“Release all the monsters we got,” she spat. “Every last one of ’em!”
“A-all of them? But, ma’am, there aren’t enough tamers to go around! If we do that, the monsters will attack people on our side, too!”
The Evils squad captain spoke reason. There were barely enough tamers to keep the monster population in check as it was, and that was with every man and woman in active duty. But Valletta answered his concerns with only a cruel smile.
“We don’t need tamers! Let ’em die for all I care! If a monster gets ’em, that means they were too weak to help us in the first place!”
“Grh…! U-understood, ma’am!”
His face pale, the cultist hurried to carry out her request. He still had his misgivings, but wasn’t willing to die for them.
Valletta placed little stock in such niceties as “trust” and “comradery.” She ruled with an iron fist, and if that earned her the ire of those under her command, then so be it. In return, the strict hierarchy worked wonders for the speed and efficiency of her leadership.
To her, the men and women in her care were nothing more than pawns, to be used and abused as she saw fit.
“Run in front of the monsters and lead ’em to Central Park!”
There was only one way to stop Orario from reigniting its fighting spirit, and that lay at the center of the city—Ottar and Zald’s battle, the source of the ceaseless wails that the city took for hope.
Valletta lifted her twisted sword. Her fur-lined coat fell around her legs as she aimed its tip at the white-walled tower.
“I ain’t waitin’ for Zald any longer! We’ll trash that barrier and bring down Babel, then flatten that boar bastard as well!”
“M-more monsters spotted!! They’re heading…straight for Central Park!!”
That message was like a bomb dropping on the rooftop of Guild HQ.
“They’ve reached the barrier! They’re flooding in from all parts of the city, sir!”
Raul paled and stared at the hemispherical barrier in the center of town, which buzzed and sparked beneath the weight of the monsters’ claws. The horde filled the streets, converging on the barrier while preying on any adventurers who stood in their way.
“Grr… Valletta…!!”
Finn ground his teeth and cursed. He had already caught on to his opponent’s goal—to let loose every last monster they had and concentrate their forces in Central Park.
“Master Allen! The monsters are nearing Master Ottar and Lady Freya!”
“Grh…!! You guys stay here; I’m headin’ over there!”
“M-Master Allen?!”
Allen was reinforcing the front lines alongside Tsubaki and Mia, but the moment he heard the report, he wasted no time. He dashed off toward Central Park, leaving the poor messenger in the dust.
But he alone was not enough to turn the tide of war. A large monster approached the barrier and turned on the mages maintaining it. Asfi watched on in horror as it devoured one of them in a single bite.
“The mages!” cried Asfi. “The barrier will collapse!”
“Get away from them! No!!”
Falgar screamed in vain. He wanted nothing more than to run to their aid, but knew the moment he deserted his post, all the civilians’ lives would be forfeit.
In stark contrast to his grief, the nearby Olivas chuckled with joy.
“Heh-heh-heh-heh! I like the way you think, Valletta! I think I’ll join in the fun! I want to be there when this city falls!”
Leading his followers into the city center, Vendetta lent his own bloodthirsty hands to the cause.
It was a parade of death. Hordes of monsters coursed down the eight main streets, converging on the central barrier. A small collection of Evils troops watched the march from the rooftops and thanked their dark gods they weren’t down there in the thick of it.
Dragonfire, and the flames of magic swords, beat against the barrier, causing cracks to appear across its surface. Its fall was inevitable. It was only a matter of time. Nobody could reinforce the mages or so much as leave the strongholds to which they had been assigned.
Bete, Aisha, Phryne, and Samira clicked their tongues in frustration. Filvis, Amid, and Nahza gave in to despair. Tsubaki, Mia, Hedin, and Hegni, locked in battle with the sirens; the Gullivers, holding their own against Basram’s spirit warriors—all their faces turned sour. Fels watched on in horror as their crystal orb fell from their hand and shattered to pieces on the floor.
“No, stop… Stopppp!!”
There was nothing the adventurers could do but rock the gray skies with their screams.
“Hyah-hah-hah-hah! This is the end, Orario!!”
Atop her rooftop, Valletta laughed wildly, safe in the knowledge her victory was close at hand.
Evil rallied in triumph once more. The iron hammer raised, ready to come down and end the folly of justice once and for all.
The people were running out of prayers.
The adventurers succumbed to despair.
Even the gods looked on, powerless and ashamed.
All of them knew, deep in their hearts, that the end approached.
“………”
Among them all, one man stood still, looking out over the war zone that his home had become. Then, turning his back on his familia’s stronghold, the man called out to his allies.
“Dyne.”
“Yup?”
“Bahra.”
“You got it.”
The two other veterans of Loki Familia gathered at Noir’s side.
“You don’t have to say it,” the Amazon said. “We know what you’re thinking.”
“…Sorry. But let me say one thing anyway.”
The old man grinned a mischievous smirk.
“It’s been a real pleasure workin’ alongside you old dogs!”
The three shared a smile, evoking memories of the first time they ever strode through the Dungeon’s gates side by side.
“…Guys? Where’re you goin’?”
It was Loki who spotted them as they got ready to leave, as she watched the war play out from the mansion’s bridge. With her divine insight, she didn’t fail to spot the do-or-die attitude in each of their expressions.
Noir looked back over his shoulder and flashed her a smile.
“Loki… See you.”
“…W-wait! Noir!!”
But the three veterans turned and vanished on the wind.
Sorry, Loki.
It’s a real shameful way to go, defyin’ our mistress like this.
I hope you can forgive us.
Noir danced across the rooftops, carving his final regrets into his heart. The other members of Loki Familia watched on in shock as the three veterans shot off like arrows and disappeared.
Their destination…was Central Park. Noir’s lips curled up as he prepared to unleash his sword.
“In return, I’ll show you what an old dog can do!”