The Beginning and the End

"Boom!!!!!"

When such a deafening roar resounded, in the direction of Daedalus Street, in an area off the main road, a beam of light suddenly burst through the ground, soaring into the sky and illuminating the entire Labyrinth City of Orario.

At that moment, whether it was the adventurers still fighting in the Artificial Labyrinth of Knossos or the people in the Labyrinth City, everyone suddenly raised their heads and looked in the direction of this enormous pillar of light that stretched to the sky.

No one is unaware of what this phenomenon represents.

After all, a similar scene had occurred not long ago on the same Daedalus Street.

The Return Pillar is a phenomenon that only occurs when a celestial being returns to the Heaven and leaves the Lower World realm. Its appearance only means that another celestial being has been repatriated, just like last time, in Daedalus Street.

Undoubtedly, this will once again cause a huge uproar in the Labyrinth City Orario, plunging the people into complete unease.

But for the adventurers still battling in the Artificial Labyrinth of Knossos, it's a different story.

Especially for Leo, who had already dealt with Filvis, the strongest monster, he was emerging from that shattered underground space when he saw the Return Pillar appearing so close to him. He immediately knew who was being repatriated.

It was none other than Dionysus.

This despicable mad god has been sent back to Heaven by Loki.

Having understood this, Leo felt much more at ease.

With the final mastermind dealt with, they have essentially won the battle that determined the fate of the Labyrinth City Orario and the entire Lower World.

That is indeed the case.

After that, each of the Spirit Clone was successfully defeated, forcing the [Six Fairy Rings] ultimate destructive Spell Formula, capable of destroying the entire city, to be interrupted and no longer able to be activated.

The adventurers who stormed the Artificial Labyrinth spent almost a whole day completing this feat, defeating all the Spirit Clone.

This is actually quite a difficult thing.

Because the power of the Spirit Clone is so great, each one has the combat power to sweep away the strongest faction in the city. Even the Loki Familia only managed to defeat one on the 59th Floor after mobilizing all its main combat forces. Now, to defeat six in one go, you can imagine how difficult it is.

Even if all the major clans of the entire Labyrinth City were mobilized, forming an unprecedented conquest legion, and their combat power was divided into six teams, each team would only have three or four first-level adventurers. Even with the support of a large force, it would be difficult to easily defeat those Spirit Clones.

In the original story, the victory in this battle was ultimately achieved with the help of Freya Familia, demonstrating just how difficult it was to defeat these six Spirit Clones.

This time, Freya Familia will no longer offer assistance, so defeating the Spirit Clone will naturally involve many more twists and turns.

Fortunately, this battle introduced a combat power that was unmatched by anyone in the original work.

[Polar Star] Leo Eligos.

This name is destined to be remembered by countless people in this battle.

Because, after defeating Filvis, Leo immediately activated his Third Magic - [Prayer of the Twelve Zodiac Palaces].

This time, he summoned all the Star Beast at once. The Twelve Star Beasts moved out together and, under his command, went to the nearby location of the Spirit Clone launched an attack on it.

Instead of splitting his forces into six groups, he gathered all his strength, intending to defeat the Spirit Clone one by one. He himself did not move, but stayed in place, using magical elixirs to quickly recover his severely depleted mental energy while controlling the Twelve Star Beasts to attack the Spirit Clone.

The first of the Twelve Star Beasts to arrive was the fourth unit where Tiona was located. It took only one minute to defeat the Spirit Clone, greatly slowing down the activation speed of [Six Fairy Rings]. Next, it arrived at the sixth unit where Tione was located and also dealt with the Spirit Clone, causing two Spirit Clones to be lost.

At this moment, due to the full release of the Third Magic, even with the constant replenishment of mental energy using magical potions and the automatic recovery from "Mind Healing," Leo's mental energy was still nearly exhausted, forcing him to recall the Star Beast to avoid falling into a state of mental fatigue.

However, since two of the Spirit Clone have already been dealt with, the Fourth Squad, where Tiona is located, and the Sixth Squad, where Tione is located, are now fully capable of supporting the others.

So, Tiona led her team to the Fifth Division, which was the closest to her, to Bete Loga's battlefield, while Tione headed to the First Division with a very clear objective, rushing to Finn's side.

However, the third Spirit Clone that was dealt with was no match for these two forces; it was the battlefield where the second force— Riveria Ljos Alf— was located.

This is because Ais has successfully defeated Revis and taken down that red-haired monster, and still has the strength to go to Riveria Ljos Alf's side to support her.

The combination of [Ariel] and [Avenger] is simply too powerful. Even the stronger Revis in the original work was almost defeated by Ais when she went berserk and out of control, let alone the weaker Revis now. On the contrary, Ais became even stronger because [Wind Fairy's Wish] completely eliminated the possibility of going berserk and out of control.

This female swordswoman, possessing the strongest offensive skills in the Lower World, also performed strongly on the battlefield where the Spirit Clone were located. With the firepower support of Riveria Ljos Alf, the strongest Mage in the city, and the assistance of the main force, it was only natural that she successfully defeated the third Spirit Clone.

Then came the battlefields of Finn's First Division and Bete Loga's Fifth Division. Both sides, with an extra unit of combat power, managed to defeat their respective Spirit Clone without major incident.

Finally, all the combat forces gathered at the Third Division, where Gareth was located, on the final battlefield, to take down the last Spirit Clone.

At this point, all the Spirit Clone were defeated, rendering the [Six Fairy Rings] completely ineffective.

The Labyrinth City Orario was finally saved.

Unfortunately, as one of the "Braver" said, this was destined to be a battle that would not be remembered.

To prevent chaos in the city and the Lower World, only a very few individuals, apart from those who participated in the battle, learned the truth about the war through their own channels.

The battle was not recorded in the guild's archives; it was simply described as a "crackdown on an underground organization," a vague and indistinct statement.

Next, they will need to fabricate reasons to explain to the public the two appearances of the Return Pillar.

Of course, the fact that this battle was not recorded does not mean that it did not exist.

At least, most of the adventurers who went through this battle gained something, namely experience points from the fierce battle.

Some people have learned new magic or new skills as a result.

Some people have thus greatly improved their proficiency in various skills.

Naturally, some people have crossed the limits, created great achievements, and successfully achieved the greatest accomplishment – an upgrade.

Among them, several Loki Familia, who were the greatest contributors, achieved this feat, and four of them caused a sensation in Orario.

These four people are -

[Braver] Finn Timna.

[Nine Magic Princess] -- Riveria Ljos Alf Leo Alf.

[Heavy Warrior] Gareth Landrock.

And ----[Polar Star] Leo Eligos.

The four individuals submitted their upgrade requests to the guild on the third day after the official conclusion of the Artificial Labyrinth conquest battle.

Yes.

They have all reached the highest level in the world – "Lv.7".

That day, the entire Twilight Manor was filled with a noisy atmosphere.

Countless members celebrated joyfully, joining the Chief God was running around excitedly and shouting loudly. The cheers and jubilation, regardless of gender, made the entire base camp incredibly lively.

Some hugged each other, some laughed heartily, and some even took out bottles of alcohol and clinked them together, their faces flushed red from drinking.

They didn't care at all, as if it were a celebration, making a ruckus and cheering wildly, letting the noise carry outside.

There was no way around it; they were just too excited.

Lv.7, the current pinnacle of the world, the greatest achievement of modern adventurers, the highest level.

Prior to this, there was only one such being in the entire Labyrinth City of Orario, and only two in the entire Lower World —a pitifully small number.

However, on this day, not only did four Level 7 experts, the pinnacle of the world, appear at once, but they all came from the same Familia. How could the Loki Familia not be excited?

Not only were the Loki Familia the beneficiaries, but the entire outside world was completely shocked.

A single organization simultaneously possessing four Level 7 members—only the Loki Familia has this feat in the entire world.

Before this, Loki Familia, though powerful, still faced skepticism wherever they went.

"In terms of individual combat strength alone, Freya Familia is still a cut above the rest."

"[The Brave] and his valiant warriors are the strongest in the city."

"Compared to Freya Familia, Loki Familia is ultimately somewhat inferior."

Such sounds are almost ubiquitous.

Under such circumstances, the Loki Familia, who have always been placed in a weaker position, are naturally not in a good mood.

Therefore, although both have always been described as the two kings of the city, the strongest in the city, it is only natural that they will still have a fighting spirit.

At this moment, a revolutionary shift occurred in the combat strength of both sides, making it impossible for the Loki Familia not to cheer and celebrate loudly.

In light of this, it is no wonder that everyone is overjoyed that such great leaders, who possess both outstanding abilities and excellent character and always carefully guide everyone forward, have accomplished such a great feat.

"Now, we can finally say that we have officially surpassed the Freya Familia and become the strongest faction in the city in all but name!"

This statement was not only made in Loki Familia headquarters, but also in every corner of the city and the Lower World.

No one fails to praise the feats of these leaders, and no one fails to admire the strength of these heroes.

Of course, as one of the main characters, Leo's name has spread all over the world, earning him countless praises and admiration.

In fact, he gained far more fame and renown than Finn and others.

Who made him the youngest and fastest-growing Lv.7?

Some already believe that before long, this strongest monster newcomer in the Lower World will completely surpass [Brave] Ottar and become the first being in modern times to reach Lv.8 or even Lv.9.

At that time, modern adventurers will once again emerge who can match the highest combat power of the Zeus Familia and the Hera Familia, two millennia-old families. Humanity will once again have a leader and the hope of completing the three adventurers' quests and defeating the final monster king One-Eyed Black Dragon.

Therefore, they are looking forward to it and hoping for it.

Dungeon, 18th Floor.

While countless people were discussing, praising, and extolling Leo himself quietly left the Familia's headquarters and came to this Under Resort.

He walked slowly through the silent, deserted forest, heading deeper into the woods. Even when he encountered monsters that came from other floors, he did not fight them, but instead scared them away, focusing solely on traversing the lush greenery.

Crystal-white light poured down from the dome, illuminating the Under Resort like sunlight. The light filtered through the lush trees, falling on the ground and forming streaks of white, creating a truly beautiful scene.

And so, Leo walked through the woods and came to the pond.

Leo stared at the familiar pool of water for a long time without reacting.

"---- Leo."

He didn't know how much time had passed when a familiar girl's voice reached his ears, waking him up, but not making him turn around.

The girl didn't seem to mind and went straight to Leo's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

The two of them looked at the pool of water together, as if they had returned to that day more than a year ago.

"You say----"

After a long pause, Leo suddenly said something.

"If I hadn't ended up here and had met you showering here, what would have happened?"

Upon hearing this, Ais seemed to recall what happened that day, and her pretty face flushed slightly for a moment.

After all, that day, she stood completely naked in front of Leo and even pulled him out of the water.

However, Leo's question also gave Ais an idea.

What if I hadn't met Leo?

Ais suddenly realized that she hated this hypothetical scenario and that kind of future.

With that in mind, Ais answered without hesitation.

"That's impossible."

Why?

Because their meeting was already a fact.

"Yes," Leo smiled wryly and murmured, "I couldn't even imagine that possibility."

It's not that we can't imagine the past being changed, but rather that we can't imagine what the changed future would be like.

"We still have a long way to go and a lot to do, right?"

"----Um.

The two looked at each other and then laughed together.

The future has been altered, at least compared to the story that should have unfolded in this world, and they will continue on their path.

This is where they started.

But this will definitely not be their end.

(Over)