During All For One's expedition elsewhere...
---
Inside what could be assumed to be a holding pen for monsters, an important meeting was about to be held between two different familias.
"AHHH!"
But the captain of one side seemed far too engrossed in torturing a poor Siren monster to care about the people who had just entered through the path leading to one of their secret gates inside the dungeon.
"AHHH!" Another cry of pain escaped the caged Siren, a spear cutting through her wings, blood spilling slowly.
Sirens were quite similar to another monster called a Harpy. They had a female figure from the waist up, while the rest of their bodies were feathery, resembling vultures. They also had wings in place of hands, allowing them to fly.
As for this particular Siren, Lili couldn't believe her eyes. It wasn't just blood that was spilling from her—it was also tears.
A monster was crying.
"You ugly abomination!" said Dix Perdix with twisted glee behind his goggles, his hand gripping the weapon that had made this monster weep. "This is all you're good for!"
He continued to taunt and slice at the Siren, each time targeting more vulnerable parts of the monster's body. Each cut was rewarded with another painful scream.
Liliruca Arde took a deep, measured breath, trying not to project her disturbance.
How had she ended up here? Well, after Bell-sama parted ways with her—after giving her the means to defend herself—she wasn't alone for long. That scumbag Zanis rejoined her, along with the same bald brute and another female Amazoness, likely from the same familia.
Zanis explained that they were to follow them to their base. Upon entering the forest, both she and Zanis were forced to wear blindfolds for confidentiality regarding the base's location.
Zanis took that as an insult but didn't protest much.
Navigating the forest blindfolded wasn't a hard task thanks to the Amazoness guide. Not much later, they passed through what Lili assumed was a kind of gate from the noises and atmosphere change.
Soon after, the brute decided it was time to take their blindfolds off—and Lili was met with a long, dark corridor. They navigated the maze-like structure until they finally saw light.
And here they were—in a holding pen, with the whole familia present. Dix Perdix, the captain, was the most active among them.
"Good luck, sister," Lili's Amazoness guide said as she joined her familia, waving cheerfully toward her.
She likely thought Lili was also an Amazoness, considering Lili was still disguised as one using her transformation magic.
Zanis didn't seem at all bothered by Dix's brutal torture of the monster, simply humming to himself and waiting.
Lili wasn't so calm—at least not internally.
Bell-sama would be disappointed if she let such a scene disturb her. She had to stay strong.
"Dix!" the brute called out to his captain. Apparently, he had been so engrossed in torturing the Siren that he hadn't noticed them enter—or maybe he just didn't care.
Dix raised his spear to land the finishing blow on the monster but stopped short, his bloodlust momentarily satisfied. "You two," he gestured to two nearby members, "take this thing and give it minimum healing potions," he spat, turning toward Lili and the others.
"They pay good even for used ones," he added while focusing specifically on Lili.
Lili felt a shiver run down her spine for some reason.
As the two familia members followed orders, Dix descended toward them with a nonchalant air.
"Gran," he addressed the brute, "I'm surprised they're in one piece under your watch!" He chuckled as he removed his goggles, revealing blood-red eyes beneath them.
Gran looked like he wanted to speak, but Zanis beat him to it.
"Dix!" he said with a warm smile—a fake one, of course. "I hope we didn't miss your latest... endeavor?" he asked with a greedy glint in his eyes.
Dix scoffed. "No need to drag this further." His red eyes turned toward Lili, scanning every detail about her.
She fought the urge to squirm under his gaze.
"A bit short for an Amazoness," he commented dryly.
Zanis chuckled. "Believe me, it doesn't matter." It seemed he had no intention of revealing her true race. "She has what you need—transformation magic!" he announced with a dramatic hand gesture.
The people around them began whispering to each other. It seemed they were curious about Lili's nature as well.
Dix eyed Lili carefully. "Under normal circumstances, I would've used that abomination I was putting in place as bait," he said with clear distaste.
Lili assumed he was referring to the Siren.
"What can you transform into, girl?" Dix asked bluntly, clearly trying to understand the limits of her magic.
Zanis opened his mouth to answer for her, but Lili beat him to it.
"I can transform into multiple races," she said calmly, showing no fear. "Upon each transformation, I inherit some traits of the race I shift into."
Dix didn't look impressed. "Can you transform into a monster?" he asked with an impatient tone.
Monster? Was that what all this was about?
"...I can transform into goblins, kobolds, and basically any monster that's roughly the same size as me," she answered truthfully, not seeing a reason to lie.
Dix smirked. It seemed her answer piqued his interest. "How long can you hold a transformation?"
Lili thought about it. She'd never had issues maintaining one. She sometimes stayed transformed for more than a day.
"As long as I want," she said confidently.
Dix laughed. "Yes, you'll do," he said, gesturing toward her with the bloodied spear he had used to torture the Siren.
Zanis coughed. "Now... about my payment for each trip," he said, smirking with greed, clearly happy to profit off her.
Lili wasn't going to let that slide.
"You mean our payment?" she said sweetly, smiling innocently. The words hung in the air.
Zanis blinked, caught off guard.
"Lili, this is not the time for jokes," Zanis chuckled awkwardly, but the strange dynamic between them earned a raised eyebrow from Dix.
"What jokes?" Lili replied with a tilt of her head. "We agreed to split it evenly. Did you forget, Zanis-sama?" She was playing a dangerous game, but it was better to undermine Zanis right now than to let him hold all the power in this deal.
Just as Bell-sama told her to.
Zanis snarled. "Stop talking nonsense, you brat!" He was about to grab her shoulder when a firm hand stopped him.
Surprisingly, it was Dix—with narrowed eyes.
"What do you think you're doing to my bait?" he asked in a dangerously low tone.
Zanis's eyes widened. He quickly backed down with a shaky smile. "A-Ah, forgive me, Arde! I remember now!" he said, snatching his hand back. "Y-You're right! Let's talk about our payment!" It was clear he despised having to say our.
Lili pretended not to feel the death glares Zanis shot her way.
"We're testing you first," Dix declared, walking past them. "The Tree Labyrinth is currently restricted by the Guild!" he shouted for all to hear. "I'm positive those abominations are hiding there right now!" He pointed with his spear to the path behind. "We will march—and we will hunt!"
The familia shouted in agreement, buzzing with excitement.
"And you!" He gestured to Lili. She didn't flinch from the sudden attention—though she wanted to. "You will be our Ahuizotl! Haha!" He laughed like a maniac, joined by the crazed cackles of his familia.
Lili did not feel safe among them at all.
"We'll talk about this," Zanis whispered to her, emphasizing the word talk.
She had a strong feeling it wouldn't be pleasant.
But as she clenched her fists, Bell-sama's gift coursed through her.
She would not stay idle if Zanis tried anything.
After today—if whatever hunt they were planning succeeded—Lili would be holding a few cards of her own against Zanis.
---
Riveria Ljos Alf entered the crowded Guild building with a grace befitting royalty—which she was, to be fair. Her expression was neutral as she made her way to the nearest empty booth.
"Riveria-sama!" To her luck, it was an Elven girl with blonde hair acting as the receptionist.
They always dragged her into irritation by being so polite and formal around her.
"What brings you here?" the elf asked nervously, clearly unprepared to have High Elf royalty show up unannounced.
"I was requested to inspect a magic-related trial. May I ask where it is being held right now?" Riveria wasted no time, getting straight to the point.
The girl looked baffled for a moment. It was odd—Riveria was a prestigious Level Six adventurer, after all. Petty matters like these shouldn't even reach her ears, let alone warrant her personal attention.
And she would've been right.
You see, Riveria was something of a magic enthusiast—magic nerd, if you were rude like Loki—and the Guild had merely sent a memo to a few moderately experienced mages, stating that they needed someone to inspect a "blessed individual with unique, silent flames."
Riveria had not received such a memo. She simply saw it in the hands of one of the Loki Familia mages and, intrigued, sent a message to the Guild expressing her desire to volunteer for the assignment.
The Guild, of course, jumped at the opportunity to have the "Nine Hell" grace their halls personally.
The elf squirmed a bit. "Oh, uhh..." She checked a few papers, shuffling through them with impressive speed.
Riveria waited patiently.
"Aha!" The girl held up a paper triumphantly. "It's the case of suspected murder and arson, Riveria-sama?" she asked to confirm, her stomach twisting slightly.
Riveria nodded.
The girl set the paper down. "The trial is being held privately by persistent request from Apollo-sama," she explained calmly. "You are expected on the third floor, thirteenth room to the left, Riveria-sama."
Riveria thanked her and immediately headed toward the elevator.
'Apollo, huh?' she thought, curious. She wasn't aware of many details regarding the crime, but so far, it seemed to be an internal dispute between Familia members that resulted in the death of one party.
Normally, these cases were left for the Familia to resolve themselves, but this time the suspect had been caught at the scene—and when questioned, he had attacked several civilians and burned down a building using silent fire magic.
'Silent magic.' That's what she wanted to uncover. What it was. How it worked.
Entering the elevator, Riveria was about to press the button for the third floor when a voice called out from outside.
"Hold the elevator!"
She sighed inwardly and waited for whoever it was to enter quickly.
"Thanks for the wait!"
Riveria blinked.
"Oh! If it isn't Loki's vice-captain!" Hermes said with an easy smile, relaxing against the elevator wall.
"Hermes-sama," Riveria acknowledged respectfully. "Are you here on business?" she asked casually, pressing the button for the third floor.
Hermes shrugged. "Oh, I was, but then more work came straight from heaven and landed on my poor shoulders. You wouldn't believe it, my jade-colored friend," he said dramatically—classic Hermes, the usual theatrical tone Riveria had come to expect the few times she'd seen him personally.
The elevator bumped a little as it began to rise.
"Is it something important?" she asked, making an effort not to appear rude.
Hermes sighed. "I was here to meet someone important." He chopped the air with a finger for emphasis. "And one Guild staffer practically jumped at my heels saying I'm the only trusted deity around—which was flattering—and that they need me for a lie detection trial."
He gave her enough details to convey the situation. She understood. She also didn't care.
Thankfully, the elevator came to a stop.
"This is my stop," Riveria said in a slightly hurried tone. "It was nice seeing you, Hermes-sama." She exited the elevator with grace.
Hermes followed right behind.
"Oh, what a surprise! It's my stop too!" he said with a chuckle.
Riveria felt a twitch in her eye. "Yes…"
She walked toward the thirteenth room on the left side of the hallway. It wasn't a courtroom—just a small room designated for private trials.
'Now…'
Riveria turned toward Hermes, who was still humming to himself casually. "Hermes-sama… are you assigned to this room as well?" she asked, her tone tired, already suspecting the answer.
"Hmm~" Hermes tapped his chin thoughtfully, as if trying hard to remember. "Ah! Thirteenth to the left—where Apollo's boy committed mass arson!" He clapped his hands together. "Yes, this is definitely the room," he said with confident nodding.
Riveria sighed audibly.
Perhaps she should've closed the elevator.
Knocking lightly on the door, Riveria didn't bother waiting for permission before stepping inside, Hermes following close behind.
"How many times do I have to tell you Guild idiots—this is a private matter!" Apollo's voice rang out, loud and irate. His anger was directed toward what Riveria assumed to be the one assigned as the judge of this private trial.
Sitting cuffed in a chair was a Pallum with brown hair, squirming uncomfortably, as if terrified of his own shadow. The moment Riveria and Hermes entered, his head snapped toward them, wide-eyed and trembling.
"What a fun party," Hermes muttered dryly.
---
The large tree labyrinth.
A hell for some monsters—but a haven for many as well.
Near this floor's pantry, all kinds of monsters were present. Even creatures not native to this floor had come, drawn by the nutrients of the pantry. But upon finding it closed, they rampaged alongside the native beasts, forming a massive monster gathering.
Ranya eyed the swarm of deadly creatures from a distant vantage point, her expression stoic and calm beneath her helmet. Below that helm was her breastplate, and further down... her spider body.
Ranya was an Arachne—a monster, not a mortal—yet she wore armor and considered her next move with measured thought, much like a mortal.
She was a Xeno: one of the sentient monsters, not driven by the Dungeon's primal urge to kill mortals indiscriminately.
They were often peaceful, resorting to violence only in self-defense.
Of course, mortals did not know of their sentience. The existence of the Xenos was a secret closely guarded—known only by a privileged few.
But overall, Xenos were not so different from mortals, if one spent enough time with them.
Ranya's attention turned to the Occulus in her hand as it glowed.
"You have authorization. Leave for the hidden village immediately," came the curt command from their ally, Fels—the very creator of the device she held.
"Understood," Ranya replied, turning to her assigned team.
Aude, a War Shadow Xeno in full plate armor, stood not far from her, also observing the swarm.
Four, a towering Fomoire monster, rested against a tree, conserving his strength.
And Helga—a Hellhound—acted as their navigator, her sharp sense of smell invaluable in traveling this labyrinth.
Out of all of them, only she was capable of verbal communication—for not all Xenos could speak in the mortal tongue, despite being sentient.
"We have clearance!" Ranya called out, raising her voice to catch their attention. "We will head to the village. This is no longer our fight!"
Relief washed over the group. Anyone with experience could see an unwinnable battle with a single glance at the swarm.
"Helga, you lead the way," Ranya ordered calmly.
The Hellhound Xeno obeyed, and the team began a moderate march through the dense forest—a challenging task, but one they were used to.
After all, the village they were heading toward lay on this very floor.
Originally, they had been part of two larger groups—one led by Lyd, the other by Gros. Their mission from Fels had been to eliminate the monster gathering and its source permanently.
But things had grown complicated upon seeing the sheer scale of the swarm. Fortunately, Fels and his master had been understanding. Ouranos had promised not to send them to their deaths.
Ranya, personally, was grateful to both Fels and Ouranos for for their continued aid to the Xenos.
However... she was not fond of the idea of dying just so surface-dwellers could wander these floors more safely.
If they wanted to delve into the Dungeon, they should clear their own obstacles.
While navigating a series of caves that would allow them to cross to the other side of the floor, Helga suddenly rushed back to them in a distressed sprint.
"ROWF!"
Ranya and the others immediately went on high alert.
"What is it, girl?!" Ranya asked, quickly raising her spear—provided by Fels in their regular supply drops.
This floor had been designated a temporary no-go zone by the Guild, but it wasn't impossible that a few mortals had ignored that and delved anyway.
"Woof!" the Hellhound barked again. She had caught the scent of a monster...
One like them.
"One of us?" Ranya's eyes widened. A newborn Xeno? At a time like this?
No matter. They needed to find them fast before it got hurt. Newborns often didn't recognize regular monsters as threats.
"Let's go!" she ordered. Aude and Four followed behind as they navigated the complex cave system, Helga's nose their only reliable guide.
"La-la-la~" A soft voice hummed to itself, echoing eerily through the cave.
"There—I can hear her!" Ranya said, surging ahead. Her extra legs gave her an advantage over the others.
The structure widened as they advanced, entering a more spacious section of the cave. Luckily, most of the monsters had joined the rampage outside, and the Dungeon hadn't yet birthed more to replace them.
"La-la-la~" The singing continued.
Ranya slipped through a larger opening—and there she was—
A Vouivre.
Good. A rare and powerful species. With training, she could become a formidable warrior.
"Little girl!" Ranya called out, hoping to stop her before she wandered too far.
The Vouivre flinched and turned toward them, her eyes slowly widening in... shock?
Ranya immediately stopped, as did the others.
"We mean you no harm," Ranya said gently, raising her hands. "We're here to help you."
"M-M-Monster..." the Vouivre stammered, trembling.
Ranya cursed inwardly. Perhaps she had already been attacked by monsters and now feared her own kind.
Helga's nose picked up multiple scents at once. She turned to Ranya. "Rowf!" A warning bark. But Ranya ignored it, stepping forward carefully.
"We're not like them," she said softly. "We're not going to hurt you."
The Vouivre stepped back, tripping and falling to the ground with a hard thud.
Then, she screamed.
"WHY ARE MONSTERS TALKING!?"
Ranya's eyes widened—not from the scream itself, but because of something else.
"Get them all. Do not kill!"
Voices rang out behind the boulders and crevices in the cavern walls—mortals, surrounding them completely.
Ranya stood frozen in place at the absurdity of what had just happened.
The Vouivre, one of their kind, betrayed them.
The proof? The mortals were ignoring her and were cornering them.
Aude was caught in a metallic web trap and pummeled by the sheer number of enemies.
"RAAAGHHH!" Four fought bravely, but was quickly taken down by a bald man with a sadistic grin who seemed to enjoy tormenting her kind.
"Here, here, little mutt."
Helga whimpered in a corner as three mortals closed in, holding a muzzle in their hands.
Ranya finally broke free from the shock.
"You surface-dwelling scumbags!" she snarled, shooting a web at those cornering Helga—catching one by surprise.
With a twist of her body, she yanked the man trapped in her webs and slammed him into his comrades, knocking them all down.
"Agh!"
"Run, Helga!" Ranya shouted, swinging her spear at a sneaky attacker attempting to flank her. "Warn them—we have a traitor!"
Her eyes locked on the traitorous Vouivre slut.
"Eyes here, abomination!" A spear struck Ranya's helmet, shattering it in a single blow.
"Agh!" Ranya felt a sharp cut across her cheek and immediately backed away—her attacker a mortal wearing goggles.
Dix Perdix was hunting personally, with a smirk.
Helga hesitated, but didn't argue. She understood her mission.
With a final whimper, she bolted toward the exit, flames beginning to swirl in her maw just in case.
"Don't let that dog escape!" Dix barked to his Familia. They couldn't lose the merchandise.
"Don't get cocky, mortal! I'm not done here!" Ranya growled, surging forward, holding her spear with trembling hands.
"GRRRHHH!" Helga snarled, unleashing a torrent of flames that scorched the stone floor and forced her pursuers to scatter.
She burst through the line, a few tears trailing from her eyes as she ran.
"Lay down, bitch," Dix said in annoyance, spinning his spear fluidly, cutting Ranya's spear in half, then driving it into two of her spider legs without a second's hesitation.
"Agh!" Ranya screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground. Before she could recover—
"This time, stay down!" He cut down two more of her legs, destroying her balance completely.
"Ahaa!" Ranya cried out in pure agony. She couldn't believe it. This mortal had bested her so easily.
Because of her weakness, she was now mortally wounded—and her team had been captured.
Then, dizziness hit her.
Dix's spear was cursed, after all.
"Wonderful!" Dix laughed in pure satisfaction as he placed his foot on the collapsed Arachne. "The bait worked perfectly!"
He turned toward the shocked Liliruca Arde—in her Vouivre disguise. Dix had to admit, she was convincing.
He wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between her and these abominations if he didn't already know her!
"You see, bait!" Dix howled with laughter, grinding his boot into Ranya's back, making her groan in agony. "We're not just hunting monsters..."
He spread his arms wide, grinning like a devil.
"We're hunting sentient monsters!"
His Familia laughed with him, each of them holding down their captured prey.
Liliruca stared into the seething, hateful eyes of the broken Arachne beneath Dix's heel.
What in Heaven's name is going on here?
---
"What did you just say!?" Dix demanded with cold rage.
He and the hunting party had just arrived through Knossos after the successful hunt—one that would make even the goddess of the hunt herself jealous.
Dix had ordered Gran to escort their little bait and her annoying captain along the way, while the rest of the group headed toward the holding pens to firmly secure the merchandise until they could smuggle them out of Orario.
Now, standing face to face with his god, Ikelos, Dix couldn't believe what those little fucks were demanding from him.
"Now, now, Dix, it's only one monster," Ikelos said gently, trying to reason with his thick-skulled favorite-slash-worst kid. They didn't need a war with their roommates—it wasn't profitable, nor was it strategically sound.
They were also paying for the monster, so it wasn't a bad deal with their roommates.
Roommates—as in, the Darkness Faction.
After their near-total destruction during the Seven Days of Blood, the remnants had made their new headquarters here: Knossos.
Of course, they had small secret outposts here and there, but the majority were wiped out by that crazy, vengeful elf Gale Wind and some other adventurers.
Inside all of Orario, Knossos was the last safe haven for Evilus.
This man-made marvel of architecture—Daedalus' ultimate legacy—was owned almost entirely by the Ikelos Familia through their captain, Dix Perdix, a direct descendant of Daedalus.
Too bad for the Ikelos Familia—despite their significant influence and strong claim over Knossos, they were forced to share and sometimes even back down from the sections the Darkness Faction had taken over.
Evilus had the blessing of Barca Perdix to stay here—Dix's half-brother and senior. Aside from granting Evilus a safe haven, the man was busy digging through rock and dust, so his influence over the fate of Knossos was currently limited.
Dix had always loathed their existence—not because he was against their agendas; he couldn't care less—but because they meddled with his hunts.
No one takes his toys from him.
And now, Ikelos was telling him that these cave worms wanted one of the Xenos he had rightfully captured?
Over his dead fucking body.
"I see that you are quite upset, my dear Dix," a soft, almost melodic voice chimed in, emerging from the shadowed path Ikelos had come through not long ago.
From that darkness stepped a beautiful, white-haired woman clad in an elegant dark dress, her presence immediately capturing the attention of every man in the holding pen.
Dix's eye twitched. "You," he spat with visible disgust.
The woman smiled softly, sending flutters into the hearts of the men present—and earning a few jealous glares from the few female members.
"My Dix, why are you so harsh with your own ally?" she asked, her voice drenched in an innocent sweetness that could have fooled even a god.
But not Dix.
This monster hiding behind the face of a beautiful woman was called Sphinx—a member of the Anansi Familia, one of the few familias still supporting the Darkness Faction to this day.
And a familia with big influence inside that faction.
"What do you want?" he snapped, impatient. He wanted this to be over quickly so he could go enjoy himself with the Xenos—by cutting them slowly.
Ikelos placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in. "Kid, remember: we're getting paid," he whispered.
Sphinx stepped closer, her movements graceful, flowing like silk. "I'm in need of a... volunteer, my dear Dix," she said calmly. "One of those fascinating creatures will do for my new project." She leaned forward slightly, trying to peek at the unconscious merchandise.
Dix immediately stepped in the way, blocking her view—earning a brief, irritated glance from her.
"They're mine," he said coldly, his meaning crystal clear.
"Dix…" Ikelos called out, but was completely ignored.
"My, you are a hard one," Sphinx said with a thoughtful expression, then offered a small, seductive smile.
"How about I compensate you with... this?" she gestured to her body, her arms sliding slowly from her modest chest to her thighs.
The effect was immediate—jaws dropped throughout the Ikelos Familia at the bold statement.
Dix recoiled. "Ugh!" He turned away, disgusted by the sheer thought of seeing her body.
"Just take that damn War Shadow and don't show your ugly face here again!" he relented. Apparently, having Sphinx gone was equal in worth to a Xeno.
War Shadows didn't sell well anyway, so he wasn't losing much.
"You two! Help this witch move that abomination and kick her out!" he ordered.
"That went better than I expected," Ikelos chuckled to himself, pleased by the outcome.
Sphinx looked slightly offended but didn't voice her displeasure. "Glad we've come to an understanding, my Dix," she said with false cheer, clapping her hands excitedly.
Dix's eye twitched. Clearly, there was history here.
She turned her eyes to the War Shadow, tightly bound in metallic webs as its cage was slowly moved away. The monster was wearing full plate armor to protect itself—War Shadows weren't physically strong, after all.
It was also trying to appear unconscious.
Silly thing.
She knew a War Shadow's norms and biology more than the monster itself. She wasn't fooled.
She smiled.
As the witch finally left, Dix's men began chatting with each other.
"Damn, she's hot," one said, a heavy blush on his face. His thoughts mirrored those of most of the other men in the Ikelos Familia.
"Why the hard rejection, Captain?" another asked, clearly confused. Who the hell turned down that beauty?
Dix faced his men with narrowed eyes. "It's like fucking a dead horse," he said curtly and bluntly.
Dix had to confess, he had fallen for her seduction tricks when he first began smuggling Xenos.
She came to him, all friendly and clingy, as she ordered a Xeno for herself.
It wasn't a pleasant night for Dix.
---
The said dead horse was dragging the large cage behind her with surprising ease. Within it was the War Shadow—Aude.
She was inside a very special section of Knossos, where the Darkness Faction resides and operates.
Narrowing that even further, she had just entered through what could only be described as a private laboratory. A very disturbing one, at that.
At its center stood two metal tables. One was already occupied by a visibly decomposing corpse, stripped and unmoving, its face hidden behind thick, blood-soaked cloths.
All around were cages, their contents rattling and growling—housing a variety of animals and mutated plant life. Some cages shook violently, while others remained eerily still. Tubes lined the corners of the room, filled with viscous, glowing fluid and containing motionless silhouettes suspended in stasis.
This was Sphinx's own private laboratory—only one of many others where the Darkness Faction's alchemists and item-makers continued to further their dark studies.
"What a rude boy," she muttered with a pout, still bitter about Dix's disrespect toward her femininity.
"But it doesn't matter now that I've acquired you~" She turned toward the War Shadow's form, already imagining the many uses for her new specimen.
"Now, let's get you started." She slowly unlocked the cage door—
Aude sprang forward, completely escaping the metallic web that was around him by abandoning his plate armour, his biology helping him through.
Sharp, knife-like claws drawn and aimed for her throat, he lunged like a cornered beast. He had faked unconsciousness the whole time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Once he was finished with this woman, he'd have to move fast—find Four and Ranya as quickly as possible. Their lives depended on him!
But the ambush failed.
His claws shattered on impact with a prosthetic arm. Aude's momentum was seized, and with brutal force, he was grabbed and thrown across the room, crashing into a wall of cages.
The blow was enough to make him bleed—his weak War Shadow biology being his eternal disadvantage.
He tried to push himself up. He needed to get to the others!
A heavy boot slammed him down again.
"Don't move," came a deep, gruff male voice—sharp, commanding, and utterly devoid of patience.
Aude looked up, his vision blurry, and saw the outline of a hardened man, possibly in his forties. A thick beard framed his worn face, disheveled dark brown hair tied in a small ponytail. His right eye was hidden behind an eyepatch, while numerous scars decorated his features.
"You didn't have to intervene," Sphinx said with calm annoyance, approaching the barely conscious Aude without much urgency. "Why are you here, Cobra?" she asked, tilting her head curiously as she effortlessly dragged the limp War Shadow toward the empty table beside the rotting corpse.
Cobra—a fellow member of the same Familia—was a specialist in assassinations and information gathering. He specialized in slaying mortals more than monsters, but he was anything but defenseless.
Sphinx had made sure of that herself through many drug enhancers.
"The captain is growing impatient, doctor," Cobra replied, voice gravelly as he adjusted his prosthetic arm with habitual ease. "He wants results, not empty words."
Sphinx's eye twitched in irritation.
"Tell him I'm close. The Chimera Project will become reality," she said dismissively with a wave, locking Aude's limbs tightly to the table.
"I only lack one last crucial element…" she whispered to herself, then turned and pulled the bloodied cloth off the other table's corpse.
Cobra's eye remained cold and unflinching as he gazed upon the horrific sight beneath—a burned, rotting face warped by death and decay.
"Why are you not burying Russell already? It's been over a month," he asked, voice touched with rare sympathy. He never enjoyed disrespecting the dead.
Sphinx snorted.
"I'll squeeze every last use out of this damn fool for ruining all of my hard work," she said bitterly.
After all, that idiot had lost a one-of-a-kind magical item: the Spirit Tone.
Well… not exactly a new invention. It was a reverse-engineered artifact built from the remains of Basram and the Apate Familia's research—experiments involving curses, magical and cursed items, and horrifying studies on Spirits and human anatomy.
These experiments once birthed the Spirit Soldiers, strong enough to rival first-class adventurers in raw power.
Though they were essentially brain-dead.
Her Spirit Tone was merely a fragment of the original cursed item, designed to amplify a mortal's magic output to the point that incantations were no longer required. Normally, such a thing drove the user insane with even slight alterations.
Russell had been the only success.
And he ruined it by dying to a level one!
So much potential and precious resources were lost...
"He's better off as a baseline for the revival," Sphinx muttered, injecting Aude with a blue serum—a mixture of drugs that would make his War Shadow biology less fragile and easier to manipulate.
Aude's body convulsed in agony, his veins burning as the serum coursed through him. His screams were silent—trapped in his throat.
Project Chimera: a revival of the old Spirit Soldier experiments, as she had promised the Darkness Faction in exchange for continuous funding for her other projects.
Though it was something similar to them, her version wouldn't consist of mindless beasts barely obeying basic commands.
This time, they'd retain a degree of control—along with undying loyalty, of course.
So far... it was going terribly wrong. And the damn idiots were pushing her too much.
You can't rush art!
Cobra watched silently. Then, with a tired calmness, he said: "Doctor, I didn't lose this in the Great Feud, nor did a monster chew it off for breakfast." He gestured to his prosthetic arm.
He paused, his voice lowering.
"It was because I angered the captain once."
He stepped toward the exit, his movement magically silent.
"Don't fail that bastard," he added as a final warning before vanishing into the hall, leaving Sphinx alone with the trembling Aude.
Sphinx narrowed her eyes.
"How dare he," she said playfully, trailing her fingers along Aude's exposed shadowy skin as he shivered in agony.
"Don't worry, silly thing. The pain is temporary." Her smile twisted cruelly. "When I'm done… you're going to be perfect."
She was so close. The adventurers used as bases for the Spirit Soldiers were weak-minded; their brains couldn't handle the strain placed on their nervous systems from the many curses and magic items imbued into their bodies.
What truly made them braindead was the process of spirit infusion, which she was currently struggling to bypass.
Her new theory suggested multiple solutions to counter that outcome, and she had almost everything she needed right here.
Only one element remained...
The ability to take—and possibly give—powers.
She turned toward the tubes. These silhouettes belonged to mortals. They were people.
Evilus's vast amount of prisoners, defectors, and many more—her personal, though limited, basket of human parts. Many of them still had their Falnas, including multiple abilities still inside them, untouched.
"Yes, he is the answer to all of this," she whispered in an excited tone, an image of a white-haired man rising in her mind.
In a certain alley, on a certain night. Through the eyes of the very corpse she is experimenting on right now, she had witnessed the impossible feat of a human taking the blessings of another mortal for themselves.
Oh, how she had been forced to beg the captain and her goddess not to kill him—after he killed Russell, Fang, and stole away the captain's "precious little Lia." Then proceeded to kill that old idiot Doran and his mercenary friend, both of whom were sent by their goddess, Anansi.
She bowed down to both the captain and her goddess, begging, explaining how he would be invaluable to them.
It was humiliating.
Her promise of exceptional results was the only thing keeping them at bay.
And there would be results. These failed assassination attempts had only proven one thing: the albino could indeed take away a person's powers.
"You will be my precious little extractor... Bell Cranel," she whispered with a devilish smirk.
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The End
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Hey, quick chapter just to cover all the background events before we dive into the aftermath of the expedition
Knossos is finally making an appearance!
Forgive any inaccuracies—I'll admit my knowledge of it is still pretty limited for now
Riveria being a cute magic nerd—not exactly canon, but I thought it would be cool
Lili turning into a child-like Vouivre to trick the Xenos? I'm sure that won't come back to bite someone in the future~
Also, new character! She's inspired by the best girl in existence—Echidna from Re:Zero
And I think we all know what's really going on in that laboratory Wink wink
Are my OCs doing okay so far? I personally think they're fodder
Confession time: I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I lost the plot ages ago lol
I'm just writing on the fly at this point and trying to improve my skills
Sorry if this story feels a bit off, dear reader.
I just don't have the time to sit down and make a proper long-term plot
My day is basically: go to work, get stressed as hell, then squeeze out 30 minutes to write something before crashing
So yeah… not exactly ideal conditions for crafting a masterpiece
Also, my Danmachi knowledge is being seriously tested lately, so I gotta catch up with canon ASAP
Anyway, stay tuned—next chapter is the aftermath of AFO's expedition.