A storm of explosions roared through the chamber.
---------------------------
"What!?"
The sudden, visible surge in power made Valletta's eyes widen in shock.
Panic and disbelief twisted her face as she stumbled backward, horrified by the sight before her, the assassins and mercenaries, felled in an instant, their bodies shattered by Fron's lightning-fast blur of movement.
The scene shattered the confidence and arrogance she had moments ago, sending her composure crashing down.
"How can this be!? Under my barrier magic's suppression, how can you still cast spells!?"
Terror, astonishment, and utter disbelief tangled in her eyes as Valletta froze in place.
Anakitty let out a cold laugh.
"What a joke. You really didn't bother to investigate who you were up against before taking on us, the Loki Familia? And you call yourself one of the Evilus's elites?"
"..." Faced with Anakitty's mockery and Fron's overwhelming slaughter, Valletta's face darkened to an ugly shade.
Her severed arm, hastily regenerated with potion and adrenaline, throbbed with pain once more.
And that figure, wrapped in black flames and crimson lightning, made her scalp prickle and her back break out in cold sweat.
"Impossible... You were clearly suppressed to Level 4! How, how can you still have this kind of combat power!? Don't tell me that damned magic can raise your strength by two whole levels!?"
"Pfft, " Effortlessly finishing off the three remaining lackeys, Fron stood in the middle of their corpses and sneered.
"What gave you the illusion that I was suppressed to Level 4? Was it my spell count, or my casting duration? Did you ever stop to wonder why they call me the Unrivaled of My Rank? You think the title 'Night Weaver' is just for show?"
At the final words, Fron's voice rose in a fierce shout. His form blurred and vanished, turning into a streak of black lightning that tore straight through the enemy ranks toward Valletta.
"Fron! Be careful! She might still have something up her sleeve!"
Anakitty's sharp voice cut through the chaos as her eyes tracked the broken expression of the enemy leader.
Fron, of course, took the warning to heart.
The wounds on his body, unhealed and cursed, still bled, and even with his life-bound magic active, his attributes barely reached the lower tier of Level 5. It was more than enough reason to stay alert.
Yes, he admitted he had underestimated her, and nearly paid the price for it.
If not for his Development Ability, Escape, keeping him just a single step away from death at every moment, he would never have had the chance to trigger his fifth skill, Thinker, entering a state of total focus.
Without it, he would have been nothing more than a torn corpse by now.
"Stay away from me! Aaaaaahhh!"
Seeing that black, flame-wreathed figure charging at her like a demon from the depths, Valletta's instincts screamed.
Pride, victory, and reason were all gone, she turned and bolted, consumed by fear.
"Twice wasn't enough, and now you want a third time?"
Catching her movement, Fron's eyes locked onto the magic tool in her hand, the Daedalus' Eye. No way was he letting her escape this time.
He glared, and with a low growl, the flames around him roared outward.
The intense air pressure around his body compressed and burst into a superheated sphere that condensed into a droplet at his command.
"Die!"
Pouring every ounce of strength into his right arm, Fron activated Magic Dominator atop his three core skills to ensure an absolute kill.
A deep hum pulsed through the air, the fireball trembled like a living heart.
He could feel it, clear as day, his stamina, mind, and mana drained in an instant.
"Shk!"
In the next heartbeat, veins bulged on Fron's forehead as he slammed his left foot down, halting sharply, and drew his right arm back.
Scholar Argon, his magic staff, left his hand.
The distance of a hundred meters vanished in a flash of violet light and whirling magic rings.
In a blink, it pierced through space, and with a wet "shhk," the spear buried itself cleanly through Valletta's back and heart.
"..."
Momentum carried her body forward a few steps before it finally crumpled, slamming to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Ugh... hah...?"
Sprawled on the floor, Valletta's lone arm twitched feebly, reaching forward as if clinging to one last, impossible hope of escape.
Step. Step. Step.
Each footfall echoed as Fron crushed the bones of any remaining foes who dared to intercept him.
He stopped behind her fallen body, his expression cold as ice.
"That's it? And you thought you could challenge the Loki Familia?"
"Heh... heh-heh... ha... hahahaha! I see now! I see it all!"
Valletta's laughter turned hysterical. On the verge of death, the truth finally dawned on her.
"The Braver, the Nine Hell, even Finn and the Sword Princess, they're not the scariest ones! The one hiding deepest... was you! Hahaha... you fools, all of you!"
Blue rings spun slowly in Fron's golden eyes. Narrowing them, he grabbed his staff and yanked it free.
"Shhk!" Valletta spat out a great mouthful of blood. Her heart was already beyond saving.
"Heh... you adventurers... still as boring as ever." Those were her last words before the light faded from her eyes.
Stooping down, Fron picked up the Daedalus' Eye, his expression calm but shadowed by exhaustion.
With his face still streaked in blood that refused to heal under the Incurable Curse, he looked almost monstrous.
And this scene, was witnessed by Thanatos, Barca, and the surviving members of the Evilus.
"..."
At the altar below, the cultists flinched, trembling as they averted their gazes from the god above.
Damn it, are we even the villains here? That guy looks way more terrifying than we do!
Fron's eerie smile sent chills through the air. Most didn't understand what it meant, but Barca's expression darkened, his gut twisting in dread.
He knew, this was bad.
"Trouble, my dear Barca," Thanatos said lightly, almost amused. "That key just fell into the worst possible hands."
Barca didn't reply. His voice was ice.
"Shut up." He turned and vanished into the shadows of the passageway.
Thanatos watched him go, purple divine eyes narrowing with a grin.
"Losing a single key... and now the game's gotten even more unpredictable. Fufufu... how delightful. The mortal realm truly never disappoints! This thrill of the unknown!"
As he spoke, his body trembled in excitement, and elsewhere, many others began to tremble too.
In the sealed underground waterways of Orario, at the Loki Familia's hidden blockade, Loki herself stood silently, her face darker than anyone had ever seen.