It didn't take long for the wayward Minotaurs to be tracked down and killed. Everyone soon regrouped and started to make their way back up to the surface once more.
Yuji noticed Bete holding back some laughter, with Aiz looking down, deep in thought. He figured something must have occurred when they were chasing down the Minotaurs but it wasn't any of his business.
As they got closer to the entrance of the Dungeon, Yuji noticed more and more adventurers making their way down, a lot of them stopped and stared at the Loki Familia, having recognized the flag with their emblem flying on one of the carts.
The last Floor they were in was a large circular room leading up to the entrance, various adventurers and supporters walked down the spiraling steps. At the very top of the room was a beautiful fake azure painting of the sky.
The faint, orange hue of the sunset glimmered from the top of the ramp, and Yuji could see the clouds beyond the horizon as they finally exited the Dungeon.
The cool air blew through and met his skin as his eyes took in the sight of the scenery. A large open field surrounded the Dungeons tower that they exited, with numerous people walking back and forth. They all paused and began talking to themselves, pointing towards the Loki Familia.
Yuji himself had put his hood back over his head once more.
This was the Labyrinth City Orario, which held the underground maze known as the Dungeon in the middle, with a huge sprawling city surrounding it.
Yuji could spot people over numerous races on the large open field surrounding the Dungeon, and on the crowded streets beyond.
Dwarves, Beastmen, Elves, Pallum… people of all sorts of races were present, donning equipment and armor that he would most commonly see in fantasy movies.
The Dungeon also held another name that Yuji had heard, Babel. From what he heard, the tower was built on top of the Dungeon to prevent the monsters within from escaping.
Turning, he looked up at the massive structure that loomed over the rest of the city, stretching far into the sky.
'Reminds me of Tokyo Tower'
"Whats inside the top areas of the Tower?"
Yuji asked Tiona, who was walking nearby, whose ears twitched as she turned to face him, walking backwards.
"You've asked the right lady! Ahem, the tower is owned by the Guild itself, but the first twenty floors are filled with all sorts of Familia businesses, facilities, and a place to exchange some money! Although, the Hepaestus Familia owns like, more than half of those twenty floors." She shrugged and pointed towards the upper portion of Babel.
"Every floor after are basically private rooms owned by Gods and Goddesses. Don't know why some would choose to stay there, when you couldn't even live with your Familia together."
"Some just like the sense of power it gives, since the higher up your room is, the more prestige you have amongst the other Gods and Goddesses." Tione butted in and added in. "There's a particularly nasty one at the very top, you'd want to avoid her as best as you can, Yuji."
He listened to her words, nodding as his gaze shifted to the top of the tower, watching it silently.
The reason he asked in the first place was because he felt that he was being watched, by something or someone, from the very top of the tower. The gaze had been intensifying by the very second, but it wasn't any ordinary gaze.
It felt like his very being was being exposed.
Yuji lifted his left hand up, pointed at the very top as his eyes stayed wide open, before flicking his finger. Tione and Tiona were both confused by his actions, but saw him putting his hands in his pockets just as quickly.
"Did you do something?" Tiona asked him apprehensively. The last thing they wanted was him starting a war with some Gods or Goddesses.
"Not really, just trying to get rid of a bothersome fly buzzing around."
Tiona and Tione stared at him for a moment before turning away and continued bickering amongst each other over whatever was bothering the other.
-----------------
At the very top of Babel houses the Goddess one of the strongest Familia within Orario, the Freya Familia.
Freya possessed a beauty that was superior and more outstanding even amongst the Gods, sporting long silver hair, silver eyes and with the perfect golden ratio. Her clothes were part black and red, exposing most of her stomach and breasts, with two flower ornaments in her hair.
She stood by a large window that overlooked the city, with a large looming man standing guard behind her, Ottar.
There was one important facet to Freya, she possessed what is called a Discerning Eye, an innate ability to see the color and brilliance of souls. She had just seen a soul so beautiful and pure before, her mood having been uplifted as countless thoughts plagued her head on how she could obtain it all for herself.
But then, in the next few hours… IT had appeared from within the Dungeons.
Instinctively, she brought a hand up to her mouth, forcing herself to hold back the bile that rose to her throat as she beheld the… Souls, of whatever the hell that thing was.
Her eyes were fixed on Yuji, who had his features obscured except for the lower half of his face, but Freya wasn't concentrating on that.
She was staring at the… Souls… that were attached to him. 6 In total, excluding his own. They were pitch black and squirmed constantly like parasites. She could sense the deep seated hatred that was held within them, a pure disdain for life itself.
But that wasn't the end of it.
The souls surrounded a larger one, belonging to the man himself. One half of the man's soul was identical to the other 6, but the other half was a blinding blue, contrasting its dark counterparts surrounding it.
One more important fact she caught was the soul's age. Although Freya couldn't exactly see the man's face, his lower half looked like they belonged to someone around 30. His soul said otherwise.
The man was over 300 years old, and she could tell he would live on for an even longer period.
"Lady Freya?"
Ottar asked in concern, moving to her side but Freya held a hand up, halting him in place.
"Haaa… I'm fine…" She uttered out, fixing herself and standing back up properly.
She was utterly disgusted by this man's soul, it was an abomination, an affront of life and all that she held dear. It made her want to release her Arcanum just to smite him down. It made her want to order her Familia to squash him right then and there. It made her…
EXCITED
This was the first time she had ever encountered such a soul in her entire lifetime as a Goddess, spanning numerous Millennia. Something so twisted and disgusting, yet held a fragment of beauty within evoked a desire within her.
How could she ever pass up on something so unique, so disgusting and so beautiful?
"Ottar… I want you to find out about the person accompanying Loki Familia. I don't care how, just do it."
Ottar glanced down and looked at who she was referring to, before nodding. He didn't need to question her or ask why, he just obeyed.
At that moment, he narrowed his eyes as he saw the man raise a hand towards him.
A chill rose up his spine as he quickly grabbed Freya and turned, shielding her with his back as the glass window shattered apart.
*CRASH*
*SPLAT*
A pool of blood flowed down and stained the red carpet beneath them, Freya's eyes widened. Ottar moved her away from the window, reaching for his weapon and lifting it up in front of him.
This proved to be useless, as his weapon was sliced in half and the front of his chest now sported a large diagonal cut.
Freya saw the large gash that carved itself into Ottar's front, grabbing his arm and turning her to face him. She ran her hand along the wound, tracing it before turning back to the window.
"A flesh wound… It was a warning. He could've done more if he wanted." Ottar calmly stated, not a hint of pain was present on his face as he stepped back and saw Yuji walking away with the rest of the Loki Familia.
"A dangerous prize…" Freya licked her lips as her eyes showed, before shooing Ottar away, "Go, patch that up and tend to my orders."
Ottar bowed and stepped away. In the back of his mind, he replayed that attack over and over, his fist clenched tightly as he walked away.
"Calm yourself, Ottar. I still want him." Freya's voice echoed from behind, easily able to read his mental state.
The man paused for a moment, before relaxing his fist and leaving, shutting the door behind him.
Freya kept watching as Yuji walked away into the streets of Orario, no longer using her Discerning Eye on him.
"Just how sharp is your bite, you little monster…"