[FGO]: 93

It turns out that Ryou's worries were indeed unnecessary.

This was just because his level of understanding was too low to see the deeper meaning behind it.

The god-slaying power filled with curses in Scathachr's body is a force even more mysterious and superior than that of the three supreme gods.

However, this power in her hands is like a toy, easily manipulated at will.

The less apparent the force, the more it proves that Scathach's control over power has reached a level beyond even the gods.

On the other hand, the three supreme gods, with their grandiose displays of power and dazzling effects, are merely wasting their strength on trivial matters.

The difference between the two sides is immediately clear.

If it weren't for the limits imposed by the human world in the Danmachi universe, the three supreme gods wouldn't even qualify to make Scathach take them seriously.

Facing the seemingly unstoppable lethal red glow, the three gods were terrified and had no choice but to muster all their strength, combining the powers of the three gods in a desperate attempt to block the advance of the red glow.

However, with the divine power they could currently use, it still seemed far from enough to stop the red glow.

Left with no alternative, the three gods had to continuously unseal more divine power, like drinking poison to quench thirst.

Suddenly, the three gods could feel the increasing rejection from the human world while the pull from the heavens grew stronger.

With both internal and external crises, the three gods had no time to worry about anything else, almost entirely consumed by the struggle to survive.

Yes, survival. They could feel that if they couldn't stop the red glow's advance, there was only one fate awaiting them—death!

On the edge of the battlefield, Athena was nervously watching the scene.

If the three gods couldn't hold out, the entire war would collapse in an instant, and the alliance of the gods against Nguyen Ryou would become a huge joke.

At this moment, a teasing voice came from beside Athena.

"Oh my~ it's intense, isn't it?"

Hearing that familiar Kansai dialect, Athena frowned and said discontentedly, "Loki, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be managing the barrier?"

Even though they were allies, Athena had never trusted Loki. She had never trusted Loki in the slightest from the beginning.

That's why, in this critical battle, Athena assigned Loki to handle the divine power barrier, effectively excluding her from the main battlefield.

"Don't worry, my real body is still there. This is just a phantom. It's so lively here, I just split off a clone to come and take a look," Loki shrugged.

"Hmph! You sly fox, even at a time like this, you're still playing tricks!" Athena showed a look of disgust on her face and ignored Loki's phantom.

At this moment, Loki suddenly said, "Hey~ Athena, what do you think would happen if the barrier were to be removed right now?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? If the divine power barrier is removed, wouldn't the gods be immediately expelled back to the heavens? ...Wait, Loki, what are you planning!?"

As Athena spoke, she suddenly realized something was wrong and quickly questioned her.

"Nothing much. I just think that these old gods have stayed in the human world for too long, so I want to send them back to the heavens to retire. We, the younger generation, will take care of the human world from now on," Loki said, smiling innocently.

However, Athena felt as though she had been targeted by a venomous snake, a chill running down her spine.

"What are you up to? Don't act recklessly!"

"Too bad, Athena, your warning is a bit too late," Loki said, spreading her hands with a look of innocence.

"You!?"

Before Athena could finish her words, the divine power barrier that covered Orario suddenly disappeared.

Caught off guard, the three gods were instantly powerless to resist and were sucked up into the passage leading to the heavens.

Many of the gods, to protect their familia adventurers, had no choice but to unseal a large amount of their divine power to resist the aftershocks of the three supreme god's attacks. Caught off guard, they too were expelled from the human world.

In just that moment, the allied forces of the gods lost one or two hundred members, adding to the nearly hundred who had already died at the hands of Scathach.

The allied forces of the gods were now completely crippled.

"Loki!!!"

Athena furiously raised her golden staff and smashed it down on Loki's head.

Poof!

With a soft sound, Loki dissipated like a bubble.

Athena suddenly remembered that the Loki in front of her was just a phantom.

As expected, another Loki suddenly appeared in front of Athena.

"Well, Athena, can we talk now?"

At this moment, Loki's eyes were fully open, cold and sinister like a venomous snake, making even Athena shiver.

As she spoke, the attacks launched by the three supreme gods went out of control, completely rampaging. In an instant, the entire labyrinth city was engulfed in thunder and lightning, tsunamis surged, and all sorts of undead creatures like wraiths and skeletons ran rampant, creating an apocalyptic scene.

With her back to this chaotic scene, Loki resembled the ultimate evil god from myth.

"Loki! What the hell are you trying to do!? Are you that mortal's subordinate or ally?"

Athena gritted her teeth as she spoke.

"No, no, no, in fact, I'm in a camp all by myself, unrelated to anyone else~ And the reason I'm doing this…"

Loki said with a cheerful smile, "Athena, shouldn't you be thanking me? Now the old gods who oppressed you have been completely expelled back to the heavens, and most of your competition is gone."

"…"

Athena opened her mouth, but for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

"You've gone mad!"

Athena finally spat out through gritted teeth.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Loki shamelessly bowed with a hand over her chest.

"So, what do we do now? Without the god kings, who can oppose the Gudako Hotel?"

"Was there anyone who could oppose her even with the old gods around?"

Loki pointed at Scathach, who was once again slashing through the gods with ease.

Athena's expression darkened.

She wasn't blind; in the previous battle, Zeus and the others she had been so wary of had easily lost to Scathach and could only save their lives by using all their strength.

"So now we're at a disadvantage. Why not change our approach? Let's go from overt to covert, hiding in the shadows, then find a way to secretly send adventurers into the dungeon to steal that secret."

Loki continued with a confident expression.

"We have plenty of time. If it doesn't work in a year, we'll spend ten years; if ten years isn't enough, we'll spend a hundred years. As time goes on, we'll achieve our goal eventually… After all, the dungeon isn't going anywhere, right?"

Hearing Loki's words, Athena's expression became even more grim, but she was swayed internally.

After all, seeing the old gods defeated before her eyes, Athena didn't know how to defeat this terrifying woman.

However, in the next second, Loki's plans were about to be shattered.

...

Time rewinds to five minutes ago, inside the hotel.

The aftershocks from the attack by the three gods had also caused significant damage to the hotel.

The outer barrier creaked and groaned, forming several long cracks, as if it might shatter at any moment.

Medea Lily stood beside Ryou, holding her staff high. Beneath her feet was a massive magic circle over a hundred meters in diameter, made with mercury as its lines, high-quality magic stones as its nodes, and various precious gems infused with magic as its materials.

The mercury emitted a brilliant blue light, but as the aftershocks intensified, the light flickered as if it might go out at any moment.

Medea had to grit her teeth and increase the supply of magic while using all her strength to stabilize the barrier.

"How are you holding up?"

Ryou naturally wiped the sweat from her forehead.

This time, his intentions were pure—he was just concerned about her because she looked flushed, with sweat pouring down her forehead and her slender body swaying as if she might collapse.

"Huh?!"

But it seemed like his good intentions backfired, as Medea's face suddenly turned bright red, and she looked a bit dazed.

At that moment, her expression changed slightly, and she said to him with a troubled look, "Master, I accidentally let a crack open in the barrier. I'll fix it right away!"

Ryou apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry, it's my fault for distracting you."

"No, no, no! It's all because I haven't trained enough," Medea quickly waved her hand, then mumbled quietly to herself, in a voice only she could hear, "If only it could happen again…"

Ryou looked puzzled. "Lily-chan, did you just say something?"

"No, nothing at all! Oh, by the way, Master, Lady Semiramis just sent word that the ritual is complete. We're ready to activate it anytime, just waiting for your command," Medea said, her face showing a hint of guilt as she quickly changed the subject.

"Then activate it now! I'm going to give these so-called gods a grand gift!"

Ryou's attention was indeed diverted as he looked toward the front gate of the hotel with a cold smile, where the gods' attack was concentrated.

In a certain secret location, Semiramis suddenly let out a playful laugh.

"What an interesting Master indeed~. It seems like the days ahead won't be boring. Well then, let's begin! My Noble Phantasm, Hanging Gardens of Babylon!"

With Semiramis's command, the entire Orario suddenly began to tremble violently, felt by both mortals and gods alike.

"What's going on?"

"Is it an earthquake?"

"Heaven's punishment! This must be heaven's punishment; Orario is going to be destroyed!"

After enduring the assault from the gods, Orario, once a city of over a million people, now had less than one-tenth of its population remaining.

Seeing the ground shake as if from an earthquake, the survivors panicked and despaired like startled birds.

Some futilely ran towards the city gates, others shouted for help, while some knelt and prayed loudly, all of life's emotions condensed into this moment.

Looking inward from outside Orario, the center of the labyrinth city suddenly began to rise.

It was as if an invisible giant, taller than the heavens and earth, had lifted the very heart of Orario!

Centered around Orario's landmark, the Tower of Babel, nearly half the city's area—the very core and essence of the labyrinth city—was uprooted entirely.

This enormous piece of land slowly broke free from the earth's grasp and ascended into the sky.

The jaws of the civilians who had escaped the city nearly dropped in astonishment.

First came lightning, thunder, and tsunamis, as if natural disasters had conspired to strike Orario one after another. Then, an even more exaggerated scene unfolded as half of Orario soared into the sky.

A miracle!

This was a feat only a god could achieve!

As Orario rose higher and higher, the already towering Tower of Babel now seemed to pierce the very stars.

And beneath this floating city, instead of dark brown soil, there was a large, blood-red, pulsating mass that resembled a massively enlarged heart. Upon closer inspection, this heart-like object was slowly beating, almost as if it were alive.

Yes, this was the true form of the dungeon, now revealed on the outside. Its interior appeared so vast likely due to the principles of spatial folding.

This was the real gift that Ryou had meticulously planned to give the gods!

Want to obtain the secret to becoming the ruler of the world?

Forget about the door, there isn't even a window.

By directly moving Orario along with the dungeon itself, let's see what you'll use to become the ruler of the world!

Originally, Semiramis's Noble Phantasm, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, didn't have such a terrifying effect.

This Noble Phantasm, while powerful, had many limitations.

However, after she became Ryou's contracted Servant, the most critical limitation was relaxed.

That limitation was that the materials required for the ritual had to be the ruins of the place where she lived during her lifetime.

Now, this restriction was completely lifted; as long as the materials were ancient and held significant mystique, they could serve as the medium for the ritual.

This makes sense—after all, once she became a contracted Servant, she would accompany Ryou to various worlds, and these worlds might not have any ruins related to her past life. In some worlds, her existence might even be a question mark. Under such circumstances, it's only natural that the system relaxes the restriction.

The higher the mystique of the relic materials used in the ritual, the more magic Semiramis could infuse, resulting in an even larger Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Upon learning the specific effects of this Noble Phantasm, Ryou immediately had a brilliant idea to present these arrogant gods with a devastating counterattack.

As for offending the gods and becoming their enemy, wasn't he already in that position?

At this point, he had so many debts that he no longer cared.

Since they had already fallen out, he might as well ruthlessly crush his enemies!

The only downside to this Noble Phantasm is that the larger the Hanging Gardens, the more magic it requires to sustain.

He had considered exchanging for a Greater Grail from the system to serve as a magic source, but the system displayed the price—starting with a '1' followed by seven zeros. And that was just for an inferior version that could serve as an infinite magic source; the full version would undoubtedly cost even more.

Ryou had no choice but to use high-quality magic crystals as a temporary substitute.

The magic crystals he had exchanged for the cost of a million energy points were only enough to keep the Hanging Gardens floating in the sky for six months.

Before that time, he would have to figure out how to gather ten million energy points to exchange for the inferior version of the Greater Grail.

He could have chosen not to steal the entire dungeon, which would have required much less magic.

But if he had made that choice, wouldn't he have become a defeated dog running away with its tail between its legs? In that case, he might as well have chosen to return home.

Ryou would rather endure some hardship in the future than fail to make these gods pay!