Eina nodded vigorously, a brilliantly radiant smile blooming across her face, her eyes sparkling with genuine joy and pride. Around them, the other Guild staff members recovered from their shock and erupted into enthusiastic cheers and applause.
Meanwhile, on the temporary stage erected in front of the amphitheater, amplification magic items broadcast the live announcer's voice to every corner of Orario.
"The battle is over~~~~~~~~~!!"
"This is... this completely steals the show from the Giant Killers, the Loki Familia! An unprecedented, massive upset!! The final victor of this War Game is—the [Focalors Familia]!"
Up on the stage, the presiding deity Ganesha struck an inexplicably proud, heroic bodybuilding pose. Beside him, Ibri leaned forward, his face flushed completely red as he screamed and hollered into a massive amplification device. Amplified, his words crashed like tidal waves, swallowing all the spectators and buildings in the plaza.
"Yahoo!!"
Over in the Fifth District, inside a tavern packed tightly with deities, the small minority of gods who had bet on the Focalors Familia leaped to their feet, raising their tankards high and roaring in victory.
"Dammit aaaaaaaaalllll!"
Conversely, the vast majority—nearly ninety percent of the adventurers present—let out wails of pure despair. Faces ashen, they tore up the betting slips bearing the name "Apollo Familia" with trembling hands and tossed them into the air. Countless pieces of confetti fell like snow, carrying the distinct scent of impending bankruptcy.
"Ooooohhh! We won!!" Kashima Ouka roared at the sky, expending all his strength to vent his ecstatic joy. Aiden had won. The Focalors Familia was victorious. This meant the entire fortune they had wagered would yield a twenty-five-fold return. With this kind of money, the Takemikazuchi Familia's living conditions would drastically improve, and they could send a hefty sum back to their homeland in the Far East. The mere thought of it made even a tough guy like Ouka tremble with excitement.
"Hmph. Good thing you didn't disappoint me, otherwise I'd have beaten you to a pulp for making me lose my money." Bete Loga scoffed. Snatching his massive pile of Valis from the hands of the weeping bookie behind the bar, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the tavern. Judging by his murderous aura, his destination was undoubtedly the Dungeon.
"Yay!!!" Anya, Chloe, and Lunoire—the Cat People and human waitresses—excitedly high-fived each other. The rest of the kitchen staff held hands, sharing in the collective jubilation. Syr wore a gentle smile; though she had fully anticipated this outcome, witnessing its birth made her feel like she had profited immensely. Ryuu maintained her usual stoic expression, but a closer look revealed a slight softening in her emerald eyes. Looking at those figures standing side-by-side in the Divine Mirror, she couldn't help but recall her former comrades, reminiscing about the days when she lived as a member of the Familia of Justice. Even though the Focalors Familia was fundamentally different from the Astrea Familia, and that boy named Aiden was nothing like Alise.
"Damn it all—I lost my bet—! Syr, bring me more booze—!" The sighing, groaning adventurers began to use alcohol to escape the cruel reality of their empty wallets.
"Coming right up—!" The tavern girl replied with absolute delight, her footsteps going pitter-patter as she bustled busily around the pub. To them, the more depressed the losers were, the higher tonight's liquor sales would soar.
"Oh yeah! Little Aiden won!" Over at the Twilight Manor, Tiona jumped up and down, cheering gleefully.
Ais, her eyes fixed as always on the white-clad figure in the Divine Mirror, offered a soft, "Mhm." Then, she turned to the equally flushed, celebrating elf beside her and extended an invitation. "Lefiya, want to go to the Dungeon?"
"Eh?" Lefiya blanked for a second before nodding furiously, her heart soaring. "Yes! I'll go!" She had absolutely no idea why they needed to hit the Dungeon right this second, but she could never refuse an invitation from Ais.
"Eh? You're going to the Dungeon? I wanna go! I'm coming too!" Tiona immediately threw her hand in the air to join the party.
"Well, look at this..." Standing by the window, watching Ais and the other two eagerly depart the manor for the labyrinth, Finn Deimne let out a helpless sigh. Yet, even he couldn't deny that, after watching the entirety of that War Game, an urge to dive into the Dungeon and train had welled up inside him. The pressing sensation of being chased from behind—even as the "Braver"—was something he felt with acute clarity. However, the top three executives had been stuck at their bottlenecks for years now; simply grinding monsters in the Dungeon wouldn't yield much growth anymore. Perhaps it was time to consider delving much deeper.
The bell marking the end of the War Game served as the horn signaling the start of a festival. Orario instantly plunged into a carnival-like frenzy. The top floor of Babel Tower, where the gods had gathered, was especially uproarious, not quieting down for a single second. Deities clustered in small groups, loudly offering their personal reviews of the earth-shattering proxy war.
"Hahaha! Apollo completely humiliated himself this time."
"You're telling me? The money I won betting against him is enough to keep me in premium wine for a month."
"But seriously, that kid from the Focalors Familia, Aiden, is an absolute monster..."
"What... this is impossible... this shouldn't be happening?"
Amidst this chaotic cacophony of schadenfreude and awe, only Apollo stood paralyzed, his face entirely drained of color. The leveled ruins displayed in the "Mirror," alongside the scattered, decimated bodies of his children, stripped him of any avenue to deny reality. He subconsciously stumbled backward—two steps, three steps. The laurel crown symbolizing the sun and his glory slipped from his head with a clatter, rolling away across the floor.
"Apollo." A gentle, smiling voice called out from behind him.
"Eeee, eeeek?!" As if hearing a summons from the abyss, Apollo violently flinched. His legs turned to jelly, and he unceremoniously collapsed onto the cold floor, all dignity completely abandoned.
Focalors, wearing an elegant smile, slowly approached the utterly shattered sun god.
"You must be prepared... to face your judgment, right?"
In Apollo's eyes, Focalors's tender smile was currently more terrifying than the most vicious demon.
"W-Wait a minute, Focalors!? I-I just got carried away on a whim! Yes, just a whim!" Apollo babbled incoherently, his entire body trembling. Tears of profound humiliation even squeezed out of the corners of his eyes. "It's because your child is just too adorable! I couldn't help but want to play a little joke on him... P-Please, I'm begging you, show some mercy! Oh compassionate goddess, please let me go!"
"No can do." The smile remained plastered on Focalors's face, but her heterochromatic eyes were entirely devoid of warmth. "Accept your bets and concede defeat. That is the rule of the lower world, and the final shred of dignity we uphold as gods. You will accept your rightful judgment."
She tilted her head slightly, asking in an unnervingly innocent tone, "We agreed that if I won, you would agree to any demand, right...?"
Apollo, who had never once doubted his imminent victory, had indeed boasted exactly that in front of all the gods. The surrounding deities, like sharks smelling blood in the water, gathered from all sides, forming a massive, eager circle. Inside the ring sat the condemned criminal awaiting sentencing; standing over him was the Goddess of Justice, ready to deliver "divine judgment."
Looking at his colleagues—who were thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, some even flashing malicious smirks—Apollo felt an invisible hand clamp tightly around his throat, cutting off his air.
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