A few days later...
"How are the preparations?"
"Everything you asked for has been purchased."
In the underground waterways beneath Daedalus Street, most of the Loki Familia had gathered without attracting any outside attention.
"What about the Guild?"
"They've been informed of the situation and will give us all the support they can."
"Good." Finn nodded silently.
Though his brow remained furrowed, he looked completely composed. Every preparation had been completed. Aside from the members staying behind to guard the manor, the Loki Familia's entire fighting force was assembled here. Most importantly, all eight executives were present. The lineup was every bit as impressive as one assembled for an expedition.
The glow of the magic stone lamps illuminated the dim sewer passage. Beyond the metal gate lay the enemy's headquarters.
"Finn." While everyone was busy making final preparations, Loki walked over with a young woman following behind her.
"Loki, and this is...?" Finn's gaze settled on the girl dressed in white.
Her pure white outfit and long black hair gave her an almost ethereal air.
"This is Filvis from the Dionysus Familia. She'll be going in with you." Loki gave a brief introduction before winking at Finn.
"I see." Finn immediately understood what she meant.
The god Dionysus wanted information about the enemy, so he'd sent over the only second-tier adventurer in his Familia.
"In that case, Miss Filvis, you'll be with Lefiya's group."
"Understood," Filvis answered briefly. Her face remained almost expressionless, giving off a cold, distant impression.
"Isn't that the Banshee?"
"Keep it down. She's Lefiya's friend."
A few whispers spread through the group before someone quickly hushed them.
"Miss Filvis!" Lefiya glared at the people behind her before happily running over to the white-clad elf.
Only after seeing Lefiya did Filvis's expression soften, and the two immediately began chatting.
"What's this 'Banshee' thing about?" Ryoji quietly leaned toward Tiona and whispered into her ear.
"Eep... that tickles!" Tiona blushed, rubbing her ear before lowering her voice. "I've only heard bits and pieces... but I think Miss Filvis is the sole survivor of the 'Nightmare on the Twenty-Seventh Floor' from six years ago."
Ryoji's expression sharpened.
According to Finn, the 'Nightmare on the Twenty-Seventh Floor' had marked the end of Orario's Age of Chaos. It was during that incident that Evilus had effectively been wiped out. At the time, Evilus had already been cornered by nearly every major Familia in Orario. As a final act of desperation, they lured one of the city's strongest Familias down to the twenty-seventh floor of the Dungeon, where they deliberately triggered a massive Monster Party.
The result was total annihilation. The targeted Familia, the remaining members of Evilus, and every adventurer involved, none of them survived.
Well, that was the simplified version. In reality, Filvis Challia had survived. Her Familia had been caught in that disaster, and everyone except her had died. She alone had returned to the surface alive. Witnesses said she wandered through the rain like a walking corpse, completely lifeless, so eerie that merely looking at her sent chills down people's spines.
Later, she joined the Dionysus Familia and teamed up with adventurers from several other Familias. But every party she joined afterward met the same fate. Every single one of them was wiped out.
It was as though she carried a curse. Her grief seemed to summon death itself. Because of that, adventurers gave her the cruel nickname '"Banshee."' Many even believed she had survived the nightmare by abandoning her comrades.
"The last time I saw her, that rotten elf looked like she wanted everyone to stay away from her," Bete let out a cold snort. "But somewhere along the way she started smiling only at that idiot elf. Hmph. Trash really does flock together." Even so, he kept his voice unusually low.
"We're starting." Finn glanced over at them from the front, and the conversation stopped immediately. "A gate made of the world's hardest metal is impossible to break. But getting in through the wall beside it is another matter." He turned toward the dwarven warrior beside him. "You're up, Gareth."
The gate itself might have been indestructible, but the surrounding structure certainly wasn't.
"If we take this door home..." Ryoji stroked his chin thoughtfully. "How much do you think it'd sell for?"
Everyone present was left speechless.
"...You know, that's actually a good point." Finn's eyes suddenly lit up. "Once this is over, we're definitely taking this door back with us." He looked at Ryoji with open approval.
'This kid really does have the makings of a leader.'
'Seriously... Can you two act like you're about to fight a life-or-death battle?' The rest of the group silently complained.
"They're probably being more serious than anyone else." Riveria, now dressed once again in her pristine elven robes, looked back and forth between Finn and Ryoji.
A knot formed in her stomach. Ryoji aside, Finn wasn't the type to joke around at a moment like this. They were probably using humor to push down the tension they were feeling. That was how Riveria interpreted it. Whatever lay beyond this door, it was likely far more dangerous than any of them could imagine.
'Click.'
A faint metallic sound suddenly echoed through the tunnel. Everyone froze.
'Rumble...'
With a deep roar, the gleaming silver gate slowly began to rise. Every pair of eyes widened as they stared into the bottomless darkness beyond.
'Whoosh.'
'Whoosh.'
'Whoosh.'
One after another, pale blue magic stone lamps flickered to life like ghostly will-o'-the-wisps, illuminating a path deeper into the darkness.
"...I haven't even started yet." Gareth looked down at the gauntlets covering his fists. He'd been just about to smash through the wall beside the gate to bypass it.
"Look!" Tiona suddenly cried out, pointing into the darkness.
Deep inside the corridor, a figure was rapidly retreating. The person wore a purple cloak, a bizarre mask engraved with strange patterns, and silver armor covering both arms and legs. Not a single inch of skin was visible.
"That masked man..." Tione growled.
She was right. It was the same masked man who had appeared on the fifty-eighth floor, the one who had commanded the army of Caterpillar monsters to attack them, only to flee almost immediately afterward, leaving everyone wondering what his objective had been.
"Is this..." Finn narrowed his eyes. "...an invitation?"
The enemy was actually inviting the Loki Familia into their own headquarters? Even the Freya Familia, acknowledged alongside them as Orario's strongest, would never dare invite the Loki Familia into Folkvangr. Where did the remnants of Evilus get this kind of confidence?
Finn's thumb throbbed violently. Every instinct he had was warning him that hell lay ahead.
Meanwhile, a single thought surfaced in Ryoji's mind. 'Why does this feel... far too convenient?'
'(End of Chapter)'
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