"Hermes, continue."
As the host, Loki's tone was sharp and commanding, her words laced with a hint of impatience.
To both Hermes and Ganesha, she now seemed just like the Loki of the old Tenkai days—domineering, blunt, and utterly unrestrained.
"A total of thirty-five explosive bases have been identified," Hermes began. "The first was compromised due to Asfi's mistake, which triggered an internal alarm. Although the firestones inside didn't detonate, the incident greatly increased the difficulty of investigating the remaining sites."
"Moreover," he continued, "it appears those bases were deliberately left behind by those bastards."
"They didn't detonate… That does sound intentional," Ganesha muttered.
He hadn't expected Hermes's team to run into trouble on their first attempt, yet the outcome had revealed something unexpected. Still, it left him with one glaring question.
"Why would they do that? Setting up warehouses full of firestones and leaving thirty-five sites exposed—who are they trying to draw out?"
The thought left Ganesha stunned.
Was Evilus really going to such lengths just to find one person?
"I believe it's because Evilus has been suffering setback after setback lately," Hermes explained. "The Ishtar incident, the 'Xenos' affair, the Spirit embryo situation, and the matter of the Black Dragon—especially that last one, which had nothing to do with them. It's only natural they'd start suspecting someone's been working against them from the shadows."
His implication was clear enough.
"Oh…"
Realization dawned on Ganesha. His eyes immediately shifted toward Hestia.
So that was it. All this chaos from Evilus was really just to find her child.
Hermes carried on.
"Adding to that, there's already tension between the Spirits and Evilus. It's no wonder they suspect outside interference. Whether it's the Guild, 'Enyo,' or a third party, they're trying to confirm who's behind it."
"But judging from their desperate behavior this time," Hermes added, "it's clear they still haven't identified anyone besides me."
Evilus's series of probes had accomplished nothing but trapping Hermes in their net.
And since he represented the Guild, this incident had merely confirmed to Evilus what they already knew—that the Guild was hunting them.
Which, as Hermes pointed out, was hardly surprising.
If the Guild weren't keeping tabs on Evilus, that would be strange.
In the end, their test had changed nothing.
But as Hermes went on, his expression darkened.
"However, if they've gone this far—staging such a massive distraction on the surface—it means they're already prepared for a decisive battle down in the Dungeon."
"That," he said gravely, "is what we should be most concerned about."
When he finished, silence fell over the room.
Ganesha ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Isn't this putting us at an even greater disadvantage?"
But Hermes slowly shook his head.
"No. The initiative is in our hands now. We just need to wait… until—"
"Pardon the interruption."
The familiar voice cut through the room, and the faintly troubled look on Hermes's face vanished in an instant.
"You're back. We've been waiting quite a while."
Turning toward the sound, Hermes saw a boy standing where moments ago there had been only empty space.
Every gaze in the room shifted to him as the boy gave a polite bow.
"My apologies for the delay. The Evilus base in the Dungeon was larger than I anticipated. It took some time to make a full sweep."
Bell's report made Ganesha's eyes flash.
"Their objective is now confirmed—they're transporting the 'Spirit Embryos' from the Upper Floors. But this time, both their number and scale are completely different from before."
With a snap of his fingers, an image projection appeared and froze on a vast chamber filled with glowing pods.
"This is…"
Every god in the room frowned, their brows furrowing deeply.
"I believe this is the core of their plan to invade Orario," Bell explained. "They're using the 'Spirit Embryos' to infect humans, transforming them into half-human, half-monster beings. Based on my assessment, each embryo possesses roughly Lv.5 strength, with a few even reaching Lv.6."
"The total count is fifty-four."
As Bell finished, the room fell silent. The gods' faces darkened all at once.
That number—and that level of strength—was staggering. There was no doubt Evilus had already assembled a terrifying army. If they were allowed to seize the initiative, the war between Orario and Evilus would be lost before it even began.
"The number of Lv.5s is far higher than I expected," Hermes muttered.
He had long known of the existence of the 'Spirit Soldiers,' but he hadn't imagined their ranks had grown to fifty-four.
"With that many, they might already outnumber the combined total of all Lv.5 adventurers in Orario's familias."
Level 5 adventurers were the backbone of every familia—true for even the strongest, like Freya's and Loki's.
If Evilus deployed such numbers to invade Orario, the city would be crushed under the sheer weight of that onslaught.
"This is… bad," Ganesha said, rubbing his temples.
If that many 'Spirit Soldiers' attacked the city at once, the situation could spiral completely beyond control.
"We can't let Evilus fight on the surface!"
That conviction snapped through his voice as Ganesha rose sharply to his feet. His expression was grave.
"If the battle shifts above ground, Evilus will have every advantage, and their movements will be impossible to predict."
"Besides those 'Spirit Soldiers,' those children who've willingly turned themselves into cannon fodder would also be in terrible danger."
The image of those children—devoted followers of Evilus—made his chest tighten painfully.
He knew they had been deceived, manipulated by those monsters. Otherwise, why would those kids charge forward clutching firestones, ready to blow themselves up?
There was regret in Ganesha's heart, but no pity.
That was the path those children had chosen, and not even the gods could undo that choice.
Still, facing enemies who fought through suicide attacks was enough to make anyone's head ache.
Strength no longer mattered—before such methods, everyone was equal.
Which was why the battlefield could never, under any circumstance, be allowed to move to the surface where Evilus held the advantage.