wicked God who enjoyed chaos.
"Rudra, what are you trying to do this time?" Ganesha looked at him seriously.
The Gods looked astonished; this was the first time they had ever seen God Ganesha act so earnest.
"Don't misunderstand. This time, that woman sought trouble with me," Rudra spread his hands.
Ganesha fell silent. His own Familia's children were friends with Ryuu, and he had a decent relationship with Astraea, but it was his fellow countryman who committed this atrocity.
"Stop with the irrelevant chatter and quickly announce the rules of the War Game!"
"I took off my pants just to watch this?"
"Exactly, exactly!"
...
Many Gods grumbled, but they couldn't do anything.
The War Game was to be held between the Astraea Familia and the Rudra Familia. The rules had to be agreed upon by both parties to proceed. Only in special circumstances, with the approval of all the Gods, would they resort to drawing lots.
Astraea and Rudra exchanged a look. They had already negotiated the rules of the War Game privately; this was merely a formality.
"The rules of the War Game are—"
"Dungeon Challenge!"
Astraea and Rudra spoke in unison.
With those words, the entire spacious hall fell silent. Breathing could be clearly heard.
Loki, the red-haired, squinty-eyed Goddess, leaned back in her chair, holding the back of her head with both hands, her eyes slightly open. Her guess was correct—they actually dared to play this way!
Connecting the conflict between the two Familia, many Gods realized what was happening. One male God still had to ask, "What does 'Dungeon Challenge' mean?"
"It means exactly what it says!"
Rudra wore a wicked grin. "The two Familia will enter the Dungeon, and the Familia that reaches a deeper floor within a limited time wins!"
At this declaration, even an idiot understood. Was the Dungeon a place for games?
This wasn't a game; it was a bloodbath!
Many Gods broke out in cold sweat. They were playing for such high stakes? Both sides were aiming for complete annihilation!
An ordinary War Game was, ultimately, still a game with no loss of life. But under the guise of the War Game, the two sides were settling their past karma deep within the Dungeon!
"Does the Guild agree?"
"Ahem!"
Remuel, the unfortunate soul sent from the Guild, stood nearby and nearly choked on his saliva. "The Guild coincidentally needs to investigate the Dungeon tremor from a few days ago, and has already had the Ganesha Familia seal the entrance. The two Familia can enter, but the Guild bears no responsibility."
The Dungeon entrance was in a state of "exit permitted, entry forbidden."
In any other circumstances, the adventurers would probably have thrown a fit. They relied on hunting monsters for magic stones and making a living. But the Dungeon anomaly a few days ago led straight to the surface, and the monster stats had increased by one level.
Everyone was terrified, and many were injured. The desire to enter the Dungeon these days was very low.
The opposition was not as strong as expected.
The Astraea Familia and Rudra Familia would also be unable to enter the Dungeon early to tamper with anything.
"Since neither side has any objections, it is confirmed. The rules of the War Game are the 'Dungeon Challenge.' The Familia that reaches a deeper floor wins!"
As for the reward, it went without saying.
The winner possessed the power to dominate everything belonging to the loser: plundering assets, disbanding the Familia, exiling the God, or even directly sending them back to the Heavens!
...
When he opened his eyes again, Roy saw an unfamiliar white ceiling. It was a familiar environment; he was lying in his own large bed. This was the Starry Sky Garden!
"Hiss!"
Roy tried to move slightly, and a sharp pain shot through his body, making him gasp.
Having absorbed the force of a bomb, the three low-grade potions clearly couldn't heal his injuries entirely. His whole body felt like it was falling apart, but along with the pain, a warmth surged through him, helping to alleviate the discomfort.
"Are you awake?"
The golden-haired, pointy-eared Elven girl walked into the room, her sky-blue eyes fixed on him. "Which dangerous secret realm did you run off to this time, to end up in this state?"
A trace of exhaustion flashed in the Elven girl's eyes. When she found the severely injured Roy in the courtyard, she didn't know how many times she had used "Noah Heal" to save him.
Roy managed a smile. "Same old thing. Plans are always subject to change..."
Ryuu sighed helplessly, unable to stop herself from complaining, "You encounter 'changes' far too often."
Roy smiled sheepishly. Although accidents happened daily, sometimes he deliberately sought excitement. He changed the subject. "Where is Goddess Astraea?"
At the mention of this, Ryuu immediately brightened up. "She's at the Babel Tower attending the Symposium. The War Game is on!"
Roy looked out the window at the distant high tower. It seemed his plan was progressing smoothly, step by step.
"It's impressive that you held back," Roy said, looking at Ryuu. Even though she desperately wanted to grind all members of the Dark Faction into dust, she restrained herself while protecting Goddess Astraea and meeting God Rudra.
Ryuu clenched her silver teeth. "Making a move then would have only killed two people at most. It wasn't enough, absolutely not enough!"
Even if she had captured God Rudra and had Goddess Astraea send him back to the Heavens, so what?
The members of the Rudra Familia would simply convert to another wicked God, and continue to cause trouble in the world.
Just as Roy said: if you're going to do it, do it thoroughly—eradicate the Familia and send the God back!