PROLOGUE
Last Intermission
This is a record. A record of a time in which evil flourished.
This is a memory. A memory I must never forget, of the justice left by passing stars.
And finally, this is a truth. A singular truth, of a smile unknown to all.
The predawn skies were leaden and weighty. For a short few minutes, the stars had been visible before dark clouds gathered and blocked them out.
Some said they would not return until it was all over.
The city was dark. Every street and alley was scarred by war. Dust and rubble filled the avenues, lined by hollowed-out buildings. Half the city lay in ruins, like the rotting carcasses of so many giants. It felt like a dream nobody could wake from, no matter how much they tried.
The most unbearable thing was the silence. Ordinarily, a big city like Orario should be overflowing with the sounds of shopkeepers, busy townsfolk, and little children. There was none of that now.
Only a chilly, lifeless wind blew through empty streets. Orario was dead.
“Is this really our city?”
Raul’s thoughts spilled from his lips as he peered around at the destruction. He’d never seen anything like this.
“Everyone’s gone. I can’t hear a thing,” said Falgar of Hermes Familia, standing next to the boy. He looked around and growled like a lion forced out of its den. “It was better when everyone was condemning us, crying out in anger and pain. At least then the city felt alive.”
The streets were completely empty. Nothing made a sound, save the adventurers themselves. They could hardly imagine anything farther from the Orario they knew and loved. It was as shocking as it was disturbing.
“The place is a ghost town,” Falgar went on. “Nobody would believe that this is supposed to be the center of the world.”
Falgar’s words echoed Raul’s thoughts. How could the young boy have possibly imagined, back when he first left his hometown to step through the magnificent gates of the City of Heroes, that he would one day see the land of his dreams reduced to ruins?
“It’s like…we’re watching the end of the world,” said Raul. He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to cry.
“Don’t let your emotions take over, young ones,” said one of Loki’s oldest followers.
Falgar recognized the sagely man. “The Bowstring Blade…”
“I…I’m sorry, Noir,” said Raul, turning around.
The man who’d spoken was a human who had seen seventy years come and go, but age had done little to impair his tempered physique. His spine was straight as an arrow, and he stood at a respectable 180 celches, as lithe and spry as a weeping willow. He dressed in old-fashioned combat gear that closely resembled a kimono from the Far East and was the epitome of a seasoned master fencer.
That was Noir Sachsen of Loki Familia. The man had converted from his old familia some years back and was one of several mentors who taught Finn, Riveria, and Gareth the basics of being an adventurer. Along with the dwarf Dyne, who was still robust even in old age, and the Amazon Bahra, who possessed the mature beauty of a woman in her forties and the fighting instincts of a beast to match, the three veterans of Loki Familia were a shining example for its leaders to follow.
“Still, I must admit,” said Dyne, surveying the city. “In all our years, we’ve never seen carnage like this.”
“Hey, it’s not that bad. Remember when Zeus and Hera were warring with Horus and Sobek? It was like a Great Conflict every night!”
Bahra cackled. Raul, Falgar, and the other members of Loki Familia and Hermes Familia found it difficult to laugh at her tasteless joke, but it brought an awkward smile to their faces nonetheless.
The dozen or so adventurers were currently conducting their final patrol. It wouldn’t be long before the entire city would become their battleground.
Noir scratched his full beard, steeled himself, and directed his next words at the desolate streets.
“It’s not over yet,” he said. “The real showdown hasn’t even begun.”
The war room in the Guild Headquarters was busy, with people coming and going constantly. Finn was standing over a table covered in maps when the voice of his goddess caused him to look up.
“Got a report here from Noir’s team, Finn,” Loki said. “They’ve finished evacuating the residents. There’s not a single soul left anywhere in the city. They’re all holed up in one of our five designated strongholds: here, the arena, the Casino, Ganesha’s home, and our very own Twilight Manor.”
“Thank you,” replied Finn. “What about the adventurers?”
“They’ve already taken up defensive positions,” said Loki. Then, scratching her vermilion hair, she added, “I still can’t believe we’re really doin’ this. When you first told me what you were plannin’ when the siege started, I wasn’t sure what to think…”
Once the night of the Great Conflict had passed, and evil retreated to the city’s walls, Finn had ordered the fortification of five of the city’s most prominent locations so they would have places to safely house noncombatants.
Construction had been going on in the background ever since. Even while the followers of justice searched for meaning, and the followers of beauty warred in pursuit of strength, Finn’s astute mind had calculated what their side would need to have a chance in a decisive battle.
“We no longer have any choice,” said Finn. “Not if we want to protect the people as well as Babel.”
Finn had considered using Folkvangr, the home of Freya Familia, as one of the strongholds but decided against it because of its extensive size. Though it was large enough to hold many civilians, that size made it harder to defend. He also couldn’t afford to concentrate their forces in a single location if their plan was going to work.
There was one other crucial thing Finn needed. He asked Loki to confirm.
“What about the barrier in Central Park?”
Loki shrugged. “We’re settin’ it up just like you asked,” she replied. “Riveria’s over there leading the other mages as we speak… But even she agrees it’s a rush job. It ain’t gonna hold once the enemy comes a-knockin’.”
“That’s fine,” answered Finn, completely unperturbed, returning his gaze to the battle maps strewn across the desk. “It only needs to block their line of sight.”
“The hell did you just say? A barrier?”
Beneath ash-colored clouds, within the city walls, Valletta stopped setting up chess pieces and shot Olivas a bewildered look.
“Yes. It’s just appeared,” he replied. Valletta had ordered him to keep a close eye on Orario’s protectors, and to inform her immediately if it looked like they were up to something.
Valletta’s face stiffened. She sprang out of her chair like a leopard and climbed the rugged stone staircase to the top of the walls.
“Well, shit…” she muttered, when she saw it.
“The barrier is made of ice,” Olivas noted. “It encircles all of Central Park.”
The cold, dry wind ruffled Valletta’s hair. From this height, she could see that multiple layers of thick ice now covered Central Park from all angles. The sharp, overlapping sections of ice at the foot of Babel looked like a cactus flower.
“Not a magical barrier, but a physical one. Our enemy seeks to furnish its keep with walls, it seems.”
Olivas wasn’t wrong, but there had to be more to it than that. Valletta Grede knew how Finn thought better than anyone.
“Hah,” she spat. “First they hide away all the civvies, now Finn’s up to somethin’ tricky! Heh-heh-heh, fine by me! Where’s the fun in winnin’ without a fight?!”
Her eyes narrowed as she attempted to discern the thoughts of her prum archnemesis.
“You’re on, Finn! Let’s make this whole city our board! Move your pieces, make your gambits, ’cause I’m gonna turn you into mincemeat, you hear me? Ha-ha-ha-ha!”
She laughed, twirling the chess queen in her fingers. Watching her made the Evils sentries break out in a nervous sweat, while Olivas merely gave a derisive grunt.
Then there was a rumble, like the growling of distant thunder. Everyone felt it in their bellies and their hearts. As the ground beneath her feet trembled, Valletta’s face twisted into a smile.
“Listen to that,” she said. “The beasts of hell are comin’ for you!”
The tremors ran through the entire city. The source was deep beneath Babel, lying within the Dungeon itself.
“………”
Freya listened to the Dungeon’s howl from atop the highest floor of her ivory tower.
“Lady Freya. You must seek refuge.”
The heavy footfalls behind her heralded the arrival of her most powerful warrior, Ottar. He was armed to the teeth and ready for battle.
“Why is that?” Freya asked without shifting her gaze.
“The other gods have already gathered at the Guild,” said Ottar, his voice strained with tension. “The final battle is almost upon us. Our enemy seeks the destruction of Babel. It is not safe for you here.”
“Ottar. Do you know what this is I’m wearing?”
“…I do not, my lady.”
Freya was not clothed in her usual black dress. It was the complete opposite—a pure snow-white robe, along with a translucent stole that wrapped around her arms like a celestial raiment. Even Ottar had never seen her in it.
“These are the same clothes I was wearing when Hera defeated me in battle.”
Ottar’s eyes widened in shock. “Why…would you wear that now?”
“For absolution,” replied Freya, speaking her heart. “Today I sever my past with Zeus and Freya and wash away the taint of defeat.”
She turned around at last. “I expect you to indulge me,” she said. “Both my divine proclamations…and my personal whims.”
“………”
As Ottar stared into the silvery eyes of his goddess, he slowly understood what it was she wanted to say. Freya, meanwhile, looked her follower up and down before smiling.
“It has been a while since I last saw you dressed for war,” she remarked.
A golden pauldron covered one of the boaz’s shoulders, and his crimson cape and waistcloth were both woven from enchanted salamander fabric. He carried a number of daggers at his belt, along with the two crossed greatswords on his back.
Beauty and practicality. Each stood at opposite extremes, yet in some ways they were perfect reflections of one another. Their change of costume reflected their true desire.
“What does your outfit mean to you?” asked Freya.
“It is a promise to carry out my intent.”
“And that intent is…?”
This time, Ottar’s reply was immediate.
“To conquer.”
“Do you intend to lose, Ottar?”
“I do not.”
“Then it matters not where I stand.”
With that, she broke eye contact and turned back to the city.
“I shall watch your victory from here. The view may be the same as it ever was…but there is no better place to see all of Orario.”
“………”
“I shall be watching over you, Ottar.”
“…Yes, my lady.” And then, with unshakable loyalty, he added, “Victory shall be yours.”
The air was filled with the sound of roaring forges, and a deadly heat. Even in the face of countless attacks from the Evils, this workshop did not close. It was a testament to its artisans’ pride, and it was there that a new weapon was born.
“So this is it…”
Lyu took the wooden sword, taking stock of its weight and the holy power that resided within it.
“Made from a branch of the holy tree, just as you requested,” replied the forgemaster, captain of Goibniu Familia. The exhaustion was clear in his voice as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “It works perfectly as a sword, of course, but you can also use it like a staff to amplify the power of your magic.”
Lyu had indeed been the one to commission this weapon, using the memento of her hometown that Shakti had bequeathed her.
“A weapon made from Adi’s gift…” said Alize, standing beside her. “Isn’t that great? I’m so glad it got finished on time!”
But the forgemaster was more cynical. “It ain’t finished,” he said. “We were in a hurry, so I’m afraid it’s a rush job. It’ll do in a battle, but it’s far from perfect.”
That much was true. The final battle was fast approaching, and no forge could afford to take its time. Though the process was quite different for Lyu’s weapon compared to a metal sword, it still involved a great deal of work on the magical side—work that would be impossible to complete without the assistance of a trained mage. As none were available, Goibniu himself had been asked to act as a substitute, but the result was a weapon that relied heavily on the latent power of its materials.
These facts, while unavoidable, were a matter of great shame for the forgemaster.
“…That’s why you can’t die out there,” he said, folding his arms. “That weapon’s a blot on our reputation. Come back alive so we can finish it properly, you hear?”
“Yes, I will,” replied Lyu with a smile.
“Have you decided on a name, Leon?”
“Alvs Lumina. Lady Astrea thought of it.”
The name meant elven starlight. It symbolized the bond between Lyu and her familia perfectly.
Alize beamed. “That’s a great name!” she said. “And thanks to the supplies Asfi stockpiled, we’ve all gotten makeovers too! Now it really feels like the final battle!”
Alize was wearing a new set of armor that made her look like a flame in motion. Her boots and socks were white, and the latter came up to her thighs, where they met a miniskirt adorned with all kinds of ailment-warding accessories. Her cloak and jacket completed the image of a scarlet knight, and at her hip she carried her trusty one-handed sword, Crimson Order, which had been worked on by the smiths and now gleamed like it was brand-new.
“We’ve been hand-picked to slay the Dungeon threat,” mused Lyu. “Finn placed his trust in us. I intend to live up to that trust.”
Finn’s plan called for two forces: one to protect Babel from above, and one from below. On the surface, they had to contend with the combined armies of the Evils, while underground, a monster was working its way up from the lower levels of the Dungeon and had to be stopped.
The latter team was composed of a relatively small number of elite warriors but included the girls of Astrea Familia. The subterranean battle was expected to be no less fierce than the war in the streets, so Finn had put in orders for the girls’ equipment to be enhanced to the best of the city’s current capabilities. The entire familia had received extensive upgrades, up to and including Asta, the party vanguard, but Astrea had insisted that Alize and Lyu be given special attention as they were, respectively, the captain of the familia and the elf who had aroused the interest of the dark god, Erebus.
Lyu’s outfit featured contrasting whites and blues, combining the purity of justice with the brilliance of the wind. Her regalia was worthy of any guardian of order. Other than the parts covering the joints of the arms and legs, there was very little armor to speak of, and instead the equipment’s focus was maintaining agility and magical defense.
Alize looked at her and Lyu’s gear with a proud grin but just then the ground almost seemed to bulge beneath their feet, as a low grumble emerged from it.
“The noises from the Dungeon… They’re getting louder. It’s almost time,” she said.
“Yes. The monster’s nearly here.”
The battle would begin at dawn, just as Finn predicted. All levity vanished from the girls’ faces as they checked their equipment one last time. It was at that moment that Lyra and Kaguya entered the workshop.
“Alize, Leon,” said the pink-haired prum girl with a lighthearted grin. “Time to get moving.”
“You finished your preparations, right?” asked the kimono-clad human by her side. “Then let’s walk into hell and slay some hell spawn.”
Alize turned to Lyu and nodded.
“Yes, we’re ready. Let’s go!”
“Give ’em hell!”
“Come back safe!”
“Don’t break that, you hear?!”
Cheered on by the forge hands, Lyu and the other members of Astrea Familia made their way to Central Park.
The city was abuzz with tension over the upcoming battle. At Guild HQ, adventurers completed their final checks. Their minds were focused solely on the task at hand, and on nothing that lay beyond. The adventurers took stock of their trusty weapons, their armor that had been serviced by city craftsmen, and their ration of all-important items. There would be no room for error.
Veteran adventurers sparred with their fists or arm-wrestled each other. It was a common prebattle ritual for them. Younger recruits did their best to calm their nerves, while older warriors imparted a few encouraging words.
When we get back, the first round’s on me, kids.
Thus a promise was forged.
“Finn’s dressed to the nines, too, just like Ottar and Astrea’s crew… Can’t have our captain bein’ upstaged, now can we?”
Amid all the bustle, Loki sat in the Guild’s lobby, watching her captain with a grin.
The crimson robe Finn wore over his top-class equipment looked like a signature written in blood. The cloth ran over his right shoulder and was fastened in place at the waist, while the remainder flowed from his shoulders like a cape. His other arm was protected with a steel vambrace that extended past the elbow. To a prum, he must have looked like an incarnation of their goddess, Fianna.
Finn flexed his joints, testing the armor for flaws right as a scouting party returned and handed him a rolled-up scroll. Finn exchanged a few words with them, and then the scouts headed out once more. As they left, Finn unfurled the parchment—a map of the enemy’s locations—and studied its contents in silence. As he did so, Royman came over, spraying spittle at him.
“I’m begging you, Finn! We’ve invested every last drop of our city’s resources in ensuring you adventurers have the best equipment money can buy! You cannot fail us now!!”
Royman’s nerves were every bit as frayed as those of the warriors fighting on the front lines. His flab jiggled as he nagged Finn like a nosy mother-in-law.
Finn didn’t even spare the man a glance. He just replied, “We’ll do everything we can,” as another tremor rocked the building. At the same time, a flustered Guild woman ran in.
“We’ve just received news that the monster has reached the twentieth floor! The scouting party has suffered heavy casualties!”
In more peaceful times, the woman worked as a receptionist, but her lovely face was twisted with fear.
“They cannot continue the mission! They’re requesting permission to evacuate! I’m sending the retreat order right now!”
The Guild woman shouted her report, causing almost every adventurer within earshot to turn and stare in horror. Royman went pale. Only Loki and the first-tier adventurers were able to stay calm.
“Accounting for the time it took this report to arrive,” said Gareth, stroking his beard, “the beast should have reached the nineteenth floor by now. A little faster than we expected.”
“Yes,” replied Riveria, “but that’s fine. Astrea Familia and I are done with our preparations.” She eyed the staff in her hands. “We are ready to go anyti— Finn?”
The prum commander had still not said a word, and his eyes were fixed firmly on the contents of the parchment. There was a brief silence as everyone turned to him.
Possibilities raced through his head. After five excruciating seconds, Finn licked his thumb.
“…We need to alter the Dungeon team,” he said. “Gareth, Aiz. You two go with Riveria and Astrea Familia as well.”
“What?”
Riveria was taken aback at this last-minute change of plan.
“Hold on, Finn,” said Gareth. “The plan was for the girls to keep the beast busy with their swift movements while Riveria hit hard enough with magic to take it out in one blow. What’s changed? Zald and Alfia will be coming. We can’t spare anyone on the surface.”
Gareth was right. The threat of those two Level 7s far exceeded that of the Dungeon monster. Orario needed to meet them with everything they could muster, even if that meant dividing their forces unequally. It was none other than Finn who had come up with that plan in the first place.
“I thought so too, at first,” Finn replied. “But I’ve just read this report on the enemy dispositions…and something’s not right.”
Finn walked over to the reception counter and spread the map on top of it, placing black-and-white chess pieces to mark allied and enemy formations.
“I worked out seventeen different ways the enemy could deploy their forces, and what we’re seeing doesn’t match any of them. The battle even hasn’t started yet, and already I can’t shake the feeling we’re missing something.”
Finn moved the black pieces one by one, reflecting the deviation in their predicted and actual locations. As he laid out the discrepancy for them, the other adventurers began to murmur in discomfort.
The last piece to move was the enemy queen, which ended up on the eastern side of the city. Finn narrowed his azure eyes and glared at it.
“…So, ya think the Evils are gonna show up down in the Dungeon as well?” asked Loki.
“That’s one possibility,” Finn replied. “But that’s not the worst thing they could do…”
He opened his mouth to elaborate, then closed it and shook his head.
“…No, that doesn’t matter. What matters is, my thumb is aching, just like it did on the night of the Great Conflict. We could be walking right into a trap again. I don’t want to take that chance.”
“Well, that’s a good enough reason for me,” said Loki. “Finn’s thumb’s cannier than the gods themselves sometimes.”
“N-n-now wait just a moment! Surely you cannot be serious about making such important decisions based on some…random pain in your fingers?!”
While Loki seemed convinced, Royman loudly refused to accept Finn’s patchy reasoning. But it was someone else who walked up behind him with soft footsteps and an answer at the ready.
“It’s fine. Once we defeat the monster, we can come back. It won’t take long.”
It was Aiz, carrying a sword that seemed much too large for her strapped to her back. All eyes were drawn toward the girl who was so small, most in the room had to look down to see her. The first one to break the silence was the old dwarf warrior.
“Ha-ha-ha!” Gareth laughed. “Right you are, girl! Beat the monster quick enough, and it doesn’t matter if Finn’s prediction is off the mark!”
“We owe our lives to your hunches, Captain,” added Riveria. “I’m perfectly happy to place my trust in you once more.”
Royman couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “H-have you all lost it?!” he shrieked. But Finn only smiled.
“Thank you, both of you. And you too, Aiz. I’m counting on you.”
The golden-haired girl gave a single nod in response.
At the same time, on the rooftop of Guild HQ, Hermes surveyed the city. A voice from behind him caused him to turn.
“Hermes.”
“What’s up, Astrea? The war’s about to begin; you should get to safety.”
“I called you here because I have something important to tell you, Hermes. I believe Erebus has descended into the Dungeon.”
The moment she said that, Hermes abandoned any notion of persuading the goddess to go into hiding. For a few moments, he considered how to respond.
“…On the day of the Great Conflict,” he said at last, “Erebus appeared before us. That was part of a performance to draw our attention away from what was happening in the Dungeon.”
Erebus’s true goal that night was well-known by now. By preaching absolute evil and massacring multiple deities at once, the dark god ensured that all eyes and ears were on him instead of the Dungeon. As a result, nobody realized that a god had unsealed their Arcanum down below and summoned a nightmarish fiend.
“Unless Erebus can be in two places at once, then the god who unleashed their Arcanum has to be someone else,” Hermes went on. “In other words, he couldn’t have been in the Dungeon. He has an alibi, so to speak.”
There was no other way to summon a monster of this caliber besides breaking the divine taboo within the Dungeon. If the summoning really did occur during Erebus’s speech, it was physically impossible for him to have done it. In essence, the dark god had demonstrated his innocence to the entire city of Orario.
There was another reason Hermes found it hard to believe.
“There’s only one way down there, and that’s through Babel,” he reminded her. “Precisely where Loki Familia has been positioned all this time. If Erebus came within spitting distance of the entrance, there’s no way they wouldn’t know about it.”
Finn had quickly decided to make Central Park the base of allied operations, and right now the foot of Babel was the most fortified location in the city. The Evils’s probing attacks hadn’t managed to come close to scratching the tower. Even disguised as Eren, Erebus would have an impossible time making it past the eyes of countless sentries.
“But you already know all this, don’t you, Astrea?”
Nothing Hermes said should have come as a surprise to the goddess. However…
“I do,” she confirmed, staring unflinchingly into his eyes. “But even so, I am certain he’s down there, leading the enemy as the incarnation of absolute evil.”
“………”
“Hermes. You used to be his friend, did you not? Surely you’ve sensed something?”
Hermes was a god who armed himself with reason and logic. That was precisely why Astrea was sure he found his own words unconvincing. No matter how many times he reminded himself of the facts, he still harbored doubts. Astrea knew that. Her indigo eyes, as deep as the starry skies, saw everything.
A cold wind caressed Hermes’s cheeks. After a moment, he let out a deep sigh.
“…What does it change?” he asked. “Even if our hunch turns out to be right, and Erebus is there, why does that matter? Why come to me now?”
Hermes leveled his keen gaze at her once more.
“What do you want from me, Astrea?”
The goddess said nothing and simply stared back at him.
When the Age of Gods began, and divine beings first walked the earth, mortals learned what really happened after death. The legends, myths, and fanciful stories of old were replaced with hard truths. After coming face-to-face with deities and their undeniable miracles, there was no choice but to accept this new reality.
Many were afraid. Many sleepless nights visited mortals who worried whether eternal paradise or torment awaited them. Many debates centered around the precise nature of the suffering that took place in the netherworld’s deepest abyss.
But all those people would surely agree that if hell were to suddenly appear in front of them, it would look just like this.
It was the seventh of the Seven Days of Death, and evil’s work was nearing completion.
“The quakes are still coming from the Dungeon…” noted Kaguya.
“…But apart from that, everything’s so quiet,” replied Alize, taking a look around. “It really doesn’t feel like the final showdown is about to begin.”
It was just before dawn, and Central Park was as still as a grave. Nobody spoke a word. They all listened to the rumbling ground, like the roars of a great dragon that slept beneath the earth. Grim expressions marked each of their faces. They all knew something big was coming.
However, some in the crowd tried their best to not let their nerves get to them.
“What’s with that shield strapped to your back?” asked Neze. “It makes you look like a turtle.”
“Who you callin’ a turtle?” snapped Lyra. “This here’s my secret weapon!”
Nevertheless, the animal girl’s description was perfectly apt. The circular shield was almost as large as Lyra, and it would have covered her head as well if it extended just a little farther above her shoulders. It seemed more suited to a dwarf—not to mention the shield was an unusual amount of defensive gear for Lyra, who usually fought from the back ranks instead of up close and personal.
“I was gonna leave it behind, but then Finn told me to take it with me. I ain’t got a clue how it’s supposed to help, but who knows. It is what it is, eh?”
“…Is it?”
“…Whatever, forget it,” said Lyra with a wry smile and a shake of the head. “The point is, this ain’t just any shield. The great and almighty Perseus made it for me.”
Lyra grinned and glanced over to elsewhere in the crowd, where a soot-stained head of sky-blue hair was visible.
“Andromeda…are you okay?” Lyu asked Asfi, who was visibly disheveled. “You don’t look well at all…”
“It’s your familia’s fault,” the girl replied. “There’s so much work, I haven’t slept a wink. I haven’t even had a break for seventy-seven hours!”
“I-I’m sorry,” said Lyu. “I mean, I don’t think it’s my fault, but still…”
“I can’t take it anymore! If I die out there, make sure everyone knows it’s Slyle’s fault, okay?!”
The overworked captain of Hermes Familia had deep bags under her eyes and looked like she had aged years in the course of a few days because of all the last-minute commissions. She had turned into a walking corpse, and Lyu had nothing to offer her beyond her deepest apologies.
Asfi let out a deep sigh. “But, Leon,” she said. “I can’t help but notice that sword you’re carrying. Not your wooden sword, the other one…”
Her eyes were fixed on Lyu’s hip. There, the elven girl carried two swords: the newly completed Alvs Lumina, as well as a weapon that Asfi swore she recognized.
“Yes,” replied Lyu. “It’s Adi’s.”
Its name was Sacred Oath, and besides the girl’s undying justice, it was the last thing of Adi’s that Lyu possessed. Lyu had already received Shakti’s permission to carry it. She stroked the pommel and looked back at Asfi.
“Today, she fights alongside us,” she said.
“I see…”
Asfi smiled, finding comfort in Lyu’s proud determination.
“In that case,” she said. “Make sure you come back alive. For once, I’d like for us to bond over something besides suffering.”
“That’s what I intend to do. You stay safe out there, too, Andromeda.”
This was the kind of camaraderie that could only be found on the battlefield. With that thought, Lyu offered the other girl a smile.
Then Gareth approached Riveria. It was time.
“Everything’s ready,” he told her. “We move on your mark.”
Aiz stood beside her mother figure and looked up at her. The high elf’s eyes were closed in contemplation. At last, she opened them, and…
“…Very well.”
Dawn broke, signaling the beginning of the battle to end it all.
All across the city, adventurers took up arms as they prepared to protect their world.
And all around the borders of that city, evil grinned as they prepared to manufacture hell on earth.
“It’s time.”
Atop the city walls, Valletta licked her lips and leveled the point of her sword at the white-walled tower at Orario’s core.
“Today’s the day, kids! The day Orario falls!!”
“““Roaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!”””
The evil army’s shouts seemed to shake the clouds in the sky. Meanwhile, atop Guild HQ, Finn raised his golden spear.
“Let me hear your voices! Today we fight for our city!!”
“““Hooraaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!”””
Orario became a war zone as armies filled the streets. Meanwhile, Riveria and Gareth stood at the foot of Babel.
“Move out. We have a monster to slay.”
“Follow me, younglings!”
The two of them disappeared into the tower, followed by Aiz, and the members of Astrea Familia brought up the rear. They sprinted down the stairs, into the tower’s basement, and through the entrance to the Dungeon.
Standing on the brink of the abyss, Lyu unsheathed her two swords.
“Let’s go, Adi!”
Then she jumped in.
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