"What... in the world is that?"
In the grim, frozen atmosphere, the first to regain his senses and properly grasp reality was, as expected, Gareth—the strongest veteran warrior among them.
By his judgment, the conflict with Kali Familia was now practically over.
Which meant there was no need to pay the surrounding Amazons any further mind.
Second judgment: the thing in front of him might not have a clear identity, but judging from what it had just done, it was definitely the sort of thing that harmed people.
In other words, a monster—an enemy of mankind.
"Doesn't seem like some pet Kali Familia was keeping, either."
Their reactions, still frozen in fear he couldn't understand, were genuine.
There was no room for doubt there.
If that was the case, then the thing had to be wild.
"I still don't know why something that big showed up on the surface, and right by the coast near the city at that."
But that didn't change what needed to be done.
It was only a brief moment, just long enough to catch his breath.
In that time, Gareth reached his conclusion and tightened his grip on the battle axe in his hand.
Then he charged straight in.
"Hup!"
Crack!
With that massive axe, he cleaved the monster's head open in one stroke.
No, he smashed it to pieces.
"Huh? It's weaker than I thought."
No, considering it was a Dungeon-born monster weakened on the surface, that was actually the expected result.
Even so, to have it end so easily with a single axe blow...
Was the chilling sense of wrongness from before just his imagination?
Just as he was about to turn away after reaching that easy conclusion.
"Gareth, not yet!"
"Ha, I knew it!"
There was no way that disgusting feeling could be mistaken so easily!
At his goddess's warning from above, Gareth boldly twisted his body again and brought the axe down in another sweeping strike.
Once more, the sound of flesh bursting and breaking rang out.
Crack!
"Wh... huh?"
This time, Gareth could clearly see what was happening.
Writhing... squirming...
"What in the world kind of monster is this?"
He had definitely smashed its head with his axe.
Both times had been nothing more than a single blow, but each one had completely shattered it beyond recognition.
And yet the impossible sight before his eyes now—how was he supposed to explain or describe that?
Squirming... Grrrrr...!
"Damn it, an immortal monster?"
That kind of filthy thing only belonged in old stories like Dungeon Oratoria!
Gareth let out a small, irritated cry.
The sight of broken flesh, bone fragments, and blood clots gathering together and returning to their original shape was pure revulsion.
Even he, who had faced and slain countless monsters deep beneath the Dungeon, was left clicking his tongue at the sheer horror of it.
But even so, he couldn't just stand there and do nothing.
"Fine! You damn monster! Let's see you handle this!"
Keep killing it, and sooner or later it would die!
Shouting that with fierce confidence, Gareth rekindled the fighting spirit that had begun to shrink back.
But contrary to his resolve...
Kieeeeeek!
"Huh? Y-you! Where are you going now!?"
The blood-colored monster completely ignored him.
As if it didn't even know that the warrior in front of it was the one who had smashed and killed it twice, it kept its gaze fixed elsewhere.
Then it locked onto a target.
Kroaaah!
"H-hii! D-don't come near me!"
It slipped past Gareth like water, moving swiftly like a raging current.
Then it opened its grotesque maw wide toward the Amazon in front of it, the one who still couldn't even properly move her feet from fear.
It looked like it meant to swallow her whole, just like the victim from before.
"Hup!"
Bang!
Kyaak!
Someone stepped in to stop it.
Of course, that someone was Tiona.
Since Gareth was a little too slow on his feet, she had moved in because she was the closest one.
"Ugh, gross! That's disgusting!"
The sensation was like striking a fur-covered ball soaked through with sticky oil.
It probably really was exactly that, too.
"What are you doing!? Move already!"
"A-ah, th-thank..."
"Forget it, just move!"
Kyaaaak!
The monster, briefly halted by Tiona's interference, soon let out another unpleasant shriek and started moving again.
But once again, it ignored Tiona in front of it.
Its target was still the other Amazons around them.
In other words, Kali Familia.
Kroaaah!
"Seriously...!"
So stubborn!
Bang!
This time, Tiona struck the bridge of the monster's nose with both hands clenched tight.
Its body was slammed back into the ground again, but the result only made Tiona's face harden with trouble.
"Hehe, maybe it's a little tired after all."
In truth, that had been a full-force blow meant to crush its head.
And yet the thing remained largely unharmed.
Which meant Tiona herself was far more exhausted and weakened than she had realized.
After all, the battle with Bache, whose poison attacks were even more vicious than a monster from the deep levels, had not been easy.
Because of the aftereffects, she was injured all over and practically running on empty now.
No, even that aside, there was something else even more...
"Huh? Doesn't it look a little bigger than before?"
Tiona tilted her head in uncertainty.
But soon her expression stiffened as she properly recognized reality.
This monster had definitely grown larger than it had been a moment ago!
"Gareth! This thing...!"
"I know, Tiona!"
And she wasn't the only one who had noticed it; the others around them had clearly seen it too.
Even so, that didn't change what needed to be done.
"You bastard!"
Gareth grabbed the monster's torso as it tried to rampage again and yanked it toward himself.
"Uraaaah!"
Kyaaaak!
In that state, he hurled the thing far behind him.
Crash!
"Hoo... what in the world is going on here?"
Grrrrr...!
The blood-colored monster revived as its shattered body reassembled itself.
At this point, even Gareth couldn't pretend not to know anymore.
That damn monster kept reviving over and over.
It had to be something related to the Magus from Hestia Familia.
That was the only explanation.
Besides, that Magus's capabilities still hadn't shown their bottom yet.
"Honestly, what the hell did that guy do while he was being held captive?"
"That guy? You mean him, Gareth?"
"If not him, then who else here would be connected to something like that?"
Great. This had become a real headache.
Gareth muttered in annoyance, a little troubled and irritated.
But Tiona's reaction was different.
"Then he's in there, right?"
"Huh? Well, yeah..."
At Tiona's question, Gareth trailed off awkwardly.
To sum up the situation, that dog-like monster was blocking the way to the Magus.
There was nothing particularly wrong with that statement.
But...
"Even so, right now this side is more urgent. If we leave this place, the Kali girls will get eaten by that thing immediately."
Even if they were enemies, he couldn't just let them become monster food from a humanitarian standpoint.
"So don't get distracted and focus on subduing or taking down the thing first... huh? Hey, Tiona!?"
Gareth, in the middle of giving orders to his junior captain, hurriedly called after her.
But it was already too late.
Tiona's feet were already running, heading toward the passage where the monster had burst out from before.
Right then.
Krong!
Bang!
"Ng!"
To his surprise, the monster this time recognized Tiona and blocked her path.
That one action made everything clear.
The thing was definitely connected to the Magus.
And right now it was interfering with their attempt to reach him.
At that, Tiona said,
"What are you?"
It had ignored her just fine a moment ago.
"Don't get in my way and move aside alreaaady!"
Kyaaaak!
Bang!
The two beasts and the monster charged at each other like that.
They showed their savagery without yielding even an inch.
*
"Hey, shorty. Look me straight in the eye and answer."
What exactly is that thing in your house?
Loki's manner as she asked—no, as she clearly threatened and interrogated—was nothing like her usual loose, carefree self.
Even Njord, who had joined her from behind, and Kali, still pinned under Loki's foot, were so intimidated by that fierce pressure that they had gone silent.
Facing Loki like that, Hestia...
"..."
"Oh? So you're going to plead the Fifth?"
She couldn't hide her unease at all.
And yet, she still said nothing.
No excuses, no instant lie.
She simply maintained a heavy silence.
That only made Loki's brow twist in frustration.
This damn little shrimp still hadn't grasped the situation, had she?
"I mean, if you're a god in name too, then you should know what that is, right?"
That damnably filthy, disgusting creature.
No, to begin with, it wasn't even a creature.
It wasn't even the kind of convenient existence that could be defined as tangible or intangible.
Above all, that monster...
Those damn "eyes" all over its body...
"Damn it, I'm getting so frustrated I could die, so spit it out already. Don't tell me your brat is plotting some delusion about destroying mankind or conquering the world or something equally stupid?"
"Th-that isn't it! Absolutely not...!"
"Then for God's sake, give me some half-decent excuse I can actually understand and accept right now!"
Loki was visibly furious, her temper fully flared.
And yet, strangely enough, there was also an unmistakable trace of fear and worry in her expression.
On that contradictory point, the other two gods nearby were clearly in agreement as well.
That was how dangerous that monster was... how dangerous the "marks" on its body were.
To be more precise, even if it might not matter much to gods like themselves, that thing's "curse" was far too dangerous for the children of the lower world—humanity.
If one judged only by danger level... it might even rival the Three Great Quests. It was that much of a threat, that much of a calamity.
If the thing's existence really was what she thought it was...
"I'm sorry to say this to you and Tiona, but..."
Your boy has to be killed right now.
A cold declaration so merciless it felt like it might stop their breath on the spot.
At those words, Hestia's expression changed.
She was still trembling with anxiety, but...
"Don't be ridiculous, Loki!"
At the very least, the target of those words was not the goddess before her.
So she shot Loki a gaze fiercer than ever before.
Like a mother protecting her child.
"That child has no intention of doing anything like that!"
"Shorty, that's just your wishful thinking, isn't it?"
"Nonsense!"
"Well, damn. Guess words alone aren't gonna cut it."
Of course, that level of pressure was something Loki could just laugh off.
"Then I guess there's no helping it."
When force was used, force was all she could answer with.
"I'll contact the Guild right now and have them hold a divine meeting tomorrow, wha!?"
Just as Loki was about to turn away, abandoning any thought of wasting more time in a pointless standoff with Hestia...
"S-stop right thereee!"
"Y-you damn little shrimp! W-what are you hanging onto!?"
"I won't let you go! Do you think I'll just let you leave like this!?"
"Hey! Hey! My clothes are coming off! My clothes are coming off!"
"You don't have anything to grab onto, so what else am I supposed to do!?"
"You little dairy cow!"
"Are you done talking!? Fine, then! Die alreaaady!"
The cold, heavy mood between the two quickly changed into a loud, heated catfight.
The other two gods watching that disgraceful scene were,
"Hmm, a scuffle between goddesses. This is quite the spectacle after all this time. Hey, Njord. Which side are you planning to bet on?"
"No idea. Either way, it makes no difference to me. I'm not really in a position to talk, either."
"You're more petty than you look. And when did you sneak that into your hand? Share some with me too."
"Here."
"Munch, munch... hmm, not bad."
utterly unconcerned, as if none of it had anything to do with them.
So this is what immortal gods are like.
"Still, for that Tiona to make such a face..."
Quite the remarkable fellow, isn't he?
Chewing happily on a dried squid leg in his mouth, Kali laughed.
At the end of her gaze was Tiona, now even more drenched in blood than she had been against Bache, rampaging more fiercely than ever before.
Ah, today really was...
A day with far too much worth watching.