After lingering on the safe floor for a while, taking in the breathtaking scenery that one would never expect to find deep within the dungeon's depths, Akira finally began his journey back to the surface.
As he passed by the infamous Wall of Sighs, he noticed that the damaged floor had already begun to slowly restore itself to its original, pristine state.
Unable to suppress his irritation, he kicked the wall a few times, hurled a few curses at the dungeon itself, then swiftly turned and darted toward the upper floors.
Upon reaching the twelfth floor, Akira was suddenly met with an unexpected sight.
Emerging from the thick white fog was a figure clad in black robes. From beneath the figure's lowered hood, thick purple hair—so long it could be mistaken for a woman's—cascaded down like a waterfall.
His slender physique and symmetrical, refined features exuded a certain decadent charm, one that was unsettling rather than appealing.
The man's expression lit up with eerie joy the moment his eyes fell upon Akira.
He hadn't anticipated that aside from Ais, there would be another existence with such a dense, oppressive aura of death—and one that surpassed hers several times over.
Though Akira himself had not revealed anything outwardly, the man, a god attuned to death, had perceived it instantly.
"Ah… so it was you." He murmured softly,
"The one I sensed back on Daedalus Street. That stifling aura of death… it could only have belonged to you."
A twisted gleam entered his eyes.
"If it's you… surely, you could kill even more. Yes… so much more." Thanatos mused, locking eyes with the boy before him.
"Child, you must be so very lonely. No one understands you. No one can relate to your yearning for death. You've been suffering in silence all this time, haven't you?"
His voice dripped with enchantment, seductive and sinister, as if attempting to ensnare Akira's very soul.
"I can offer you a sanctuary, a place where no one will shackle you. Where you can indulge yourself—destroy, slaughter, unleash whatever darkness festers within you. I will never reject you."
"I shall shoulder your sins. You need only kill to your heart's content. All I ask… is that you join my Familia."
With a gentle smile, the god of death extended his hand in a gesture of invitation—one he had made to many before, yet always with the same expectation.
Akira's gaze sharpened. He silently narrowed his eyes at the bizarre deity spewing madness, his presence in the dungeon raising even more questions.
Something about this god reeked of wrongness.
Could it be… the very evil god that Astraea had once warned him about?
Akira slowly unsheathed his one-handed sword, his stance shifting subtly. His eyes didn't just lock on the god—he glanced behind him as well, alert for hidden threats.
Thanatos sighed, as though disappointed by a child who had failed to meet his expectations.
"Oh dear… it seems I've failed again. What a shame. That girl rejected me, and now you—so thoroughly soaked in blood—also turn me away."
"But then again." He said with a bitter chuckle.
"It's only natural. If you were someone who could be swayed by words, you wouldn't have fallen under that goddess of justice's wing. What a waste… I had such high hopes of discovering another avatar of death."
Though Thanatos could clearly sense the presence of the goddess of justice on Akira—the same one who had thwarted Evilus again and again—he still made one final, desperate attempt to seduce her champion.
Akira tightened his grip on the sword and carefully asked, "Are you… a god of Evilus?"
As if on cue, the fog stirred.
Two adventurers, previously hidden within the mist, stepped forward to stand in front of Thanatos, weapons drawn.
Thanatos waved dismissively and said with mock embarrassment, "I'm terribly sorry. I truly wanted to introduce myself properly, but Evilus always insists on such secrecy. Didn't I say before that I shouldn't reveal my name to mortals? Ah… such a nuisance."
It was clear that he was associated with Thanatos.
Akira's gaze returned to him. If he could defeat this so-called god of death here and now, perhaps it would weaken Evilus' grip on the world, even if just a little.
"Haha… that expression… that gleam in your eyes as you look upon me, filled with such intense killing intent…" Thanatos grinned, his amusement only growing.
"You truly are worthy of that justice goddess's favor. Bold. So bold… And yet, you do know, don't you? That killing a god is taboo."
"But I do adore your courage."
His words rolled off his tongue like sweet poison.
"I have no intention of killing gods." Akira replied coldly. "I simply want to send them back where they belong."
And with that, he raised his sword and slashed at the two adventurers who stood in his way.
The clash of blades rang out as the two forces collided. Akira found himself pushed back by the sheer force of the defenders.
From the weight of their strikes and their steady coordination, Akira could tell—they were probably Level 2 adventurers. And they might possess specialized magic and unique skills as well.
His sword blazed with crimson flame. Akira moved to finish the skirmish swiftly and focus on Thanatos but just then, one enemy vanished in a flash while the other hurled a handful of flaming projectiles.
Explosions rocked the space.
Smoke enveloped everything, mixing with the thick white fog, reducing visibility even further.
From the depths of the smoke, a sudden glint of steel appeared and a sword whistled toward his neck.
In a split-second reaction, Akira raised his blade to intercept it. He pivoted sharply, his foot slamming into the ground as he twisted his body and delivered a fierce kick—sending the attacker hurtling backwards.
Without pause, he unleashed a devastating arc of blazing slash.
The scorching flame roared forward, intent on cleaving through the enemy—
Only to dissipate entirely.
A wave of ominous energy surged through the area—dark purple, suffocating in intensity, and undeniably divine.
The flame vanished like a candle snuffed by water.
Thanatos had broken the ultimate rule.
Divinity had been released in the dungeon.
"Oops." Thanatos chuckled with mock concern.
"My bad. I couldn't help myself. What a pain." His carefree tone was utterly out of place given the disaster he had just triggered.
The dungeon responded almost immediately.
The entire twelfth floor began to tremble. A deep, guttural groan echoed from the walls, followed by a rumbling roar—like a beast stirred from ancient slumber.
The ground shook violently.
Akira's eyes scanned the area. Through the fog, he could make out three distinct cave entrances.
Then came the sound—like an avalanche crashing down from every direction.
The exits were collapsing!?
At that moment, the ceiling above them cracked. Debris rained from above as something massive hurtled down with tremendous force—straight for Thanatos.
"Eh? So fast this time? Even the reaction zone has narrowed?" Thanatos muttered with a sigh.
Hovering above him was a pitch-black wyvern-like creature, its wings like jagged blades and radiating intense murderous intent.
"They're not playing around this time. Looks like they want me dead before I can even blink."
All across Orario, the gods felt it—another surge of divinity released from within the dungeon.
And this time, it was from the upper floors—close to the surface.
The reaction was instantaneous.
"Who the hell's using Divinity again!?"
"Which damned idiot is causing trouble now!? Can't they give it a rest for once!?"