Chapter 61

"Hahaha, I guess that, I lost" Alfia said in admittance of the girls effort to defeat her.

"I guess it's time to make my exit, engrave this image in your minds, One day you may become this, justice is a fragile thing" Alfia said, while pointing at herself. Then she started walking towards the hole made by the nightmare.

"Where are you going" Ryuu asked but got no rely from Alfia.

"I think she is going towards the hole made by the nightmare" Neze replied. The hole made by the nightmare known as Delphyne. The hole was massive and within its depths lay a burning inferno.

"Though your justice is fragile what it leaves behind should be meaningful with hope tied to it".

Alfia gazed at the girls, a bittersweet smile crossing her lips as memories of her time with her late twin sister, Meteria, flooded her mind. With her back turned to the abyss, she inadvertently stumbled into its depths, consumed by the engulfing flames.

"You have performed admirably, and I thank you," Erebus acknowledged Alfia's departure, his true thoughts concealed from prying eyes.

"It appears your plan has faltered," Astraea remarked, observing her girls' triumphant victory over Alfia.

"Not so," Erebus countered, his confidence unyielding. "The nightmare still persists, and the majority of the adventurers are fatigued. I doubt reinforcements will arrive, given the havoc inflicted by Zald and his cohorts."

"I came precisely for this," Astraea stated with conviction.

......…..

Meanwhile, at the front lines of the Nightmare battle, I arrived, ready to lend my aid. Ais remained in her frenzied state, while Riveria and Gareth struggled to make progress.

"Why have you come, Draco?" Riveria inquired, the first to notice my presence.

"To help of course" I replied. I then proceeded to explain the series of events that led to my arrival here.

"I see" Gareth said.

"Is the Astraea familia alright?" Riveria asked another question.

"They were fine when last I saw them" I replied. A bit perplexed at why i was being asked questions when a monster of such strength was in front of us.

"So what's the plan?" I asked this time. I was unsure on what the both of them had been doing before my arrival. Fully aware that I had no potions left and didn't plan on pulling off any crazy stunts.

"Riveria, can you do something about those wings. That way I can aim for the magic stone" Gareth said but Riveria didn't seem happy with his plan.

"That's too dangerous. Do you plan to die" Riveria countered. Honestly the first thing that they needed to do was stop Ais. I was also aware that i couldn't do it myself because Ais might just go berserk on me instead.

"We have to do something. Ais will get killed at this rate" Gareth replied. The next moment the Astraea familia members arrived at the scene.

"Did they finish off Alfia" I muttered to myself.

Ryuu first went to try and calm Ais while the others came to us. Ais had refused to work with anyone and wanted to kill the nightmare all by herself.

*Wham*

Ryuu gave Ais a heavy slap, bringing the crazed girl to her senses. Ais still refused to fight together with us and still insisted on fighting alone until Alise interfered.

"Do you intend to make the people that care about you sad" Alise said as she quickly interfered because it looked like Ryuu was a her limit with Ais and might do something more drastic.

"Draco are you alright" Kaguya asked because after their fight with Alfia. They were exhausted but still went to look for Draco but all they found was the corpses of the dead evilus.

It wasn't until Astraea their goddess came to them and told them where Draco had gone before they stopped their search.

" Yea, I am fine but more importantly we have to deal with that" I replied while the others nodded in agreement before their attention was pulled to the conversation between Alise and Ais.

"Work together with us and put away your wind" Alise said once more and somehow convinced Ais to behave.

"Great! Now three of us will divert the monster's attention while the rest attack," Alise declared, pointing to herself, Ryuu, and Ais.

"But it regenerates every time I strike it. How can we defeat it?" Ais inquired.

"No worries, we are all now at level 4," Alise responded calmly. I was taken aback by this revelation. I always assumed they were already at that level. The battle with Alfia must have propelled them to the next tier. This made me wonder when i would level up next.

We swiftly put our plan into action, bombarding the nightmare with relentless attacks while Ryuu, Ais, and Alise served as distractions. Eventually, the nightmare succumbed to the overwhelming damage.

"Don't you ever do something like that again," Riveria scolded Ais after the nightmare's defeat, repeatedly tapping her on the head as punishment for her earlier actions.

"Ryuu, please carry me. I'm exhausted," Alise complained to Ryuu. Ryuu, equally fatigued, ignored her pleas.

I just sat in a corner, completely drained by the sequence of events, hoping that my familia was safe.

"When we return to the surface, let's create and visit the graves of the fallen," Alise suggested, gaining unanimous agreement from the group.

"Congratulations, adventurers. It appears I have been utterly defeated," Erebus proclaimed loudly.

"Do you honestly believe that we would simply let you walk away, after all the havoc you have caused?" Kaguya seethed with anger.

"Of course not. As the embodiment of absolute evil, I fully expect to be despised, now and forever," Erebus calmly replied.

"Perhaps the other gods will condemn him to the heavens," Riveria added.

"Do you have any final requests?" Gareth inquired.

"Then, allow Astraea to release me from a great height, and let my children go. It matters not if they remain trapped in the dungeon or fall prey to monsters, just set them free," Erebus stated, fully aware that his plea to release his children would likely be deemed unacceptable. However, Astraea granted his request, leaving the rest of us with no choice but to comply.

Soon, we departed from the dungeon, with Draco parting ways to return to the Ganesha familia manor, where his family eagerly awaited his arrival.

Standing atop the towering Babel, Erebus marveled at the breathtaking view before him. He was taken aback to find Hermes standing there, realizing that Hermes had come to witness his departure.

"Erebus, are you comfortable with Hermes being here?" Astraea inquired.

"It is of no concern," Erebus replied.

"As per your request, everyone else has left," Astraea informed, gripping a sword tightly in her hand. However, before their conversation could continue, something or someone descended upon the top of the tower. It was a furious Bahamut.

"Why are you here, Bahamut?" Astraea asked, her voice filled with both curiosity and concern. Hermes, sensing the impending tension, had wisely retreated, positioning himself within earshot to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"I have business with him," Bahamut replied, her voice sending shivers down their spines. Her presence was haunting, to say the least.

Erebus, seemingly unfazed by Bahamut's unexpected arrival, observed her nonchalantly. After all, he hadn't done anything to provoke her.

While Astraea stood in shock and bewilderment, she knew she had to fulfill Erebus' request. With a dismissive gesture, Erebus urged her to leave, granting them privacy at the pinnacle of the tower.

"So, what is it that you seek?" Erebus inquired, his voice dripping with curiosity.

"Fufufufu, I have come to seek justice for the death of my child, which was caused by your minions. I demand the names of all the gods involved," Bahamut replied, her determination evident.

"I understand," Erebus replied calmly.

"But first, tell me about the deal you made with her," Bahamut pressed on.

Erebus remained silent, his expression unchanged.

"Tsk, don't worry, you will talk soon enough," Bahamut threatened, as her body started twisting and turning, undergoing a dramatic transformation to reveal her true form. Sensing danger, Hermes, who had been hiding, decided it was time to make a swift escape before getting caught up in the impending chaos.

A/N: Sigh finally it's all over. I kinda rushed the arc but it was getting way too long. Only 1 year and about 5 months have passed since Mc arrival in Orario.