"It has already failed," Enyo walked alone in a dark passage, muttering to himself.
The plan he had been preparing ever since the [Nightmare of the 27th Floor] incident, by now, it could be said to have completely collapsed.
His original plan had been extremely grand, to place six Fallen Spirits at different locations within the artificial labyrinth, encircling the city to form the "Six Elf-Spirit Ring."
This magic formation was a reproduction of the ancient era's great magic used to slay the Evil Dragon, capable of erasing the entire Orario in a single strike.
Going further, he had also planned to lure adventurers from the major Familias to go and subjugate these Fallen Spirits, and then, through the seventh Fallen Spirit, drag all the "Seeds of Heroes" of this era into a dead end.
If successful, the strongest adventurers of the present age would be annihilated, the world's order would collapse, monsters would spiral out of control and spread madly, and the legacy of heroes would be severed. The labyrinth city... no, the entire world would fall into endless "MADNESS".
But all of this had now turned to dust. This plan could no longer be completed.
Because of the [Loki Familia] and the [Vouivre].
The Loki Familia's expedition breaking through the fifty-ninth floor directly disrupted the entire plan, exposing the existence of the Fallen Spirits more than a year ahead of schedule.
And afterward, the Loki Familia directly set their sights on them, biting down like rabid hounds and refusing to let go.
The Vouivre, relying on nearly outrageous combat power, rampaged through the dungeon. Everywhere she went, she crushed everything like dry weeds, not only destroying the Seedbeds for training Fallen Spirits but also snatching away a crucial jewel from their hands.
And that conceited Dix, who always looked down on monsters, also died by her sword, without even getting a chance to resist. He even handed over an important "key."
"No, the real problem is 'that man'," Enyo walked alone through the dark corridor, a twisted and mad light flashing under his mask.
He had always thought that the Loki Familia shouldn't have had the ability to reach the fifty-ninth floor of the dungeon in such a short time.
And yet, it had happened.
With no concrete evidence, Enyo obsessively believed that it was the existence of the [Saber] Shirou Emiya that had made the Loki Familia's expedition a success.
As for the Vouivre, Ein had also mentioned that her overwhelming strength came not only from her unreasonable draconic abilities but also from a swordsmanship style identical to that of the [Saber].
Therefore, it was [Saber] Shirou Emiya who had destroyed his perfect plan.
Normally, this should provoke hatred and anger. But unexpectedly, at this moment, Enyo didn't feel angry at all. Instead, an indescribable, more twisted emotion was growing in his heart.
The Death God Thanatos seemed to value that boy's dazzling soul and wanted to claim it for the underworld.
That was something Enyo would not allow.
"Even if I can't destroy the city, it doesn't matter anymore," He grinned viciously, "Shirou Emiya, I'm going to make you experience complete despair."
"I will make you become, the true [Demon King] of madness!", Enyo stepped out of a hidden exit of the artificial labyrinth and entered an inconspicuous alley.
He removed his black robe and mask, revealing a handsome face and radiant golden hair.
Now, he once again became the handsome, gentle, and beloved god of wine, Dionysus.
———
When he returned to the Familia's base, the children immediately greeted the god affectionately. Dionysus responded with a warm smile and gently nodded in reply.
Only Aura ignored him, clutching something in her arms and walking quickly past him.
Her expression was serious, her eyes never straying, as if this god didn't exist at all.
And Dionysus likewise, subconsciously ignored her.
Rather, it should be said, there was no one in his eyes at all.
———
Three mornings later, Shirou and the others were enjoying a warm breakfast in the rebuilt annex of [Hostess of Fertility].
On the table was a vegetable and lean meat porridge personally prepared by Goddess Demeter. The fragrance was rich, the rice grains full and tender, paired with the savory taste of the meat, creating a particularly comforting flavor. There was also freshly baked bread, its crispy crust glistening golden, and next to it, sizzling roast meat dripping with juices, irresistibly mouthwatering.
Ryuu drank her porridge in big gulps, then looked up at Goddess Demeter, "Goddess-sama, we'll trouble you to stay with Loki-sama today. The Ganesha Familia's adventurers will be in charge of protecting your safety."
As one of the top combat powers in the city, [Gale] naturally had to participate in today's operation to attack the artificial labyrinth. And the Ganesha Familia, as the steadfast shield protecting civilians, would take on the role of maintaining the ground front line.
Goddess Demeter nodded seriously, "I understand. Don't worry, Ryuu."
Shirou, Ryuu, Lunoire, and their other companions sat around the table, enjoying breakfast. Lunoire picked up bacon with a fork, eating it with toast. As she savored it, she said, "Goddess-sama's cooking is just too delicious. To have such a breakfast before today's mission, it's such a blessing."
"Yeah, way better than Mama Mia's cooking... nyah...", Anya mumbled through a mouthful of bread. But before she could finish her sentence, she was punched by Mama Mia, who had appeared at some unknown point.
"You brat, no matter how much food you eat, it never shuts your mouth," Mia furiously rubbed the catgirl's head.
Across the table, Goddess Demeter folded her hands over her chest, her face full of maternal kindness. In a soft voice, she said, "May you all return safely. I will always be praying for you."
———
[Central Area of Daedalus Street]
Thanks to the "betrayal" of God Ikelos, or rather, his return to the light, adventurers had obtained a wealth of high-value information regarding the artificial labyrinth.
Among them, the most important was the secret entrance to the artificial labyrinth in Daedalus Street, used by Dix's poacher group.
Within the tight formation deployed by the [Ganesha Familia], the red-haired Amazon Ilta was grumbling, "Sorry, elder sister... but I'm really pissed! Why can't we be part of the first assault wave? That little pallum always treats us like tools!"
Standing beside her, Shakti remained calm, "Our mission is to guard all entrances, including Daedalus Street. Besides keeping civilians out, we also have to stop anyone trying to flee. That's also an important part of the encirclement net."
Ilta: "But because of what they did during the [Monsterphilia], our Ganesha Familia's reputation suffered a lot."
Hearing this, Ganesha immediately struck a serious pose and shouted, "Don't be mad, Ilta! Stay calm! Just like I, Ganesha, calmly face everything!"
"Shut up, Ganesha!"
"Quiet, Ganesha."
However, the elephant-faced god Ganesha appeared with a dignified posture, not disheartened by his Familia's attitude. On the contrary, he straightened up even more.
Solemnly, he said, "It's enough if we can become the shield protecting the people. Gains and losses of reputation are not worth worrying about."
These words made Shakti and Ilta both widen their eyes slightly in surprise.
Shakti gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "Come to think of it, we've already moved into that kind of headquarters. What reputation do we even have left?"
[T/N: (Fun Fact) Name of Ganesha Familia's Headquarter is 'I Am Ganesha'.]
"You're right, elder sister...", Ilta nodded helplessly.
Ganesha didn't mind at all and still declared loudly, "I am Ganesha!"
Shakti and the others turned to face a hole opened in the wall, a downward-leading passage.
That was the hidden, concealed magic den, [Artificial Labyrinth/Knossos].
Ilta: "Speaking of which, I heard the [Saber] will be at the front lines too. After this battle, won't he level up to Lv.5? I really want to see how strong he actually is, maybe I should challenge him?"
Hearing this, Shakti couldn't help but smack her forehead and sighed, "Please, Ilta, just consider your own race (Amazon) for a second, don't go out there to die."
She was already troubled by the overinflation of the "Sword Demon King's" power. If her own vice-captain turned traitor, Shakti really might cry.
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