Cid: "?"
Staring at the little elf who suddenly threw herself into his arms, Cid was genuinely at a loss.
He'd come here by following the direction the big black brute had left—not because he'd come looking for this elf on purpose.
There were too many Dark Faction members. He'd been cutting them down along the way and yet their numbers didn't seem to decrease at all.
Japan might not have the exact saying "capture the ringleader to catch the whole gang," but the logic was the same.
He'd only come over because, while tailing them, he heard someone shouting "Shadow" and decided to take a look.
And it turned out the one calling for him was this little elf.
Considering he'd once promised that if she called his name, he would appear, Shadow temporarily set aside his most important objective—just in time to save her life.
Sure, this was the second time he'd saved her… but did she really need to be this emotional?
If Cid remembered correctly, he did have the intention of recruiting her, but he hadn't actually taken any concrete action yet.
At most, they were acquaintances, right?
…So excited.
In the end, she really was just a kid.
"…Lord Shadow, I'm fine now. Thank you for arriving in time."
Only after crying for a while did Filvis finally pull away, her face red.
That crying fit just now was far from ladylike. She'd be treated like a child if anyone saw.
"Since you called my name, then I—Shadow—will keep my word. The enemy's commander is over there. I'm going to end today's war. Do you have anything else to say?"
Cid honestly didn't know why this elf had cried like that.
But he could guess, more or less, that aside from his arms… she probably had nowhere else left where she could safely cry.
This cursed elf girl likely had no one she could trust anymore.
"Lord Shadow… could I delay you for just a moment?"
Filvis asked respectfully.
"There's still time. That god standing on high seems like he wants to say something."
Cid lifted his head to look.
A god dressed with unmistakable flair stood elevated above the battlefield.
More importantly, beside him were the big black brute—and the woman who'd flicked Cid on the forehead.
If nothing unexpected was going on, those three were the masterminds behind everything… and the targets he'd come for.
Right now, though, they seemed to be chatting casually.
Once the small talk ended, they were probably going to make another huge move.
If it were Shadow, after orchestrating something this spectacular, he'd absolutely make a grand appearance in front of everyone.
And judging by that outfit, this god was clearly the same type of showman.
"Lord Shadow… may I join your familia?"
Filvis knew she couldn't waste time. She made her plea directly.
"…Are you sure?"
Cid turned to look at her, searching his memory.
He hadn't even formally invited her yet, had he? How had this little elf already hopped into the bowl on her own?
"Yes. But there's something I want to do. It might go against your wishes."
Filvis tightened her grip on the crystal in her hand.
"Go on."
"I want to avenge everyone—by killing the Dis Sisters!"
Filvis looked at Cid timidly but firmly, her eyes carefully watching him.
His face was hidden behind a mask—she couldn't read his expression.
But if Lord Shadow was angry, she should be able to tell from his movements.
Lord Shadow was merciful. He was willing to spare those monsters a path to live.
But she was different.
Between her and those monsters was a blood feud she could never, ever let go.
If that crystal could truly grant her the power of a Level 7… then she would absolutely take her revenge.
She hadn't fallen into becoming a monster for the sake of vengeance—
But if she gained power, she couldn't not take vengeance.
"I let them go because I don't have a grudge against them. I'm willing to save a life-or-death duel for next time. But you do have a grudge. Taking revenge is only natural. Why are you even asking my opinion?"
Cid felt something was off about this little elf.
Did she think he would forbid her from taking revenge?
He still remembered the horror of that day.
And looking at how frightened she was—she looked like a child afraid of being punished by a parent.
Cid even suspected that if he said "no," she might genuinely abandon her revenge.
If that was true… that was honestly terrifying.
"Thank you for your mercy, Lord Shadow. Please allow me to join your familia!"
The hand clenching the crystal finally relaxed, and Filvis let go of the last of her hesitation.
So Lord Shadow truly was merciful—he wouldn't force his own standards onto her. Instead, he understood the reason behind her revenge.
Even if her revenge ran contrary to his plans, he still chose to respect her.
Filvis was certain now.
Lord Shadow was someone worth following for a lifetime.
"Very well. Then from this day on, you are… a member of Shadow Garden."
— — —
Chardo arrived at the agreed meeting place, where Erebus and Alfia were already waiting.
"This is magnificent. I've never seen anything like it before."
As he walked, Chardo kept glancing up at the sky.
As an executive of Zeus Familia, he'd seen countless scenes.
But he'd never seen this.
Gods being sent back to Heaven wasn't unheard of.
But multiple gods being forcibly returned at the same time… that was a first.
Gods came to the Lower World for entertainment.
If the end result was that humans would hunt them down, then gods would either fly into a rage and strike at humans—
Or simply remain in Heaven and stop coming down entirely.
Either way, it would be a massive blow to humanity:
The former would mean the rules of the game were broken.
The latter would mean the game ceased to exist.
Unless someone had truly gone mad—trapped in absolute darkness, swearing to drag humanity back to an era without the gods' blessings—
Even with an evil god taking the lead, what human would dare cooperate?
Still, Chardo couldn't help thinking Erebus was… strange.
The gods who'd been targeted were already fully researched. They could have acted at any time.
Erebus's reason for not moving immediately was, on the surface, "to avoid raising suspicion"—
But in reality, it was probably for the sake of this grand spectacle.
It was spectacular, sure.
But deliberately creating a scene like this… wasn't that a bit odd?
Chardo wasn't sure how to describe that kind of showboating.
"Once you see these pillars clearly, you'll understand: gods are nothing more than noise."
Alfia closed her eyes again.
The pillars might deliver a moment of shock—
But only a moment.
Once she understood that gods in the Lower World were ultimately no big deal, she had no interest in watching further.
"Astraea's side didn't fall for it. They reinforced quickly. Good."
Receiving the report from the Dark Faction, Erebus smiled with satisfaction.
"That's how it should be. Justice ought to have that kind of intuition—and that kind of ability."
There were countless gods in the Lower World, but justice fascinated him the most.
When he disguised himself during the day as a shabby, down-and-out god, the people he most enjoyed approaching were the familias of justice.
After all—
As the "Greatest Evil," justice was his destined nemesis.
Erebus's excitement rose. He brought a prepared tool up to his mouth.
In the next instant, all of Orario could hear his voice.
"Listen well, Orario. Listen well, Uranus."
Even amid fierce fighting, countless people looked up, searching the sky for the source of that voice.
"As the Greatest Evil, I—Erebus—represent the darkness. I have come to destroy the contract between gods and humanity!"
....
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