When Emiya and the others returned to Orario, it was already late at night. On the way back this time, the adventurers had quickened their pace a little.
Since they hadn't made a grand return, their arrival wasn't like the time with "Antares," when many citizens came to greet them. Only a few goddesses, Familia companions, and some Guild staff were waiting at the city gates.
But in this way, the adventurers actually felt more at ease.
———
[Twilight Manor]
"Riveria," Goddess Loki asked seriously, "Compared to when you left, you didn't bring back more people, right?"
Riveria: "We went to subjugate an ancient monster. Normally, you should be asking if we came back with fewer people."
"Since all of you returned safely, I can already see that much." Loki said.
"If you must say we gained people... we did indeed gain three...", Riveria replied casually.
Loki: "What, three? Who are they, guh, damn that 'enemy of women'!"
Riveria: "...They're three goddesses Shirou picked up along the way back."
She understood what the goddess meant by "more people." But Riveria was already used to Loki's jokes and couldn't be bothered to retort.
"You picked up three goddesses?"
"Mm. Goddess Artemis, Goddess Hestia, and Goddess Tiamat."
"What?", Loki's mouth fell open in shock.
Riveria: "What's the matter?"
"...Artemis, that she could still descend, that's a bit unexpected," Loki said, "And that little shorty, didn't think she'd come to the lower world too."
"Loki, you know Goddess Hestia?", Riveria asked.
"Mm, we had exchanges in the heavens...", Loki paused, "As for Tiamat..."
Riveria: "You know Goddess Tiamat as well?"
"No. I never met her in the heavens. But since she is a Creator Goddess, hearing her name is surprising."
"Creator Goddess?"
———
"What's the difference between a Creator Goddess and an ordinary deity?", Emiya asked.
In the Etna Volcano, after talking with Goddess Hephaestus for a while, the topic shifted to Tiamat.
"Among gods, we are basically equals. The difference in scale of divine power doesn't mean a difference in rank." Hephaestus thought for a moment, explaining.
For example, Goddess Freya and Goddess Ishtar, actually, the latter's divine power far surpassed the former's. Yet neither in heaven nor on earth did Goddess Ishtar receive any special treatment because of it.
"However, it is true that different gods possess different strengths of divine power," Hephaestus paused, "Among them, some particularly powerful deities are called 'Great Gods.'"
Zeus, Uranus, Odin... these deities' strength far exceeded ordinary gods. If they fought, they could easily send typical divine beings into their resurrection period.
Emiya: "And Goddess Tiamat is also..."
"Yes. She is one of the 'Great Gods,' and moreover, a 'Creator Goddess.'"
"The meaning of 'Creator Goddess' is...?"
"Simply put, the worlds she creates are ones that can give birth to life."
Creating worlds, for gods with divine power at a certain level, wasn't all that difficult.
For example, though Hephaestus wasn't a 'Great God,' among ordinary gods she was still one of the stronger ones. She had once opened a world to serve as a forge for crafting divine tools.
But the world Hephaestus created contained only iron and fire. A complete dead zone for life. Most gods' created worlds were the same.
Only a few of the Great Gods, their created worlds could possibly evolve life.
"In short, a Creator Goddess is just a very powerful deity... but here in the lower world, it doesn't matter at all. Nobody cares," Hephaestus said.
Whether Great Gods or ordinary gods, in the lower world they weren't permitted to use divine power, and there were no differences in rank. All equally sought "encounters" and "bonds."
"Shirou, let's update your status," The goddess changed the topic.
"Mm, I'll trouble you," Emiya nodded.
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[Emiya Shirou]
[Lv. 6]
Strength: A805
Endurance: B792
Dexterity: A873
Agility: C699
Magic: S902
Development Abilities: [Mystery] D, [Forge] D, [Dominion] E, [Fate] F, [Martial Refinement] H
(Omitted below)
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"Even after subjugating the Lv.8 'Gugalanna,' it still isn't enough merit?", the goddess murmured.
She had thought that after this return, Emiya would surely level up.
"In the battle against 'Gugalanna,' Riveria and the others helped a lot," Emiya said, "I feel Riveria should be able to reach Lv.8."
He sat before the furnace, the gentle orange firelight illuminating the boy's profile. The goddess found herself dazed for a moment.
She knew Emiya was only being modest. The real reason for the lack of merit was only one, "Gugalanna" had been too weak.
Or rather, Emiya was now simply too strong.
"While we were gone, nothing happened in the city, right?", Emiya asked.
"No, very peaceful," The goddess came back to her senses. She thought for a moment, "The Freya Familia advanced to the sixtieth floor of the dungeon, surpassing the Loki Familia's progress."
Since three first-tier adventurers were missing, especially Riveria, the Loki Familia had no way to push record-breaking expeditions. They only made a few symbolic trips to the fifty-first floor.
But compared to expeditions into the unknown, adventures in known areas actually yielded more stable profits. Right now, the Loki Familia's financial situation had actually improved a lot.
Emiya thought, "On the dungeon's sixtieth floor, there should be..."
"That's right, the Lonely King of the Labyrinth. The Freya Familia couldn't defeat it, so they only reached the sixtieth floor. But thanks to [King], no one was injured."
The method Freya Familia used to bypass the [Dragon's Vase] had referred to the Hera Familia's experience. Ottar, the Lv.8, directly leapt down to the fifty-eighth floor and single-handedly dealt with all the Valgang Dragons.
Only, when they entered the fifty-ninth floor, the giant forest that had once covered the area had returned to a snowfield. Compared to the Loki Familia's attempt, the difficulty had actually decreased.
But on the sixtieth floor, they failed to defeat the Lonely King of the Labyrinth, whose potential was Lv.8 and endurance Lv.9. They then returned to the surface.
Emiya thought, "After a short rest, let's conduct another joint expedition with the Loki Familia. This time, we can also consider inviting some from the Freya Familia..."
"So soon?", Goddess Hephaestus asked.
Emiya: "After all, unless we reach the Deep Floors, we really can't gain any merit..."
With every level-up, he had obtained abilities beyond the limit. Stacked together, they had already produced a transformation from quantity into quality.
Even now, though he couldn't fully activate [Fate] as he had against [Silence] and the others, he still far surpassed Ottar.
Even Ottar empowered by [Uchide no Kozuchi] might not be able to win against him.
That Lonely King of the Labyrinth on the sixtieth floor, which had repelled the Freya Familia, was only on the same level as "Gugalanna," perhaps even weaker.
The One-Eyed Black Dragon, and the "Unknown" beneath the seventy-first floor of the dungeon, these could already be brought into consideration.
And compared to that famously dreaded Black Dragon, it was the latter that drew Emiya's concern even more.
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