Finn's irises, once azure, were now a burning crimson.
Blasting the cobbles at his feet, he sprinted faster than the wind, bearing his spear.
"F-Finn?! You bastaaaard!!"
Valletta screamed his name and leaped from the trading house edifice, leaving her flustered underlings to follow.
Springing from rooftop to rooftop, she traveled around the edges of the southwestern district toward the southeast, avoiding the strongholds, Draco and Mors, hoping to escape the pallum's wrath.
She had made a snap decision.
She was fast on her feet.
But the pallum was even faster.
"Gaaaaaaaagh!!"
A scream echoed through the streets.
It belonged to one of the cultist pawns Valletta had sent to die in her stead.
She had left them to harass Finn like a swarm of wild hornets, and they had succeeded in their task for only a few seconds before he took them apart and resumed his pursuit.
Finn lopped off hands, skewered hearts, let lips run red with blood.
Heads flew, bathing the streets in crimson rain, before landing far away.
But these people had toyed with life, and their fates meant nothing to him.
Instead, he fixed his scarlet eyes on Valletta.
It was difficult to keep him in sight because of his sheer speed.
Finn was like a vicious hound, refusing to give up the chase until one of them was dead.
"I've left command of our armies to Asfi and Shakti," he muttered, eyes fixed unerringly on his target's back.
"There's only one man uninjured enough to go after you, and that's me. What's the matter, Valletta? Never expected the strategist to come after you alone? If so, you only have yourself to blame."
A lone cultist hurtled down at him from above, but one swing of Finn's spear caused the unfortunate man to light up the sky in a premature explosion.
His bloody remains splattered the walls as Finn locked eyes once more with the enemy general. "You don't know how long I've waited to do this, Valletta."
Without even a moment's pause, Finn resumed his pursuit.
"Where's your guard, Finn?!" screamed Valletta over her shoulder.
"You think I can't handle one sneaky little pallum?!"
Still, she seemed to be avoiding challenging Finn one-on-one.
"Once I regroup up with the remnants of Apate and Alecto, you're dead meat! We'll kick the shit out of you!"
The Apate Familia and Alecto Familia had been charged with conquering the Arena in the east of the city, and right now they were heading south through district three....just a stone's throw from where Valletta was in district four.
Even if the Dis sisters and Basram were no more, the surviving forces included four surviving spirit warriors, and the means of controlling them…..Basram's staff.
These Level 5 soldiers would be more than enough to handle Finn.
"And don't think I don't know all about that spell of yours!" she sneered.
"It raises your stats, but at the cost of your sanity! You're just a berserker incapable of rational thought!"
Hell Finegas was a mind-altering enchantment.
It granted the user a buff comparable to a level increase, but also imbued them with a lust for battle.
Under its effects, Finn was unable to make coolheaded decisions, let alone command an army.
In a straight-up fight, its potency was unmatched, but it rendered Finn far more vulnerable to traps and tricks.
"You're a fool to come at me alone, Finn! And soon you'll pay the price!"
With a swing of her arm, Valletta tossed a flash bomb.
Upon seeing that signal, the survivors of the Apate Familia immediately changed course.
Though not as distinguished as the Dis Sisters, the other followers of Apate were a cut above the average evilus soldier.
Their acting leader immediately took Basram's staff in hand and struck its base against the rooftops, causing the four spirit warriors to charge like savage beasts.
Valletta grinned a malicious grin.
In just sixty seconds, Finn would be nothing but a bloody puddle on the pavement.
However, Finn seemed completely unperturbed.
"Sorry to disappoint, Valletta," he said, "but it's not going to be that easy."
The four spirit warriors came straight at him.
Finn landed upon the roof of a large brothel.
As soon as he did, sixteen of the Alecto Familia's soldiers leaped out of hiding, their spells already charged.
The trap was sprung.
But with the cold flames of brutality brewing within him, the man people called a hero unleashed his inner beast.
It was a massacre.
"...…"
The distant sounds of his spear going to work sent a chill down Valletta's spine.
Finn sliced the first of the spirit warriors in half almost immediately.
A thrust skewered the second in the neck.
The carnage was enough to give even those mindless beasts pause, but even that was short-lived before the third of them fell prey to the raging tip of Finn's weapon.
The remnants of the Alecto Familia trembled with fright.
The spirit warriors had been weakened in their battle with the Freya Familia, but they still should have made for difficult foes.
The fourteen mages of the ambush squad immediately fired off their prepared spells and magic swords.
In response, Finn gripped the still-moving body of the third spirit warrior and used it as a meat shield.
The very last thought that passed through the minds of the mages as their target disappeared into the flames, was how on earth had a mad berserker had been able to think up such a maneuver. The very next second, a throwing knife came speeding out of the inferno, skewering the evilus captain in the face.
It crackled with dark lightning, betraying its true identity…..the spirit dagger that had been lodged into the experiment's spine and gave it its powers.
With their leader's death, his men were overcome by confusion and chaos.
It was then that a voice issued forth from the flames.
"Don't run away. Let's end it here."
Then the small spearman leaped forward, slaughtering the remaining mages in the blink of an eye.
Without their captain, they struggled to defend themselves, much less fight back.
What was supposed to be the hunting of a mindless beast very quickly became the exact opposite, and the mad sycophants of Alecto and Apate were forced to pay the price for their vile crimes.
The last spirit warrior roared and leaped at Finn, but they were no match for the pallum captain and his magical enhancements.
Watching the fight made it quite clear that Finn's spell had not dampened his tactical acumen to anywhere near the extent that Valletta had hoped.
"Wha….?!" Valletta was at a loss for words.
After breaking through the melee fighters, Finn moved on to the supporting mages.
By disturbing their ranks, he was able to push through the blockade.
"H-he's wiped out both the Apate and Alecto forces!" cried a subordinate.
"The Braver is coming this way, ma'am!"
"He defeated our ambush?" snarled Valletta.
"How?! That shouldn't be possible!"
Finn was meant to be nothing more than a savage beast, incapable of rational thought, let alone predicting a surprise attack.
Up on the brothel roof, now a hill of blood, Finn stood and swung his spear.
"As it turns out," he said.
"I can break through the madness if I'm angry enough. I do confess that I didn't know that before. And wouldn't you know it… I'm quite angry."
Finn's mind was sharp, his decisions swift.
Like a flame so hot it burned clear and blue, his rage was more defined than it had ever been.
"I had to watch my friends and mentors die, order innocents to their deaths" he said.
"I know this won't bring them back, but…won't you help me grieve?"
Blood was splattered across his cheeks like an unholy specter, Finn took one step across the battlefield.
"I want to bathe you in your own blood."
His voice quivered like fire.
"I want to make you buy back each and every life you've taken…with your own suffering."
The hero became an avatar of rage and shot forward.
"S-somebody stop him!" Valletta cried.
"Hold him off so I can get away!!"
Her soldiers let out terrified squeals as they ran to engage, but each of them ended up splattered against the cobbled road like the ones who preceded them.
'That look… That look in his eyes! There's no doubt about it…he's still sane! He's lost it and kept his sanity at the same time!'
Pale with fear, Valletta had no choice but to accept the truth.
Using his magic, Finn's was as strong as a Level 6!
He was currently the third most powerful man in the city, alongside Draco and Ottar!.
'My only edge was that he couldn't make rational decisions! Once that's out the window, I'm toast!'
Valletta's worst fears had become the honest truth.
As she ran toward the edges of the southwest district in hope of making Finn run into Mors, Finn's golden spear, soaked in blood, bore down on her.
"H-he can't be stopped! He's just one man, but… Gaaaagh!!"
The last of Valletta's troops fell to Finn's attacks.
All that was left was the toxic spider herself.
"Don't try to squirm your way out of this one."
"S-stay away from me! Stay awaaaaay!!"
She let out a scream, fighting to be as far as possible from the lone pallum.
But Finn was completely cold to her humiliating flight.
With one hand, he raised his spear like a javelin.
"…Rot in hell, Valletta."
He threw.
The spear spiraled through the air at an ungodly speed, whistling toward the enemy commander. "Hrgh… Grgh!!"
Time ground to a halt as pain shot through her body.
The impact lifted her off her feet and into the air.
Valletta shifted her gaze down and to the side.
There, sticking out of her shoulder, was the tip of Finn's spear, coated in her own blood. "Gaaaaaaaaaaghhh!"
The weapon remained lodged in her flesh, dragging her down into the snarl of streets below.
"I missed," cursed Finn.
"I only hit her shoulder. And now she's fled into…..Daedalus Street."
A labyrinthine maze of alleyways and passages.
The city's second Dungeon.
No amount of familiarity could help even a resident of Orario make sense of its enigmatic twists and turns.
Some said that anyone who ventured in too deep would never come back out.
Finn narrowed his crimson eyes.
"I should hunt her down…end her life with my own two hands…but…"
He shook his head, feeling the ominous tremors that were coming from the center of the southwest.
"I can't risk getting lost when there's so much going on. As much as it pains me to let her go…" Valletta was a slippery one.
Even wounded, there was no telling how far into Daedalus Street she could make it.
It would take Finn time, not just to track her down, but to make his way back.
And time was one thing he didn't have right now.
The longer he was absent from the board, the more Finn risked letting other enemy pieces give him the slip.
"It's not good enough to win the battle… We need to win the war. Not just for those of us who live, but for those who've died."
Muttering to himself, Finn closed his eyes.
"…At times like this, I wish I really were a mindless beast."
Consigning his sorrow to those words, he opened his eyes again.
Now they were calm and blue, and filled with reason once more.
"We'll call it quits here, Valletta. Both of us have lost too much."
Turning his back on Daedalus Street, Finn departed to rendezvous with nearby troops to mop up the stragglers, and prepare to confront the source of the tremors.
The sight of him mowing down enemy forces by himself raised the spirits of adventurers across the whole battlefield.
He may have allowed Valletta to escape, but Finn was dead set on making sure the remaining evilus cultists understood the price of their sins, and that they were prepared to pay them back in full.
With Valletta gone, there were none left among the evilus capable of matching Finn at the game of war.
And so, the pallum hero dedicated himself to securing a complete strategic victory.
'We've taken out more than half of the evilus lieutenants. It's safe to say the battle aboveground is drawing to a close now.'
In the casino neighborhood, Finn rejoined the army and went over the messengers' reports.
The cries of adventurers filled the air.
They seemed like they would burst into song at any moment.
From the top of the building, Finn surveyed the south.
'All that's left is the evilus last two champions' he thought.
'Since she isn't up here, I'm guessing Alfia really is down below, just as I predicted'
The Dungeon monster, and Hera's finest.
The task Riveria's group faced was harsher yet than anything in the city streets.
However, if by some fluke their battle was still raging…
"…Then her time should be running out right about now."
Finn's eyes were drawn to the center of the south, where an unfathomable clash of power was taking place.
.........
Back in the dungeon....
Blades swung endlessly, creating an unremitting cacophony of sound.
"Gah!"
Hit by the witch's magic, Nikolaos was sent flying.
"Nikolaos!!" cried Alise, calling after him.
There was nobody left to assuage her fears.
Kaguya, Lyra, Clair…..all the other team members had fallen to her might.
Nikolaos looked up and saw a flutter of ashen hair.
"This is the end," came Alfia's voice.
She was so close there was no hope to either dodge or block her spell.
Nikolaos watched in terror as the witch raised her arm.
"Gospel."
But just then, right after speaking her ultrashort chant, Alfia became mysteriously still.
"Huh…? It didn't work…?"
Nikolaos was astonished to find himself still living.
He immediately leaped back to a safe distance, raised his shield then shot Alfia a puzzled look. Why hadn't the witch's spell obliterated him?
It wasn't long before he received his answer.
"…Gack!"
Alfia's hand flew to her mouth, just as a flood of crimson erupted from her throat.
"What?!" Nikolaos and the other exhausted team members had no idea what was happening.
It was like the witch was suffering a fit of some kind.
"She's…coughing up blood?!"
"But we didn't do anything!"
Everyone watched in shock as Alfia continued to choke.
Her blood spilled forth, staining her dress and the crystals at her feet.
Before long, she was standing in a scarlet puddle.
"…It's true, then. What Finn said…"
It was Lyra who spoke up first, still awestruck at what she was seeing.
"I didn't believe him at first. I mean, those three are so ridiculously powerful, there's no way…but he was right."
The doors of memory were flung wide, and their minds each played host to a scene of the past.
It was Ryuu who instinctively described the scene.
"The weakness of Alfia, Silence…"
.........…
On the eve of the decisive showdown, just hours before total war erupted, the Loki Familia convened with the dungeon raiding team.
Finn had vital information to share.
"A weakness? Zald, Alfia and Mors have one?"
"Yes," Finn said, his voice grave.
"There's a small chance you might end up fighting one of them. I'm telling you this just in case."
Though this information had been included in the battle plans sent to each familia, Finn had made a last-minute decision to summon the Astraea and Bahamut Familias to the Guild Headquarters war room for a direct briefing.
"A weakness, huh? Something that'll let us take them down in seconds, like a magic weapon? No chance," Lyra scoffed, scanning the faces of the Loki Familia's three leaders with her hands clasped behind her head.
"Some tiny advantage, I bet. What good will that do against three Level Sevens who'll flatten us with one hit?"
Riveria met Lyra's flippant attitude with calm resolve, stating only the facts.
"That is true," she acknowledged.
"It will not trivialize the task. However, we believe that if we plan appropriately, victory can nonetheless be ours."
"...Against those three?" Lyra gasped, astonishment clear in her voice.
"...You're pulling our legs, right?"
Gareth interjected.
"These weaknesses existed back when the Zeus and Hera Familias were still around. In all likelihood, they have not been able to cure them."
"...We fought Alfia, once," Kaguya recalled, a frown creasing her brow.
"And we didn't see any sign of a supposed weakness. Nothing at all…"
"There is one," Riveria firmly stated.
"What's more, it's the reason Alfia is still only Level Seven, despite all her talent."
A stunned silence fell over the room at Riveria's brazen remark.
Even Alise was too shocked to speak, so Dimitra, standing beside her, voiced the unspoken question.
"And what is that weakness?" she pressed, a hint of tension in her tone.
Riveria closed her eyes.
"The one thing that held her back from perfection: an incurable illness."
"An incurable illness?" Dimitra echoed, the shock palpable in the Guild HQ war room.
Finn smoothly took over the explanation.
"Yes," he confirmed.
"According to our sources, Alfia has had it since birth. Even the blessing of Falna failed to cure her; instead, it manifested as a negative Skill."
He elaborated, "While the skills and spells granted by blessings are typically beneficial, they are not always. They often reflect a person's inner truths, sometimes resulting in abilities that are all downside, without merit. Alfia and Mors are prime examples." Finn had uncovered this information from the guild.
"You could call it the price she pays for her exceptional abilities."
Riveria added, "It is the one rule that even Alfia must follow, something no magic or item can overturn."
A collective gasp rippled through the room, every face etched with shock, save for Vasiliki's.
Gareth, allowing a moment for the initial shock to subside, continued, "As for Mors, what we found was quite concerning. Describing his situation as an illness would be difficult; perhaps an inborn curse is the most appropriate term."
"A curse?" Vasileios questioned, his brow furrowed.
"Yes, a curse," Finn affirmed.
"He is afflicted with rapid aging, a condition that accelerates his physical decline. He reportedly came to Orario years ago seeking a cure, but even the blessing of Falna did little to alleviate it. Furthermore, this curse flares up in potency under extreme stress, and it appears to trigger a unique condition for his magic, though its precise effects are still unknown to us."
Riveria chimed in, a flicker of annoyance in her voice, "It was exceptionally difficult to find information on him because his Familia largely reported false details. The last official record listed him as Level Five."
A collective nod of understanding rippled through the room, acknowledging the frustration Riveria shared.
"Now, regarding Zald," Gareth stated, reclaiming the floor.
"While Alfia's and Mors's weaknesses are inborn, his is acquired. A pestilent rot slowly consumes him."
"Acquired? Rot? What do you mean?" Nikolaos inquired, his voice sharp with curiosity.
The dwarf's gaze drifted, becoming unfocused as if peering into a distant past.
"It happened when we slew the Behemoth," he finally divulged.
"During that battle, Zald was afflicted by the beast's potent poison."
Alise and Ryuu exchanged surprised glances, the mention of that ancient battle stirring memories.
"This is top-secret information," Gareth continued, lowering his voice slightly, "but Zald possesses a rare skill called 'Deus Ambrosia'."
He paused, allowing the gravity of his words to settle before elaborating.
The Guild's records on familias and adventurers are strictly confidential.
Many even avoided reporting fully to prevent leaks.
However, Zeus and Hera held a unique relationship with Ouranos, the city's founder.
They had delved deeper into the Dungeon than any other, mapping its floors, unlocking advanced abilities, and pioneering optimal status development.
Without them, Orario would not exist as it does today; their history is inextricably linked with the city's.
Within those millennia of recorded history lay the secrets of countless familias.
With most of them now crumbled, Finn approached the Guild, and with Ouranos's blessing, access was granted, pinning their hopes on a new generation of heroes.
Finn himself was astounded by the abilities documented in those reports. Zald's was among the most unbelievable.
"Have you ever wondered why they call him Glutton? His Skill, Deus Ambrosia, is activated by consumption. Animals, people, even monsters. When he eats, his stats are boosted."
"What?!" Lyra burst out, incredulous.
"He gets stronger just by eating?! That's practically cheating!"
"Of course, many things only offer a minuscule increase," Gareth clarified.
"The effect's magnitude depends on what he consumes; the stronger the source, the greater the boost. I've heard he eats everything from Dungeon materials to the bodies of fallen allies. But what he consumed most of all were monsters."
"So you mean…" Ryuu's voice trembled, a realization dawning on her.
Gareth closed his eyes, a grim expression on his face.
"Yes. Zald ate the Behemoth too. In order to deliver the killing blow, he bit directly into its flesh. That act granted him the power needed, but in return, the Behemoth's deadly poison struck back like a curse, slowly devouring him to this very day."
The Astraea and Bahamut Familias were left momentarily speechless, having just learned the true story of the Behemoth's demise.
Biting into the flesh of any monster was a vile, repugnant act for most, but to do so with an incarnation of death like the Behemoth was utterly unthinkable.
What desperate thoughts must have driven Zald in that moment?
Was it a necessary evil to defeat an overwhelming foe, or an act of bravery to protect those he cherished?
At last, they all understood Gareth's description of Zald's weakness as "acquired."
He, too, had been fighting his own torment, a burden they could barely comprehend.
"That's awful…" Ryuu murmured, imagining the terrible price Zald exacted for his heroic stand. Even though he was their foe, a pang of sympathy resonated within her.
Lyra grimaced.
"In the end, the Behemoth had the last laugh, didn't it? How ironic."
"Both Glutton and Silence played pivotal roles in the slaying of the Leviathan and the Behemoth," Riveria explained.
"However, their actions had severe repercussions. Zald was forced to retire from frontline combat, and Alfia's condition dramatically worsened. As for Mors, most information regarding him after his Level Five designation remains missing."
"So then, the weaknesses you wanted to tell us about…" Alise prompted, her voice tinged with anticipation.
"Precisely," Finn confirmed.
"Zald and Alfia can only sustain prolonged combat for so long, while Mors's curse is exacerbated in specific high-stress situations. Furthermore, he was severely injured by Draco, and it's highly improbable he has fully recovered in such a short timeframe. If the battle drags on, their respective ailments will inevitably take their toll. While Ottar and a few might be able to disregard these factors, for anyone else, leveraging these weaknesses is the only viable path to even a slim chance of victory against them."