Six chairs sat at the center of the magnificent room. Two Chief Gods occupied two of the seats, while the highest-ranking officers of the Heavenly Army were gathered around them in a complete circle.
Sitting in the chair positioned dead center among the six, Deus, the strongest god, covered his face with his right palm.
"You sent an angel under your command to Lemuria...?"
He muttered to himself with a sigh. Etched onto Lord Deus's face was a profound disappointment in Ares that bordered on resignation.
"Hey, boss Deus, is this about that fly-headed monster?"
A handsome man dressed in a kimono and wearing round sunglasses asked his grandfather, Lord Deus, as he tapped his right shoulder with the folding fan held in his right hand.
He was Hero God Indra. One of the Six Heavenly Generals who stood as the pinnacle of the Heavenly Army's military might. In terms of sheer combat ability alone, he was a Chief God said to rival even Thunder God Thor.
"Yes. Exactly so."
"Do ya think that fly-headed monster is him?"
With his eyelids clamped shut, Lord Deus shook his head firmly from side to side.
"No. That is completely out of the question."
He asserted it with absolute certainty.
"Why d'ya think that, though? That manager's been against settin' up dungeons from the very start. Ain't it plenty likely that the dungeon manager went and broke the covenant?"
"He would never break the covenant. Barring unavoidable circumstances where the dungeon becomes completely unusable, he will fulfill his duty as manager to the very end."
"Is that how it is, I wonder..."
Seeing Indra furrow his brow, apparently unconvinced by his assertion, Lord Deus spoke with deep meaning:
"Above all else, the fly-headed monster referred to someone as the 'Supreme Great One.' Do you really believe that could be possible?"
"...Fair enough. Ain't no way someone exists who could make that guy submit from the bottom of his soul, huh..."
Finally convinced, Indra rested his hand on his chin and nodded several times.
Lord Deus slapped both knees and stood up vigorously from his seat. Glancing over his shoulder at a man clad in white robes behind him, he said,
"From this moment forth, all entry into Lemuria by anyone other than those authorized by us, the Six Heavenly Gods, is strictly forbidden! Promulgate this under my name to the entirety of the Heavenly Realm and ensure it is strictly enforced!"
He handed down an order that was the absolute worst possible outcome for Ares.
"Sir!"
Seeing the white-robed man nod deeply, Ares was seized by an intense panic.
"B-But, Lord Deus, if you do that, my subordinate will—"
He desperately tried to get him to reconsider, but...
"Ares, there is no longer any room for the wishes of a single, mere god! Above all, you reaped what you sowed! This is your own poetic justice! You will bear the consequences of your selfish and self-serving actions yourself!"
Lord Deus declared in a tone that brooked no argument.
"—Gh!"
Faced with such unprecedented fury directed at him by his own grandfather, Ares swallowed the words pleading for a change of heart that had almost burst from his throat, falling silent.
(I know that! I came here precisely because I wanted you to overlook that and make an exception!)
An intense inability to accept this bred an unexplainable indignation, and he screamed back at his grandfather in his mind.
At his own opportunism—unable to even defy him to his face—
(Pathetic! I am truly pathetic!)
In that moment, Ares was so bitterly frustrated that tears welled in his eyes.
—He resented his grandfather for issuing such a heartless order.
—He hated the fly-headed monster who had created this worst-case scenario.
Above all—he simply could not forgive himself, Ares, who could do nothing but cast his eyes down without even talking back!
As he looked down, clawing at the floor with both hands—
"Lord Deus, I request that you entrust the investigation of Lemuria entirely to me."
An unexpected proposal was raised by a large gentleman in a black suit with long sideburns.
That was Thanatos, one of the Four Heavenly Generals of the Heavenly Army who was said to possess power second only to the Six Heavenly Gods. He was the god who governed death, as well as a direct dependent of Tartarus, who was considered the most mysterious among the Six Heavenly Gods of the supreme military force. A murmur rippled through the room at this proposal from Thanatos, who rarely ever voiced an opinion of his own.
"Thanatos, for someone gloomy and underhanded like you, what brought this on? Has that Tartarus taken an obsession with Lemuria?"
Indra, who had shown little interest in the subject until now, directed a piercing glare at Thanatos.
"Perish the thought. However, an investigation of Lemuria is essential regardless. It is something that someone must undertake. In that regard, I foolishly reasoned that my dependents, who specialize in espionage, would be able to fulfill the duty without difficulty."
"Ya expect me to take such nonsense at face value?"
As the oppressive pressure radiating from Indra intensified even further, the sound of the highest-ranking officers of the Heavenly Army swallowing hard could be heard throughout the room.
"It is no nonsense, but my true intention."
Amidst the tremendous intimidation from Indra, which felt heavy enough to cause even a high god like Ares to lose consciousness if he let his guard down, Thanatos replied impassively without changing his expression.
"Very well. Thanatos, show us what you can do."
"Hey, boss! Ya intend to let Tartarus have his way again?!"
Indra grew enraged, but Lord Deus did not respond to him at all, adding firmly:
"However, no further blunders will be tolerated. If one of the Four Heavenly Generals fails, it will affect the morale of the entire Heavenly Army. You understand this, yes?"
"A foolish question."
At Thanatos's words, Lord Deus struck the butt of his golden, three-pronged spear—Thunderbolt—which had been leaning beside him, against the floor.
"Thanatos, I command you to investigate Lemuria. Conduct a thorough and exhaustive inquiry!"
Having made that loud declaration, he turned back toward Indra, who still looked entirely dissatisfied.
"Based on the results of that investigation, we will march upon Lemuria with the full might of the Heavenly Army! When that time comes, Indra, I wish to entrust the post of commander-in-chief to you. You have no objections to that, I presume?"
"Yeah. As long as Tartarus's faction is kept out, I've got no objections."
To Indra's sullen reply, Lord Deus nodded deeply.
"Commence preparations for the march immediately! The pride and prestige of the Heavenly Army are at stake. This will be an all-out war! Consider failure absolutely unacceptable!"
Lord Deus bellowed the order in a voice that shook the very atmosphere.
—Chief God of Death Tartarus, the Heavenly Army's strongest Chief God Deus, and the executor of justice, Hero God Indra. With diverse motives intertwining, the Heavenly Army had decided upon an invasion of the other world of Lemuria. The full force of the Heavenly Army would be led by Hero God Indra. If that Heavenly Army attacked without any restraint, a mere world ruled by a high god like Lemuria ought to be reduced to scorched earth a thousand times over.
Yes—provided that the absolute worst monster did not exist in Lemuria. To this monster, neither the common sense of heaven and evil nor the logic of this world applied. Even the Heavenly Army, a force composed of the gods of good and one of the two superpower factions in existence, was nothing more than a gathering of pitiful creatures spouting nonsense before him.
If anyone should ever provoke that monster's wrath, whoever they might be, they would be crushed to dust. It was no exaggeration to call it fatalism—an absolute certainty that no living being in this world could ever resist.
Without knowing the slightest thing about this, the Heavenly host had, at this very moment, raised a valiant war cry and leaped straight into the jaws of a monster too terrifying for words.