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

The content of this mural is different from the others.

In the center of the painting is a giant dragon, surrounded by six young girls.

The girls all closed their eyes and clasped their hands together, looking somewhat like prayers at first glance.

"Was it a young girl sacrificed... or a saint?"

Historical documents indicate that in "ancient times" more than a thousand years ago, inhabitants of frontier regions would hold rituals involving the sacrifice of women and children to quell strange calamities from underground cities.

Lefia's body was naturally drawn to the cracked and damaged mural.

"And also, this dragon is—"

Just as Lefia was staring intently at the mural...

"I heard that one is called Nidhogg."

A somber voice, as if crawling out from the depths of darkness, spoke to her.

「!?」

The person who spoke was neither herself nor Philvies, and Lefia turned to look at the third party.

Emerging from the shadows of the pillars of the corridor is a male god.

"The 'King of the Land (Behemoth),' the 'King of the Sea (Leviathan),' and then the 'One-Eyed Dragon'... Before the appearance of the black dragon and the other creatures, the targets of the 'Three Great Adventurers' Request,' it was this monster that plunged the surface into a terrifying abyss."

"You are...!?"

The deity had long, feminine hair, an appearance as if formed from darkness, and an aura of decadence and negativity.

Although she was beautiful because she was a transcendent being (Deus·Dea), Lefia had never seen such a gloomy god.

"My name is Thanatos, the remnant of the dark faction you speak of... their chief god."

"!"

Lefia was startled. She picked up her spare wand, remaining vigilant, and couldn't help but ask:

"In other words, you inherited the will of the dark faction and founded this organization..."

"To be precise, I should say I'm the last surviving one of those gods the guild calls 'Evil Gods'...?"

The handsome man answered with a smile.

"Well, I won't deny that I led the remnants. The main god died early, and I took in Valetta and the others who were abandoned. I also recruited a group of obedient children over the past five years. I agreed to Revis's suggestion and tried to destroy Orario. It was all me."

He was the last "evil god" to escape deportation and survive.

Absorb, persuade, reorganize, and then expand their power. Listening to her crush recount the development of the remnants of the dark faction to this day, Lefia resisted the urge to retreat.

A bottomless, desolate darkness. This is the best description of Thanatos.

Lefia made a gurgling sound, stared intently at the divine object before her, and slowly asked:

"Are you 'Eni'...?"

This is the name of an important divine object that Rives only mentioned once.

Its name means "urban destroyer".

According to the speculation of the chief god (Loki) and his companions, this name is believed to be the mastermind behind all the events.

"You mean me? I'm Enyo?... Hahaha! No, no!"

Sanatos seemed to find the question laughable and denied it with a smile.

Lefia was stunned by the unexpected reaction.

Like Phil Weiss, she was also very confused when she saw her idol laughing non-stop.

"Never showing his face, never heard his voice, we don't even know if he exists... He might not be a god at all. I'm not that kind of thing."

"N-Never seen you before? You don't recognize your face or voice?"

These meaningful words only made Lefia more confused.

Lefia and the others initially believed that "Enyo" was the one who used the underground forces of the strange people and led the remnants of the dark faction on the surface. However, even Thanatos, who was allied with Revis and the others, said that he did not know the true identity of the person who called himself "Enyo".

The ambiguous sign "Ernio" filled her with questions.

"However, according to Sister Revis and Little Mask, the bad things they are planning to do now seem to be all the ideas of 'Enior'... I heard that the mural was also moved from some ruin by Ernie."

Sanatos shrugged and glanced at the mural of dragons and worshippers.

"Nidhogg is a symbol of 'darkness and despair'... I wonder if the city destroyer (Ernio) wants to become that dragon."

The goal revealed by Rives and others is "the destruction of the labyrinth city".

Once Orario is destroyed, the chaos and calamity caused by the monsters will spread throughout the entire Netherworld. If the threat of the "Fairy Spirits" is added to the mix, "Darkness and Despair" will indeed engulf the entire world.

Lefia felt a chill run down her spine as she listened to Thanatos's cheerful tale.

"But speaking of which, I really admire you for getting here. I never imagined that two children could escape the man-made labyrinth (Knossos) and reach this place. I'm quite surprised. Uh, I remember you were..."

Even if it was just pure luck, Thanatos still praised Lefia and the others frankly, then made a face as if he were digging into their memories.

"You are the younger sister of Lefia, the Thousand Spirits, and you..."

Her deep purple eyes shifted from Lefia to another girl.

"It seems to be Philvis, the sister of the Maenads, right?... Strange, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..."

Sanatos murmured Philweis's official nickname and tilted his head.

"...Oh, I see, that's how it is."

Then, he grinned.

Sanatos raised his lips like the Grim Reaper's scythe and nodded repeatedly.

"'The Nightmare of the 27th Floor'... You must have suffered a lot after that incident."

"!"

Phil Weiss's shoulders trembled.

Her crimson eyes were wide open, but she couldn't make a sound.

"Miss Philweis!"

"Let me clarify first, I wasn't involved in that matter."

In a moment of panic, Rafia told her to hide behind her.

She protected the young girl from Thanatos's bullying of the few survivors of the incident.

"Why! Why did you destroy the labyrinth city (Orario)!? You are a god, why did you commit such an act that plunges the lower realm into chaos?!"

Rafia, in a gruff voice, abruptly changed the subject.

She, along with Thanatos, expressed doubts about the existence of "evil gods".

"Uh, let me think... there are actually many kinds of guys who are called 'evil gods'."

When asked about Lefia's question, the male god smiled slightly and spoke.

"Some gods are simply afraid of being bored. Some gods hate order the most and glorify chaos. Some gods try to become necessary evils in order to become heroes. Of course, some are so scum that it's impossible to speak up for them, but it's not like what Sister Lefia thinks, that everyone takes pleasure in crime or is a hedonist."

"...!"

Lefia recalls the hedonist who seeks the "unknown" and excitement from the lower realms—the God of War (Kali) she encountered in the port city—and realizes that her inner thoughts have been seen through, causing her to shrink back in fear.

"And I... am the god of 'death'."

Sanatos spoke eloquently.

The thing he controls is "death" itself.

The male god confessed his love, and once again, his lips curled into a sickle-like smile.

"Is there anything wrong with 'death' wanting more life?"

"!!"

Lefia felt a chill, and so did Philweis, who was right behind her, who gasped.

The elven girls felt as if they had come into contact with the cruelty of the gods.

There is no reason or logic in it, not even emotion or ideology.

Although I absolutely cannot agree with it, there is indeed a lingering resonance with the principles of nature or truth.

Seeing the stunned Lefia and her friends, Thanatos laughed and raised his hand, saying, "Just kidding, just kidding."

"I'm known for being incredibly diligent in Heaven. I manage the 'souls' of children returning to Heaven, bleaching them, and then giving them a new life... I'm what you'd call a workaholic."

"...You mean you're in charge of the 'reincarnation' of the lower realm's inhabitants?"

"That's right, the scene of 'souls' returning to heaven dirty and filthy, slowly being bleached like newborns... I used to love that."

Lefia managed to speak with difficulty, while Thanatos looked up slightly at the ceiling.

Those eyes conveyed a sense of nostalgia, or perhaps a feeling of being lost in thought.

"It was better before, when children kept dying and I had something to do."

"...!"

"But things are different now, because Orario sealed away the monsters... sealed away the dungeons."

Lefia and the others immediately understood that when Thanatos said "before," he meant "ancient times."

In that era of fear and struggle that could never be repeated, monsters invaded the earth, causing countless humans and demi-humans to be brutally murdered, thus establishing the deep-seated grudge between humans and monsters.

"I know that the monsters that wreak havoc on the surface... the monsters that cross our territory are the ones who are wrong, but, well, I just wish I could go back to that wonderful era."

"What did you say...?"

"The lower realm is now overcrowded with too many 'lives.' Just because we carelessly gave the children some 'divine grace.' Life and death are two sides of the same coin; nothing is returning, and the original cycle is becoming blocked."

Therefore, this has always been my stance. He said.

Death (Sanato Nicholas) spread his fingers and smiled.

"More children could die."

A chill ran through me.

Lefia and the others felt a chill that bordered on despair.

Thanatos, who plotted these schemes, was neither a "wicked god" who disrupted order, nor someone who sought the "unknown" and took pleasure in crime.

What he wanted was the spread of death, a sense of mission to correct the world according to what he was in charge of.

As he himself claims, Sanatoz is serious, sincere, loyal, and egalitarian. There are no lies in him, and no room for concepts of good and evil to interfere with him.

If I had to say something, it would be nothingness.

You could say he is death itself.

"Could it be that the remnants who follow you are...?"

Phil Weiss seemed to sense something and whispered.

The handsome man squinted and nodded.

"The standard answer is that I promised to give my family (children) the 'afterlife' they wanted."

"What...what does this mean...?"

"Think back, Lefia. In the 24th level food depot, the remnants of the dark faction sacrificed their lives, choosing to self-destruct without hesitation. The reason those guys were so fearless in the face of death was..."

Upon hearing this, Lefia was startled.

"He promised his deceased relatives an 'afterlife'...?"

"That's right, I've made a pact with everyone. As long as you die for my divine will and successfully destroy Orario... when I return to the Celestial Realm, I'll let you be reincarnated with your deceased loved one, that's all."

Family, friends, lovers, partners. For those who have lost a loved one and are living in grief, Thanatos is, in other words, a savior.

For Sanatos, they were essentially "suckers".

Death lured them with sweet words.

Tell them that in the "afterlife," I will allow your lost family members or lovers to be reborn into your life.

"W-How could this be...!"