Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

Before my eyes was a goddess with long, walnut-colored hair swaying in the breeze and eyes as blue as water.

"Ah... I'm no longer surprised. Astraea, are you truly the goddess who wields 'justice'?"

The dungeon is forbidden to gods, yet the goddess of justice, who upholds "order" and symbolizes "balance," has broken the agreement and ventured into the forbidden area.

Erebus stared at the adventurers around him who had wiped out all the members of the Dark Clan protecting him: "These must be the Hermes children."

“That’s right. Although it was a bit reckless, I used the power of the children who patrol the city and are on standby outside to come see you.”

Erebus chuckled: "Are you here to punish me, Goddess of Justice?"

Faced with Erebus's provocation, Astraea shook her head: "No, I won't do such a thing. Even if I hurt you in the labyrinth, I can't send you back to heaven."

A silent silence erupted between the two gods.

Astraea was silent for a moment, then uttered words that only the gods could know:

"They'll definitely be trapped in the dungeon."

If Ciel were present, he would have been able to keenly spot the loopholes in Astraea's words and the key words that were deliberately concealed.

Why is Erebus the only one trapped when three deities have already returned to the heavens from the underground city?

The goddess's true meaning is...

"As the god of the underworld and the netherworld, you must be trapped underground."

Chapter 222: Don't expose him.

"What? You think I'll get injured in the dungeon and be eaten by that black monster?" Erebus shrugged indifferently. "So insecure about your own child?"

"Or are you afraid that after my liberation, a new black monster will be born?"

Astraea chuckled. "You know that's not what I meant."

The standoff between good and evil lasted for a moment.

Astraea, seemingly certain that Erebus wouldn't make any unnecessary moves, lowered her guard.

"I'm only here to see you. And I also want to witness the end of this battle alongside you, the 'Absolute Evil.'"

"However, the answer is now obvious."

She strolled over to Erebus and gazed at the scene ahead.

The greatest evil roars, the kin charge toward the future, the resilient warriors kneel before the overlord.

Astraea's azure eyes sparkled like stars: "Erebus, you chose 'The Way', didn't you?"

"Actively transforming into 'evil,' in order to give birth to 'heroes of a new era,' he extends an invitation to the strongest Familias, bringing trials to Orario."

They deceived everyone, sacrificed everyone, and offered up their own fate.

This is the whole story, and the truth.

Astrea thought so.

however……

“That was true at first,” Erebus said with a clownish, dejected laugh. “But halfway through, our allies betrayed us.”

"!?" The goddess's all-knowing expression underwent a subtle change.

Erebus stared at the man standing in the center of the battlefield, draped in a cloak and wielding an iron mace.

“Astraea, do you know? Chardo’s poison… has been cured.” Erebus stated the truth casually.

As if in sync with his words, the ceiling of the underground city trembled violently, a terrifying pressure emanating from the ground, which even Rivera, who had traversed 18 floors, could clearly sense.

"That [Gluttony]... has no weaknesses?" Astraea exclaimed, covering her mouth.

Although he knew that Chardo had broken through to level 8, it was only natural. According to the information he obtained from the guild, he had already met the requirements for leveling up when he defeated Behemoth.

I thought I just needed to adjust my body a little, or since I was going to die anyway, I might as well risk crossing the Dragon Gate and giving away even more experience.

Unexpectedly, the answer I received was "completely cured".

Erebus said with a wicked sense of humor, "So, even for the sake of the future, there's no need to sacrifice a potential level 9 overlord to nurture a level 7."

"The purpose also changed completely after this turning point."

"!" Astraea's pupils dilated.

“You guessed it, didn’t you?” Erebus tilted his head. “Yes, that’s right. This is simply a ravages of destruction, not created by the gods, but an epic forcibly altered by the will of ‘individuals.’”

Even if you kill me here, it won't stop anything.

He chuckled softly. "It's ridiculous, but I really am just an insignificant decoration right now, and I even need to use 'that condition' to make me feel somewhat involved."

Although Astraea didn't understand the details, she looked at the god of the underworld with a bright smile:

"But you're happy, aren't you? Because the 'hero' you've been waiting for has appeared."

Erebus's smile faded, but he couldn't suppress the urge to say, "No. He, the Joker, absolutely cannot be considered a hero."

"How can someone who has taken so many lives, selfishly altered the fate of others, and relentlessly strived to become the strongest be considered a hero?"

Erebus recounts the crooked practices the Shire has undertaken.

"How about calling him a 'tyrant'?"

Astraea's gaze also fell upon the battlefield: "But that selfish, ugly, yet noble evil, hasn't it been borne by you?"

According to the original blueprint, Erebus, who manipulates everything, cannot be called justice. It is merely a god using his supreme status to wantonly play with the mortal realm and indulge in his whims.

But the situation is completely different now.

Even burdened with all sins, 'evil' that concentrates hatred within itself will never accept beautification. But...

"Then let me, the goddess of justice, make the judgment."

Astraea's all-seeing azure eyes pierced the truth: "His evil is a 'necessary evil,' a 'muddy staircase' that must be traversed to reach the ultimate 'ideal.'"

"That child's ideal is truly lofty."

"Pfft..." Erebus looked at Astraea, who had a gentle smile on her face:

"How cruel. You're making me look like a clown. I'd like to maintain the cool demeanor that the underworld should have."

"It's no fun that it was exposed so quickly."

“I don’t care about that kind of thing.” Astraea’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “At least Ciel knows his place very well.”

"Ah, I've been completely outdone by the kids."

The goddess saw through the Joker's identity, and when she heard Erebus talking about his ideals, Astraea realized that someone had said something similar to her before.

She was simply surprised at how quickly the child had grown up and why he had suddenly set his sights on the end.

Perhaps it's because of Belle that the child is under such pressure.

Astraea will not condemn Ciel's actions, nor will she use the so-called "justice" of the lower realm to punish him.

At least, based on what Astraea herself knew, during the Great Struggle, the number of people that Charles helped advance and indirectly saved was no less than anyone else's.

But children who cannot see the "truth" cannot understand him.

They only saw that many people died, but they didn't know that without the Charles, three times as many people would have died.

Even the gods who failed to grasp the "future" would scoff.

A foolish and arrogant clown who wants to shoulder the future alone will never have a reputation or be remembered, and may even be infamous for eternity.

That wasn't the heroic myth they expected.

The two gods, one good and one evil, watching the battle, simultaneously cast pitying glances at the arrogant young man.

"How pitiful..."

"He must bear the darkness forever, until he fulfills his tragic wish in the lower realm..."

Erebus turned to the goddess and said, "Can you grant me a request, Astraea?"

"what?"

Erebus smiled compassionately: "Could you take care of that child for me after I die?"

Astraea asked in surprise, "You want me to take him into my clan?"

“No…” Erebus laughed, “He won’t agree.”

"Even though we haven't known each other for long, I understand him. He's a lot like me; he doesn't want his handsome 'role' to die. He'll continue to search for opportunities in the shadows."

Astraea's eyes crinkled into a smile, and with her cheeks puffed out, she uttered two words: "Chuunibyou?"

"Haha, yes!" Erebus also couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"So, don't cruelly expose the little joys that children have."

"makes sense."

Chapter 223 Can I use you?

Around the cliff where the forces of good and evil gods clash.

The Hermes family members responsible for guarding and protecting the area looked puzzled.

"Hey, why are Lady Astrea and the enemy leader chatting and laughing together?"

"How should I know such a thing?"

"I advise you not to pry into the affairs of the gods. Just focus on protecting them... Tsk tsk, that monster is terrifying. If you get hit by one cannon shot, you'll definitely turn to ashes."

The adventurers were more concerned about the current battle situation than the gods' idle chatter.

……

The battlefield center on both sides of the floor.

Charles tilted his head back and drank a bottle of spiritual potion, his gaze lingering more on the enraged Ais.

"Are you really going to stand here and do nothing, just like those bitches said? Now is the best chance to take care of those righteous bitches." Witt asked with a smirk.

"Are you ordering me?"