The monster was no more. Its final cry seemed to equal a mother’s grief and rocked the Dungeon floor. Then its huge body began to dissolve before exploding in a shower of ash. Black sand, painted crimson by the flames, fluttered in the air like snow, painting the eighteenth floor in ephemeral colors.
“…Did we win?”
It was Neze, battered and broken, who spoke first. She seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
“Yes…we did,” answered Lyu.
“Victory is ours,” added Kaguya.
The ash gently settled on the floor, leaving no doubt that Delphyne was well and truly gone. Astrea Familia paused, uncertain if they should believe it, before finally erupting into cheers.
“We did it!!”
“Well done, everyone!” cried Celty, running over to celebrate with her allies on the front ranks.
Lyana let out a deep sigh. “It was touch and go for a while there…” she muttered.
“Is everyone okay?” asked Maryu, checking up on her collapsed friends.
Iska fell flat on her back, utterly exhausted. “I just want a baaath!” she groaned.
Everyone rejoiced. Some even had tears in their eyes. Astrea watched from a distance, smiling at the sight of her triumphant children.
Meanwhile, Aiz was standing alone, her armor in tatters, when Riveria approached her.
“Aiz,” she said.
“…Riveria.”
The high elf was just as beat-up as she was, and her robes were torn in several places. Aiz looked up at her guiltily, until…
“Ow!”
Without another word, Riveria brought her fist down on the girl’s head. And she didn’t stop there.
“Oof! Bah! Ouch!”
Again and again, her delicate fingers produced the most unbelievable of sounds against the young Aiz’s head. Blue flames seemed to spark in her jade-green eyes, and Lyu and Celty trembled in fear at the apparent madness of their elven queen.
At last, Gareth stepped in. “Now, now, Riveria, that’s quite enough,” he said. “I think if Aiz is going to learn her lesson, you need to speak to her, no? Besides, all this beating is going to stunt her growth!”
At last, the furious elf loosened her fists.
“Owww…”
Aiz clutched her head with both hands, tears forming in her eyes. Riveria huffed with exertion, then finally reached out her arms. Thinking she was in for more punishment, Aiz flinched, but the next thing she felt were Riveria’s warm arms around her shoulders, and the elf’s soft cheek against her own.
“R-Riveria…?”
“You idiot, Aiz. Never do something so stupid ever again.”
“…Okay, Riveria… I’m sorry.”
At Riveria’s motherly words, Aiz softly closed her eyes, her head buried in the high elf’s stomach. She awkwardly raised her arms and wrapped them as far as she could around Riveria’s waist.
The heartwarming scene put a smile on Gareth’s face. A little distance away, Lyu was also watching, when Alize walked over.
“All’s well that ends well, right, Leon?”
“Yes… It’s finally over.”
Then all of a sudden, Alize seemed to trip and clung to Lyu’s side.
“A-Alize?!”
“I’m tired, Leon… Can you give me a piggyback?”
“I don’t think I can, Alize. I’m worn out, too…”
Her cheeks reddened, and the elf girl mustered a smile. Alize was smiling, too, her eyes closed like she was asleep.
“Hey, Leon,” she said. “Let’s go visit Adi’s grave after this.”
“…Yeah.”
“Let’s go see Leah, and all the adventurers who gave their lives for us.”
“…Yeah.”
Leon tried to stop her smile from turning into a frown, but a single droplet still ran from her sky-blue eyes and stained her cheek. Alize’s slender arms tightened around her shoulder.
“…That’s it, then.”
Evil stood watching justice from afar.
There was no smile on his lips, but no anger or sadness, either. It was as if he simply accepted the way things were. Like he had reached the end of a truly moving play and was still basking in the afterglow.
At that moment, a second god appeared.
“Yes, Erebus. This is the end.”
The dark god turned to see Astrea, clad in her pure-white robes.
“Good has triumphed, and evil has fallen,” she said.
From behind her came her eleven followers, while Gareth, Riveria, and Aiz appeared on the opposite side, trapping Erebus. Loki Familia, Astrea Familia, and the escort from Hermes Familia. All eyes were focused on the lone enemy king, stripped of his last line of defense.
“Excellent work,” he said, grinning. “I played the part of evil to the best of my ability, but in the end, your justice and persistence won the day.”
There were no more tricks up his sleeve. No more means to alter the board. Yet even now, the cornered god hardly seemed to care about his predicament.
“I’ll admit it,” he said. “You win. Nobody likes a sore loser.”
Contrary to his words, it didn’t feel like Erebus recognized his loss at all. He stood calmly, one hand on his waist, under the scornful gazes of Lyra and Kaguya.
“You’re talkin’ real tough for someone who’s about to be mincemeat,” said the former.
“I do hope you’re not expecting us to just forget about all this and let you go after everything you’ve done?” added the latter.
“Oh, good heavens, no. But what kind of evil would I be if I pleaded for mercy now?”
The girls seemed about to lose it, but Erebus only smiled back.
“Go ahead,” he said. “Hate me. For what greater joy is there for evil than to be reviled and hated?”
““Grh…!””
Lyra and Kaguya scowled with fury, and some of the other girls stepped forward, but Loki Familia bade them stay.
“We are but mortals,” said the high elf. “It is not for us to judge your actions… We’ll leave that to your fellow gods.”
“Your evil deeds end here, menace,” added the dwarf. “Have you any last words?”
Erebus looked blank for a moment, then answered.
“I do have a request, if you’d be so kind.”
“What is it?” snorted Gareth.
“I wish for you to send me back, Astrea. It is only right that evil should meet its end at the hands of justice.”
Astrea stared back at him but said nothing.
“And as for where it should be done,” Erebus went on. “I’m thinking somewhere high up, surrounded by the endless sky. Somewhere quiet, where the two of us can be alone, without these meddling mortals around to disturb us.”
Astrea’s followers were not amused by the brazen demands of their captured prey. “Y-you’re joking!” Lyra exclaimed.
“Are we sure we don’t want to take a swing at him?” said Kaguya, balling her fist.
“Wow! I’m amazed!” said Alize. “I knew he was arrogant, but this is ridiculous! This is beyond evil at this point; gods are a different breed!”
“Please stay quiet,” Lyu cautioned. “You’re not making it any better.”
“Oh, and one more thing,” said Erebus.
“What now?” tutted Riveria with spite.
Erebus turned and looked out off the cliff.
“Let my lovely follower go,” he said. “You don’t have to help him; just leave him.”
“!”
“Maybe the monsters will get him, maybe not. Either way, you’ll have done your part. So, just let him go.”
The girls were aghast. They wondered if the god might still be plotting something, and didn’t agree to his request right away. But far away on the ground, Vito looked up at his dark master.
“…E-Erebus…?”
Cut to ribbons by Kaguya and left to die, there was no way he was escaping the dungeon without a miracle. Erebus stared at him, then turned to face Astrea once more.
“He’s only one guy,” the dark god insisted. “What’s the worst that could happen? Then again, if you’re burning for revenge, I understand.”
“…Fine. We shall grant your request,” said Astrea.
“Oh, how benevolent. I knew you’d see it my way.”
With that, Erebus walked off past Astrea.
“Let’s be off then,” he said. “Evil to the very end.”
The adventurers turned and glared at him, but, restraining their various emotions, they calmly escorted him toward the surface. Hermes Familia surrounded him, while Riveria, Gareth, and Aiz followed.
Only Astrea Familia hung back. After a short while, Lyra kicked a stone in anger.
“Godsdammit!” she swore. “That guy pisses me off!”
“I don’t think I’ll ever find it in myself to forgive him, no matter what Lady Astrea says,” agreed Kaguya. “Every time I look at him, I think of all those he’s taken from us.”
The other girls clenched their fists or stared at the ground, silently echoing her words.
“Perhaps this is what it means,” said Lyu, “to fight evil instead of joining it.”
The elf girl found it hard to breathe. To her, this was more than a simple triumph. Victory had come with its own difficulties.
“………”
Only Alize stood silent as the god left, as if searching for a truth that as yet eluded the others. Astrea, too, said nothing, and only cast her eyes downward.