Almost there.
　Using Glenn's sister as bait, we were supposed to be able to 'covertly' get through the 99th layer.
　That plan went smoothly, but just before we passed through the [Connection].
　I was grabbed.

　My legs were pulled and I was dragged into a pool of blood.
　Compared to the bright ground of the sky, the 99th layer was dimly lit - as if even the bottom of that labyrinth was just the beginning, sinking even darker and deeper, downward and downward.

''d*mn ......, hey--!

　I couldn't breathe.
　My lungs were compressed, forcing me to open my mouth.
　I exhaled air bubbles as they were squeezed out.

　It was as if tens of thousands of arms were strapped to one of my thin legs.
　The force gripping my ankle is as strong as a vise, and I'm sinking horribly fast.
　I immediately gave up resisting with 'muscle power' and tried to use the blood-controlling magic 《Blood》, but for some reason it fizzled out. Following that, he tried to wield the power of the Ghost 'Demon', but it also vanished in vain.

　I don't know how it works, but the sealing and offsetting of the ability is done all the time.
　The only way to confirm the cause of this was to open my eyes, as well as my mouth, firmly.

　When he lifted his eyelids, a whole swath of red spread across his vision.
　Red on top, red on the bottom, red on both sides.
　Everywhere you look, it's red, even to the end of the world.

　--I kept sinking in the deep sea of blood.

　If I had endured the experiments and torture of a thousand years ago, I wouldn't die so easily.
　But if you continue to be dragged in like this, even if you don't physically drown, there's a chance you'll be drowned 'spellbound'.
　What made me think that was the woman who was grabbing my ankles and trying to fall in with me.
　The look.

"--"Neil.

　I don't mistake him anymore.
　The one calling his name is a cleaning lady, a childhood friend of mine who I met in 'Blood Land'.

　The figure is not a 'blood puppet', but is dressed in fine clothing. His red limbs are covered with skin-colored skin, his hair, which shimmers like a mollusk, is glossy and black, and his eyes, which shine like a nocturnal creature, are deep red.

　At first, I thought she was imitating Helmina-san with her fresh blood magic.
　However, as our eyes met, I could tell it was different.
　Since she was a special 'magician' born in Fania and an expert in 'blood magic', I could be sure that this was a 'magicianization'.

　Moreover, the ones mixed in were not monsters.
　Truly, it's unusual (...).
　This is the first time I've seen it, but it's a 'person'.
　She's a 'demon' mixed with a 'person'.

　I'm the only one in the world to realize that she's a "demon return" mixed with Helmina Neisha.
　The word 'natural enemy' appears in my mind.

............!
"Yes, 'Neil.' Like you, I was subjected to the Demonization Experiment. And like you, I was a 'success story'. I'm a very 'lucky' and 'happy' 'witch'.

　Her lips moved lightly, though in a sea of blood, and she heard a voice.

　I heard that the affiliation of that research institute was licked by the 'The One Who Steals the Reason of the Tree' id a while ago. It looks like he's already thrown out the example madman's manual completely .......
　That easy to hear word makes me feel uncomfortable.

　And then I suddenly turned my gaze upward.
　How far have I sunk?
　It's so far away, dark and red that it's impossible to measure.

'Do you want to go back up?　Or do you want to go above ground?　You can't ...... it. Because [I'll never go back]. That's the real Fania rule.

　She warned me downstairs as I looked up.

　I wanted to deny that I wasn't.
　To me, Fania territory was a rich, cheerful place, full of people's vibrancy and hope.

　But I also knew the nightmare that took place underneath it all too well.
　Most of all, the souls that smiled as they grabbed my feet proved it.

'Without a doubt, this is the real Fania. Coincidentally, you've made it 'home' again. It would really be the 'ideal' place for a goal in life. This is where all of Fania has been waiting for us, too.

　As she uttered the words 'everyone of Fania', she felt 'something' in the sinking blood.

　It was huge objects swimming at high speed in the deep sea of blood while letting out a strange roar.
　It was easy to tell that they were the 'Blood Demon Beasts' from their disastrous and hard to describe shape, because they were the ones who were using them.

　This blood-deep sea was as familiar as home, and there were so many things one could understand about it.
　It's a good thing that you can't get rid of them. --I'm not sure why, but I can understand their language.

''-- Boy?　'You came back, that boy.'
'Why?　Why you?　You were the only one who survived?　Jealous. You were just as guilty. "Die, demon apprentice--
You shouldn't have come back. Don't come back. And don't come back to this place again. ......
"Kill me. Kill me now. Make him die and apologize. And yet my grudge does not hold.

　The shape varies.
　The "Blood Monster" looks like a drawstring with its organs connected with its intestines.
　The "Blood Monster" looks like a tree with a hundred eyes like grapes.
　A sphere made up of countless limbs, like a blood monster.
　For some reason, we now understand the words of these objects that instinctively refuse to understand and make us want to throw up.

　The Blood Monster Beasts have lost their throat organ, so they shouldn't be able to speak no matter how much they shake their bodies. In the first place, their souls had been swallowed up by madness through repeated experiments.
　Is it because the vibrations are easily transmitted through the sea of blood?
　Are you saying that because it's a labyrinth, you can have direct contact with the souls of the dead?

Then this is ......, this is (...)?

　I couldn't breathe and my throat wouldn't quiver properly.
　But if I moved my mouth, I could produce an outward vibration (・・・・・・).

　It's as if a vibration (ie. a voice) shaking my soul.
　I have a sense of where I'm being dragged in.

Yes, this is the Living Red (Hell Virmillion Hell) from The One Who Steals the Reason for Blood. The grave-visiting magic (・・・・・・) that controls the blood that seeps into the earth and speaks to the dead - under (...)

　Underneath the 99 layers, Helmina's real 'magic' was unfolding.

　It is, in terms of combat effects, a magic that controls ghosts.
　That's why Kanami-san ridiculed me when we met again in the basement of The Great Sacred City, saying that I was like a dead spirit user (necromancer).

　However, the essence is a little different.
　As you can see, communicating with the dead is the most true value of all.
　I'm being dragged into the abyss of that real value.

"-- 'Thrusting my claws into the sky, I have scraped through the world (you),' 'Look up and be blinding. I will rain blood from the sky where I have just torn flesh' --

　Afterwards, she wrote a poem about Ms. Helmina's life.
　With that nostalgic poem, she goes on to welcome

'Welcome to the real 100 layers. Unlike the 'make-believe' of the gurus, this one is the 'real' one.
Here?　This is the real 100 layers?　For all intents and purposes, this place is--
No, sir. This is the real labyrinth, the lowest level. Neither the Deepest Depths nor the God's Seat is a realm that does not exist. It's a different dimension of make-believe.
............?
'If I'm going to fall, I want the 'real thing'. Will you go down with me into this real 'hell'?

　99 layers down, she called it 'Hell' and dragged it down.

　The power of her "Majin" was fierce and powerful.
　It's a power that's completely unmatched by me, the masterpiece of the Majoji Research Institute.
　The place, the situation, and the magic of this place, the situation, and the magician mixed with Helmina Neisha are too good for me. After all, this blood-deep sea is the very life of Helmina-san--!

d*mn it ......!
Phew. ......

　To be clear, I can't even talk to my childhood friend to settle the matter.
　Unable to even breathe, and doubtful if I'll survive, I scream.

'Well, magic--!

　Just before I was dragged in, I was using dimensional magic and defaults.
　With my signature fresh blood magic, I am now in a body that can use the dimensional attribute.

　If I were to use it, I would have to go with "Distance Mute".
　It's a complex magic with special attributes, but that's why it should be difficult to seal or cancel out.
　It can't be stifled.
　I'll penetrate one leg for a moment and escape from her restraints first--!

　And I began to build with no chanting. However, the magic name of that trump card was uttered first--

...the resonance spell Distance Mute.

　She grabbed my leg.
　She matched me with a spell (・・・・・).

　Hence, the magic does not penetrate my leg.
　Rather, my leg and her hand overlapped and became stronger and more connected.

　A magical wedge that never separates is completed and is laughed at.

''Huh, kuhu. ...... Helmina-sama is a friend of Tiara-sama. There's no way you can't use it.
............!

　I thought she was going to mist all my power, but this was the only thing that resonated with me.

　Perhaps she was waiting for me, inducing me to use the 《Distance Mute》. I was neatly caught in that trap, and her arms and my legs became one with her.

　It's soul assimilation through resonance.
　The boundary between me and her disappears, and the two consciousnesses overlap.

　It's not good.
　At this rate, we'll join the ranks of the 'Blood Demon Beasts' swimming together nearby.
　As I fear that, I turn my vigilance to my surroundings as well, the voice that I hear even more--

Just go away. Mingle with the rest of you and disappear. You'll join them and float around here forever, holding a grudge with us.
"Perhaps the boy had to return. "Perhaps the boy had no choice but to return, and he made a promise to a world he hated. His name was Helvillestein.
It's your fault they're dead. If only you hadn't led 'God of Light' to ......!
It was a long time ago. Every Phanadian researcher knows how it works. Have you forgotten how it works? What it means to swear a 'deal with the world' in your name...
Hateful, hateful, hateful, hateful. If you hadn't asked for a savior, we would be alive. We all would be alive. I could still be alive with you, mother.

　Something is wrong.

　There's something else in the mix besides a voice that hates me for surviving.
　It's an intelligent and calm voice.
　The 'Blood Demon Beast' that I had always shied away from because it would drive all who see it crazy, is now spinning words in an orderly manner.

''Mm, a long time ago?　Fania researchers: ......?
Yeah, back in time. Come back to join the old times. Come with me to the very depths of Phania that day.

　I muttered "back in the day" and she agreed with me, "back in the day".
　The assimilation accelerated further.

　--And as if to confirm that "long ago", a completely different scene was reflected in the deep sea of blood.

　Is it the 'past vision' of whose (...) 'past' is here?
　In the state where the soul has begun to assimilate, it is impossible to know exactly what it is.

　However, although it is vague, I start to see the basement with that nostalgic smell.
　It's a room surrounded by moldy bookshelves, with only a minimal desk and chair.
　This is where the three of us used to study and spend our time together in peace.
　The three of us - no, I'm not in that example room (・・・・・).

　The only people who were there were Helmina-san and the cleaning staff.
　Since it was just the two of us, Helmina-san had a pained expression on her face that she had never shown me.
　Even my childhood friend, the cleaner, who replied to that, was speaking in a fluent language that she had never spoken to me before--


　◆◆◆◆◆


　Ms. Helmina shook her head painfully and she spoke in her own language.

'--Name?　No, you can't. You can't ever have a name. You don't need it.
'But, Lady Helmina. It would be easier to manage if you gave me a name. I think it would be more efficient.

　A thousand years ago, in the basement of Fania's Seventh Magical Research Institute in Fania, a straightforward subordinate made a demand on her boss.
　However, Helmina gently refused to do so, saying that she was thinking of you.

'Because if you have a name, we'd all be really crazy ....... No, normally, no one would surely be able to stand even the fact that they have a name. Then it's better to not have a name in the first place. It's much better to not even know it exists .......

　The cleaner continued to stare at his cold, sweat dripping face.
　Helmina's eyes swam and her voice began to tremble.

'Duh, who inspired you to do this?　...... You're 'happy' without that stuff!　Because you were born with the best 'qualities', the 'good fortune' that you have!　So you're 'happy' ....... The 'happy' me is you. Please, please believe in that me: ......

　It was a precarious and dangerous reply, as if he had lost his footing.
　Helmina's monologue, which could only be considered a lie, continued.

"Names are a custom above ground, there is no need for them below ground. The reason being that once a 'low-level employee' has fallen into the ground, they can never go out again. It is decided by Fania's law that they can never return. Let's abide by that rule together?　Right?

　Saying that, Helmina-san, who forced herself to laugh and said, "Hmph," was really weak.

''But, Helmina-sama: ......''

　As the cleaner still doubted, Helmina finally took out a book from her pocket.
　On the cover of that nostalgic 'Respectful Book', the name of the 'Inscription White Church' was inscribed on it.

''Da, it's okay!　Me too!　...... I'm the same way, you know?　Once a researcher has crashed into the outside world, 'there is no going back'. He won't retreat afterwards, and will continue to be cursed until he dies as 'Helmina Neisha'. It may be a painful path. It may be a hard road. ...... but one day God will save you!　So it's okay!　It's right here!　Chapter 1, verse 1, 'You are the one who is here!　This you is all of us!

　Without opening the book, Helmina held it tightly and read it out loud.

　But she seemed to be haunted by the words because she had everything memorized.
　It makes the viewer uneasy.

'Yes!　Then, chapter 1, verse 7: 'Trials are the result of hope and good fortune. It goes on to say, 'They will always leave you with proof that you have moved on to tomorrow'!　So it's okay!　Someday it will pay off!　If you believe in it, one day!　Haha, hahahahahahaha!

　With unfocused eyes, I started laughing hysterically.

　As I already knew, Helmina-san was a follower of the Inscription Bai Sect just like me.
　So, her behavior was very similar to mine when she was the 'Blood Stealer' agent.

　And the way the cleaners looked at Helmina-san was just like the people who used to look at me.
　She is pitying the believers who have gone mad, from the bottom of her heart.
　With that look in her eyes, Helmina-san hurriedly closed the distance and hugged the cleaner.

'Please, the other me ....... We are the same. So please don't run away from me. Be with me, crazy ....... I'm lonely alone. I'm anxious to fall alone. So, why don't you laugh with me?　Will you read with me?　Shall we sing a song together?　Make this "Respectful Book" the lullaby of your life: ......, hey?　Mm-hmm, hey?

　Her heart is weak and full of cracks.
　As I thought, Helmina is a "thief of reason". And she's also exactly like Kanami-san after a thousand years (now).

　Reaffirming this, the cleaner, who was forced to say the word 'crazy', nodded back gently.

'............. Yes, sir. Let's live together. I like you properly, Helmina-sama.

　All in all, he accepted it.
　He was probably relieved by the response.
　Helmina-san pocketed the 'Respectfully' and smiled gently, returning her trapped expression to the dignified researcher.

'Thank you, me. ...... Yes, I'll come with you. Just the two of us, until the end of the Neisha family.

　In my absence, they held each other's hands.
　They supported each other's crumbling hearts in the basement and managed to keep them steady.

　--and that's as far as the basement went that day.

　The next step was the daily routine in the 'lowest level' of the cleaners out of the basement.

　The task of repeating the cleaning process as an example begins.
　Occasionally some emergency work comes in, but there's no hardship.
　No suffering. No hardship. I don't have a name, so I've always been 'happy'.
　As long as I keep Helmina's words, I'm happier than anyone else in the world, and I'm being saved," she said, smiling happily, "as long as I keep my word.

　The place that was hell for me looks like heaven to her.
　That's when I thought that I had no choice but to admit that past - and that's when I thought it.

　I begin to hear a new voice.
　It's not me. The lamenting voice of a completely unknown third party--.

"Aha! A beautiful, pathetic, ephemeral failure. Get away from that demonic madness, quickly. Acknowledge the ugly and stupid distortions of this underground, and look for normal (...) 'happiness (...)'--

　The voice was calm and strangely ostentatious.

　It was heard as the cleaning crew was doing their cleaning work, as the name implied.
　Inside the vault of the 'Fiends' who had failed their experiments was a cold, inorganic room made of stone. The gnarled 'Blood Demon Beast' trapped in there said, "----ssh,-- ----! And she was able to decipher it in a faint, unvoiced voice (・・・・・・・).

'Look at what we are, look at what we are. If that Helmina isn't a demon spreading madness, what is it?
............
She only sees you as a backup, just in case. She's only being nice to you because she's afraid that the backup would escape. Someday you'll be treated like dirt and thrown away. ...... We know that very well.

　It was also a voice that sounded as if it was preaching a lesson.
　However, the cleaner denied that calm voice head-on.
　She, too, sounded calm and strangely ostentatious.

''Devil ......?　Which one?　You guys should reflect on yourselves more. Lady Helmina is more kind-hearted and beautiful than anyone else, and she's a fine researcher who has taken on the cause of humanity.
"Wake up from your dreams of convenience. Trusting that woman is a nightmare.
'Do I look like that?　Huh, hmmm. You've really gone crazy, these poor 'failures'. I can't believe you caught this 'happy' me and it's a nightmare. Hmph, hmph.
"We are not crazy. We are not crazy. We are the only two who are crazy here.
You can say ...... whatever you want. No one is going to listen to you anyway, and no one will ever know. In the first place, you can't draw a line on who's crazy unless you're God. Then the most right thing to do is to trust the sanity that makes you 'happy'.

　They talk casually.
　The Blood Demon quivered in his throat and made an inarticulate sound.
　The cleaner's throat quivered clean and spoke a language that was not a language.

　Is it 'ancient magic' or 'new magic'?
　I can't verify it anymore, but it was certainly understood by the cleaner.

　Many times I was surprised that I knew nothing about her.
　No wonder she couldn't get through to me all the time, even if I told her repeatedly, "You're 'unhappy'".
　She had been told the same story over and over again by the 'Blood Demon Beasts' before I told her.

　As a child, I was jealous that Helmina-san was being patronizing and teaching that janitor a lot of hidden things. But in reality, instead of teaching her something, it was the opposite.
　Mr. Helmina was taking a lot of things away from the girl. And it was these 'blood monsters' who were educating this nameless girl, teaching her reality and raising her like a researcher's assistant.

''Even if you're right, there are some truths you can't change. That's a reasonable experiment you're standing by. You're being forced to like your owner and think they like you, and you're only trying to brainwash them with your attachment to them.
'Huh, no matter how much you try to stir me up, it's no use. Helmina-sama is my favorite person. I'll never get revenge for your sacrifices. Forever.
'No, no. No, no, no. It's not that we hold a grudge against the devil. We don't deserve it. ...... We just want you to be saved at least.
'Is ......?　Huh?　Do you want to be saved?　Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!　Hahahahaha!

　The girl who had been listening coolly all this time seemed to be unable to bear it anymore.
　At last, the "blood demon beast" can no longer carry on a conversation and can only begin to question itself.

You will be able to see that it's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to have a good time. --

　The Blood Demon Beast doesn't have a vocal organ.
　However, it does have a number of parts that are very similar to it due to its deformity. Therefore, it was able to tremble (speak) at the same time and ask itself questions like a wooden spirit.

　It was like a researcher's speculation. But when what should be in the brain is exposed to the outside world, I can't help but--.

Oh, horrible, horrible, horrible. Horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible. ...... It's just like the anecdote "Magus". I'm sure you've already gone crazy enough to want to kill the living without regard to who you are. These 'failures'.

　It's not surprising that the girl felt that way, and after giving up her understanding of them because they were 'crazy', she scorned them for being like 'demonic beasts'.
　She also decided that the living were envious wraiths and went on to look down on them and pity them.

'Really, poor ....... But it's okay. I will continue to take care of you so that you can be happy. I'll be with you forever and ever. I'll sing you a lullaby to your pathetic lives. ...... No, shall we all sing it together?
'Don't imitate Helmina Nisha. There is no need to pretend to be a backup. I want to put an end to those horrible eyes.
This is pretend?　I can't do such a superior thing. Because I'm an incompetent, nameless, crazy 'low-level employee'. I can communicate with crazy 'blood demon beasts' as well, so I'm only useful to 'lucky' people. I'm just a 'bystander' who just repeats the same tasks without a care in the world--

　Even though the language is understood, the conversation does not fit well.

　This is the daily life of the "lowest level" a thousand years ago.
　The cleaners treated the "Blood Monster" as a protected creature and continued to take care of them in a "happy" manner. They looked down on them and got a sense of superiority as well. They were affectionate and even sang lullabies.
　The upper-level staff observed this and gave up their understanding that they were crazy among themselves. These monsters (monsters), who don't speak the language, seem to be 'happy' to see each other as family (pets), so that's fine now. ......

　The environment is distorted but sort of complete.
　Maybe no one had to mess with it.
　It's not healthy, but at this time she was full of ■■ bliss and kindness. But to admit that ■■Unless, that means that she is no longer a Qing■ member ■■, long ago (・・・・・・) ■■■■■■■■■■■■. She ■■■, ■■■■■■■■■.
　■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■.

　■■■■■■......!

　Suddenly.
　I was struck by the sensation of being painted by a thick black fog.

　I can't see beyond the past. I can't read it.

　I'm getting interference from somewhere.
　And I know only one person who is capable of such convenient interference.

　She speaks before I can even picture that person's face.

　--Shut up, Guru (Kanami).
　--Don't interrupt our memories.

　Her voice rang directly into my head.

　I can hear her voice as she interrupts Kanami, who interrupts me and the cleaner's 'past vision'. In conjunction with that, the "past vision" I'm seeing now was blurred and distorted in red.
　It is painted out with red ■.
　Against the black caused by Kanami's interference, it is painted back with red.
　Black, red and. Black, red, black, and ■■ red, black, and ■■ red, black, and ■■ red, black, and ■■ blood. ■■ flesh and blood ■■ hell is ■■ fresh blood ■■ blood ■■ red and black and ■■■■■■■ black ■■■■■■■■ red ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ and ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■--

　The two of them fight in my head.
　Even with my diverse torture experience, I couldn't stand the headache.
　My head was about to crack open.

　--You just need to focus on the Failure Magic that will save your world!
　--This Living Red is a sane and spiritual place to express resentment. It's not a place for madness, illusion and dreaming like your 'failure magic'
　--I've been mad (・・・・・・) for a long time now (・・・・・・・). I'm crazy and I'm not going back. Is that really a paint-by-numbers thing to do?

　The tone had been astonishing up to this point, but here the cleaners' voices were raspy.
　And then, at last--

　--and so do you (・・・・・・・)?　It's not something to be avoided. The madness (it) was necessary and right. I still believe it was the right thing to do. That's why I was never needed. I didn't need a helping hand. I didn't need to be self-appointed as 'unhappy'!　We don't need it all!　Being woken up from a 'happy dream' by being treated like a nightmare without permission is the nightmare!　Now the guru is probably more acutely aware of this than anyone else!　Only a true lunatic is 'happy' and the most perfect being in the world!　Pretend and only then do you realize!

　I thought I heard her scream for the first time.

　Perhaps this is her true feelings.
　Her essence (heart) without any falsehoods, for the two of us, Kanami-san and I--

　-- Oh, yes!　You two!　You've done the unpardonable!
　--there, I was living in my own way ....... Desperately, I was surviving ....... We were surviving, much more than you guys were, and we were really surviving ......!
　--But you two broke it!　You tricked the Light God!　Claim your salvation!　Don't patronize us!　
　--What's going on up there? It's a festival. A maiden's light and a hero's appearance?　Helvirshine and God's script are all crap. No, it's disgusting. Oh, the horrible ......!
　--An evil guru who cheats on God. After all, you're the worst of all. And then there's Neil. You will be forgiven for Neil.　The two people who destroyed the Magician's Research Institute that day will never be forgiven ......?　"Allowed"?
　--"Forgiven"?　Phew!
　--It's not allowed (...)!　It's not acceptable (・・・・・・・)!

　A smack.

　With that curse, I heard the sound of the 'thread' being cut off.
　At the same time, all of Kanami-san's interference disappears, and the 'past vision' of the 'past' also dissipates.

　My consciousness begins to pick up the voice of reality.

''--Is it forgivable? It was absolutely not forgivable. There's no way it can be forgiven--

　The vision was all red again.
　I'm back in the deep sea of blood.

　However, he didn't just return.
　It was far more suffocating than before I saw the past.

　Before I knew it, the cleaner who was supposed to be holding onto my leg was spitting out a curse in front of me.　
　The lower half of the cleaner's body had finished assimilating my torso.

　On top of that, he had my neck in his hands - not even close. The number of arms had increased. Just as my hazy vision caught it, more than ten long, white arms grew out of her back. She was using all of those countless arms to choke me like a vise.

　The 'demonization' of the human mixture is progressing, and her deformity is also progressing.
　Together with her, I continue to fall to the bottom of the blood.