Kanami waits for my fearful response.
　In the corner of the small room, my childhood friend and sister-disciple, the cleaner, watches over me as he once did.

'Neil: ......'

　It's a little voice, calling out to me.　

　The "past" is watching me.
　No, the "present".
　It's not too late to save her, it's like God is pushing me.

"Oh, I'm .......

　The tremor comes when I'm about to reply to the 'contract'.
　At this critical moment, suddenly and at the right time (...) -.

----?

　Her vision bobbed up and down.
　The unusual situation caused Kanami to take her gaze off the book and look up.

　The stones on the ceiling were crumbling with a flap - but instead, they were melting and dripping down with sludge.
　As if the ice was turning back into water, the stones in the room were trying to turn back into blood.
　Not just the ceiling, but the walls and floor as well. The standing cobblestones were losing their hardness and both feet were sinking as if they were stuck in a swamp.

　The cleaners can't keep an eye on them and call out.

'Kyoshi, Oyasama?　What kind of ...... is this?
It didn't fit (・・・・・・), it seems: ......

　Kanami answered shortly and stepped closer to the cleaner.
　Now she's guaranteed to be safe.

　I'm the only one who can't afford it.
　Right now, my body is on the verge of vanishing, and I can't use magic like Blood to grasp the situation.

　I've got a pretty good idea of what's going on.
　The room isn't collapsing, it's melting. Furthermore, the fact that the effect has reached the center of the room means that there is a high probability that the entire "Blood Land" magic has been lifted.

　A lot of insurance was put in place so that the 'Blood Land', the lifeline, could not be cancelled.
　The power of the 'Blood Stealer' is essential. It also requires a sense of fresh blood magic and a deep understanding of it so that the delicate techniques don't go out of control.

　That being the case, was Glenn, who was fighting on the ground, persuaded or succumbed to the threat and cooperated ......?
　Or did Seldra have an unexpected talent for blood attributes ......?

　It can't be either.
　This situation could only happen if it was me or a blood wizard comparable to Helmina-san.

''----!　Then maybe you could go to ......?

　When the thought came to that point, the flow of blood that melted and flowed away changed dramatically.

　The stone room melted and melted and melted, and all the blood that had collected at my feet was heading for the exit of this room. Just in time, the door to the room was open, so I could see from here that it was passing through a staircase that led to a further level.

　--I was being sucked up.

　A large amount of blood that I had been holding back all along was going to the ground.

　Something beyond my expectations is occurring on the ground now. When I realized this, the 'God's Body Storage Room' could no longer hold a cube.

　And the room reached its limit.
　First, the entire ceiling turned into blood all at once, falling like a waterfall and attacking. I tried to prevent it with my hands that didn't have the "Scripture", but soon the floor under my feet turned to blood all together.

　I can't stand.
　However, I can't even fall on my butt.
　The moment I thought that all sides had turned bright red, I was already floating in the water.

　Swallowed by a sea of blood, I couldn't see right or left.
　However, that was never a bad situation for me.
　It wasn't long before the perception that this was a favorable development for me, who had mastered the "blood power", was overturned.

　I was being sucked upward and upward with a frightening force, and gradually the surface of the blood was getting closer and closer.
　With a sense of buoyancy, my body was lifted up and broke through that surface.

''Haha--!

　I escaped from the pool of blood and filled my lungs with air.
　Hastily, he wiped the blood from both eyes and looked around.
　Then, he peeled his eyes back to the scene.

　-- Already, the 'Blood Land' had disappeared stealthily.

　The sea of blood had dried up nicely, and the earth that should be there was properly there.
　An ordinary, light brown wilderness that could be found anywhere stretched out to the horizon.

　Ground.
　Ordinary ground.
　The madness and horror that should have been there was not there.
　What's more, the sea of blood from which I emerged has now turned into a shallow water, and the water level is dropping even lower. I knew that the release of the "Blood Land" was faintly obvious, but this speed was too unexpected.

　The clouds and mists that had blocked the sun's light to recreate a thousand years ago were gone.
　Neither the 'Blood Puppet' nor the 'Blood Demon Beast'. There were still a few puddles of blood left, but the demonic land that was touted to plunge them into madness if they stepped into it had completely disappeared.

　The wilderness, littered with red dots, had a strange beauty to it.
　Because it had been immersed in a sea of blood for so long, most of the grass and leaves had died and only thin dead trees stood in a row. There were few man-made structures such as houses, and one minimal street remained rusty. In the distance, I could see the "Living Legend" stranded in the middle of the continent.

　It's quiet.
　The sight of the "Blood Land" claiming that the battle was over was interspersed with the faces I was looking for.

　A wounded dragonborn (Dragon Newt) is poking his knee just a few dozen paces away.
　The remnants of "Blood Land" have turned every part of him red, but there is no mistaking it.
　Puncture wounds and cuts were carved all over Seldra's body, and the clothes on her upper body did not retain their original form. I can see that he had survived the end of a fierce battle.

　And I can also see that my people lost.
　Right in front of Seldra-san, a deformed monster was lying on the ground.
　He is a mixture of bees, and his left half of his body has a peculiar insect-like appearance, but he is also severely injured.

　He is even more wounded than Seldra-san.
　On top of that, he has a gaping hole in his chest.

　My friend Glenn Walker seems to have been defeated.
　The 'Heart of Helmina' that should have been in his chest has been pulled out so neatly. When I guessed that he had either been defeated with quite a bit of extra strength, or suffered a surprise attack that even a seasoned explorer couldn't deal with - when I guessed that he was either defeated with quite a bit of extra strength or suffered a surprise attack that even a seasoned explorer couldn't deal with, a big bubble popped out of one of the nearby blood pools with a blur.

　Like me, a girl crawls to the ground.
　She brushes her black hair and peers into her red eyes, and also greets me fluently.

'Hah, hah, hah ......!　Hmmm... ......?　Yeah, it's been a while.

　The girl who smelled so familiar looked at me, squinted at me very nostalgically, and thanked me lightly.
　Surprised, I almost misread her.

'Heh, Helmi--'

　She immediately shut her mouth, saying that it wasn't Helmina-san.
　After all, the girl had the same smell, but the air she wore was too different.

''Haha. However, this is the end of 'Blood Riku' for sure. Even if there is a gap between the two, everything is still as we planned. Well, I didn't realize how easy it is to have everything set in stone ....... I knew we had a good chemistry, but I was really surprised that Ate and Helmina Neisha's 'affinity' was so perfect!

　Laughing with the air as if she was finishing a big job and starting to launch in a tavern was Kounel Chronicle Shulus Regia Ingrid, a long-lived species and high-ranking demon like me.

　I could tell by her dancing good mood that she had won a great victory.
　Then Seldra-san, who is now holding Glenn's body with both hands and is about to walk away with a frown on her face--?

　The true consequences on the ground are faintly visible.
　There's no way I could mistake Helmina-san for me because of the similarity in hair color and height.
　Without a doubt, I smelled nostalgic due to the presence of 'Helmina's Heart' in Kounel.

　And familiar.
　It fit better than me, even better than Glenn, who fit even better than me.

　Through an affinity that even Glen couldn't achieve, he crossed the characteristics of the blood power and the bloodsucking species and turned this entire "Blood Land" into a "safe zone" at an extraordinary speed.

　When I finished analyzing that, I would glare at the third generation 'Blood Reason Stealer' agent.
　Kounel backed away, puzzled.

''Oh, is that ......?　What, maybe the underground group isn't done with ...... yet?

　While speaking, Kounel hid behind Serdra, who was walking towards him, and used him as a shield, as if he was used to it.
　It was too cowardly a decision, despite the unprecedented amount of magical power on his body.
　But it was also an accurate decision.

''Seldra-san: ......''
Yeah, ......, it's me.

　Serdra, the one who steals the reason for nothingness, stands in defense of Kounel, the agent of the one who steals the reason for blood.
　In the face of that scene, I felt a mild déjà vu.

　-- Once, two heretical 'demons' walked through the wilderness, clad in dirty cloaks.
　An adult and a child. A dragon and a spirit. Serdra and Fafner.
　The child always walked behind the big backs of his admirers, always following them. Their hair was black together, like brothers or parents and children, a memory of their journey through the vast continent--

　After the battle with Kanami, the lid of my memories had been completely opened.

　A thousand years ago, Serdra-san, as the senior member of The Demon, gave me a lot of skills to live by.
　Not only did he teach me how to handle the power I was born with, but he also taught me knowledge of the history and culture of different places.
　For example, the 'Inscription White Sect'.
　Clutching that 'Scripture' tightly in one hand, Serdra begins to speak with a wry smile.

'The influence of Kanami's "Reading Shift" reached up to ....... With that look on your face, it looks like you've learned everything .......

　It seems I'm not the only one whose memories are coming back to me.
　Seldra-san's face had also been softened by nostalgia after the battle with Kanami.
　However, he immediately begins to blame himself.

''That's right ....... It was all my fault. Most of your bad luck was also caused by me, the 'evil dragon' (Fafner) .......

　I'm going to confess.
　He sounds like he wants me to punish him anyway.

　But that's hard to do.
　Originally, I was well aware of Mr. Serdra's misdeeds.
　What's more, I've even almost forgiven that Romis Neysha.
　All of this is now.

''You should also throw away the 'evil dragon (Fafner)' already ....... You can't be that thing, nobody else can. No one needs to become that thing. It's not necessary. I'm sure you're one of those "demons" who can find happiness in the world. You'll be able to leave all the rest to Kanami, ....... Hey ......?

　The body of someone I admired looked so small.
　I had lost more of my supremacy from Mr. Seldra than I had grown. I know the reason for this, as I saw it earlier, but I don't want to be convinced.

'If things go according to Kanami's 'plan', we'll finally be rewarded. No one has to go through another shitty "ordeal". All the suffering and sadness is over now. ...... kuhahaha, I've never been so 'happy'. Kuhahahaha!

　It was an unusual answer.
　It's so unlike Mr. Serdra, who, a thousand years ago, defeated all kinds of difficulties with overwhelming force.
　I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what to do with it, so I can't help but roll up my scripture and try to persuade him.

...... That's not the case. I'm sure Mr. Seldora has read it. Chapter 1, verse 7: 'Trials are the result of hope and good fortune. Be sure to give proof that you have advanced to tomorrow--
"Throw away the 'scripture' too. Already.

　A third party voice.
　A conversation with an old acquaintance was interrupted.

　It was from the direction Kanami was from, but the tone of his voice was female, not male.
　When I turned around, I saw more familiar faces.
　Stiff hair and a Hoozeyer's Knight Commander's uniform.
　Before I knew it, the supposedly dead Lord Ragne Kaikwola was propped up on both knees and facing me.

　However, he was clearly a year or so older. She has grown taller and hairier, and her body is more feminine than before. Her manner is calm and very ladylike. With the face and voice of a grown-up Lord, it speaks, brushing the sky away with its hands.

The words in the book are just a doodle written by a 'winged race' kid (Boku) a long time ago, just like that: ....... As a brilliant 'theologian,' you should have figured it out by now. That the God of "Inscription Whiteness" and all that was a lie: ....... Sorry.

　I remembered the hand that uprooted all my support.
　The pain of the dispossessed hand appeals to me and tells me that she is Noi El Liebert, the god of the "Inscription White Faith".

　And the goddess, in the form of Ragne, denies her existence first and foremost.

'The world is full of lies ....... You seem to hear the 'voices' of the dead, such as Ragne Kaikwola ......, which, like the Inscription White Church, are illusions. You are just faking it in your own head for a convenient voice. After all, her soul is now in our hands.

　It was my denial, too.
　Noi painstakingly denied everything and finally congratulated me.

'Therefore, I'm going to let the 'voice' from her soul speak for me. --no one needs to challenge me anymore. Kanami here is the true God you've been looking for. You've reached the top of your life. Congratulations.

　Seldra-san nodded at that declaration.
　With more fullness, Kanami also joined the conversation.

'Neil Lorelei. ...... I think that's a good name. I want you to 'contract' that real name so that you don't lose it again. Let's build a new future together with me.

　After all the admonitions and admonitions and admonitions, a hopeful invitation was waiting for me.

　How many times have I been admonished so far?
　Helmina and the cleaner. Serdra and Kanami.
　Even the god of the Inscription White Church, who had been my emotional support.
　They told me to agree with the "Plan to Make Everyone Happy".
　Even this is not enough, they are blocking the way to escape.

　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it.

　I feel like I now understand a little bit of how Rustyala Hoozeyers felt when she challenged Yangtaki, the one who stole the logic of water, all alone two months ago.

　.............
　Oh, that's what it was about: .......
　This is how you feel when they do it this way. Maybe that's why: .......

　I feel like I can relate to this a little bit.
　Being guided by the 'thread' of a higher being makes everything perfect and really easy.
　The board and flow of it is truly beautiful. The script written by God dictates everything we all do. It's so ...... that everyone is just manipulated by the 'thread of fate' that hangs over the world stage.
　So much for--.

Blood.

　I used my fresh blood magic to manipulate the remaining pool of blood on the earth and pump it up.
　I focus the blood on my left hand and try to turn it into a sword shape.
　But it doesn't work.

　With the current me, I couldn't even form a proper blood sword.
　Instead of a clean, red, sharp sword, it became a tattered, rusted iron sword.

　But enough is enough.
　With that sword in my hand, I decided to take the fight to Kanami until I fell forward.
　I thought I should defeat him, take the magic stone, and I was the one to go to the 'deepest'.

　Because so much--
　I had no idea that "The Plan to Make Everyone Happy" was so stinky.
　No matter how you look at it, The Plan is not perfect.
　Obviously, there is one person who is less rewarded than anyone else. And yet, all of us acting like it's the perfect plan is stinking to death. It makes me angry. Not just Seldra-san, but Kounel, Noi, and Kanami as well, all of them are so pathetic that I can't agree with them, and I can't help but laugh in a weird way.

　Today, I made sure of that.
　I confirmed that there are people who are much more 'unhappy' than me.

　Apparently, I've been living a happier life than I thought I would, so...
　I don't care if I can't fulfill my newly born 'unfulfilled' and disappear unrewarded.
　I don't care if me and Helmina-san's "happiness" is ruined.
　Anyway, for now, I want to help the people suffering in front of me.
　The simple will to fight -- that is, the simple will to fight -- must have been conveyed to everyone present here.

　Seldora-san, who had been optimistic that there was no way a fight could happen, opens her mouth.

''Yah, you're going to fight (yah) ......?　Why are you still at ......?

　If you ask me why, I haven't changed at all.
　I'll always follow the 'scripture' and act accordingly.

'It's simple, Mr. Serdra. Because it's written in the 'Scripture' --Chapter 5, verse 11: 'If you don't respect all souls, you can't rest your own soul either.' You can't sacrifice one person, Kanami, and be 'happy' only yourself.
'Ki, "Scripture"?　That's 'fake', didn't Noi, who is there now, say?　In my village, it was rightly transmitted. That a mere 'winged race' girl had tricked the gods and spread paganism across the continent!　So there is no blessing or guarantee for such teachings!　Protecting it won't make you 'happy': ......!　I couldn't be!
'No, this is the 'real thing'. Even though there is no God, his teachings have become my flesh and blood, my strength. I am a shameless man, and this 'scripture' has helped me many times. To this day, I have been able to imitate the knights because I learned a lot from the 'Inscription White Teaching'. ...... Is your 'Evil Dragon (Fafner)' different?
............!

　I leave the stammering Seldra-san alone and move forward.
　Noi, who was next to Kanami, hurriedly takes on the responsibility of continuing with Seldra-san.

''Ki, a knight?　Then you should consider the 'happiness' of your master, Ragne Kaikwola, carefully. Her soul is here. If you put your Lord first, you should definitely make a 'contract' with us, right?　...... hey?
"'Lagne' is in me. Even though I didn't have a soul, those words were my flesh and blood, my strength. I was gullible, but those words saved me many times. Even now, it's still nagging at me all the time that everything is going to work out, that it's going to be a stinker.
'Oh, what ......?　Hey, this way: ......?　So how can you hear--

　Pretend (...).
　That's what I've always been good at.

　I can't hear the voice of Lord Lagne.
　However, I can fabricate the voice of Lagne that is convenient for me.
　It's just a conjecture, a state of affairs 'auditory hallucination', and if you ask me if I'm sane or insane, it's insanity, but ......, if I had a Lord Lagne, I would always say this
　Because my Lord Lagune was this kind of guy.

'Even now ......, Lord Lagne will show me the way to go.' --Chapter 15, Verse 1: 'The outer skin of God is made of mirrors. It has no content, because it only reflects the wishes of man.' That's what it meant. Thanks to the Lord, I can even read the rest of the "Inscription Hakkyo" (...) --Chapter 15, Verse 2: 'The content was you. You are also the one who makes wishes come true'. Yes, the mirror, Kanami-san, was always a reflection of myself!　That day, when we first met, Kanami was me as well!　It's been me all along!　--Chapter 15:3 'Yes, God is you. God has been in you all along. ...... I mean, whatever it is, that's it. Don't just sign up with that stinker over there!' And!　The God in me, says it all!
'Yeah, yeah ......?　What are you talking about, this guy ......?

　Noi, the spawn of The Scripture of the Inscription White Faith, was bewildered when he heard the wording he hadn't written.
　He withdrew to next to Kounel, who was behind Kanami, in front of me, who continued to crazily roll up the "Scripture" and read something that didn't exist.

　Even a distorted 'voice' (skill) can be useful.
　Honestly, if you look to your right or left, they're all somewhat strange people.
　Then we have no choice but to pretend as best we can, as well as to lose.

　I'm going to hold on to the scripture and press on like a fanatic.

　You cannot oppose the holder of the scripture. That was my rule.
　This is just another conjecture, just another state disorder, but as long as I am protecting this scripture, I am me.
　No one can control me.
　Whether it's the Lord of the world, God, or benefactor.

　So if you ask me which side I'm on, I'm on my side.

'Kanami, it says in this 'scripture' It says not to 'contract' with you: ....... So I'll keep pretending (...). I will survive to the end as "Fafner Helvirshine". If you want me to help you, I'll go to 'Beyond the Deepest' instead.

　The 'contract' was refused.
　Hearing that, Kanami's eyes and mouth open and she looks very surprised.

　She looks both shocked and happy that things are going according to the 'plan'.
　Kanami's thoughts, which are now too far away, would be immeasurable without the 'connection' of the 'Distance Mute'.

　Kanami, who is no longer understood by anyone, rolls up the book in her hand.
　She makes the same movement against me, like a mirror.

''-- Still, you're 'Neil Lorelei'. This 'contract' is the only way to make the 'Seventh Magical Research Institute' 'happy' on that day. Both you and I should pretend it never happened. Absolutely--

　I reread the book and held up my hand.

　Instantly, I felt a chill - a 'bad feeling'.
　The senses were sharpened because they had learned a lot and understood the flow of things.

　Now, Kanami stretched that "purple thread" or something like that.
　All along, Kanami had been dressing up and limiting her abilities on her own for the sake of her 'plan to make everyone happy'. Just like Lord Lagune, he has that in him.

　However, Kanami made a declaration earlier.
　If he becomes an enemy, he will not show mercy.
　Using that precautionary line of defense as a reason, he's going to use the 'purple thread' to make my response whole and forcefully pretend it didn't happen. But that--

'You can't look any better (・・・・・). Brother.

　There was a voice of condemnation.

　Another voice.
　The shadows at Kanami's feet spread out as if water had been dripped onto paper, and a brown-skinned girl crawls up out of them.

　I brace myself, wondering how much of Kanami is in there.
　But the dark-haired, dark-eyed brown girl who appeared was facing Kanami, not me.
　As she speaks further, she also looks into the empty space.

''No matter how you look at it, big brother Fafner's recruitment is a mistake. You see, not only Rastiara big sister, but even World-chan is starting to support the other side--

　Caught in the act, I also turned my eyes and felt a gaze (...).
　If this is the existence of the example that gave the 'curse' to the 'reason-stealing ones', then this leads to the 'deepest'.

　No, no?
　All souls have always been connected.
　I roll up the 'Scripture' and add that to the fifteenth chapter in my mind, and then the Reaper declares against my gaze.

''-- So, the Reaper's Judge will not allow 'Fafner Helvirshine' to leave. Naturally, the fabrication (...) of "Neil Lorelei" is also not acceptable. Who are you talking to, Neil Neil from earlier?　My brother there has never called himself anything other than 'Fafner Helvirshine'.

　He assured me, like he was supporting me.
　There was a weight to those words, like [the world's reason], and I was kind of glad to hear it.

　Grim Lim Reaper.
　She's a girl I'm not very familiar with.

　But I know her birth.
　The girl who was created by the "Original Kanami" a thousand years ago, based on that "Saint Tiara" and "Fairy Tales".
　The 'Reaper's Magic' that is created by human hands but is out of human reasoning.

　When I thought about it, I felt that the culmination of Helmina-san's 'Five Step Thousand Year Plan' was exactly like her. No, on the contrary, I could feel the holiness from her more than anyone else in the place, to the point where I thought that from today, the Goddess of the 'Inscription White Sect' could be this girl instead of Noi.

　And it seems I'm not the only one who was struck by the weight of the Reaper's words.
　Kanami's face fell in shame for a moment, as if she had been scolded by her parents.

　But only for a moment.
　The next time Kanami looked up, she was already back to her usual expression.
　With a coldness that reminded me of the Yotaki of the past, relentlessly, I turned to the 'last page' -

"--No, the boy of that day is my friend. He's the friend who will spend eternity with 'Aikawa Uzumi (me)' from now on, fighting with me. The boy is Neil Lorelei. It's a beautiful and cool name. I have friends. I have a lot of friends. I'm sure, I'm there--

　Even if it was to add a sentence to the book, it was too crude.

　However, if it was Kanami who uttered them, the atmosphere of the place changed dramatically.
　A flow was created, and a future that was good for Kanami was drawn in.

　Even though I can't see it, countless "purple threads" must have grown wildly, profusely, messily now. Kanami's power, which no longer has any semblance of control, tries to control all of this place, but...

-------- ---------- ... ---------- ... ---------- ... ---------- ... ------------------------

　A high-pitched monstrous sound rang out, interrupting the flow.

　A single "black thread" rushed past my eyes and passed in front of me.
　It was too fast, too instantaneous for my eyes to catch it. But I knew what was happening.
　But I knew what was happening, and I could hear the voice.
　This wasn't an auditory hallucination.



　When I looked at the source of the voice, I saw a man who, like me, stood up, even though his heart was empty.
　And from both arms, all four - no, more than ten 'black threads' - stretched out from all four limbs and stretched them all over the wilderness. A few of them were entangled in Seldra-san right next to him and had stopped moving.

　The number of 'black threads' is increasing.
　As a collaborator in the development of the "black thread", I know how dangerous that is, but - thanks to that dangerous trump card - all of the "purple threads" that were about to fill the place were cut into pieces.
　A few 'black threads' are being waved around with more clutter than Kanami.

'--------' ---------- ... ---------- ... ---------- ... ---------- ... ---------- ... ---------- ... ---------- ... ---------- ... ---------- ... ---------- ... ---------- ... ---- ... ----------------------!!!!

　Furthermore, the monstrous sound continues to ring out at a loud enough volume to shake your vision.
　It's the sound of bugs' wings, comparable to the "dragon's roar".

　Now, at this moment.
　All the foul play such as "writing" and "future vision" have been cancelled out.

　A moment later, I see Glenn's wounded form.
　He was doing everything he could to stay alive.
　My friend had one eye crushed, but he moved his remaining eye, his throat trembled and called out.

"'Hell (...), Vil (...), Shine (・・・・)--'

　I've always felt uncomfortable.
　I kept being called Neil Neil, and I was about to lose sight of the 'real me', but when my 'friend' called me, I could finally answer him as best I could.

'Glenn!　I'm here!

　He shouted and reached out his hand.
　Not to Kanami's 'purple thread', but to Glenn's 'black thread'

　-- at that moment, I felt as if someone laughed happily.

　The moment I grabbed the "black thread", I felt a new magic kick in.
　The vision that was reflecting the wilderness instantly turns dark.

''-- Magic, the True Night of the Abyssal Dimension (Di Reverend Night).

　With the reaper's voice, darkness spread out as if the night had burst.

　It was dyed completely black, making other objects completely unrecognizable.
　It was a black color that, like Noi's 《Black Shift》, filled not only the vision of the eyeballs, but also the magical senses.

　It's the mimetic color of the 'Black Thread', as if he was showing it to Glenn.
　In a space where darkness deprives you of your sight, monstrous sounds deprive you of your hearing, and only the soul-cutting weapon is wielded, no matter how much Seldora-san or Kanami, you won't be able to move easily.

　Due to the combined techniques of Reaper and Glenn, I feel a momentary advantage - though it's really a slight one - right now.

　To be honest, I had almost given up on the idea of fighting Kanami, even if I were to survive at all costs.
　But now, I might be able to get a shot at him.

　When I thought of that, the 'black thread' entwined in my arm pulls my body tight.

----?

　His strengthless body was lifted into the air and pulled back.
　My vision and hearing didn't work properly, but I knew by touch that I was backed against Glenn's shoulder.

　Furthermore, with my body held in place by the 'black thread', he leaps.
　From the sensation of cutting the wind, I can tell the direction of his leap and I let out a voice.

'And it's getting away--?'

　There was a momentary advantage.
　But with all of that, Glenn chose to retreat.

'...... This was my first job dah.

　Carrying me in the opposite direction from Kanami, Glenn makes a small reply.
　His voice has been snatched away by the 'demon return' and is approaching the sound of inhumanity. Even now, he will lose his human voice. I can't ignore the question with its few remaining words.

　I know that Glenn was a scout and a recruiter.
　Long before Serdra came to 'Blood Land', Glenn and Elmirad had joined up with the party in the example. Even after they were released from Yotaki and I, they dared to remain in the Blood Land in order to recruit "Fafner Helvilleshain".

　However, I didn't think he still had any intention of recruiting them.
　Maybe now was the first and last chance to escape, and even if I were to escape--

There's no way you can get away from those Kanami people that easily: ......
"The Reaper told me to run away," she said. "I don't doubt her words.

　There was a bond between Reaper and Glenn that I didn't have.
　I know that the two of them used to travel the continent with the same party. I heard about it when I was summoned by Nosfi in the labyrinth and fought Maria, the agent of The One Who Steals Fire's Reason, in front of the World Tree under the Great Sacred City.
　During the year that Kanami went missing, he conquered the 'Second Labyrinth (・・・・)' in the center of the 'mainland'. The two people who played an active role at that time were Glenn and the Reapers - and

　When I remembered that much, a moment's time passed.
　The darkness that had taken away my vision was gone as I left the range of the magic 《Die Reverent Night of the Abyssal Dimension》.

　A similar wilderness spreads out again in my open vision.
　However, it was clear that it was a completely different place.
　In the space where we would have been just a few moments ago, I could see a darkness so great that it covered an entire country.
　It was as if the night itself was looming over the horizon.
　I kept looking at that magical darkness from afar and realized.

'It's not following me: ......'

　The darkness that envelops Kanami and his friends has not cleared, and his pursuers have not come.

　Really, they got away .......
　No, were they missed?
　The two heartless 'demons', were they expected to die in the wild if left unattended?

　Or was there another reason for this?
　It's my "I can't go against the holder of the 'scripture'" kind of self rule, for example.
　It's not hard to understand if the reaper who claims to be the referee was able to successfully exploit some rule.

　I'll speculate on various reasons, but in the end, I also thought it was simply that it didn't fit (・・・・・・).

　Kanami may be 'writing' the future of a lot of people, but not everything is going to go the way it's supposed to. For example, that Quuner believed in the 'plan' and was clearly wrong about the timing of the 'blood land' release.
　Kanami had the pretense that it was natural (...) for someone to live through it to the best of their ability and get out of the 'future vision'.

'No. ....... Even if it was, it wasn't me who survived this time, it was .......

　The wind is blowing and slapping me all over.

　Glenn is casually scrambling with me on his back, but at a terrifying speed and stride.
　It's more of a glide than a leap.
　The wind ruffles my skin, and I feel like I'm going to pass out from the pain at any moment.

　The reason for this unusual speed is the acceleration caused by Glenn's 'black thread'.
　Every time he leaps, he uses the strength of his arms as well, tangling them around a large distant rock or tall dead tree. In addition, he wraps the leftover black thread around both of his legs to assist in his movement.

　In a form that was completely dedicated to high speed movement, Glenn's movement speed went up and up beyond the limit.
　However, in parallel, the 'demon return' was also advancing at a terrifying speed.
　As long as he was scrambling without a heart, sprinkling blood from the scars and crack marks on his extremities, and trying to survive as best he could, the bee (bee) part of his body would expand.

　It's not even the left half of his body anymore.
　Almost his entire body has turned into a monster - and there's no way to get it back.
　But thanks to that, Glenn's wings had increased and the dwell time of its leap had increased.

　I want to stop it, but I can't escape from the restraints of the 'black thread', I can only be carried like a piece of luggage.

　In this small amount of time, we were already three city lengths away.
　But this is an opponent that can break down the concept of distance and wrap the entire world in Dimensions. Even if I run away to the 'other world', I've already confirmed with Serdra-san that Kanami will be chasing me. I thought that no matter where I went, there was no place that could be called safe, but--

"Fafner, we're not dropping you off at ....... I'm going to take you there. Where no one can reach you. ......

　In my mind, I checked the map against the direction I was scrambling in.
　If we enter the country of Legia to the east of the Blood Land, and if we go further east, we can reach the city of Daryl in the center of the mainland.

　Now we're heading to the second labyrinth that Glenn and the Reaper's party captured in the past.