In the myths of a thousand years ago, the black evil dragon, Nidhogg, once rampaged across the land.
A pillar of light descended from the heavens, completely destroying the evil dragon Nidhogg and ending its life.
The true form of this pillar of light was the Spirit's Six-Fold Magic Circle.
The Spirit's Six-Fold Magic Circle, which saved the surface creatures in ancient times, were now being used by the mastermind to destroy Orario.
But what was the reality?
Loki looked at Dionysus before him; she had already received news that six Fallen Spirits had been destroyed by one person.
"I never expected someone could destroy six Corrupted Spirit Doppelgangers single-handedly."
Loki looked at Dionysus with amusement. She had just systematically laid out her deductions, including how she exposed his identity and found him.
"Do you think I've lost, Loki?"
"Oh? So you have a backup plan?"
The handsome golden-haired god burst out laughing: "Loki, don't you think the information you obtained was too simple?"
Indeed, if the opponent had been stealthy, they could have completely destroyed Orario before anyone could react.
However, the opponent grandly announced his arrival and then, within a few short days, had the design of the Spirit's Six-Fold Magic Circle seen through.
This was completely inconsistent with the fact that the opponent had been lurking for so many years.
"Orario is special not because the city itself is special, nor because it has an Dungeon, but because it has those adventurers!"
"Even if Orario is blown away and Babel is destroyed, as long as the adventurers still exist, they can quickly rebuild it."
"But when I saw Zeus and them fail, I understood: the truly valuable ones are the adventurers! As long as the adventurers are all dead, then neither the Familia nor Orario will exist!"
The Zeus and Hera Familia of that year were like this: because all the top-tier adventurers died in the battle against the Black Dragon, the two great Familia withdrew from the Orario stage.
"So the purpose of exposing so much was to attract all the adventurers there!"
"Loki, in mythology, for whom did the Spirit's Six-Fold Magic Circle exist?"
"Nidhogg!?"
"Exactly, so how could I not prepare that evil dragon!"
A trap! Loki instantly understood that the opponent's goal from beginning to end was not the so-called blowing away of Orario and Babel.
Because while that could kill countless ordinary people, the attack from the 13th Floor would not kill powerful adventurers, and as long as the adventurers were alive, rebuilding Babel would only be a matter of time.
The opponent wanted to cut off Orario's power at its root, wiping out all the adventurers.
The created evil dragon was already prepared in the shadows, ready to launch a devastating attack at any moment, wiping out all adventurers on the 13th Floor.
"You scoundrel!"
Although Loki wanted to stop him, she had no way, because the opponent had the same thought; he knew Loki couldn't interfere there, which is why he revealed it.
Even if Loki could relay the message, it would be too late.
Meanwhile, Takatsuki looked at the scars on the Shikoutazer, which had hammered the Corrupted Spirit Doppelganger to death, and put it away.
Because the strongest artillery attack could not be used, the Corrupted Spirit's magic counterattack still caused significant damage to the Shikoutazer. Fortunately, these damages did not affect anything, as it was projected by the system's mighty power, and its main body was still in the equipment slot, ready to be reset and restored after twenty-four hours.
"You truly surprise me. I never expected you could achieve such a feat."
After Takatsuki put away all his things, he heard Fels's voice from the eye crystal.
"It's just because I'm short-handed. Remember to keep it a secret for me."
"No problem, but now there's another big problem."
It was only through Fels's description that Takatsuki learned they had discovered a massive magic power reaction in the center of the six Spirits.
According to their speculation, it was highly likely to be a contingency left by the city destroyer Enyo, most probably a monster corresponding to the legendary evil dragon Nidhogg.
"Ah—what a hassle."
Although he said it was a hassle, Takatsuki could not ignore it, because theoretically, the evil dragon's attack range covered the entire 13th Floor, so no adventurer on the 13th Floor could escape Nidhogg's attack.
Although it bore the name Nidhogg, it was merely to correspond to the myth, not the true Nidhogg.
It was nothing more than a special Corrupted Spirit Doppelganger created by the mastermind using a Fetus Orb.
Filvis indeed had memories of seven Fetus Orbs, but she didn't know where the last Fetus Orb was placed; it seemed this was it.
When the Shikoutazer punched open Nidhogg's location, Takatsuki saw it: the monster created to mimic the legendary evil dragon. The evil dragon, currently on the Eleventh Floor, was still sleeping, as if the other six Corrupted Spirit Doppelgangers had no connection to it whatsoever.
"Is this the seventh one? Once it's dealt with, it's over."
The Shikoutazer, which had punched through the 13th Floor's floor, stood between the two floors, swinging its fist at the replica of the legendary evil dragon.
Suddenly, the evil dragon opened its tightly shut eyes, like a lion awakened from slumber, and a massive magical impact was spewed from its mouth.
"Not good!"
As Takatsuki's thoughts moved, the Shikoutazer's massive body blocked the attack. Intense light filled Takatsuki's vision, and immense explosion waves continuously washed over his body.
"Ugh..."
Lowering his bloodied arm, which had been impacted by the aftershocks of the explosion, only a broken remnant of the once massive Shikoutazer remained before Takatsuki.
Yet, the evil dragon Nidhogg, after unleashing a formidable attack, showed no damage whatsoever. Instead, like an awakened beast, it brazenly released its aura.
The dense magic particles in the surroundings were continuously absorbed by it. It was clear that the opponent was gathering strength, preparing to launch the same attack again.
"Hahahaha! I truly thank the fellow who dealt with the other Corrupted Spirit Doppelgangers so quickly!"
In the Dungeon, Dionysus laughed as he spoke to Loki.
"Originally, Nidhogg was just meant to be a bomb to overturn the entire 13th Floor. Thanks to him for dealing with the other Corrupted Spirit Doppelgangers so quickly, allowing this evil dragon to awaken!"
"You scoundrel, you even prepared such a trap!"
"Hahaha, I didn't prepare this. Who could have known that someone could kill the other Corrupted Spirit Doppelgangers so quickly, leaving so many magic particles free? The current Nidhogg, even if Orario's strongest warrior came, would not be its match, hahahaha! So I say, you lost, Loki!"
The red-haired goddess across from him narrowed her eyes: "Well, who knows? Maybe someone truly can defeat that evil dragon."
"Hahaha, defeat an evil dragon? Don't joke around. Although it's just a fake, the current Nidhogg has at least the strength of a Leviathan-class monster. You want a mere adventurer to resolve one of the three great adventurer quests!?"
Just as Dionysus finished speaking, a voice entered both their ears.
"Divine, the extreme of change..."