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

Grace understood, and Finn nodded to him.

Even Finn and his strongest faction in the city could only barely win against the "Fairy Spirit Clone".

If such a being suddenly appeared on the ground—and if not just one, but multiple orbs had already been transported to the ground…

Several of those female-shaped creatures will appear on the ground and ravage the city.

After hearing Finn's account, Riveria and Grace's expressions both stiffened.

"Destroying the labyrinth city (Orario), huh... it seems like it might not be a joke after all."

Finn deciphered the city-crushing plan of the remnants of the dark faction and the eccentric Revis, licking his thumb with a displeased smile. Riveria and the others also realized the seriousness of the situation.

"We need to let Loki know about this immediately. Once he's ready, let's go back to Earth."

"it is good."

"understood."

No one objected, and the adventurers left the floor.

◆

"So, how did things turn out like this...?"

Loki looked utterly annoyed at the gods sitting at the same round table as him.

This is a high-end tavern. In a well-soundproofed private room, besides Loki, there are two other male gods sitting at the table.

One is Dionysus with his eyes closed, and the other is Hermes with a handsome smile.

"We're already victims of the same event, aren't we, Loki? We're in the same boat now, we should share information as much as possible."

"Stop talking to yourself, you spineless coward."

Seeing Hermes smiling at him, Loki made no attempt to hide his suspicion and said this to him.

Besides the three celestial beings, those present were also the guardians of the various chief gods—Philwis, Asphis, and Loki's crew.

They stood by the wall of the room, away from the round table, with their eyes closed, or simply observing what was happening.

"Dionysus, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry, Loki. But I hope you believe me, this wasn't my own choice either."

Hearing Loki's helpless question, Dionysus, with his eyes closed, also looked displeased.

After a while, he sighed and said, "Let's talk business first."

Loki, maintaining a reluctant attitude, began exchanging information with the two.

Less than three days after Ais and her companions set off on their "expedition," the three gods began to discuss a series of events.

"Even if remnants of the dark faction are lurking in the city, the lair of those weirdos is probably in the underground labyrinth (dungeon)... There's really no way to find them. Sigh, the more I know, the more serious things seem. Maybe I shouldn't get involved?"

"At this point, stop talking nonsense, Hermes. However... the fact that the enemy dares to call themselves 'Urban Destroyers (Enyo)' can be considered a declaration of war against the gods of Orario."

"Perhaps it could also be called a declaration of war against the guild. Sigh, let's wait for Finn and the others to bring back intelligence."

As Hermes, Dionysus, and Loki spoke in turn, their retinues listened silently to what they had to say.

Soon, including confirmations, almost all the information was given, and finally the main topic, the discussion of the three gods, entered the next stage.

They mentioned the most prominent focus at present.

"On the 24th floor, remnants of the dark faction are attempting to move the man-eating flower, the Black Cage..."

"Judging from those cages, they probably weren't moved to the ground through the large opening in the skyscraper (Tower of Babel)..."

"After all, even if the guild colludes with them, it's impossible to completely hide such a huge monster."

Hermes blurted it out, and Dionysus told the two that Loki agreed.

The gods exchanged a glance.

"That is to say..."

"Yes, that's right."

Loki nodded to Dionysus and continued:

"I think there is. Besides the Tower of Babel, there's at least one more..."

She slightly opened her crimson eyes, focusing directly on the core issue.

"The entrance and exit of the underground city."

Loki hints that the labyrinth has other entrances and exits besides the unique "Great Hole".

As if telling himself that this was the right answer, Loki's divine intuition throbbed in his mind.

TIONEHIRYUTE

Tiony Schilute

Belonging to the Loki Family

Amazonian adventurer

Reaching the 59th floor, weapons: machete, axe, and gun.

The amount of money held is 14050000 Fali.

Status Lv.5

Strength A824, Durability B769

Dexterity B781 Agility B785

Magic G207 Punch G

Diving G Abnormal Resistance H

Crushing I

Entangling Magic Serpent

Binding magic.

• Has a certain probability of forcibly stopping the affected object (restraint). The success rate is affected by magic points.

Berserk - A skill combo that's wild and varied.

• Each time it takes damage, its attack power increases.

The stronger the anger, the greater the effect.

Backdraft

• When near death, the "Strength" parameter receives an extremely high bonus.

Equip Zoas

• Pairs of recurve blades.

• Made by the [Gubney Clan]. 58000000 Fali.

• It is a first-level weapon and can also be used as a throwing weapon, making it highly versatile.

The weapon materials used were the dropped item "Dragon Fang". As long as you have the materials, it is not difficult to craft. Tione has many spares.

Equip Feierjia

• Throwing implements are quite sharp and effective even against deep-level monsters.

Originally a throwing knife weapon passed down through generations of an Amazon tribe, it was commissioned by Tione to be forged by the [Gubney Familia].

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 4 Afterword

The first part of the spin-off has ended.

Although the process was more convoluted than the main story, the author wrote down everything he wanted to see and write in this fourth installment of the spin-off.

Sometimes when I'm taking a walk or listening to music, a scene from a comic book or movie will suddenly pop into my head.

Sometimes it shows the protagonist fighting against a super-powerful bull, sometimes it shows a leader encouraging his subordinates who have been defeated by a powerful enemy and are in despair, or it shows the heroine running through a bloody path carved out by her companions and unleashing her ultimate move from the air.

I'm used to using these vivid scenes that come to mind—scenes that I probably want to see or read—as the foundation for conceiving the entire story. The characters, the world-building, and many other settings are secondary. How do I get to that emerging scene? I always think about it backwards. In other words, I don't start from the foundation of the story, but from the landing point.

On several occasions, this approach has had a drawback—or perhaps it's simply a matter of the author's incompetence—that the story lacks a climax early on, which seems inappropriate for a commercial publication. I've recently begun to reflect on this creative method, but whenever the characters reach their destination, shout, or deliver moments that exceed the author's expectations, I feel that I've come all this way for the right reason.

I believe that the fact that this series has continued to this day, allowing me to be this capricious, is all thanks to the support of all my readers. Thank you so much for your continued readership; I will continue to focus on creating works that you will find enjoyable.

Now, allow me to move on to the thank-you remarks.

To Mr. Kotaki and Mr. Takahashi of the GA editorial department, to Ms. Haimuraki Yotaka who, as always, adorned this volume with numerous illustrations, and to everyone involved, I sincerely thank you all for making this book possible. I look forward to your continued support, including from all of you readers.

I wrote exactly the same thing in the seventh volume of the main series: I personally believe that volumes five, six, and seven of the main series, as well as the fourth volume of this spin-off, represent a series of escalating events. Therefore, I'd like to write something a little lighter in the next volume, which is still under consideration. In any case, I hope everyone can continue to engage with the story starting from the second part.

Goodbye, everyone.

大森藤ノ

Side Story: Sword Oratoria 4 Illustration

Who is your rival in the bonus content of Sword Oratoria 4?

"Lady Riveria, may I recite this incantation?"

"Uh, okay..."

When Riveria saw Lefia approaching her with a thick book on "magic," she nodded stiffly.

Late at night, at the headquarters of the Loki Familia. Rivera had just been in her private room, writing down the plans for the upcoming "expedition" on parchment, when Lefia came to find her.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened, and the magic stone lamp inside flickered. Seeing the girl of her own kind staring blankly, it was undeniable that Riveria was indeed shocked.

Not just today, but lately the girl has been going out during the day and visiting Riveria in the evenings like this to seek her guidance. Riveria's attitude towards learning and her determination to train over the past few days have been remarkable—or perhaps a little frightening.

"Lefia...are you getting enough sleep?"

I get at least an hour of sleep every day.

"Fool!"

"We're about to embark on an expedition!" Rivera's voice rose. Although her enhanced [ability stats] made her far more resilient than the average person, both physically and mentally, and gave her superhuman stamina, there were still limits. Rivera earnestly advised her not to accumulate fatigue before the expedition. However, she was busy studying the part she had just learned in her book and wasn't listening at all.

(However... this is a good sign.)

The sight of the girl standing before her, engrossed in her studies, was both exasperating and comforting to Riveria. Lefia had always wanted to catch up with Ais and the others, but this kind of "unwillingness to fall behind" and relentless effort was something she hadn't possessed before.

She must have encountered a very challenging competitor. Rivera smiled with her eyes closed.

Soon, Lefia seemed to understand the problem, said "Thank you very much," bowed, and was about to leave the room. However—just as she was leaving, she suddenly stopped and asked Riveria:

"Lady Riveria, I have a question to ask you... Long ago, rabbits were often used as living sacrifices in spellcasting—magical rituals, right?"

"Yes, back then, magicians (magus) who called themselves witches often used rabbits as ingredients for medicines or magical artifacts. Why?"

"Do you know of any way to curse the rabbit itself?"

"Who are you arguing with...?"

Faced with a fellow tribeswoman whose expression was even more frightening than before, Riveria felt for the first time: she really couldn't understand what this girl was thinking.

Volume 9 Prologue: Encounter

Taiwanese version adapted from Angel Anime

Image source: yoyo

Scanned by: yoyo

Photo editing: Hayami Iori

Input by: Avanshu

A series of disordered breathing sounds rang out.

The ceilings, walls, and floors of the building are all formed from tree bark, and the lush moss growing in the passageways emits blue or green light, creating a landscape that resembles a secret realm. The roaring of monsters causes leaves of various shapes and mysterious flowers dripping with silvery water to sway.

In the giant tree maze, which was completely different from the upper area, a figure was running desperately.

The figure was graceful and slender, with limbs resembling those of a young girl. Her silvery-blue hair shimmered in the light of the moss.

Not only did she have beautiful, smooth long hair, but her skin was also fair with a bluish tinge.