Three days later—the day Amphisbaena would refresh.
At dawn, Tiona and Tione were already in Tsunayoshi's room.
"How about it? Do we head out right now?" Tiona could no longer wait to face Amphisbaena.
"No rush. There are a few things we should clarify first," Tsunayoshi said, unhurried. In the current Dungeon, Amphisbaena was without doubt the hardest floor boss to handle, so no one was likely to steal it. As long as he wasn't the one cutting in, basically no one would.
"The last two months you went to the Great Azure Falls every refresh. Some people—some familias—may already know your pattern. So we have to be extra careful this time." The Loki Familia might not be everyone's mortal enemy in Orario, but it was close enough. That made any floor-boss expedition a special-risk outing.
"First priority is to erase our presence," he went on. "If someone really is waiting, their traps are already set down there. Think of what happened to the Astraea Familia."
At that, the sisters snapped to attention. They knew the Astraea incident well. If the rescuer hadn't been Tsunayoshi, those girls would hardly have escaped.
And just as he said: for two straight months the sisters had gone on Amphisbaena's refresh day, and they hadn't masked their levels. Anyone with half a brain would guess they were going for Great Feats. That made them obvious marks.
"In my view that's the normal scenario—and a highly likely one," Tsunayoshi said. "Loki Familia is the second-strongest large familia in Orario, and Loki's name carries weight among gods. But once you're in the Dungeon, that deterrence is gone."
"Because anyone willing to ambush is ready to die with you," he added. "If they bury you in the Dungeon, what happens topside won't matter. That's what happened with Astraea's girls."
"I get it. And if someone really is lying in ambush?" Tiona asked, wanting the plan for what came next.
Tsunayoshi smiled. "Isn't the answer obvious? Dungeon matters aren't governed by surface rules. If they've made full preparations, then making sure they stay down there forever is only fitting."
Tiona and Tione blinked—then grinned.
"Exactly. Leave them all in the Dungeon," Tiona said. She wasn't the merciful type when it came to enemies. "If they ambush us, we kill them all."
"In the Dungeon, the rule is survival of the fittest. If an ambush fails, you pay the price," Tione added coldly. She had no interest in holding back.
Tsunayoshi agreed completely; that had been his thought from the start. The Dungeon was forbidden even to gods. Surface "order" was a joke down there. You didn't like the rules, you didn't play. Ambushes weren't about sympathy—they were about murder. Showing no mercy was the greatest respect you could give such enemies.
"Good. With our stance on ambushers settled, we follow my rhythm," he said. "All right?"
"No problem." "No problem," the sisters answered in perfect sync.
"Then let's go."
A barrier enveloped the three of them. Space shifted—replaced by a single figure in a blue-and-black coat: an assassin.
The assassin's silhouette vanished into the air. Unseen, unfollowed, unconfirmed, the figure slipped out of Twilight Manor, entered the Dungeon without notice, and made its way to the Great Azure Falls without the slightest obstruction.
It was quiet as ever. Too quiet.
"…As expected," Tsunayoshi murmured from within the extra dimension, his tone that of someone stating the obvious.
"Mm. There's definitely an ambush," Tione said at once. "The Great Azure Falls is a special three-layer fused floor with different species and habitats. Under normal conditions, it doesn't get this quiet—unless large numbers of adventurers flood the area and drive the monsters deeper."
Tsunayoshi agreed. He might lack endless Dungeon experience, but he knew caution. A scene this unnatural screamed danger.
"Given that Ishtar leaked some of my information at the Denatus, they likely know my ability involves 'space.' They may even have countermeasures prepared. So, first we 'send you two out.'"
He snapped his fingers. Two doppelganger puppets materialized—perfect mirrors of Tiona and Tione.
"My guess is the ambushers are waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Letting them wait politely isn't ideal. We'll deliver their 'moment' to them ourselves."
He smiled, then added, "But before we hand them that chance, we set the rat trap. I don't intend to let a single mouse escape."
(End of Chapter)
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