CH. 543: The Invite

The Dungeon was the most feared place in and outside of Orario. It lured in the adventurers with Excelia and loot from the monsters. Many found the promise of strength and riches irresistible and willingly entered the dungeon, only to be devoured by the sly and merciless children of the dungeon.

Even deities dreaded the thought of approaching the dungeon's door, fearing that the warped place would swallow them out of rage.

That's how it was supposed to be.

Then why did the outsider god trample upon its feared monsters as if they were fodders from the 1st floor? Why did he intentionally wreak havoc to summon Apostles and slaughter them for his amusement? If that was not enough, he brought out a new outsider god with an even more fearsome aura. The disrespect didn't end there. He used the dungeon floor as an arena to host a battle among his followers.

The dungeon had enough of the destruction imposed upon it by the outsider. It had enough of being ridiculed. Thus, it lashed out in the only possible way — by sending tremors through the floor.

The ceiling broke down and dropped enormous boulders on the dungeon's enemies. The dungeon unleashed its wrath on the outsider god and his followers.

***

The members of Loki Familia, who were cheering until now, leaped to their feet, shoving chairs out of the way. The thundering fury of the dungeon incited panic among the adventurers, who were tired after participating in the terrorizing nightmare created by Aimi.

"Huh? What is happening?!"

"Goddess, wasn't this a safe floor?" Finn asked, confusion all over his youthful face. "Why is the dungeon responding this way?"

Loki held her chin as she squinted at the ceiling through the green barrier around her. "Did we overstay our welcome?"

Hephaestus rubbed the back of her head. "We ate the shady pill Asahi gave us. Our aura is suppressed at the moment. This reaction couldn't have been for us."

None of them showed any concern for the dungeon's destruction, showing their godly level of trust in Asahi's ability — he'd keep them safe, no matter what type of threat came their way. The trust was unhealthy on many grounds.

Astraea patted their shoulders and pointed at the dragon loli dozing off on Rini's lap. "She didn't."

Ophis' faint aura could hardly be perceived with full focus.

"We overlooked her," Loki responded with an amused tone that carried across the room. "What a bizarre turn of events. Is this a side-effect of Asahi's luck?"

"Doesn't matter," Nao said as she poured mana into maintaining the barrier. "We should leave before making more trouble for him."

Hephaestus nodded, recalling Chiaki alone in the workshop. "I agree. Let's return to the surface."

Loki crossed her arms with the face of a wise sage, feeling a tug at her heart. "I'mma wait for his judgment."

The trickster goddess wanted to accompany Asahi if he wished to investigate the dungeon. It wasn't every day she saw the dungeon in such fury. Her intuition was prodding her about a spicy discovery on the horizon.

Kaguya looked at Alise while pointing at Nao. "Nao Nee-sama is higher on the bride ladder than me. I'll go with anything Nee-sama says."

Nao gave a somewhat embarrassed smile. "Don't be like that. We have known each other for so long."

She was there with Asahi when he first entered Orario and ran into them during a feast. The first of Asahi's lovers to be introduced to Astraea's Familia. Even though she stopped visiting them, she was their oldest friend.

"Hehe, it's my honor to follow Nee-sama's lead."

Alise stared at her friend trying to butter up Nao as if she was a mistress sucking up to the main wife of her lover. Kaguya's attempt worked if Nao's flustered smile was anything to go by.

'She isn't a princess for nothing.'

"Kaguya!" Ryuu cut into the friendly banter and pointed at the barrier protecting them. "Look around you. This isn't the time to be licking her boots."

"Lick her booty instead," Loki chimed in, only to be ignored.

"You worries are unfounded, Ryuu." Kaguya shook her head. "We are surrounded by gods who can destroy worlds. Do you think Husband-kun can't protect us here?"

"I'm just saying you shouldn't rely on him for everything."

"Indeed. It's very wrong to rely on someone for everything, even if he is my future husband…" Kaguya said with a nod before wagging a finger. "But we are talking about Asahi here. Husband-kun feels happy when he protects us. As a matter of fact, he wants us to rely on him. That's how I perceive him. Your mileage may vary."

"I don't know, and I don't care either." Ryuu remained unfazed by Kaguya's blazing speech. "I will do everything to support Asahi…"

As Ryuu hung her head, Kaguya caught a glimpse of her slave collar and smirked.

"Who are you to question my beliefs, you lowly slave? Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. Or else I'll inform your master about your inappropriate remarks."

Kaguya's sadistic approach left everyone speechless.

Finn eyed the drama between the girls. "How does he handle so many of them?"

"It's beyond my simple mind, mate," Gareth replied, rubbing his thick beard. "And our goddess is also a part of it."

"Girls, settle this later," Astraea put an end to their conversation at once and stared at the continuous barrage of boulders. "This should've finished by now. Where are these stones coming from?"

"From the upper floor," Asahi said as he teleported to their side. Assuming a serious expression unbecoming of his playful nature, he looked at Loki. "Nobody is staying."

Loki felt a sense of urgency in his voice. "Hey, aren't ya used to provokin' the dungeon for juggernaut? Somethin' different this time?"

"This outburst is on a different level," he whispered. "This malevolent killing intent isn't just for me this time. Dungeon-chan wants to kill everyone here."

The dungeon had shown another signal of its intentions, which he kept to himself for the time being.

Getting on his knees, he cupped Ais's face and rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs. "I know you're a little frustrated, but it's not the time to talk about it. Return home and take care of Riveria for me, okay?"

Ais had given her all to the fight, even awakening a new skill, but failed to overcome Aimi. She was young and inexperienced. Setbacks like this would become an issue if not addressed correctly.

The blonde swordswoman revealed a rather innocent smile. "Onii-san, I'm not frustrated…" she shook her head. "I'm glad I got to hone my skills against a warrior of her caliber…"

Asahi gave a smile of his own and kissed her forehead. "That's a great mindset for steady improvement. You've grown so much."

"…Where is Aimi?"

"She took Riveria to her room."

Alise got on her knees beside Ais and gave him a puppy-eyed glance. "I'm also sad. Will you console me later?"

Asahi scratched his head, marveling at Alise's ability to filter out the destruction surrounding them. To think the redhead would feel jealous at this moment. "I'll do anything my perfect girlfriend asks of me."

"Ehehe. You love me so much."

"Of course."

***

You can support me and read 35 chapters ahead on my Pa.treon!

Patr.eon.com/GMilfHunter