Danmachi, Ch 71-75

Chapter 71: The Price

Loki didn’t let out the breath she’d been holding until she was back home from the Guild.

This time, she really had lost her temper. There was no doubt in her mind—Ouranos had known something about the Dungeon’s disturbance beforehand, yet that old bastard had acted like he didn’t.

She didn’t know exactly what he’d seen or what his goal was, but one thing was certain: she wasn’t going to let him dance on her red line again.

“Finally cooled off,” she muttered, exhaling the last of her frustration as she stood before the manor gates.

Right then, a voice called out from the shadows. Cynthia stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

“Lady Loki, Goddess Astraea has arrived.”

“Oh? Astraea-chan’s here too? Well, that’s just perfect.”

For Loki, that was about the first good news she’d gotten all day.

She pushed open the door and strode inside. Line led her down the hall toward the guest room where Astraea was waiting.

The moment she entered, Loki was greeted by a sight that made her pause.

Astraea sat on the couch, her long tea-brown hair dim under the lamplight. Her sapphire eyes—usually filled with conviction—were shadowed by worry and despair. The once unshakable goddess of justice looked… fragile.

So that’s what motherhood does to a god, Loki thought. Makes you more human.

It only confirmed what Loki already knew: the moment a god descended to the lower world, their hearts inevitably began to change—some toward the light, like Astraea… and others into darkness.

And this version of Astraea—the one trembling with guilt and grief—was exactly who Loki needed to talk to.

“It’s rare to see you like this, Astraea.”

“Loki…”

“I know, I know. You’re not in the mood for small talk. So let’s skip the pretense and get to the point.”

Loki leaned against the table, her tone casual but sharp.

“I know about that little divine distress signal you sent into the Dungeon. Considering that only my children were down there on expedition, I think we both know who that was meant for.”

Her smile turned thin and cutting.

“You, the goddess who prides herself on justice, pulling something that selfish? That’s pretty out of character, don’t you think?”

Astraea flinched and closed her eyes, pain flickering across her face.

She knew Loki was right. What she’d done was wrong—reckless, desperate, selfish. She hadn’t balanced the scales. She’d acted on emotion, not principle.

For the first time, she’d thrown away the very “justice” she’d stood for, all because she couldn’t bear to lose her children.

“Loki… I know this was my fault.”

Her lips trembled as she bit down hard, drawing a line of red across them. But she forced herself to continue.

“Your children are still out there on their expedition. My actions disrupted their mission—and worse, might’ve endangered them. I’ll accept whatever punishment you see fit. I’ll pay whatever it takes. Just… please, let my children come home.”

Loki watched her quietly. The anger she’d carried earlier began to fade.

For a goddess like Astraea—who had lived her entire life guided by principle—to abandon her creed for the sake of her children… that wasn’t weakness. That was growth.

Still, there was a price to pay.

“Lucky for you,” Loki said finally, “the one who picked up your little signal happened to be my most precious child. If it’d been anyone else, your children would’ve been buried in the Dungeon right now. It’s only because my kid has a special ability that they made it out alive.”

Astraea’s shoulders slumped in relief. For the first time since she arrived, her chest eased a little. Whatever the cost, her children were alive—and that was all that mattered.

Seeing that faint spark of relief on Astraea’s face, Loki’s mischievous streak stirred. Her lips curved into a wicked grin.

“Don’t celebrate too early, Astraea-chan~” she teased. “According to my kid’s report, while they all survived, half your children came back crippled.”

Her tone was light, but the words hit like a hammer.

"Scarlet Harnel and Yamato Rindou lost their right arms. Thrail lost both legs. Two elves—one lost a left arm, the other a right leg. The rest are severely injured. Honestly, it's worse than I expected."

The color drained from Astraea’s face.

Her mind filled with memories of smiling faces—the children who had left for the Dungeon full of dreams and courage. Now those same smiles were gone, replaced by broken bodies and shattered futures.

Her eyes turned red as tears welled up. No sound left her lips, but her entire being radiated grief.

Just imagining their pain, their despair, was enough to crush her.

Loki, watching her wordlessly, suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.

Maybe I went a little too far.

But then she pictured her own children—if they had come back broken or worse—and her expression hardened again.

No, she decided. Let her feel this. Just for a moment.

Time passed in silence. Astraea sat there, hollow and trembling. Only when the atmosphere had sunk to its lowest point did Loki finally speak again—slowly, almost lazily.

“Still, I guess your luck hasn’t completely run out. Turns out, healing crippling injuries happens to be one of my kid’s specialties.”

“…What?”

Astraea blinked, completely thrown.

Her grief, her despair—all the emotion she’d been holding onto shattered in an instant. She just stared, stunned, as Loki grinned like a cat who’d cornered her prey.

This is payback.

Astraea realized it immediately. This was Loki’s revenge—for the selfish stunt that had endangered her children.

Loki had already written the price before Astraea even stepped through the door.

“Loki,” Astraea said finally, steadying herself, “let’s discuss your terms properly.”

Chapter 72: It’s All the Dark Faction’s Doing

The puppet had already entered the resting space. Tsuna had it stop outside the barrier and stand by.

What came next depended entirely on Loki’s attitude.

“They’re here.”

A television appeared in front of Tsuna, and on the screen came the image of Loki—with another goddess standing behind her.

“Tsuna, let me introduce you,” Loki said cheerfully. “This is the goddess Astraea, head of the Astraea Familia.”

Tsuna blinked, a little surprised by the unexpected setup. His gaze drifted over Astraea, taking in her slightly disheveled look, red-rimmed eyes, and the faint aura of exhaustion that clung to her.

Did Loki just finish bullying her or something? he wondered, though he kept that thought to himself. Out loud, he simply smiled and said,

“Good evening, Lady Astraea.”

Astraea didn’t reply immediately. Instead, she bowed deeply, her voice trembling with sincerity.

“Thank you. Thank you for hearing my prayer… and for saving my children.”

Tsuna gave a small nod, accepting the gratitude without ceremony. He could easily understand what she must be feeling right now.

“Your children just arrived a short while ago,” he said gently. “Would you like to see them?”

“Of course!”

Her voice rose in an instant, the desperation and relief clear in her tone. Tsuna wasn’t surprised—but he still needed to warn her.

“Just… prepare yourself. Their condition isn’t good.”

Astraea’s expression fell, but she nodded. Loki had already told her that Tsuna could heal crippling injuries, so she managed to steady her emotions.

Once she gave her confirmation, Tsuna had the puppet return to his room. He reached into the Alternate Dimension where the Astraea Familia girls were resting—and pulled them into the room.

“!?”

The moment the girls appeared, they froze, staring in shock at the television screen—at the image of their goddess watching them from the other side.

Their strength crumbled instantly. The stoic expressions they had maintained through all their suffering dissolved into tears.

They hadn’t cried when facing death in the Dungeon. But now, seeing their goddess—their family—the dam broke.

None of them spoke. They didn’t have to. The tears streaming down their faces said it all.

Astraea’s heart ached as she looked at them through the screen.

She saw Alise and Kaguya's missing right arms, Lyra's lost legs, Ryuu's missing right hand, and Celty's missing left arm. The others appeared intact, but the torn state of their clothes told her all she needed to know about how brutal the fight had been.

Tsuna quietly rose from his chair.

“I’ll go get Finn and the others,” he said simply, and left the room.

The treehouse’s rooms were well soundproofed, so once Tsuna closed the door, silence swallowed the cries within.

He knew exactly where to find Finn, Gareth, and Riveria.

First stop—Riveria.

Knock knock knock.

A minute later, the door opened. Riveria stood there in loose sleepwear, her long green hair slightly tousled.

“Tsuna? It’s late. What’s going on?”

Tsuna nodded.

“I just brought the Astraea Familia back from the thirtieth floor. They were caught up in the anomaly down there. Many of them lost limbs, and most of their clothes are ruined. I need your help.”

“What!?”

Riveria’s green eyes widened in shock.

“You went to the thirtieth floor—alone?”

“This isn’t the time for that,” Tsuna said, shaking his head.

Riveria snapped out of her daze, turned, and disappeared into her room.

“Wait here.”

A moment later, she reemerged, her arms full of clothing. There were eleven members in the Astraea Familia, and she’d grabbed enough for all of them.

“They’re in my room,” Tsuna said. “You can go straight in.”

“Understood.”

After seeing Riveria off, Tsuna headed for Gareth’s quarters.

Knock knock.

The door swung open in less than ten seconds.

“Oh, Tsuna! Up late, eh? You come to chat with the old man?”

“Something like that,” Tsuna replied. “But it’s serious. I already spoke with Riveria—she’s tending to the Astraea Familia in my room.”

Gareth’s easygoing grin vanished. His expression hardened.

“So it’s bad.”

“Yeah. And it’s connected to the anomalies we’ve been running into lately. But let’s get Finn before I explain everything twice.”

The two walked together to Finn’s room. The moment Finn opened the door, they walked right in, leaving him blinking in confusion.

He stared at them, completely lost.

“What’s going on?”

Tsuna didn’t waste time.

“I sent a puppet to the thirtieth floor earlier. Found out the Dark Faction’s been tampering with the Dungeon’s mechanisms to attack the Astraea Familia.”

The abrupt declaration stunned Finn for a moment. He processed the words, then frowned deeply.

“So the Dungeon’s ‘abnormalities’—that’s their doing?”

“Exactly. For the past week, the Dungeon’s been acting unstable—sporadic surges of monsters, mutated floor bosses, erratic spawns. My guess is, they discovered one of the Dungeon’s control systems and have been running tests on it. That’s what’s causing all these reactions.”

Finn’s face darkened.

Those bastards…

He hadn’t imagined the Dark Faction’s remnants could still cause such chaos. They’d found a way to manipulate the Dungeon itself, throwing the entire structure into crisis just to test their discovery.

And yet, a grim sort of admiration slipped into his tone.

“That’s exactly the kind of madness I’d expect from the Dark Faction.”

“So the Astraea Familia was their target?”

“Yeah,” Tsuna confirmed. “Five of them lost limbs. The rest are severely injured.”

“Damn…”

Finn and Gareth exchanged grim looks. The brutality of it left no doubt—this had been a full-scale extermination mission.

The Dark Faction had gone after Astraea’s children for one reason: justice.

To crush that banner completely—to destroy Orario’s symbol of righteousness.

That, more than anything, was the kind of message the Dark Faction wanted to send.

Chapter 73: "Juggernaut"

“Anyway, Tsuna, what were you thinking going off on your own like that?”

After hearing the general situation, Finn immediately went after the next pressing issue—Tsuna’s solo operation.

“Yeah,” Gareth grunted. “The old man’s curious about that too.”

Under their questioning gazes, Tsuna began to explain—about the whisper he’d heard by his ear, his own suspicions and worries about it, and how that led him to act alone.

“I see.”

Once he finished, Finn and Gareth exchanged knowing looks.

“If it wasn’t a fight and just a rescue, then yeah, your ability’s perfect for that.”

He could send puppets to the target location, then use the Space Rabbits to pull the wounded into the Alternate Dimension. That completely made up for the rabbits' weakness against fast-moving enemies.

They couldn’t pin down quick opponents—but they could always save the injured.

He'd taken the functionality of the Space Rabbits to the extreme, making it possible to carry out rescues anytime, anywhere.

It was an ability perfectly suited for Dungeon expeditions—an invaluable form of support.

“Tsuna,” Finn said, crossing his arms, “explain how the Dungeon’s mechanism works again.”

He’d barely finished sighing before steering the conversation back to the real issue. The Dark Faction had managed to use this strange system to devastate the Astraea Familia and cause such a bloody mess—this was something they had to understand.

"When the damage on a particular floor of the Dungeon reaches a certain threshold," Tsuna began, "it triggers what's called a 'cleaning mode.' The Dungeon sends out a Cleaner—or more properly called a Juggernaut—a monster powerful enough to wipe out anything on that floor."

“The Dark Faction must’ve discovered that mechanism by accident. Since then, they’ve been experimenting with it over and over, which is what caused all the recent ‘abnormalities’ in the Dungeon.”

“I see…”

Both Finn and Gareth’s faces hardened.

“To think the Dungeon had a system like that. When it takes too much damage, it actually retaliates. Lucky we found out beforehand.”

“Yeah,” Gareth muttered. “But it’s bad news that the Dark Faction got wind of it. Those bastards love setting traps. We’ll have to stay alert for any ambushes they might pull down there.”

Both men thought the same thing—the Dark Faction’s ambush tactics were legendary.

The Astraea Familia was living proof of what happened when you let your guard down.

They turned to Tsuna, the only one who'd actually seen the Juggernaut in action.

"Tsuna, what exactly can this 'Juggernaut' do? The Astraea Familia isn't weak. How could they have been taken out like that?"

"They're not weak," Tsuna admitted, "but the Juggernaut's ability is far more dangerous."

He knew better than anyone how strong Astraea's children were. If they'd been weak, they wouldn't have been on the thirtieth floor—and the Dark Faction wouldn't have needed to sic a Juggernaut on them.

"The Juggernaut's strength scales with the floor level. Its body looks dried out, almost like a crawling dragon. Its entire structure's made of Magic Stones, which makes it insanely tough. Even a second-tier weapon can barely scratch it, let alone deal a fatal blow. Meanwhile, its claws can pierce through regular steel like paper."

He paused, his expression grim.

“It’s not just tough—it’s fast. When I encountered it on the thirtieth floor, it outran my puppet before I even realized it had moved. And the worst part? It can reflect magic—at double the power.”

Both Finn and Gareth sucked in sharp breaths.

That wasn’t just bad—that was broken. Reflecting magic alone was terrifying enough. But doubling the output? That made it the ultimate nightmare for mages.

“So it’s resistant to physical attacks, bounces back magic, and can break first-tier weapons. Not slow either. In short, an unkillable monster,” Gareth summarized grimly.

“Yeah,” Finn muttered. “That thing practically counters all three of us.”

The two men shared the same conclusion—and the same headache.

Watching their troubled expressions, Tsuna tilted his head thoughtfully. "In that case, Finn, Gareth… want to train a bit? Just in case we ever run into a Juggernaut again."

The two veterans exchanged glances before staring at him together.

“…You mean you can make one?”

“Sure can.” Tsuna smiled faintly. “As long as I know the details, I can reproduce it through imagination.”

He raised a hand. A palm-sized figurine of the Juggernaut materialized instantly.

"I can create beasts that absorb mana or ones that reflect magic. Why wouldn't I be able to make a Juggernaut?"

Finn stared at the miniature monster in disbelief, fully realizing just how insane Tsuna’s ability truly was. But instead of fear, something else flickered in his eyes—ambition.

“Once this expedition’s over,” he said quietly, “we’ll train properly.”

…Ais, I think I finally understand your hunger for strength.

For the first time in a long while, Finn felt the spark of progress ignite within him.

He’d been held back by countless responsibilities and restrictions—but once free of them, that desire to grow burned brighter than ever.

Gareth felt it too.

“Tsuna, your ability’s damn near all-purpose,” the dwarf said gruffly. “But if we’re going all out against something like that, we might end up with a few missing limbs.”

“I can heal that.”

Tsuna blinked innocently as he dropped the bombshell, leaving both Finn and Gareth staring blankly.

“I already thought about healing during my prep phase. Fixing severed limbs was one of the first problems I tested—and it worked out perfectly.”

“Honestly, I should’ve mentioned it sooner. But things were hectic, and Miss Loki specifically told me to keep the Healing Rabbit a secret for now.”

To make his claim more believable, Tsuna added, "You know that gloomy courtyard at the edge of the Twilight Manor? After I created the Healing Rabbit, Miss Loki took me there right away. There were plenty of volunteers for treatment."

Finn and Gareth were speechless.

There was nothing left to doubt.

“Tsuna,” Finn said finally, his lips curving into a grin, “when this expedition’s over, we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

With their doubts gone, both men felt their old drive for growth flare up again—stronger than ever before.

Chapter 74: Astraea’s Decision

“……”

Riveria looked at the eleven girls before her, her heart unbearably heavy.

Alise Lovell—who once wore a bright, sunny smile every day—now had scars marring her face. That cheerful glow she used to carry was gone, replaced by the kind of hollow smile that shatters like glass the moment it’s touched.

And it wasn’t just her. The others were in similar states.

It’s even worse than I imagined, Riveria thought grimly.

“Five of them are crippled,” she murmured. “That means they can never return to the frontlines again.”

In this labyrinth city, losing your life wasn’t the worst fate.

Disability was.

Death meant the pain was over—you no longer had to think about the future. The suffering was left to the ones who survived.

But being crippled meant that agony became your burden to bear. And for someone who once stood tall as an Adventurer, to be forced to accept a broken body... that was a cruelty even death couldn’t match.

“Don’t worry, Lady Astraea.”

Alise still tried to smile, trying to soothe her goddess instead.

“Kaguya and I just lost our right arms, that’s all. Orario’s technology is amazing. I’ve seen people with prosthetic limbs before—specially crafted ones. They’re just... expensive. We’ll probably have to go into debt as a Familia.”

Her gaze drifted, almost unconsciously, toward the missing part of her body. She bit her lip hard.

She could lie to others, but she couldn’t lie to herself.

A loss was still a loss. Even if she got a prosthetic arm, her days as an Adventurer were over.

Only whole Adventurers could keep pushing forward. A crippled one, no matter how talented, had no future.

Eighteen years old.

For most, life was only just beginning.

For an eighteen-year-old level 4 like Alise, her talent was nothing short of extraordinary. But that brilliance had now been cut off completely.

No one could accept that kind of fate.

“Yeah. It’s just an arm,” Kaguya said softly.

She looked down at her own right hand—or rather, the space where it used to be. Regret flickered in her eyes, but her face remained calm.

“Maybe losing an arm means our journey as Adventurers ends here. But I lost it protecting everyone else. That’s... worth it.”

But Astraea’s heart only grew heavier.

She could hear the grief and pain in their voices, even as they forced themselves to sound strong.

Worth it? Maybe it was. After all, six of her children had survived intact. But regret? That was unavoidable. Because five others—her precious children—had been robbed of their futures.

“Alise… Kaguya… your journeys as Adventurers won’t end here.”

Astraea clenched her fists. She already knew the truth—she could no longer blindly cling to the idea of justice.

If justice truly existed in this world, then why had her children nearly died in that hellhole called the Dungeon?

Was this the reward for righteousness?

Why? Why did those who followed justice always meet such cruel ends?

“Lady Astraea, you’re…”

Knock, knock.

Before Alise could finish, a knock echoed through the room.

Riveria opened the door. Tsuna entered with Finn and Gareth behind him.

The two executives glanced at the Astraea Familia’s battered girls, and their expressions darkened. The situation was even worse than Tsuna had described.

Tsuna’s gaze shifted toward the communication screen—where Loki’s face appeared.

"Miss Loki, how'd it go?"

"All done," Loki replied with a grin. “Astraea’s decided to become my subordinate goddess, and her Familia will be officially attached to ours.”

Subordinate goddess… the same arrangement Freya had in the original tale, Tsuna thought.

He didn’t know exactly how divine hierarchy worked between gods, but this definitely wasn’t a casual decision.

If Astraea had chosen this path, it meant her children mattered to her more than her pride as a goddess.

Once Tsuna confirmed that, he immediately got to work.

Since Astraea had made her choice, the corresponding “treatment package” needed to be applied.

“Subordinate goddess… Lady Astraea, you mean—”

Kaguya nearly jumped to her feet. She knew exactly what that meant. Astraea would lose her divine autonomy, bound by Loki’s authority—her freedom all but gone.

"Begin treatment," Tsuna ordered calmly. "Everyone, stay quiet."

At his words, the Healing Rabbit appeared before the Astraea girls.

Its small hands clapped together, and a translucent barrier expanded, enclosing the group in shimmering light.

Grant them hope—by any means necessary.

“—Hhh!”

At once, from the stumps of their missing limbs, bloody white bone began to grow.

“Wh-what is this!?”

The sight made the girls flinch, their hearts pounding.

But then, before their eyes, the impossible happened—those bones extended rapidly, joints connecting, then muscles and veins knitting together over them.

Flesh formed, skin followed. Within moments, the missing arms and legs were whole again.

The room fell silent.

"Regeneration…" Riveria whispered, her pupils trembling. She had never witnessed anything like it.

To see lost limbs regrow—it was nothing short of a miracle.

The Astraea girls stared in shock, touching their restored bodies as if afraid they’d disappear.

“It hurts…” one of them hissed. The pain was sharp, overwhelming—the raw ache of life returning to something long dead.

Their new limbs were still weak, trembling, but warm. Real.

“...It’s back,” Alise breathed. She stared at her right hand, curling her fingers slowly. Every nerve screamed with pain—and hope.

“This is… real…”

Even Kaguya, usually the calmest of them, was shaken.

Their lost futures had been restored.

And in that moment, she finally understood why their goddess had made such a heavy decision.

Lady Astraea… you gave up your freedom for us.

Astraea exhaled softly.

As she watched her children rejoice, the weight pressing on her heart finally eased.

For her, protecting their dreams and their futures—no matter the cost—was worth everything.

Chapter 75: The Plan Ahead

“!?”

Alise jolted upright in bed, gasping for breath.

Was that… a dream?

That purple-black monster had chased her endlessly. No matter how fast she ran, it was always right behind her. The moment she lost sight of it, her right arm had been severed.

Her chest heaved violently as she sucked in air. Her heart pounded, blood rushing through her veins. The dizziness that came with panic blurred her vision until the world swayed and bent.

It took her a long while to steady her breathing, to calm the trembling in her body.

Only then did she dare look down at her right arm.

It was there. Whole. Unbroken. Not the bloodied stump from her nightmare.

“It’s still there… it’s really still here…”

“Bad dream?”

Alise turned her head. Kaguya sat curled up in the corner, hugging her knees. Her eyes were red, like she hadn’t slept at all.

“Kaguya…” Alise’s voice cracked as she spoke.

“Was that all just a nightmare?”

“Yeah,” Kaguya said softly. “A horrible one. It took everything from us. But we were lucky—Lady Astraea saved us.”

“Lady Astraea…”

The mention of that name made Alise’s thoughts finally line up. Her memories returned—last night hadn’t been a dream. It had been a trap set by the Dark Faction.

They should’ve all died to that purple-black monster. But for some reason, just as it was about to strike, it suddenly changed course—and an Adventurer appeared, pulling them into a strange, colorless world.

He’d carried them away from the brink of death.

In that gray-white space, as long as he moved, they moved with him—safe, untouchable.

Then they’d arrived in an even stranger place.

A space quieter and more peaceful than anything she’d ever seen in the Dungeon. For the first time in ages, she’d felt no sense of danger.

That was where they'd met Riveria—and, through some strange black construct, they'd seen both Lady Loki and Lady Astraea.

“That wasn’t a dream?”

“For us,” Kaguya said quietly, “it might as well have been.”

She lifted her right hand, gazing at the limb she had once lost. It was precious, yes—but she knew exactly what that miracle had cost.

“What we lost… Lady Astraea traded her freedom to get it back.”

As her memories pieced together, Alise recalled Loki’s words—something about a ‘subordinate goddess.’

The full realization hit her, and she sat numbly on her bedding.

“Kaguya… how are we supposed to face Lady Astraea now?”

“Don’t ask me that,” Kaguya replied. “I didn’t figure it out all night either.”

They had wanted to make Astraea proud—to make her Familia’s name echo across Orario as a symbol of justice. But in the end, it was Astraea who had saved them.

“They’re probably still lost right now,” Riveria said, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. “After everything that happened last night… who wouldn’t be?”

“For the Astraea Familia, that whole ordeal was a nightmare,” Finn said grimly.

No one had expected the thirtieth floor to turn into such a bloodbath—not with nine level 4 Adventurers there.

“The Dark Faction’s remnants really know how to cause trouble. And to think they discovered a countermeasure built into the Dungeon itself…”

“What about Astraea’s decision, though?” Riveria asked, concern flickering across her face. “She agreed to become Loki’s subordinate goddess—and her Familia’s now officially attached to ours.”

Finn shook his head immediately. “No, that’s not a problem.”

“Loki’s decision is a good one—for both sides. She just pulled the Astraea Familia under our protection. For Astraea and her children, that’s not a bad outcome either.”

He crossed his arms.

“Remember, Astraea and Eris’s Familias are the ones who maintain Orario’s order. They’ve made plenty of enemies because of that. The Dark Faction probably targeted them precisely because everyone’s sick of their ‘righteous meddling.’ Even if someone attacked them, no one would’ve stepped in to help.”

“But now that they’re under us,” Finn continued, “those same Familias won’t dare act rashly. And if Astraea’s decisions fall under Loki’s name, she can always shift the responsibility. No one’s foolish enough to point their blade at Loki.”

Riveria smiled faintly. “Of course not. That would be the same as declaring war on the second-strongest Familia in Orario.”

“Exactly. And even if someone was stupid enough to try…” Finn’s voice turned sharp. “Do you really think they’d live long enough to regret it? Where do you think Tsuna fits into this equation?”

Riveria went quiet. She didn’t need him to elaborate.

If anyone dared to provoke Loki, Tsuna would act—and when he moved, no one ever even realized what had happened until it was over. He’d rescued the Astraea girls from the edge of death without anyone noticing.

If he decided to erase someone, there wouldn’t even be a trace left behind.

Riveria sighed softly. “Then what about the expedition?” she asked, changing the subject. “Do we continue?”

“We stop,” Finn said firmly.

“We already know the Dark Faction’s been stirring up chaos in the Dungeon. They ambushed the Astraea Familia and nearly wiped them out. If we keep pushing the expedition now, we’d just be marching our own people to their deaths.”

He leaned back in his chair, thoughtful.

“Thankfully, we prepared before setting out. Our original goal was to find the cause of the Dungeon’s ‘abnormalities.’ Now that we have our answer, we’ve got enough to report back to the Guild. No need to waste more time.”

Finn’s focus had already shifted. The expedition was no longer his priority.

The Dark Faction was.

“From here on,” he said, voice hardening, “we’ll make their extermination official.”

Riveria nodded. “Astraea will want to see it through. And Loki…”

“She’ll never let those bastards walk free,” Finn finished.

His eyes narrowed.

“We have our own score to settle with them too. And this time, we’re not holding back.”