After the current Mad Labyrinth Master disappeared, the grimoire was left on the ground.
Miss Gabriel felt a little emotional.
"Being tempted by the Winged Lion's power, he wasn't really a bad person after all."
Then, she spoke with a strange expression.
"Oh, right, it's said that whoever kills the Mad Labyrinth Master becomes the new Mad Labyrinth Master, so that means Rosen, you..."
"No, but because the grimoire has become masterless, the Winged Lion imprisoned at the bottom of the labyrinth will also be released."
Rosen shook his head.
"It should appear very soon."
So, not long after his words fell.
As if a wind had blown, a Winged Lion monster came into view.
"It seems you have defeated the new Mad Labyrinth Master. In that case, are you willing to become the new Mad Labyrinth Master?"
As soon as he finished speaking.
The lion's five eyes showed obvious human-like confusion.
"You seem to be like me, not originally from this world, but I don't mind. As long as you have desires, you can ask me for anything. That little girl over there wants to play games forever, and there's one who wants to surpass her older sister, and one who wants to understand human emotions."
"Hmm... and one more, I can't see through."
The Winged Lion's eyes looked at Rosen.
And the group members, whose inner thoughts had been exposed, looked wary.
To be able to easily see through their desires and judge that they were not natives of this world.
These two points alone were enough to prove its extraordinary nature.
"This is the Winged Lion, the final boss of the labyrinth? Xithle was corrupted and maddened by this guy, right?"
Fubuki narrowed her eyes, her expression extremely unfriendly.
Although her desire was indeed to surpass her elder sister Tatsumaki, this power to peek into people's hearts made her extremely uncomfortable.
"Corrupted? No, I merely responded to his desires, nothing more."
The Winged Lion shook its head.
"Besides that, I did nothing. Whether he used ancient magic to fix souls within the labyrinth or dragged the citizens of the Golden City into the labyrinth, it was all merely a manifestation of Xithle's desires."
"Don't try to shirk responsibility. Ultimately, you are also the culprit."
Miss Gabriel glared at the Winged Lion.
However, there was a bit of personal emotion mixed in.
And the Winged Lion's attitude remained calm: "So, do you want me to help you fulfill your desires? Although it might be a bit troublesome, I can still manage it."
"Absolutely not! Some things are better achieved by oneself, so you should just obediently withdraw here!"
Fubuki's expression was unfriendly, and the green light of her psychic powers already appeared on her body.
"Hmm..."
The Winged Lion stroked its chin and fell into thought.
"Although I think achieving this path myself is more difficult and cruel, but... what you think has nothing to do with me, so let's leave it at that."
"Since that's the case, then fulfill one of my wishes."
Rosen stepped forward at this moment, and everyone looked at him.
"It's incredible, your existence is something even I can't see through, yet you want me to fulfill your desires. But let me say this beforehand, I can't turn you into the strongest in the world, capable of destroying this world with one blow."
The Winged Lion spread his hands.
Compared to a final boss, it was more like an ordinary monster now.
"The wish I want to realize is for you to devour your own desires."
After hearing this, the Winged Lion fell into a long period of contemplation.
At this time, everyone also learned from Rosen and Gabriel's supplementary explanations what kind of existence the Winged Lion truly was.
The Winged Lion was ordinary energy that fell from another world.
However, through long-term evolution, it gradually became the concept of "magic" in this world.
This concept then gave birth to the Winged Lion's self.
Because it found human desires to be very delicious, it would actively entice humans and devour the desires they provided.
The Winged Lion accepted all human requests without discrimination.
And the wish Rosen proposed was for it to devour its own desires, which meant devouring its born self, thereby returning to the pure concept itself.
After clarifying the cause and effect, everyone suddenly understood.
The Winged Lion, after confirming Rosen's wish, did not think for too long, nor did it beg Rosen for mercy or initiate a fight; instead, it fulfilled Rosen's idea and devoured its own desires.
This result led to the collapse of the Winged Lion's self, transforming it back into its most primitive form.
After dealing with the last matter, Rosen announced to everyone that everything was over.
Laios and Marcille, among others, felt as if they had just watched a VR movie.
They were clearly involved, yet they felt like they hadn't done anything.
"Will this Danmachi disappear without a Mad Labyrinth Master?"
Marcille asked.
"It won't disappear. It might experience some operational impacts for a while, but it will quickly return to normal."
Rosen said.
To put it bluntly, the Mad Labyrinth Master's symbolic meaning was greater than its practical meaning; its presence or absence would not affect the Danmachi itself.
After all, what supported the Danmachi's operation was a concept similar to the "Winged Lion."
"Thank you all so much for this time."
Marcille breathed a sigh of relief while sincerely thanking everyone.
"Why are you being so polite? We didn't come for nothing."
Gabriel waved her hand.
"Besides, I've seen a lot of things this time. To be honest, compared to points, the edible monsters in the Danmachi are also a gain. I've already asked Senshi to prepare some long-lasting ingredients for me, and I might come here often in the future to gather materials."
After a brief summary, Rosen led everyone to the second floor of the Danmachi for free activity.
Rosen, like Gabriel, also asked Senshi to help prepare some ingredients to take back.
Frieren and Saeko Busujima teamed up and began exploring the Danmachi.
"This way, there won't be any problems with Falyn either, right?"
Marcille looked at Falyn in the distance, feeling more relaxed than ever before.
"On the surface, there are no problems, but Marcille, you are a half-elf, and Falyn is a short-lived tall person. The time you can spend together is only a few decades."
Rosen did not forget the purpose of his contracted dependents.
After making Marcille nervous, he quickly offered his solution.
"Can this really work?"
"We are all group members, so I have no need to deceive you."
Upon hearing this, Marcille let down her guard and informed Falyn about the matter, and the latter, after thinking for a few seconds, agreed to Rosen's suggestion.