Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

"That despicable Palum, you actually faked your death, abandoning us to fight that monster, and went off to make a name for yourself?!"

"You son of a bitch, you said you'd put aside past grievances and cooperate, but you couldn't even last fifty rounds before running away!!!"

On the other side, Hedin, with his arm in a sling, walked over in a disheveled state: "As expected, the Loki Familia cannot be trusted at all!"

"..." Finn narrowed his eyes.

Sure enough, the true intentions were revealed at the last minute.

Is this the situation you're trying to create, even at the cost of helping us?

What a treacherous plan!

Finn instantly saw through the enemy's scheme.

By using a large number of cannon fodder and monsters as sacrifices, they forcibly create a persona of themselves as ruthless and fame-seeking.

Judging from the information obtained from [Swift Wind], the Dark Faction probably already knew that [Silence] and [Gluttony] would 'lose', so they were paving the way for the future.

Therefore, the best outcome would be to escalate the conflict between the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia, and make us kill each other!

The core of this plan revolves around himself, as the "guild leader." But, unfortunately, the enemy has found Finn's Achilles' heel!

Finn admitted that the other party had done a better job than he had in revitalizing the dwarf race!

Although he was always revered as a "hero" by the Lilliputians, he never led his people into battle. Instead, he served as a commander, staying in the rear and wielding great power.

In this way, fellow countrymen will only increasingly admire themselves, and admiration is the furthest distance. Let all fellow countrymen feel that the "hero" is special.

'Damn, I've learned a good lesson!'

'This tactic doesn't seem like something Varetta would do. When did the Dark Faction produce such an unfathomable schemer?'

A jumble of thoughts swirled in Finn's mind.

Enraged, Allen pulled Finn closer, pressing his forehead against Palum's eyes: "What? Speak up! Aren't you going to defend your actions?"

Finn looked up and met the gaze of the crazed cat-man: "Would you believe me if I said I didn't do it?"

"Only a fool would believe that! Do you still think you can fool us?"

Finn shrugged: "What's there to explain? I did it!"

"You son of a bitch!" Allen slammed Finn to the ground, his severe injuries causing him to cough up another mouthful of blood.

Hedin frowned as he looked at Finn's miserable state, recalling the course of the battle and the information from the witnesses.

He was perceptive enough to detect the trickery involved.

"Finn, who was that chestnut-haired knight who took you away? Was he the ghost of Finana?"

Finn paused for a second, then gave a wry smile: "Well... who knows? Maybe it's the blessing of our goddess."

Chapter 236 Commander, stop.

Seeing that Finn was unmoved and seemed determined to deny the credit, Hedin realized that the truth was no longer important.

Finn's title of "Hero" was forced upon him by the God of War. As an "artificial hero," all his past honors were the result of scheming.

Hedin and his mortal enemies knew very well the nature of this despicable Palum.

Everything can be used, and everything can be discarded.

They gave Finn a cold look, said "You'd better watch yourself" and turned to leave.

Allen spat dismissively and limped away.

Before leaving, he only said, "Next time we meet, we'll be enemies! I'll kill you without hesitation!"

……

"Commander... are you alright?" Raul helped Finn to his feet, his voice filled with admiration.

"As expected of the commander, everything was within your calculations."

Finn shook his head and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

After weighing the pros and cons, he reluctantly chose to accept the enemy's "goodwill" and swallow the bitter pill of being hostile to the Freya Familia.

In his eyes, even a hero can die, but Palum's courage cannot disappear!

Deception—using a fabricated, glorious image to deceive the world and the gods—this is the journey of Finn, the "artificial hero"!

Finn patted his junior, who was looking at him with admiration, and sighed, "I'm sorry, Raul, but never follow my example. Be a good person."

A moment of genuine emotion almost broke Raul's guard.

He initially held Finn in the highest esteem and reverence, treating him like a father, recognizing him as someone of a very special place. Because of this, upon learning the truth, he was initially overwhelmed, yet still hoped it was all a lie.

However, Finn himself has now admitted it.

"Captain... perhaps we should stop?" Raul mustered his courage, trying to rouse his idol, the captain, and persuade him to stop colluding with Loki.

Finn paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "You noticed too, but there's nothing I can do. He offered too much. I couldn't refuse."

"Commander..." Raul broke down, tears streaming down his face.

He held a report in his hand, listing the number of Orario casualties. He clearly remembered the names of more than 10,000 fallen soldiers engraved on the paper.

In this man-made calamity, more than 10,000 lives were sacrificed to the "heroes".

Why aren't you satisfied after going this far...? Commander, no! Finn!

……

They returned to their family's residence.

After confirming that the war was over and the command post had been dismantled, each clan began its own rescue efforts and cleanup of the battlefield.

Finn found Loki atop the tower of the Twilight Mansion and recounted the events of the night in detail.

"Hmm... are we going to fight Freya's Familia again? I thought you guys would be able to get along after this."

"I'm sorry, I really can't refuse the payment they offered." Finn felt utterly helpless.

"Well, we made a pact back then to help you fulfill your tragic wish of 'reviving the clan,' and to use each other. Now that things have turned out this way, there's nothing more to say." Loki scratched his head.

"But is the enemy's objective really that simple? You already had a tense relationship with Freya's children before. Now you're just back to square one."

"Of course it's not that simple. Don't forget, there's a large group of independent adventurers who aren't from our clan, but are operating under our clan's name!" Finn said, gazing at the moonlight.

"The enemy knows us very well, and is even certain that I will not refuse, even..."

Finn gleaned a startling conclusion from the adventurers' fragmented intelligence...

They truly have fellow warriors whose talent rivals that of Fenana! They even surpass him!

If I could join the city side, then...

This feeling of being both happy for the rise of one's race and saddened by their enemy is indescribable.

All the words in the world can be summed up in one sentence:

"Loki, you're the one who should be careful. This enemy... is not simple."

"Sigh... what a hassle."

"Don't worry, whether it's a clan or a family, I will revitalize it for you to see. Loki!" Finn assured him.

……

Knossos, an artificial labyrinth.

Inside a luxurious conference hall that can accommodate 100 people.

Scattered clans and gods gathered here.

Having already made preparations and quickly completed the recovery of the remaining soldiers, Valetta once again gained the trust of a group of people.

Olivas on the surface and Victor underground were both leaning against the labyrinth wall, looking disheveled.

"Comrade Chaldor, you actually lost...! Damn it! Aaaaaaah!"

“Don’t go crazy, Olivas,” Witt interrupted the madman’s roar.

Valette demanded, "What's the situation underground? Where's that bastard Joker?"

Witt curled his lip: "That guy went back to Alfia... he's probably been killed by those bitches by now."

Valetta paused for a moment: "Useless thing... you couldn't even win with such a huge advantage."

Tina, who arrived late, and Jarrow looked at Valeta, who was seated in the main seat, with puzzled expressions.

"Hey, why did you lose? Shouldn't you reflect on your own performance?"

"Hmm. Tina tried to dissuade you, but you still went to deliver it."

Valetta blushed: "I was tricked by that despicable hero, Palum!"

This time, no one mocked Valeta, because everyone could see that she was really bad!

Previously, it was simply because no one in the camp used their brains, which made her seem particularly capable.

So... what was the real reason for the failure?

“A mole… there must be a mole among us! Otherwise, we wouldn’t have failed time and time again, and all of them at the tactical level,” Olivas roared.

Viter was extremely annoyed: "I don't want to discuss such boring matters with you. My lord has been captured, and I must go to his aid. Farewell."

He didn't really want to save Erebus; he had overheard unusual conversations while lying on the corpse.

Werther was born with a deficiency in his five senses; the world he saw had no color, only gray, and blood was the only color he could perceive. Therefore, he hated the gods, questioned why he was different from others, and pursued death and killing.

just now……

He had to confirm whether Erebus was truly the "absolute evil" that even he, who despised the gods and was flawed, loved.

Also, what exactly was the "divine will" that allowed Ciel to take him away and to keep him alive?

……

Witt's departure did not cause much of a stir. He was an outsider, and as the mastermind behind the entire plan, there was absolutely no need for him to be an inside man.

The crowd's gazes shifted among themselves.

Olivas: "Big sister, you know me. I only like to bully others; petty theft is not my forte."