The puppet had already entered the rest space; Sawada Tsunayoshi told it to stop outside. What came next would depend on Loki's stance.
"They're here."
A television materialized before him. On the screen were Loki—and another goddess behind her.
"Tsuna, let me introduce you. This is the Astraea Familia's patron, Astraea herself."
Sawada Tsunayoshi was a little surprised to meet like this. He glanced over Astraea—eyes faintly red, appearance a bit disheveled, an air of someone easy to push around.
Did Miss Loki just bully her?
He kept the thought to himself and moved smoothly to courtesy.
"Good evening, Lady Astraea."
Astraea said nothing at first. Instead, she bowed deeply.
"Thank you—thank you for hearing my prayer and saving my children."
Sawada Tsunayoshi gave a small nod, accepting the thanks—and understanding what filled her mind right now.
"Just now, your girls arrived. Do you want to see them?"
"Of course!"
Her voice jumped a full register. Not unexpected. Still, Tsunayoshi needed to set expectations.
"Their condition is terrible. Please be prepared."
Astraea had, in truth, steeled herself—especially after Loki told her the issue of severed limbs could be solved. She kept her feelings in check and nodded.
With her assent, Sawada Tsunayoshi had the puppet step into his room and pull the Astraea girls straight out of the other dimension.
"—!"
Drawn from the void, the Astraea girls stared wide-eyed at the screen—at their goddess.
In an instant, all the hard-won composure they'd held crumbled. Tears welled and spilled unchecked.
They hadn't broken even facing a near-death board—but at the sight of family, the dam burst. They didn't wail; they only wept, and it made Astraea's heart ache.
Through the screen, Astraea saw Alise and Kaguya's empty right sleeves; Lyra's missing legs; Ryuu's missing right arm; Celty's missing left arm. The others looked less visibly wounded, but their torn, blood-stiff clothes told the story of how bad it had been.
Sawada Tsunayoshi stood.
"I'll go get Finn and the others."
He left the room with that, and the quiet, well-insulated halls of the Great Tree House swallowed any sound from behind the door.
He knew where Finn, Gareth, and Riveria were staying. He went to Riveria first.
Knock, knock, knock.
About a minute later, the door opened. Riveria stood within in loose sleepwear.
"Tsuna? This late—what is it?"
He nodded.
"I just pulled the Astraea Familia out of an 'anomalous incident' on Floor 30. It's bad—missing arms and legs. And several of their outfits are in tatters. I need your help."
"!?"
"You went to Floor 30 alone?"
The elf's green eyes trembled.
"Riveria, that isn't the priority right now."
He shook his head. Riveria blinked out of the shock, turned back into the room.
"Give me a moment."
She returned quickly, both arms stacked high with clothing. There were eleven in Astraea's party; she'd brought sets to fit that count so everyone could change.
"They're in my room. Go right in."
"Understood."
He watched her depart, then headed to Gareth's door.
Knock, knock, knock.
In under ten seconds, Gareth swung it open.
"Oh, Tsuna. Up this late to chat with the old man?"
"Chat, yes—but it's complicated. I already asked Riveria to tend to the Astraea girls I've placed in my room…"
Gareth's grin faded. His face turned grave.
"Sounds big."
"It is. And it ties directly to the 'anomalies' we've been running into. Let's bring Finn in so I don't repeat it twice."
Together they went to Finn's room. The moment the door opened, they walked right in, leaving Finn blinking.
He sat across from them, bewildered.
"What is going on?"
"I sent a puppet to Floor 30. I found the Dark Faction exploiting the dungeon's mechanics to strike the Astraea Familia."
Tsunayoshi went straight to the point. The bluntness left Finn a beat behind; then it clicked.
"So the dungeon 'anomalies' were caused by the Dark Faction?"
"Yeah. Over the past week, the dungeon's behavior has been on and off. I suspect they were testing what they discovered. Keeping the place in a 'stress response'—more monsters on most floors, even mutated floor bosses."
Good grief.
Finn hadn't expected the Dark Faction's remnants to churn up something this large. To find a dungeon mechanism and "test" it until half the city's underworld shook—well, it did sound exactly like them.
"And they targeted the Astraea Familia?"
"Yes. Their condition is awful. Five with severed limbs; the rest seriously wounded."
"That brutal…"
Finn and Gareth understood then just how far the Dark Faction had gone. They'd aimed to annihilate Astraea's banner.
Why target them? Both men had answers. Most likely—because of "Justice."
Rip down that flag, and you strike Orario itself. Exactly the message the Dark Faction wanted to send.
(End of Chapter)
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