With all the chaos unfolding in Orario, the Evilus lurking within the Dungeon had naturally been keeping a close eye on the situation.
"The Guild really has been watching us all along."
This came as no surprise to Thanatos. In fact, if Ganesha hadn't been monitoring them, he would've started to wonder whether Orario was preparing some sort of move against them.
"But for it to be Ganesha who leaked the information…"
"It seems they've already found the location of our base."
"Troublesome."
If the circumstances allowed it, Thanatos would have ordered an immediate invasion of Orario.
Unfortunately, they did not.
Even an invasion required a certain threshold of power. If they lacked that strength, once the operation began, there would be no room for retreat.
The "Spirit Soldiers" were their most effective weapon against Orario.
But even a weapon like that needed its blade sharpened. If they couldn't make it razor-sharp, its threat to Orario would drop sharply.
And right now, the "Spirit Soldiers" were still in the middle of that refinement process. It was not yet time to deploy them.
"We still need more time... but Orario won't give us that time, will they?"
Thanatos frowned deeply.
Less than two days remained until the "Spirit Soldiers" were fully ready to hatch. What worried him was that the Guild might accelerate their own actions—perhaps even start their mobilization tomorrow.
And it was at that thought that something else struck him—something far more important.
"Wait... how did Ganesha even find the base's location?"
That question wasn't minor—it was critical.
It meant there might be a traitor among them.
Most of the children who joined Evilus were those who had already fallen into complete despair. Without that despair, they wouldn't even have been accepted.
So among those broken children... was there a spy from Ganesha hiding among them?
Thanatos considered it, but quickly dismissed the thought.
If it wasn't a mole, then how had Ganesha found the base?
The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. Somewhere along the way, he must have slipped up—but where? How had Ganesha managed to track them down so precisely?
Then, suddenly, his face darkened.
"Don't tell me... it's him!?"
It would've been difficult for Ganesha to uncover the base's location from the outside—but from the inside? That was another story.
"If it was that man... he might have really leaked the exact location."
"The hidden labyrinth built by Daedalus's descendants... those craftsmen were infamous for leaving secret backdoors for themselves. It wouldn't surprise me if other hidden passages existed."
"Then... it really was him!"
Thanatos's expression turned grim, his face sinking into shadow.
"Enyo... is this your idea of revenge against me?"
"Because I didn't act according to your plan, you decided to use the Guild to wipe me out completely?"
At that moment, Thanatos already had his answer.
He also understood why Enyo had chosen to borrow another's blade to strike.
It was simple—Evilus needed to be the weapon. But that weapon couldn't be held in his, Thanatos's, hands. It had to be wielded by Enyo.
And to make that possible, Enyo needed to remove him entirely.
By eliminating him, Enyo would also send a warning throughout all of Evilus.
If Enyo's plan succeeded, the most troublesome piece—Thanatos himself—would be erased, Evilus would suffer a heavy blow, and the Guild, satisfied with its purge, would temporarily halt its pursuit of total annihilation.
So Enyo's goal was clear.
To rebuild and unify Evilus.
Once Thanatos pieced together that man's logic, cold fury filled his eyes.
"That bastard... he really does see me as nothing more than a tool, a stepping stone."
Even as a god, pride and rage burned fiercely within him.
"Fine! Fine! Let's see who you really are, Enyo!"
Thanatos immediately ordered his followers to inspect every trap in the base that had been prepared long ago.
Those traps were designed precisely to repel intruders—and this time, they would serve their purpose.
If they could hold the front line just long enough, and let the "Spirit Soldiers" complete their incubation, they would have enough power to drive the Guild back.
The key to this counteroffensive was simple—buy time.
...
"News from the tavern has already spread throughout Orario. Now, those aware of the Guild's coming action include not only the surface Familia but also the underground Evilus."
It was an expected outcome. That was precisely why Bell, after confirming this, had disguised himself as a member of the Ganesha Familia to leak select intelligence.
"Right now, every surface Familia is watching Ganesha and the Guild, waiting to see how they move."
"As for the underground Evilus, they've probably already started checking their traps and are on constant alert for a Guild assault."
"Bell, I have a question!"
Hestia raised her hand, looking puzzled.
"Go ahead."
"What if Evilus decides to retreat? If they know the Guild is going to invade, wouldn't it make sense to withdraw instead?"
"Hmm. It's not impossible," Bell admitted. "But most likely, they'll stay put and wait for the final confrontation."
"Why? You've already spread the intel that exposes their location. If they know they've been discovered, why fight to the end? Wouldn't relocating be smarter?"
Hestia genuinely thought preserving their forces would be the wiser move.
"Simply put, that's no longer an option."
Bell shook his head.
"When they accelerated the incubation of the 'Spirit Soldiers' two days ago, they cut off their retreat entirely. That process can't be reversed. Once it begins, if the 'Spirit Soldiers' aren't unleashed in battle, their next targets will be Evilus themselves."
"To speed up the incubation, they used a special method—but that also meant losing control over the 'Spirit Soldiers.'"
"If they stopped the plan now, they'd lose everything. The 'Spirit Soldiers,' driven by their instinct to destroy, would turn against them."
"So from the very start, once they set this plan in motion, retreat was no longer an option. The only path left to them was forward."
They had burned their ships—destroyed every way back—leaving only the road ahead.
Three days ago, Evilus had made that choice.
They had meant to deliver a 'grand gift' to Orario. But after the tables turned, that same 'gift' ended up cutting off their last hope of survival.