Finn returned not long afterward from checking the route above.
He listened to Asfi's explanation without interrupting, paying particular attention when she described the three major roots, the way their functions had been divided, and how the central mass had used information gathered from earlier fights to create increasingly specialized monsters.
When she finished, Finn looked at the two sealed containers holding samples of the dead black tissue.
"You're certain those aren't still active?"
"The tissue began degrading as soon as the source died. These samples are isolated, contained, and no longer carrying energy. I still intend to keep them sealed until they can be examined somewhere safer."
Finn nodded.
"Then they go to the Guild. Fels and Ouranos will want to know exactly what developed beneath the thirty-ninth floor, especially if there's any possibility another colony exists elsewhere."
Rayleigh understood the concern. He simply had no interest in turning a possibility into another expedition before he had even left this one.
"We report what we found. After that, somebody else can go looking for another nest unless there's actual evidence one exists."
Finn gave him a brief look.
"You've had enough?"
"I've spent most of the last week inside either Knossos or the Dungeon. I'd like to remember what sunlight looks like."
That earned a faint smile.
"Fair."
There was little reason to remain underground after that.
The wounded were reorganized for the ascent, with the strongest available adventurers taking turns on the stretchers while Riveria and the healers controlled the pace.
Rayleigh's group stayed with the column instead of racing ahead.
Whatever else had happened below, the reason they had entered the Dungeon in the first place was to bring the expedition home.
The climb took hours, but nobody complained.
Compared with what they had faced in the lower floors, ordinary Dungeon monsters barely slowed the combined group.
Gareth and Tsubaki dealt with anything large enough to obstruct the route, while Ais, Ardi, and the other mobile fighters kept the flanks clear.
Rayleigh conserved what remained of his spiritual pressure and helped whenever a stretcher had to cross broken terrain.
For once, there was no mechanism hidden behind the next wall and no invisible network changing how the monsters fought.
Nothing copied their Zanpakutō abilities or adapted to a technique before they could use it twice.
They simply climbed.
...
By the time they reached the surface, dawn was already spreading across the sky above Orario.
The entrance to Babel was crowded with Guild personnel, healers, and Familia members who had spent the night waiting for the expedition to return.
The moment the first stretchers appeared, the area erupted into activity, though the response was organized enough that nobody needed Rayleigh to start giving orders.
The wounded went first.
Airmid moved between them with her usual calm efficiency, checking the most serious injuries before directing assistants toward the appropriate patients.
Raul was taken away for his ribs, Anakitty for her leg, and Lulune disappeared toward a treatment room before she was awake enough to object.
Welf tried to insist that other people should be treated before him.
Hephaestus appeared in front of him before he got very far.
The Goddess of Smithing took one look at the bruises, burns, and restraint marks covering one of her children, then placed both hands firmly on his shoulders.
Welf stopped talking.
"You're going with the healers."
"But—"
"Welf."
His mouth closed.
A few steps away, Tsubaki made absolutely no effort to hide her satisfaction.
Hephaestus looked toward her next.
"You brought him back."
"Of course I did."
There was no hesitation in Tsubaki's answer.
"He's annoying, but he's ours."
Welf looked offended.
Hephaestus laughed softly and pulled him into a brief hug before finally allowing the healers to take him away.
On the Hermes Familia side, Lidith Caverna arrived shortly after Lulune was carried inside.
Asfi had barely finished handing over a list of the items she had used during the expedition when her Captain approached.
Lidith's expression remained composed, but her attention immediately went to the treatment room where Lulune had disappeared.
"She'll live?"
"Yes. Blood loss is the main concern, but the healers stabilized her before we began the final ascent."
Lidith nodded once before noticing the damaged Talaria.
"And you?"
"Minor injuries. One sandal needs repair."
"Good."
The word was short, but the relief behind it was obvious enough.
Asfi understood.
"The source was destroyed. I'll give you the full report after Lulune wakes."
Lidith rested one hand briefly on her shoulder.
"The report can wait."
That ended the matter.
Watching from a short distance away, Rayleigh was quietly relieved that nobody needed anything from him.
Finn was already speaking with Guild representatives.
Gareth had gone to help move equipment, while Riveria had Ais standing in front of her and was checking her for injuries despite Ais repeatedly insisting that she was fine.
Ardi and Lyra had joined the Ganesha Familia members who had come to meet them.
With the wounded safely in the healers' hands and everyone accounted for, there was finally nothing left for Rayleigh to do.
He intended to leave before somebody found a reason to change that.
He found Hephaestus near the entrance.
"I'm going home."
She looked him over carefully.
"You're not about to collapse again, are you?"
"No."
"Did you use Bankai?"
"Nope."
That answer pleased her considerably more.
"Then go. I'll handle the Guild if they need anything from our Familia today."
Rayleigh nodded and started toward the exit.
He had almost escaped when Tsubaki called after him.
"Rayleigh-boy!"
He turned around as she pointed toward Tobiume.
"Little Ume wants maintenance after this."
Rayleigh stared at her.
Tsubaki grinned.
"Apparently having monsters copy her fireballs was emotionally exhausting."
Rayleigh looked at Tobiume.
The Zanpakutō gave a small vibration that felt suspiciously like agreement.
"Tomorrow."
"Deal."
This time, he made it out of Babel.
...
Rayleigh reached his house after sunrise.
The street was already growing busy, so he checked the area carefully before unlocking the door and slipping inside alone.
Once the lock clicked behind him, the noise outside faded beneath the building's heavy soundproofing.
He had barely removed his shoes when he sensed the familiar presence upstairs.
Alfia was awake.
'Of course she was.'
Rayleigh had reached the stairs when she appeared at the top.
She wore simple house clothes, her white hair loose around her shoulders.
Her expression was as calm as ever, but the way her eyes travelled over him made it obvious that she had been waiting for some time.
No major wounds. No blood running from his mouth. No spiritual pressure collapsing into nothing.
Just exhaustion, damaged clothes, and a collection of minor injuries.
Rayleigh lifted one hand.
"I'm back."
Alfia descended the stairs at an unhurried pace.
"I am aware."
The answer was as dry as ever, though the soul thread between them made anything more elaborate unnecessary.
She had felt the strain when the signal root drained him, the repeated Zanpakutō releases throughout the lower floors, and the exhaustion that followed the final battle.
She stopped in front of him.
"You did not use Bankai."
"No."
"You remembered my words."
Rayleigh smiled slightly.
"I do occasionally listen."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Occasionally."
He decided there was nothing to gain from arguing with that.
"The mission's done. We found the missing adventurers, killed the thing controlling the Enhanced Species, and brought everyone who survived back to the surface."
Alfia studied him for another moment before turning toward the kitchen.
"Sit down."
"I'm not that injured."
"I did not ask whether you were."
Rayleigh followed her.
Food was already waiting on the table.
That told him enough about how closely she had been judging the likely time of his return.
He sat down, and Alfia placed a bowl in front of him before taking the opposite chair.
She did not ask for a detailed account of the fighting, nor did she demand an explanation for every moment of danger she had felt through their connection.
She waited until he had eaten several bites before speaking.
"You kept your promise."
Rayleigh looked up.
Her expression had not changed, but he understood perfectly well what she meant.
"Yeah."
Alfia gave a small nod and returned to her book.
Rayleigh continued eating as the morning light slowly filled the quiet house.
For the first time since the Knossos incident, there was nothing beneath Orario waiting for him to go back and finish what he had started.