Chapter 291: Aiden's Concern
"Ouranos..."
Fels's androgynous voice carried a hint of hoarseness and heavy weight. "The Water Capital... has collapsed. The Braver and the others... their status is unknown."
Ouranos closed his eyes again.
"I know."
He spoke in a deep, resonant voice. "Have the Xenos... help with the search. Let us hope... their luck holds out."
The tremors originating from the deep underground were so violent that they even rippled up to the distant surface.
All of Orario felt a faint, yet unmistakable, shaking.
Uneasy citizens spilled out of their homes, gazing with alarm at the towering Babel Tower in the center of the city.
They all knew exactly what was sealed beneath Orario.
Even the slightest disturbance was enough to remind them of the terrifying horrors from the Dark Period recorded in ancient legends.
Fortunately, the rhythmic, heavy thud of marching boots soon echoed through the streets. Members of the Ganesha Familia, clad in their iconic elephant-head armor, swiftly deployed across all major thoroughfares.
They loudly reassured the citizens and maintained order, stamping out a potential panic in its absolute infancy.
At the very top of Babel Tower.
Inside the extravagantly luxurious room belonging exclusively to Freya, the Goddess of Beauty.
The faint tremors caused the blood-red wine in her goblet to ripple.
Freya leaned back against her plush sofa, a playful smile gracing her lips.
She gently swirled her glass, her gaze resting with great interest on the other two people in the room.
Guild Master Royman was frantically dabbing at the cold sweat on his forehead with a snow-white handkerchief, his obese frame trembling slightly from anxiety.
Beside him, Loki had completely dropped her usual cynical, easygoing facade.
Her normally squinted eyes were wide open, staring at Freya with a sharp, unflinching gaze that cut like a knife.
"Go, Ottar."
Freya finally spoke, her voice languid and seductive.
She gave the order to the Boar Person warrior who stood silently by her side like a tower of iron.
"Gather Hedin, Hegni, and the others. Go rescue the Loki Familia."
Upon hearing this, a look of wild ecstasy instantly washed over Royman's pale face.
Loki, too, visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Her tense shoulders slumped as she looked at Freya, her tone incredibly complex. "I owe you one, Freya."
"Hehe, I'm very much looking forward to seeing exactly how you repay this favor."
Freya chuckled softly and drained her wine.
Then, her silver eyes—eyes that could pierce the very essence of a soul—shifted to the crystal orb Loki had brought, which now sat on the table.
"However... Loki, I think you should call upon one more person."
Loki's gaze followed hers to the orb.
She remained silent for a moment before a slightly wicked grin spread across her face.
"Yeah... Even though this isn't his fault, ultimately... he's tied up in it."
. . .
Palais Mermonia.
Aiden stared in utter bewilderment at the red-haired goddess who had him by the collar, glaring at him viciously.
He couldn't recall when he had offended Loki to the point of her showing up at his door to interrogate him.
So... what exactly was going on?
"Kid, see for yourself!"
Loki didn't even bother explaining. She glared at Aiden fiercely before tossing a crystal orb directly into his chest.
Aiden caught the orb, thoroughly confused.
Only after Loki's impatient prompting did he realize it was a magic item that required mana to activate.
As he channeled a sliver of magic into it, the curious Robin, Tifa, Hyacine, and even Jeanne d'Arc gathered around.
Even Astrea, who should have been in her own room, materialized beside them.
When Loki saw her, she didn't look the least bit surprised; she merely clicked her tongue, clearly already aware that the Goddess of Justice had returned to Orario.
Then, every single pair of eyes was completely glued to the projection floating above the crystal orb.
It displayed a staggeringly brutal battle deep within the Dungeon.
When the projection showed an imposter—a figure identical to Aiden, wielding a crimson sword of light and slaughtering members of the Loki Familia without mercy—dead silence fell over the room.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances before turning in unison to stare at the real Aiden standing right beside them.
Aiden's own mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"You see it now, kid?"
Loki stared at Aiden, one eye closed. "Now, I know that isn't you, but don't try to tell me this Dungeon anomaly has absolutely nothing to do with you."
"I'm not going to take it out on you, but... you're gonna have to pitch in, right?"
Aiden nodded slowly, handing the crystal orb back to Loki.
His eyes had darkened with immense gravity.
"Everything else aside, just seeing him gives me all the reason I need to step in."
He pointed at the now-frozen image of the imposter "Aiden" in the crystal orb.
The moment he saw that fake, the fragmented images from his dreams violently coalesced.
He knew something had felt wrong lately. So... this was what was waiting for him.
The Dungeon... sure knew how to play games.
The previous Alise and Eula had merely been mindless killing puppets devoid of intellect.
But the "Childe" recorded in the crystal orb was clearly an upgraded version.
He wasn't just a puppet; he possessed a fraction of Tartaglia's actual intellect and memories, even retaining his pure, unadulterated thirst for battle.
And now, this "Aiden"...
Aiden's heart plummeted.
If this imposter was truly created perfectly from his own template...
Then he absolutely had to go down there himself.
Because he remembered very clearly that he still possessed a final, ultimate trump card he had never revealed to anyone.
Deification Magic—Lord Ravager.
If that imposter could use that magic too...
Forget Finn and his squad. Even if the entire Freya Familia mobilized, even if Ottar, the Warlord hailed as the strongest in the city, stepped up... could they actually defeat him?
Aiden didn't know.
Even he didn't know exactly how terrifyingly strong he would be with Lord Ravager fully unleashed.
Because he had never actually used it.
----
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations