Inside the artificial labyrinth of Knossos, the civilian populace and the gods of the surface weren't the only ones aggressively discussing the recent catastrophe. The Dark Factions were in a similar state of intense evaluation.
"Hahaha!" Ikelos let out a strange, thoroughly amused chuckle. "To think the Monster Rex of the Water Capital, Amphisbaena, actually materialized directly over the Ishtar Familia's headquarters and blasted the entire Pleasure Quarter to absolute smithereens. Truly a sight to behold!"
His raucous, ecstatic laughter echoed throughout the dim, subterranean hall. He couldn't care less about the staggering economic casualties; as long as an anomaly provided him with a dose of the unadulterated "unexpected," it was more than enough to suffice.
Thanatos, however, wore a thoroughly grim expression, letting out a succession of heavy sighs. "This is fundamentally not a matter worth celebrating. The key in Ishtar's possession has been forcefully plundered."
Ishtar hadn't dared voice a single syllable regarding the "Berserker" or the theft of the Daedalus Orb to the divine assembly. For one, it was a matter of intense personal humiliation—her ultimate Charm had completely failed to ensnare the adversary. Furthermore, the attacker was universally perceived to be a fanatical devotee of Freya. Had Freya caught wind of that reality, she would have mocked Ishtar to death, an outcome Ishtar refused to tolerate even if it cost her life.
Secondly, she feared exposing her covert collusion with the Dark Factions. Yet, when dealing with the Dark Factions themselves, Ishtar withheld absolutely nothing, issuing a fierce, unyielding command for them to locate the Berserker immediately and avenge her humiliation.
Faced with the furious demands of their primary financial benefactor, Thanatos found himself in an exceptionally thorny predicament. They simply lacked the competency to execute the order! According to prior intelligence parameters, that Berserker was a Level 7 powerhouse capable of forcefully suppressing the "Warlord" Ottarl himself.
The Dark Factions couldn't even handle Ottarl on a good day; the behemoth had recently broken into their perimeter and executed a merciless, one-sided slaughter.
That being said, Thanatos remained exceptionally serious regarding the security breach. The Daedalus Orb was the lifeblood of the artificial labyrinth, and it had now slipped into the hands of an unknown outsider. Just where on earth are we supposed to look for this mysterious Berserker? Thanatos fretted over the matter so intensely his hair was falling out in handfuls. They had systematically vetted every major power structure and hidden faction within Orario, yet failed to uncover a single trace of evidence. It was utterly bizarre.
As for Roy—he wasn't even placed on their tactical radar. Roy had been operating entirely outside the city limits for the sake of his village, actively defying the Kingdom of Rakia before journeying to Solingen. Backed by Goddess Hephaestus herself as an ironclad eyewitness, his alibi was flawless. Not a single soul harbored a shred of suspicion toward him.
Right at that moment, a woman with a vicious, cruel visage emerged from the far end of the corridor. "To think you entities call yourselves gods, yet your minds fail to grasp a deduction this blindingly simple!"
"Valletta..." The two deities shifted their gazes toward the newcomer.
Valletta Grede, known by her official title "Arachne," was one of the most critical vanguard executives within the Dark Factions and the primary driving force behind the Great Feud three years prior. She perceived herself to be the eternal nemesis of "Braver" Finn, though she had yet to secure a single tactical victory against him.
Thanatos looked at Valletta, his expression filled with confusion. "Valletta, what exactly are you implying?"
Valletta wore a thunderous scowl. "The Freya Familia!"
Hearing those words, a sharp tremor rippled through the hearts of both deities. Thanatos countered, "Are you suggesting that everything... including that prior incident, was a massive, self-directed performance orchestrated entirely by Freya?"
Valletta let out a cold sneer. "Open your eyes! How many unaligned Level 7 adventurers do you honestly think exist in this lower world?!"
Mortals and deities alike universally preferred to believe in conclusions they had systematically engineered themselves. Once the conceptual dots were connected, the hidden anomalies appeared exceptionally glaring.
First of all, the Berserker's primary target was the Daedalus Orb in Ishtar's possession. Who on earth required that specific artifact? The adversary was clearly targeting the artificial labyrinth itself! The Freya Familia possessed an absolute motive in this regard. The volume of individuals privy to the existence of Knossos was remarkably scarce, and Freya was one of them. Having previously deployed Ottarl to cause a massive disruption, there was zero guarantee she wouldn't attempt a separate, covert infiltration.
Furthermore, just as Valletta indicated, ascending to Level 7 was a feat of monumental structural difficulty. For a random powerhouse capable of suppressing Ottarl and the vast majority of the Freya Familia vanguard to suddenly materialize out of nowhere? The mathematical probability was simply too low to be real!
Was it possible that the legendary clash between the Freya Familia and the Berserker was a massive, calculated theatrical performance? Utilizing her supreme divine Charm, Freya could easily manipulate and overwrite the minds of any extraneous eyewitnesses.
Freya and Ishtar also harbored a deep-seated, historical blood feud.
Under the influence of their intense cognitive leaps, Freya rapidly transformed into a terrifying, master manipulator operating entirely from the shadows, orchestrating every single piece of the puzzle. Even the high-profile unmasking of her civilian alias carried a deeply chilling, calculating undercurrent when evaluated from this perspective. What exactly was Freya trying to achieve?
While the deities, adventurers, and Dark Factions of Orario were collectively engaging in a massive intellectual brainstorming session, the genuine mastermind—Roy—was currently riding the Thunder-Hoofed Bull and the Divine Majesty Chariot back to the village under the cover of night.
The blitzkrieg operation had been a spectacular success. The entire round trip, inclusive of plundering the Daedalus Orb, had consumed less than four hours. Under this suffocatingly tight timeframe, who could possibly suspect him? The adversary would either have to be a literal cheat-code user or completely unhinged. Roy tossed the Daedalus Orb deep into his spatial ring; they could flip the entire metropolis upside down and it still wouldn't yield a single dividend.
Given the absolute chaos engulfing Orario, Roy had zero intention of returning anytime soon. He maintained a Synchro-Blood Covenant with Ryuu; if an emergency materialized, she would inevitably trigger the link.
Roy systematically immersed himself in the socio-economic development of the village, utilizing his presence to intimidate any malicious external factions seeking to exploit the territory's tax-exempt status for personal profit. He focused purely on maintaining a high-profile presence, ensuring everyone knew he was firmly stationed here.
Simultaneously, Roy pulled up his system interface. Dismissing his prior party configuration, he added the Amazon sisters to his active vanguard roster.
[Tione and Tiona have been added to the party. Remaining companion slots: 2]
Having ascended to Level 4, his structural capacity allowed him to transport up to four companions into an instance simultaneously. However, the system maintained a specific operational radius; if a target exceeded a certain spatial distance, they couldn't be summoned. Otherwise, he would have gladly brought Daphne and Cassandra along as well.
Instance Node: Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)
Difficulty Parameters: LV.2 ~ LV.5
[Reward Parameters have been calibrated. Based on individual basic attributes, unique tier rewards will be distributed!]
Roy: Eliminating a Pure Titan (15m to 50m) yields 1 to 10 Attribute Points respectively.
Tione: Eliminating a Pure Titan (15m to 50m) yields 20 to 80 Attribute Points respectively.
Tiona: Eliminating a Pure Titan (15m to 50m) yields 20 to 80 Attribute Points respectively.
Primary Objective: Hunt down 100 Pure Titans to trigger the return sequence.
Extra Objective: Subjugate the Jaw Titan, Female Titan, Armored Titan, and Colossus Titan to receive 80, 100, 120, and 200 Attribute Points respectively.
Extra Objective: Subjugate the Attack Titan (Founding Titan) to claim a flat bonus of 500 Attribute Points!
Evaluating the structural parameters of the instance, Roy couldn't help but feel a sudden surge of intense envy, as if he had just bitten into a thoroughly sour lemon. The reward scaling for his current tier had shrunk astronomically.
The attribute yield he would receive for taking down the massive 50-meter Colossus Titan was effectively half of what Tione and Tiona would secure for eliminating a standard 15-meter Pure Titan. The gap between Level 4 and Level 3 parameters was brutally apparent.
Then there was the Colossus Titan. He distinctly recalled that during his initial entry, the Colossus Titan yielded a massive 2,000 Attribute Points; now, it had dwindled to a mere 200.
大量巨人群 Then again, the Colossus Titan—revered within that specific world as a literal "God of Destruction" capable of single-handedly obliterating an entire military naval port—appeared remarkably average to Roy's current perspective.
The entity was essentially an oversized, lumbering target that possessed the destructive capacity of a single, long-verse Level 5 magic incantation. In terms of raw defensive parameters, it couldn't even match up to the seventeenth-floor Monster Rex, Goliath. It could be neutralized in a literal flash. Taking down entities like Iskandar or Artoria had only yielded five to six hundred points; a mere Colossus Titan couldn't possibly outclass two legendary Heroic Spirits.
"Close your eyes. I'm taking you two to a highly unique location to have some fun," Roy remarked, turning his gaze toward the Amazon sisters.
Tione and Tiona were exceptionally compliant. Tione even raised her delicate chin slightly, puckering her painted lips as if she were a blissful lover waiting for a romantic kiss. Roy naturally had zero intention of leaning in, casually tapping the "Enter Instance" prompt. The physical forms of the trio instantly dissolved into thin air.
Paradis Island, Wall Maria
A brilliant shimmer of space-time light rippled across the terrain, and following the spatial displacement sequence, Roy and the two girls materialized directly atop the monolithic stone apex of the outer wall.
"You can open your eyes now," Roy instructed calmly.
Tione and Tiona slowly parted their eyelids, a vast, completely uninhibited horizon unfolding directly before their eyes—an endless expanse of wilderness kissed by a crisp, comfortable autumn breeze.
A look of profound shock washed over both of their faces. They were entirely certain they hadn't shifted their physical feet by even a fraction of a millimeter, yet they had materialized atop this colossal barrier out of nowhere. It was a spectacular exhibition of divine power.
"Wow, wow, wow! Captain, just what kind of location is this?!" Tiona exclaimed, her face brimming with pure, unadulterated excitement.
Roy offered a slight chuckle. "Consider this one of my absolute secrets—the capacity to execute cross-dimensional spatial displacement. Keep it entirely to yourselves."
"Rest assured, Captain! I would gladly embrace death before uttering a single syllable of this to an outsider!" Tione and Tiona declared in perfect unison, their expressions filled with absolute, unyielding conviction.
"It's really not that serious..." Roy muttered in silent amusement. Given that he was practically invincible on the surface of the lower world, if the sisters were ever caught by a hostile power, he would actually prefer they barter his intelligence parameters to secure their own survival.
However, the hyper-excited Amazonian girls were completely tuned out, their curious gazes darting frantically across the bizarre terrain.
Clap! Clap!
Moments later, as their initial excitement began to level off, Roy clapped his hands together to capture their attention. "I didn't bring you two across dimensions for a sightseeing excursion. It's time to put in some labor. Do you see those grotesque, towering humanoids roaming below? Eliminate every single one of them. Their absolute weakness is located directly on the nape of their necks!"
Tione and Tiona had already taken note of the snarling, misshapen Pure Titans prowling beneath the barrier—both inside and outside the wall, a dense, suffocating mass numbering no less than a thousand entities.
Receiving Roy's direct command, they mobilized instantly.
"Leave it to us, Captain!"
The duo leapt cleanly from the fifty-meter-high apex of the wall, dropping through the sky like falling meteors before slamming heavily onto the terrain below. Like a pair of ravenous wolves unleashing an assault, they charged straight toward the colossal Pure Titans.
Their pretty faces harbored zero fear. Operating at the pinnacle of Level 3 parameters, navigating these mindless Pure Titans inflicted absolutely zero structural pressure on their capabilities.
Tiona swung the Great Twin Blade: Urga with fluid, terrifying velocity. The razor-sharp edge cleaved cleanly through the fleshy limbs of a Pure Titan before a fluid follow-up strike severed the nape of its neck, systematically racking up a continuous streak of eliminations.
Tione's approach was significantly more visceral and brutal. Executing a sharp, vertical leap, she delivered a high-velocity kick that violently detonated a Titan's neck. However, her overall operational efficiency was noticeably slower than Tiona's weapon-based output.
Seated comfortably atop the monolithic stone wall, Roy monitored their combat parameters. "Tione, unsheathe your Silver Moon Curves!"
Hearing his voice, Tione glanced up, a small pout forming on her lips as she muttered softly, "But... this was an invaluable personal gift from the Captain."
Roy understood her romantic train of thought instantly. "I gifted you those weapons specifically to safeguard your life. Down the line, I will shower you with as many personal gifts as your heart desires. But if you manage to get yourself injured right now, all future transactions are permanently canceled!"
"Captain, it's an absolute promise!"
Under the twin influence of Roy's authoritative pressure and romantic incentives, Tione finally unsheathed the crescent blades resting at her waist, her harvest efficiency skyrocketing instantly. Yet, her mind seemed entirely hyper-focused on the promise of "more personal gifts down the line," her internal excitement completely uninhibited.
While the unique magical parameters of the Silver Moon Curves could typically only be unleashed under the cover of night, the weapons were ultimately Epic-grade armaments. Slicing through a handful of flesh-and-blood Pure Titans was no different from carving through autumn leaves.
Several days later, deep within the headquarters of the Survey Corps.
The high-ranking command tier of the military vanguard sat gathered around a massive central table—Erwin Smith, Levi Ackerman, Hange Zoë... Their collective gazes were fixed rigidly onto a highly anomalous intelligence dispatch resting before them, their brows tightly furrowed in absolute, paralyzing confusion.
Wall Maria... had been completely cleared of all Titan activity!
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