Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"That's right! This is the true Staff of Madness I prepared!"

Dionysus, with a high-pitched voice, "revealed the answer," his face filled with joy.

He brushed his bangs aside with one hand and leaned back to look at the sky.

The shadow stretching across the floor grew larger and larger, like a demon, and danced across the wall.

"Loki, do you really think I'd be so thoughtless as to fight Orario openly and honestly?"

"What……!?"

"I know you better than anyone else. That's right, I, who call myself the Urban Destroyer, am very clear about the power of adventurers with 'heroic qualities'! To the point of being overwhelmed with sorrow and filled with hatred! Therefore—that's why! It's only natural that I would prepare a 'trump card', isn't it~~~?"

As Loki stared in disbelief, Dionysus, who was laughing uncontrollably, looked at her.

"Actually, I did give you guys a hint, Loki~"

The male god's lips twisted so much they seemed to make a sound, revealing a sinister smile.

"Your family members have seen the painting I collected, haven't they? It's that mural called 'The Six Rings of the Celestial Spirit'."

"!"

"Therefore, once you discover my plan, you will immediately commit all your forces to attack this man-made labyrinth! Just as I predicted!"

Dionysus opened his arms as if he wanted to sing a song.

"Because you believe that all you need to do is defeat the six fairies that create the rings! You hold onto this preconceived notion! But in that mural, there's clearly something far more evil than the fairies, isn't there!?"

"...!?"

"A dark symbol of destruction to the lower realms! A fearsome evil dragon!"

Nidhogg, who cast the lower realm into an abyss of despair in ancient times.

That was the real hint Dionysus wanted to give to Loki and the others.

"How could my plan to destroy the labyrinth city be linked to using celestial magic to eliminate the evil dragon? That doesn't make any sense! On the contrary, it was only by releasing the evil dragon, symbolizing the extinction of the lower realm, that my plan was able to succeed!"

In other words, the evil dragon located in the center of the mural is the "seventh one".

It was also the most crucial "trump card" in Dionysus's plan.

—I wonder if the urban destroyer wants to become that demonic dragon.

Loki suddenly remembered a line that a certain Grim Reaper had blurted out.

"It's all Ishtar's fault! When the Loki Familia first invaded the man-made labyrinth, the 'Heavenly Bull' left too deep an impression on you! You believed that, including that 'Heavenly Bull,' there were a total of seven 'Fairy Clones' lurking in the man-made labyrinth!"

Indeed, as Dionysus said.

Ais discovered a giant flask deep within the man-made maze.

There are seven flasks used to nurture the "Treasure Pearl Fetus". After defeating the "Heavenly Bull", the Loki Familia deduced that there were six remaining "Fairy Spirit Clones".

"That's truly something!" Dionysus forced a sinister smile.

"It's obviously impossible, isn't it? How could I possibly entrust the key to my meticulously planned pregnancy to that goddess? The 'precious fetus' I gave her was nothing but a 'substandard product'!"

Loki began to think, and she came to the same conclusion as Finn, but found the answer faster than Finn.

The "Six Rings of Fairy Essence" is the "bait".

The reason the enemy went to such lengths to lure everyone into the man-made maze was—

"Your plan to destroy the city is just a pretext, isn't it? Your real goal is...!"

"That's right, adventurers!"

Dionysus readily admitted to Loki's accusations.

"Even if the Tower of Babel blew Orario to smithereens, who knows when the 'Lid' might be built again if any adventurers survive! Just like Zeus and Hera's Familia were destroyed fifteen years ago, the next generation of Heroic Weapons still ended the Dark Ages at lightning speed! Even if the city is destroyed, they will surely still display a tenacious vitality like pests!"

"...!"

"But if the adventurers who lead this era disappear, this era will suffer a fatal and drastic setback! People will be unable to contend with the monsters from the dungeons, thus ensuring that 'madness' will continue indefinitely!"

This was Dionysus's true purpose.

Exterminate the chosen ones, led by the first-tier adventurers. Once all those possessing "heroic qualities" have perished, the Lower Realm will inevitably descend into chaos, plunging it into ruin and extinguishing any budding hope for revival and resurgence. As a result, rebuilding the Lower Realm's last stronghold will take a very long time, perhaps even an indefinite period.

Everything is for the pursuit of eternal "madness".

"The worst-case scenario is that Uranus survives, but that doesn't matter. The key to destroying the underworld is to kill off all the forces that will influence the next generation! Zeus's defeat at the hands of the 'Black Dragon' proves that!"

Dionysus never underestimated adventurers, or any beings worthy of being called "heroes." On the contrary, he regarded them as the greatest obstacle to achieving his goal, and has been preparing plans ever since.

Have the Loki Familia, who are on an "expedition," fight the "Fairy Clone" on the 59th floor.

This group of the city's strongest individuals became "witnesses" to prove the extreme threat posed by the "Immortal Spirit Clone."

Then, they manipulated the crowd's thinking, forcing them to believe that the "fairy spirit clones" transported into the artificial maze must be eliminated, thereby luring adventurers to their doorstep.

Everything was for the purpose of gathering Orario's main fighting force into the artificial labyrinth on this day.

"If the 'Six Rings of Fairy Spirit' is activated without anyone noticing, the main [Familia] will also take advantage of the long incantation period to escape from here, and then only some innocent children who don't know how to fight will be eliminated."

"Ugh...! You piece of trash!"

"Hehehe... To be honest, all I wanted was to cause your children so many deaths and injuries in this man-made maze battle that they couldn't recover... But my puppet took matters into her own hands. But it's alright, I'll forgive her. After all, I've already enjoyed seeing your face contorted with pain."

Dionysus winked at Loki and walked toward one of the murals.

"The seventh 'Fairy Avatar' is naturally called 'Nidhogg.' As for the host of this 'Treasure Pearl Fetus,' it is a young dragon. It is the 'Nameless Dragon' captured by Revis and the others in the depths, and it is also an existence equal to the 'Ancient Monster' of the Origin."

The last fairy spirit was given a name derived from the evil dragon that destroyed the city and slaughtered heroes.

Among the many murals, Dionysus lovingly strokes the one depicting the great nymph and the evil dragon, squinting his eyes.

"This calamity 'bomb,' having absorbed the magical power of six 'Fairy Spirits,' is powerful enough to destroy everything above... Even though its power cannot match the Six Rings Grand Spell, it is enough to eliminate adventurers and inflict a 'fatal wound' on Orario!"

The seventh fairy spirit is located on the eleventh floor.

The "Seventh Celestial Essence," unleashing immense energy upwards, will destroy all forces above it. At the very least, adventurers who clash with the "Celestial Essence Avatar" will not escape unscathed.

Floors below the "Seventh Immortal" – specifically the twelfth floor – are considered safe zones.

Dionysus will survive and leisurely enjoy the "madness" that has descended upon the lower realm.

"Loki, it took me fifteen years!"

Dionysus declared with great passion.

"I've been planning this ever since fifteen years ago, after Zeus and Hera lost power!"

Loki had pointed out that the plan was conceived six years ago.

However, Dionysus actually spent more than twice as much time executing his "plot".

"Based on the trends at the time, the four major factions that would hinder the plan were Loki, Freya, Ganesha, and Hephaestus. Astrea was originally enough to pose a threat to me, but the goddess's faction went and perished together with the god's kin."

"...!!"

"As for the other forces we need to be wary of, they are Ishtar and Uranus's hidden 'private armies'! Once we eliminate these six groups, nothing will be able to hinder us!"

Six years before Dionysus came into contact with the "Filthy Fairy," he concluded that no other rising power would pose a threat.

So he focused on figuring out how to deal with these six major forces.

Loki's Familia.

【Freya's Familia】.

【Ganesha's Kinship】.

【Hephaestus Familia】

And the "heretics" of Uranus's private army.

Although Dionysus did not expect the Kali Familia to join the war, he had long regarded the Ishtar Familia, which later joined the dark faction, as a hypothetical enemy. Therefore, the vacancy left by the goddess of beauty was simply filled by the god of war.

The "Six Rings of Immortal Essence" were designed to deal with these six major forces and also served as a "pretext" to prevent the "Seventh Immortal Essence," the main force, from coming to the forefront.

"After the 'Seventh Immortal Essence' was activated, the other six should have already 'mutated.' They are no longer activation devices for powerful spells, but purely destructive devices used to slaughter adventurers!"

At this moment, not only the Loki Familia, but also the Freya Familia, all the "reinforcements" have been dispatched to deal with the six "Fairy Clones".

Dionysus's plan was to use a portion of the power flowing back from the "nameless dragon" that was the Seventh Celestial to strengthen the Celestial into a top-tier guardian. This was how he was adjusting the spell.

Even if Finn and his teammates are incredibly skilled, they won't be able to secure the kill in a short period of time.

If they turn their attention to attacking the Seventh Fairy Spirit, the Sixth Fairy Spirit Ring will immediately revive and blast the city to ashes.

No matter what they do, they cannot escape the fate of destruction.

"There's no one left on your side who can stop the Seventh Fairy! Calling for help from the surface? It's useless. There's no one who can save you now! Because you are my only threat!"

Loki clenched his fists in anger as he watched Dionysus, who seemed to be performing a play.

At the same time, I realized something.

Even though they discovered the existence of the seventh fairy, Dionysus remained confident.

They have the confidence that they will "never lose".

Even if you stop the grand spell, the "bomb" will blow everything away; even if you destroy the "bomb," the grand spell will still be activated.

This grand, two-pronged conspiracy can be described as a perfect plan that takes into account all the forces in Orario.

"I won, Loki! Hahahahahahahahahaha!"

The maniacal laughter of the mastermind, basking in the joy of victory, echoed through the labyrinth, lingering for a long time.

*

"Captain!! There are enemies on the eleventh floor—the seventh 'Fairy Spirit'!!"

Raul's urgent voice came through the "Eye Crystal".

Finn immediately understood when he heard his shout.

(In order to deal with the "Six Rings of the Fairy Spirits", we will be forced to participate in the battle in this "Demon City" - no, we will be lured to this battlefield.)

Finn had already discerned Ernesto's divine will, or more precisely, his "malice."

The battle on the 59th floor was all a "foreshadowing" for this.

The enemy did indeed intend to eliminate the city's largest faction, the Loki Familia, on the 59th floor; however, they also made contingency plans in case the Loki Familia defeated the "Fairy Clone".

(The enemy's true objective is to gather all the adventurers who could potentially become obstacles at this time and place—!!)

At the same time that Loki learned the true intentions from Dionysus, Finn also realized that Enyo's main target was all adventurers.

And I felt a chill run down my spine.

"Pshaw, this guy's outrageous when he goes berserk!"

"Its stats have increased!?"

Finn looked up and saw that the situation in front of him had taken a sharp turn for the worse.

Although Eren's Freya Familia and Shakti's Ganesha Familia continued their attack, the pure black "Fairy Clone" launched a desperate counterattack.

Despite sustaining countless injuries, it relentlessly lashes out with its tentacles, showing no fear even under the fiercest barrage of fire. Its pure black skin rivals that of "dragon scales," capable of defending against any attack. It has become the embodiment of nothing but destructive impulse, completely ignoring Allen's high-speed movement powered by his "leg strength." Whenever any adventurer poses a threat, it unleashes "magic" with a high-speed, noisy chant. Although the magic's power has diminished, its destructive force is no different from that of a natural disaster.

The power of the seventh fairy spirit flowing back activated the "fairy spirit clone," completing its "final transformation," which was powerful enough to pose a threat to the adventurers.

"Do the various units have spare manpower?!"

"No, all the troops are stretched thin fighting off the transformed fairies!"

"Even if we gather the remaining reserve forces, both in quality and quantity...!"

Finn, clinging to his last glimmer of hope, issued a summons to the "Eye Crystal," only to be met with a heartless response.

He frowned in annoyance after hearing Fels and Lily's answers.

There was no longer any force capable of responding to him.

*

The same applies to Ais, who is currently engaged in a one-on-one battle.

"──────────────────────────!!"

The two roars clashed fiercely.

Compared to Ais, whose entire body was shrouded in black whirlwinds, Revis was able to contend with her with her monstrous arm strength.