Chapter 499

Chapter 506: The First Clash (Please Subscribe!)

“Clank! Clank!”

From the depths of the darkness, came the sound of hard objects colliding.

In the dim flickering light, the shadow of a man swinging a hammer was cast onto the wall.

The hammer swung down forcefully, driving a stake deep into the rock face, as the excavation work continued without pause.

After continuing for quite some time, a second sound emerged from the darkness, different from the hammering.

“Baka younger brother, I’ve run into a bit of trouble here. Can you help me out?”

Within the tunnel faintly illuminated by the glass lantern, the deity silently approached the figure who was tirelessly digging.

“I have no interest in those matters. Do not hinder my work, Thanatos.”

The man called Baka did not even turn his head, nor did he stop his work.

His bangs covered one eye, and the exposed half of his face was devoid of vitality, weary and lifeless.

“I don’t have time for idle chatter… talking to you like this is already a mistake… the heavenly gods cannot understand our torment of not being able to achieve eternal life, and the completion of the ‘work’ seems so far away…”

“By the way, regarding your family heirloom, it seems that the Loki Familia is almost here.”

Baka, who had been muttering like a lifeless corpse, suddenly paused.

And the god Thanatos carefully chose his words, laying out his pitch.

“If we let them barge in like this, the labyrinth’s secret might be exposed… and then the Knossos exposed under the whole city might end up with some unimaginably terrible fate…”

Like following the old god’s wishes, being filled or destroyed or something.

The god spoke regretfully about the possible future.

Baka’s hammer, which had just been raised, slackened for a moment. Then he slowly turned around, looking at Thanatos with dim eyes.

“How do you want me to help?”

“For the operation of that mechanism, only you guys can use it proficiently. I want you to help me carry out my plan and capture the entire Loki Familia!”

“Do you intend to make our ‘work’ the battlefield!? You want to harm it!!”

Apparently, a taboo had been violated, and the man’s voice suddenly rose.

“If we are captured, there will absolutely be no chance to continue completing the ‘work’, right? Aren’t those mechanisms set up for situations like this!”

The god had hit on the man’s weak point and began to exploit it.

Caught off guard, Baka fell silent, forcing himself not to look at the deity’s smirking eyes.

After a long while, he reluctantly nodded.

“…How long?”

The god smiled broadly.

“Right now!”

…

…

…

In front of the expedition team, the single-lane path quickly transformed into a complex maze.

Branching off from many places, even forming crossroads, the number of forks kept increasing. The paths branching off from the passage visibly multiplied, forcing the adventurers to choose one.

Although it was a typical maze structure, its complexity was no less than that of “Daedalus Street.”

Statues shaped like monsters were scattered throughout the passages, and the walls were intricately carved with plant patterns, reminding Finn and his group of the existence of the new species “man-eating flowers.”

The blue magic stone lamps embedded in the walls cast tense expressions on the faces of the adventurers.

What were originally insignificant footsteps were amplified by the stone maze into an undeniable low hum, continuously vibrating in their ears.

At this point, they still relied on Izay’s magic to find the way.

It wasn’t without reason that Bert regarded Izay as an all-purpose teammate.

Continuously eliminating wrong answers with enhanced vision and heading straight deeper, even Finn couldn’t help but marvel at how useful Izay was.

Although there were “doors” within this artificial maze that could be manually controlled, allowing the Dark Faction to guide the invading squad.

But it was useless.

Because Izay also possessed the key to this maze.

Whenever the other side attempted to obstruct or mislead the squad, Izay would activate the key in his hand, guiding the path back to the correct route.

No matter what small tricks the Dark Faction played behind the scenes, he continued to steadily shorten the distance between the squad and the central area.

“To be honest, I feel a bit cold here…”

Tiona frowned slightly, lightly squeezing her palm.

As a top-tier adventurer, the fact that she felt a hint of cold indicated how unexpectedly eerie this artificial maze truly was.

Compared to the Dungeon, it lacked that sense of “breathing.” This decisive difference gave it a feeling of being lifeless and cold.

“The ‘air’ here seems to be isolated by something. I can feel the heaviness emanating between the walls.”

As he spoke, Gress punched the side wall, and the sudden dull sound startled Rhea and Haruhi, making them jump.

“What lies beneath these walls… is steel!?

An essential material for crafting Tiona’s favorite weapons was carelessly buried deep within the rocks.

“Probably the entire passage is constructed using this rare metal. Even I would need considerable effort to break through it.”

“With Izay around, we can proceed smoothly. Don’t dwell on these trivial matters, Gress.”

Looking at the exposed rare metal beneath the shattered stone plates, Gress sighed, while Finn shook his head with a bitter smile.

What kind of thing is this, seeing us advancing too smoothly, wanting to stir up some excitement?

“This place is entirely made of rare metals? Who in their right mind would waste money on such a useless spot? Are they brainless? They are.”

Bert’s foul mouth expressed the sentiments of the entire team.

Even Izay thought the same.

Such a massive project undoubtedly required astronomical labor and funds.

With that much money and time, wouldn’t it be better to do something else?

Clearly, the first Daedalus had lost his mind.

Ais was at the flank of the group, helping Finn leave marks on the passed routes, acting meticulously while also feeling a bit incredulous.

Perhaps it was intuition-induced thinking.

She felt that this place was not merely the Dark Faction’s secret base; the dark emotions unconsciously emanating from the maze’s structure seemed to be telling something.

Then, without answering the girl’s doubts, Izay’s guidance changed.

“After passing through the next space, the tunnel ahead leads to the Dark Faction’s headquarters, but there’s someone up ahead.”

Just one room away from the Dark Faction’s headquarters, the team stopped.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

The moment Izay finished speaking, Finn immediately called out. The Spear of Command’s tip pointed towards the ground, like a snake coiling before striking.

And in response to his words, the previously dim hall suddenly lit up.

Emerging from the distant, deep passageway was a sullen-looking man.

He wore a long strip of cloth around his waist, dressed in casual clothing that looked like work attire.

The clothes were old and dirty, completely lacking cleanliness, and his overly pale skin suggested he had never seen sunlight.

His hair, lacking pigmentation, was disheveled, and his bangs covered one eye, with the exposed one showing heavy dark circles.

The first impression was of someone withered with age, and upon just one glance, both Tiona and Tione recognized him.

“That’s the man mentioned by the fishing deity! A few years ago, he conducted a deal that caused the rampant new species in the port city!”

“I’ve seen his portrait! There’s no way I could be mistaken!”

Tiona and Tione took turns identifying him.

“Heeheehee, Baka younger brother, you’re really something, haven’t left the house much, yet you’ve already been recognized by such beautiful sisters.”

From behind the man, a teasing laugh echoed.

“Fishing deity… yes, there was such an incident… it has nothing to do with them recognizing me. It’s obvious they’re here to catch me.”

In response to the deity’s jest from behind, Baka replied in a barely audible whisper.

It was an attitude of not even wanting to exert effort to speak.

Seeing the man muttering to himself, the members of the Loki Familia across from him weren’t particularly impressed.

They had never encountered this type of person before—ignoring the enemy and retreating into his own world.

“Ahaha… this is Baka younger brother’s personality, sorry for keeping you waiting, allow me to introduce myself, I am Thanatos, a death god~!”

At the same time, the figure hiding behind Baka revealed his true form.

Without needing words, the moment he appeared, Izay and the others understood that the person before them was a deity.

The uniqueness of a deity cannot be hidden unless they possess the ability to control it autonomously, like Kali or Zeus.

At this moment, the one most shaken—or rather, reacting the most violently—was Ais.

The young girl widened her golden eyes in shock, staring at the deity before her.

She had seen him before!

She remembered that aura!

There was no way she could be mistaken!