"Since we have the results, we can talk later. Let's hurry over to Loki's side first. Fron's already there. I didn't expect the mastermind to be hiding another trick up his sleeve, if Fron hadn't dealt with that bomb, we would've been wiped out here!"
Thinking of the information sent through the Communication Crystal, Finn felt a chill run down his spine. As expected of a god's schemes, he had almost fallen for it.
...
Those Level 6 adventurers who still had some combat strength left, under Finn's lead, soon passed through the massive tunnel blown open by Fron's magic and arrived at the hidden chamber where Loki and Fron were waiting.
Everyone was momentarily shocked by the murals on the walls before rushing over to the two.
"Loki! Fron!"
Without needing to be told, everyone instinctively shielded Loki behind them, then turned to look at the mastermind, Dionysus, who had completely collapsed mentally and was giggling nonsensically.
"Heh… haha… hihihi…"
Everyone: "…"
Fron's expression darkened as he stared at him. Having come this far, he had no intention of letting his guard down and letting some ridiculous reversal happen.
"I lost, Loki."
Suddenly, the deranged Dionysus returned to normal for a moment, lifting his head, revealing a twisted smile to everyone present.
Compared to Loki and Fron, the adventurers who were seeing the god like this for the first time shuddered in fear the moment they saw that smile.
The Banquet of Madness…?
Finn narrowed his eyes, quietly raising his guard.
In mere minutes, the situation had drastically shifted.
The battle he thought he had won was shattered entirely by Fron, and the immense contrast caused his mind to collapse.
But with the adventurers rushing in, he no longer had the chance to do anything.
In the end, after realizing not only his victory but even his methods of prolonging his existence had been cut off, he declared his defeat.
"You are strong. You beautifully destroyed my plan, turning me into a foolish clown! How hateful! Rejoice, mighty heroes and gods!"
He generously praised the adventurers who defeated him, as well as Loki, with the smile of a loser.
But no one was pleased. They waited silently for his inevitable shift in tone.
As expected, his lips curled sharply upward the next instant.
"But you noticed, didn't you, Loki? The time drawn on that painting… has already reached its limit! Hihihi… hehehe…"
"…"
Hearing this, everyone, including Fron, had their expressions change. Loki's eyes darkened even further.
Though she wanted to rebut him, no one knew better than them… that Dionysus was telling the truth.
Ever since entering the Loki Familia in this world, combining his fragmentary memories from his previous life with the libraries' information and conversations with gods, Fron understood this:
There is an oath between the Ouranos and the Dungeon.
The details are unclear, but he knew one thing, This oath's time limit… is about to end.
Otherwise, the two great behemoths Zeus and Hera, who ruled Orario for countless years, would not have so urgently challenged the World Quests.
Their purpose was to weaken the Dungeon's influence, gather achievements, increase their strength, so they could complete the final vow.
Everyone knows this: The world desires Heroes.
This isn't a joke, nor merely the gods' wish, it is the world itself craving salvation.
When the time of the vow arrives, the heroes appear to turn the tide.
Just as Dionysus continued saying, "Even if you stop my ambitions, fate will not halt! Without waiting for the Promised Time, the Lower World will become the Underworld. The calamity I foresaw will descend!"
This alone cannot be shaken.
As if prophesying, Dionysus laughed.
Then he pulled out a dagger from his robes, raised it, and pointed it at himself.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, he plunged it into his own chest.
"What?!"
Even Riveria and the others stared wide-eyed, unable to believe the god's shocking action.
"Pff…"
Dionysus coughed a mouthful of blood, and the next instant, countless rays of light enveloped his body.
"I'll always be watching, from the Tenkai! Watching the Madness you perform!!"
"Hahahaha! Hahaha!!"
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, !!"
Fron ignored the clownish display, his lips curling upward.
"Looking forward to madness, are you? Then you might be disappointed. This world will give birth to heroes, and then… fulfill that ancient vow."
The arduous task of saving the world now awaits the young hero.
For Fron, though, his true intent was simply, To protect what mattered to him.
Having been given a second life, why go courting death?
Aren't the girls nice enough? Isn't a relaxed Isekai life satisfying?
For him, protecting what's important is enough.
...
Under everyone's silent watch, As expected, a golden pillar of light erupted!
In the next moment, the space around Dionysus erupted in blinding flashes.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, !!!!!!!!"
As the mad laughter echoed, the beam of light pierced the skies once more, manifesting above the entire city.
Countless gods halted their work, staring upward.
"So it was you… Dionysus."
Raising her wine glass, the Goddess of Beauty gazed toward the heavenly pillar of light, her charming eyes narrowing slightly.
"What a boring performance."