Five days had passed since then. As the search intensified, Bell, Akumo, and those entwined with the Xenos felt the cold intuition that the catalyst for the coming storm was imminent.
Clang—!
"Master Welf? It's late, and the neighbors will—"
Clang—!!
"You...!"
Thwack—!
Welf continued to drive his hammer into the glowing iron, striking for the sake of the Xenos, for his friends, and for his own unshakable convictions.
Lili, naturally unaware of the weight behind his labor, kicked the door in frustration at the midnight racket. However, before she could vent further, an owl descended toward her.
Flutter—!
"...?"
It was a missive addressed to her—more specifically, to the Hestia Familia.
Thud—!!
"So, you have finally reached a decision?"
"Yeah. Honestly, even I'm not entirely sure anymore!"
"Heh. Well, if that is your choice."
Akumo placed Lævateinn, Gram, and Balmung into their cases. Having finalized his resolve, he looked toward Alfia, who had approached and placed a hand over his heart. He offered her a calm, warm smile.
"I shall simply follow in your wake..."
"...I am always grateful to you."
"That is my line, Akumo."
"...Is it?"
Alfia returned the smile, her expression a silent benediction for the adventure he was about to undertake.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Ah... this is going to be entertaining..."
A man sat within one of the many chambers of the man-made labyrinth, Knossos.
In truth, he wasn't merely sitting; he was bound as if sealed away. Yet, he paid his restraints no mind, rhythmically tapping the table with his finger in anticipation of what was to come.
The woman standing guard over him watched with a look of profound distaste.
"You find this amusing?"
"Is it not? This entire situation."
Slam—!
"Do you have any idea how much Enyo's plans have been—"
"Ruined? That is merely your perspective."
"...What?"
Akumo met Ein's fury—she had slammed her fist onto the table—with his usual nonchalant smirk.
"What Enyo desires is chaos, is it not?"
"....."
"When has there ever been a moment more saturated with chaos than this?"
In the brief moment Ein blinked, Akumo had already shed his bindings and stood behind her, a hand resting casually on her shoulder.
"If you want to preach about chaos, at least don't try to impose a standard on it."
"!!"
'How...?'
"Serving that thing is a choice. Refusing to serve it is also a choice."
"Is that not the very essence of chaos and order?"
Step. Step.
"Not that I care for such abstract nonsense, anyway."
Akumo walked past her, his gaze indifferent. It was as if labels like 'monster,' 'good,' 'evil,' or 'chaos' no longer held any weight for him. He simply smiled, recalling the heat of their previous clash.
"Such things..."
Ein clenched her fists until they shook.
'Already...!'
She could only chew on the memory of the miracle she had witnessed—the miracle performed by the creatures she loathed as monsters and the man she had dismissed as a fake.
The pillar of light that had ascended brilliantly even in the absence of a God.
"The Loki Familia has officially begun their full-scale search of Daedalus Street."
Within a secret sanctum deep beneath Orario, guests had once again arrived at Ouranos's chamber.
"The situation is critical. Every second counts."
"The cornered Xenos will likely make their move soon."
Ouranos calmly analyzed the current state of affairs alongside Hermes.
"The ones they are placing their trust in are likely..."
"Yes, Bell Cranel and his companions."
"However, the gates of Knossos leading to the Dungeon are under the guard of the Loki Familia."
"Even with support, a frontal assault would result in total annihilation."
'And asking Akumo for aid is out of the question...'
Ouranos lowered his head in deep thought, agonizing over how to return the Xenos to the Dungeon without further bloodshed.
"...It's not as if there are no options at all."
Hermes reached into his tunic and produced a notebook.
"The blueprints of Knossos. The memoirs of Daedalus himself."
"!!"
"Spoils of war from Ikelos. I've already verified the contents. I give you my word."
Ouranos's surprise was brief, replaced quickly by a wary gaze. He knew better than anyone that the whims of the 'Trickster,' as he was known in both the Heavens and the Lower World, were never simple.
"Ouranos, allow me to bring down the curtain on this commotion."
"....."
"For a price, of course."
"Do we have a deal? You need this, don't you?"
"....."
Despite his caution, Hermes's proposal was too vital to ignore. Ultimately, Ouranos reached a decision.
"Monsters with intellect, the Xenos... and Knossos, eh?"
At the same time, in a different room, Asfi Al Andromeda revealed everything regarding the Xenos to Aisha Belka, Ryu Lion, and Alise Lovell, requesting their cooperation.
"We are short-handed. I ask for your help to stabilize this situation."
"Ryu, Alise—if you lend us your strength, I promise to provide information on the remnants of Evilus."
"The information is irrelevant to me."
"As a super-top-tier beautiful girl, I think it sounds like a great idea!"
Asfi, sporting dark circles from following her deity's relentless orders without rest, attempted to recruit them. Ryu and Alise, already privy to the circumstances, accepted immediately. However, Aisha voiced her skepticism.
"I don't care if they can talk or if they're geniuses; I can't wrap my head around the idea of saving monsters."
"...!!"
"Those things aren't exactly the type you should be wasting sympathy on."
"Watch your tongue," Ryu interjected coldly.
"Hah? Are you actually defending monsters now, Elf?"
Aisha looked at Ryu with an incredulous expression, unable to fathom why an adventurer would shield a monster.
"Saving the Xenos is the client's request," Asfi stated firmly. "Since you are currently affiliated with the Hermes Familia, you will follow orders quietly."
Unlike Ryu and Alise, who had discussed the Xenos with Akumo and Ardee, Aisha could see them only as monsters.
"My understanding is a bit lacking. If I don't like how things are going, I might just spit on the whole plan and go wild."
"That will not happen," Ryu said.
"...What?"
"They are the people trusted by those who believed in you and me."
"Are you seriously calling monsters 'people'—"
"You know it as well as I do, don't you?" Ryu cut her off, her eyes piercing. "Tragedies occur even when monsters aren't involved."
"You...!!"
"I am simply saving a few people."
"....."
Aisha's face hardened as the memory of Haruhime flashed through her mind. She understood exactly what Ryu meant by 'people' and the 'tragedy' she alluded to.
"Alright, that's enough, both of you! As a super-top-tier beautiful girl, I can't just let this tension slide."
"Alise..."
"Do it for the sake of my cute face!"
As Alise chirped, both Aisha and Asfi were struck by the conviction of these two women. For a moment, Asfi recalled the image of someone she had seen while following her own God.
Heroes with the same white hair, saving people with that exact same mindset.
"To be perfectly honest, I still haven't decided if saving the Xenos is the right thing to do."
The Gods were no different. Within the storehouse of the Miach Familia, three deities were locked in discussion.
"Think about it. On the surface, their existence is nothing but poison. They've brought nothing but chaos so far."
Hephaestus's point was valid. The incident with Wiivell had plunged Daedalus Street into turmoil, and the monster assault had shattered the common sense that the city was safe.
"Even so..."
"We are in the same boat. I haven't even told my children about the Xenos yet."
Takemikazuchi and Miach were equally conflicted, unable to determine if the Xenos were truly beings worthy of salvation.
"Are they truly deserving of redemption?"
Hephaestus's question hung in the air, followed by a heavy silence.
Knock, knock.
The sudden sound made them jump. Hephaestus instinctively moved away from the door, fearing they had been followed, until a familiar voice called out.
"Lord Miach, are you in?"
"...Akumo!"
"Lady Hephaestus? Lord Takemikazuchi is here too?"
Akumo entered the room, surprised to see the gathering of deities.
"We were discussing the Xenos," Hephaestus admitted. "Whether we should truly help them."
Knowing that Akumo was also aware of the situation, they looked to him, curious about his perspective.
"I see..."
Akumo closed his eyes, contemplating. His thoughts weren't focused on complex ideals like the Xenos reaching the surface or coexistence with humanity.
"To be honest, I don't really know anymore either."
"...What?"
"I know it's too early. I know no one is prepared for this."
He looked at the Gods with a pragmatic, weary gaze. "But that doesn't mean we can just abandon them, does it?"
If there were people he could help, he wanted to at least hear their story. He wanted to offer a hand.
"I'm not taking sides, and I'm not sacrificing one group to save another."
It was that simple.
"Sigh... I should have known."
"Ahaha, are you disappointed?"
Hephaestus walked toward him with a small smile.
"Of course not."
"If you're going that far, we can't exactly sit idly by, can we?"
"But don't expect too much, alright? Miach and I are already struggling as it is!"
With those words, Miach and Takemikazuchi also stood up, their smiles signaling their intent to cooperate with Akumo.