Although the people of the city didn't have any clear sources of information, from various minor details, and even hearsay, they could vaguely sense that "some kind of existence" was gradually approaching.
This kind of "omen" silently spread throughout the labyrinth city Orario. The winds rise, and the storm approaches, the entire city was filled with an atmosphere of unease.
The red-light district, also known as the "city that never sleeps," had recently become much quieter at night. Although most brothels still had their lights on and continued operating as usual, the most luxurious high-end establishments, industries belonging to the Ishtar Familia, had all shut their doors tightly, and not a single battle courtesan who used to come and go could now be seen.
The workshop district at the headquarters of the Hephaestus Familia remained as busy as ever. The sound of hammers striking metal echoed between the workshops, and overtime production was underway with great enthusiasm. Yet at the same time, the largest production faction in the city had closed the specialty store at the Babel Tower, a "Temporarily Closed" sign now hung at the entrance.
The base of the [Freya Familia], the "Folkvanger," which was usually filled with shouting and commotion, had now become particularly quiet. Including [King] Ottar, many high-level adventurers were nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, the [Ganesha Familia] had dispatched adventurers to guard the complex Daedalus Street around the clock. Day or night, patrol squads made up of Lv.4 and even Lv.5 adventurers were stationed at various key locations.
In bars throughout the city, adventurers gathered and treated these scattered clues as gossip, discussing the current state of the city.
Many adventurers possessed keen instincts, especially an acute sense for danger. Recently, in many bars, conversations often shifted from trivial gossip to analysis and speculation of potential crises.
Merchants with special connections also joined in, sharing the "insider information" they heard. Many pieces of intelligence, far more credible than rumors on the street, quietly circulated.
As for the main gods of each faction, most were becoming restless due to the divine intuition stirring in the depths of their hearts. Greedily speculating on what significant upheaval might occur, they eagerly anticipated the arrival of "that day."
Though their thoughts varied, many factions had already begun to prepare for the worst.
———
In a dim alley of Orario, a group of adventurers surrounded a god.
"Ikelos, you recognize this thing, don't you?", Goddess Loki smiled as she raised the pair of goggles in her hand, the lenses still stained with blood.
The god being surrounded was indeed Ikelos. He had deep blue hair and eyes, pale skin, and wore black clothing. He appeared young, around prime age, and carried an air of decadence.
The god casually glanced at the goggles in Loki's hand and scratched his head, "Ah, Loki, it's too hard to lie in front of you... For the sake of us both being from the heavens, can't you cut me a little slack?"
Loki's smile remained unchanged, "What do you think~?"
Ikelos: "Probably not... Sigh, that brat Dix really did get me into trouble."
The goggles in Loki's hand were the remains of the Ikelos Familia's captain, [Hazer] Dix Perdix.
Although Ikelos nominally had a Familia, in truth, the faction was nothing more than a poacher group under Dix's personal command.
Ikelos had no interest in managing a Familia. For him, the weight of good and evil was completely beneath that of "whether it was interesting." Whether an act was righteous or wicked, as long as it amused him, he was happy to watch from the sidelines.
In fact, many gods in Orario shared this mentality. Many gods of small-to-medium Familias also went with the flow, letting the direction of the Familia depend entirely on the will of the captain or upper ranks. Whether they did good or evil, the gods simply smiled and praised them for doing well.
It's just that most "laid-back" gods had ordinary followers: people without the power or courage to become heroes, and who also didn't want or dare to do evil. So in the end, most of these Familias simply developed into ordinary exploration-based factions.
Ikelos, however, had the "fortune" of obtaining Dix, a [Hazer] not only of noble birth and outstanding talent but also full of initiative.
With the god watching idly, he still led his subordinates to expand the "criminal organization," bringing the god considerable amusement.
And now, because of Dix's actions, Ikelos himself had been dragged into the mess. The god found this rather fated.
"If I confess everything now and tell you all that I know, will there be any leniency?", Ikelos bargained.
Though he admired Dix, Ikelos had no real feelings or loyalty for him, the other Familia members, or even the dark factions cooperating with Dix.
Loki narrowed her eyes, "We can change your punishment from being sent back to heaven to five hundred years of exile or solitary confinement. How about it, worth it?"
Ikelos: "Deal."
Then, he immediately began to reveal the intel, "Actually, my captain Dix is a descendant of that ancient architect, Daedalus."
Daedalus, a legendary figure from a thousand years ago. In the era when gods first descended to the lower world, he was the most famous architect of the city and among the first to receive [Falna].
Through Ikelos's account, Loki and the others learned of a hidden story.
As the other side of genius, Daedalus was also a madman. He was obsessively in love with the grandeur of the dungeon to the point of losing his mind.
And his ultimate wish was to create a work that surpassed the dungeon.
In the end, Daedalus's obsession turned into the grandest and maddest work of his life, Artificial Labyrinth [Knossos].
However, although Daedalus was a genius, he was still a human. With only a short lifetime, he was fundamentally incapable of completing such a massive dream.
But Daedalus refused to acknowledge his limitations or stop there. His madness drove him to make a decision, to leave this unachievable dream for his descendants to inherit.
Thus, using his bloodline as a medium, Daedalus cast a "curse," forcibly binding this heavy dream to his descendants through blood ties and obsession.
From then on, every generation of the Daedalus family inherited this cursed fate, forced to devote themselves to this endless construction, spending their entire lives chasing this unfulfilled dream of the labyrinth.
Regardless of the descendants' personalities or aspirations, none could escape this destiny. Each carried Daedalus's unfinished wish. Passed down for generations, the family members struggled between pain and frenzy, continuing to build the artificial labyrinth.
Finn and the others guessed the [Artificial Labyrinth] had been under construction for decades, but that underestimated the tragic thousand-year wish of the entire clan.
Yet even after a thousand years of effort and construction, the artificial labyrinth remained incomplete. Though Daedalus's descendants poured their hearts into it, Knossos had only reached the middle layers of the dungeon. The completed portion amounted to merely 30% of Daedalus's original blueprint.
"Dix is a descendant of Daedalus, but he always refused to follow his ancestor's will, preferring to live as he pleased," Ikelos said.
Although always hands-off with Familia members, Ikelos was not completely ignorant about his captain.
"By contrast, his brother Barca seems to have completely submitted to Daedalus's will…"
———
"We still have the 'Fallen Spirits' as a trump card, that much I know, Enyo," The Death God Thanatos spoke with a calm tone as he looked at the black-robed figure before him.
"But, there's no time left to train them, is there?"
To complete Enyo's plan, at least six fully matured Fallen Spirits were required.
But at this moment, even including those not yet fully developed, there were only five.
The adventurers' offensive was imminent. Time had already run out.
According to the original plan, at least another year was needed to secretly nurture them. Only when all the Fallen Spirits had fully transformed would they launch the final step to destroy the city.
Yet no one expected the Loki Familia's progress to be so fast. They had quickly broken through the fifty-ninth floor, ruining all the arrangements that had been laid with great effort.
"It's just that the original plan can't be carried out anymore," Enyo's voice came from beneath the black robe, "There are other options."
However, Thanatos seemed disinterested.
Without Valletta, the like-minded companion who firmly opposed the city, and with the worsening situation, Thanatos was already feeling bored and weary.
"First, we can use the [Collapse] of the artificial labyrinth and the power of the Fallen Spirits to bury the Loki Familia within it," Enyo spoke coldly.
"That kind of plan won't truly destroy the city," Thanatos shook his head, a hint of mockery in his expression, "Enyo, that approach has no style at all. It's like the final struggle of some tasteless villain, no beauty to it."
"But at least with that, we'll get to witness the death of many brilliant souls... Barca, for sure, won't want to leave the city," Thanatos thought, "And right now, even if I wanted to leave the city, it wouldn't be so easy."
Thanatos looked seriously at Enyo, "Fine, let's do it that way. But I have one condition."
"The [Saber], that dazzling, brilliant soul, must be sent to the underworld."
Hearing Thanatos's words, the features beneath Enyo's mask twisted completely.
"No problem," He smiled as he spoke.
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