At first, what remained was the afterglow of victory.
Even in unforeseen circumstances, to judge calmly and win with overwhelming power.
As expected, she was worthy of S-class in both name and reality.
Looking at the burning Aberrant Entity, Senano let out a satisfied breath.
“Ha, it wasn’t even worth the talk. Raku-chan, can’t you make it so this counted as the test…”
The discomfort came suddenly.
What pricked her nose was the smell of something burning, from the Aberrant Entity right in front of her.
However, mixed into it was the smell of blood.
Little by little, the smell grew stronger, and soon it became too strong to ignore.
It was unmistakably coming from the Aberrant Entity before her.
The scorched smell drifting from the brightly burning bridal outfit gradually changed into a smell like rusted iron.
“…Raku-chan, does Togigara no Yome have any data related to blood, I wonder. Like, that if it gets burned, it gives off the smell of blood.”
『No, there is no such data at all. Did something happen?』
“It smells like blood. And pretty strongly too. No matter how I think about it, all I can figure is that that thing is pulling something.”
If one is facing an Aberrant Entity, one must never let down one’s guard.
When standing before monsters that live by their own rules, ignoring the logic of this world, ordinary caution is not enough.
“For now, can you search bride and blood? It’ll probably get too many hits to narrow it down, though.”
『You think there is a second Aberrant Entity?』
“Just that it’s a possibility. Normally, Aberrant Entities are not in the same labyrinth together. If that happened, the carefully made window would break. But this one somehow smells bad. Making me fight a monster like this under the pretense of a Rank Holder test, and trying to conduct the test on the very same day against an amateur in the first place, is strange. Raku-chan, I might have gotten dragged into something troublesome.”
Above Togigara no Yome, Hibari was still circling as if keeping watch.
“…Yeah, let’s give up on collecting Togigara no Yome and just kill it. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
『Understood. Please be extremely careful.』
Senano fixed her eyes on Togigara no Yome.
Though it was still burning, it was keeping its shape.
“If I hit it with two more shots, even this thing should die.”
It had already been proven that Hibari’s flames were effective.
That was why Senano tried to run forward, to deal the finishing blow to Togigara no Yome.
At that first step, a sensation ran through her sole as if she had struck the surface of water.
“…?”
Senano stopped and checked her feet.
There, a red puddle had spread out.
From that puddle, where ripples spread with Senano’s foot at the center, drifted the smell of horribly rusted iron.
“This is…”
It was just as Senano tried to observe it.
The red puddle surged violently as though it had a will, and spread wider still.
It filled the area around Senano in no time at all.
“This is bad, it feels like I stepped into some kind of territory!”
『Are you alright, Senano-san!?』
“I don’t know. For now, what’s certain is that it’s an Aberrant Entity that spreads red water across the ground!”
Senano hurriedly tried to escape.
However, her feet would not move, as though they had been stitched in place.
When she looked, she saw her shoes gradually being dyed red.
Seeing it crawl upward as though repainting her body, Senano wrapped her feet in flames without hesitation.
“Kh.”
Before long, the blood crawling upward stopped, and it was burned away in an instant.
However, in the very next moment, a sharp pain ran through Senano’s legs.
“Tch… I see.”
『Senano-san, what happened!?』
The answer lay in the black thread that had just sewn Senano’s legs down.
A milky white needle like bone easily pierced through Senano’s legs and passed the thread through.
Even when she tried to move her legs, they had already been sewn to the ground.
“Raku-chan, this is my impression after using Hibari, but this thing isn’t suited for fighting multiple opponents. If it can only incinerate one target at a time, then if multiple attacks are launched at once, it’s over. Probably, even if two rituals were started at the same time, it wouldn’t be able to stop them completely. I think this NARROW is strongest only in one-on-one fights against Aberrant Entities whose method of handling is already known.”
『Senano-san, why all of a sudden… don’t tell me…』
Immediately understanding the intent of her words, the operator raised their voice.
『Right now, I will dispatch Rank Holders for support. Please hold out until then!』
“No, no, they won’t make it in time. More importantly, save the girl we protected. I’ll make sure to send her out of the labyrinth myself. You can use my NARROW as a guide for the coordinates.”
『Senano-san!』
“Raku-chan, what should be prioritized is gathering information on the Aberrant Entity and protecting civilians. I’m elite, so I’m always prepared to die. Or rather, against this thing, honestly I can only feel like I’m going to die.”
Senano glared at Togigara no Yome.
A booming sound burst from within the flames.
A body that should have turned to ash was stitched together like patchwork with blood-soaked crimson threads, refusing to collapse.
Then, the smell of blood completely took control of the air.
As though the ground itself were sinking, it became stained red-black, and in the blink of an eye the entire village turned into a sea of blood.
“Damn it, what is this thing, acting like it’s got a second form like some final boss!?”
What emerged from the remains of the flames was not a grotesque thing burned and festering, but a form still clad in bridal garments.
However, it was not Togigara no Yome, but a new existence wrapped in denser blood-stained karmic ties.
Its garments had gone from pure white to blood-soaked red, the hem connected to the horizon by countless threads, wearing the sea of blood itself.
Its face still looked like a bride’s mask, but the eyes peering out through the cracks were clouded like an infant’s, and with countless voices it repeated “vow.”
To the stitching of 『Togigara no Yome』, it had absorbed some kind of cursed bloodline, and had evolved into the form of a more incomplete, yet more solid bride.
“…Still not sewn… not yet finished…”
The voice echoed both from the bottom of the sea of blood and from the bundles of threads stretching up into the sky.
Senano could feel the threads stitching her legs down biting all the way into the bone.
Even if she tried to burn them with Hibari, the two, thread and blood, had mixed together and could not be completely erased.
It was already clear that the existence before her was not A-class.
That was why Senano began shifting to the only job she could still do.
First of all, she quickly gave up on freeing herself.
Then she sent Hibari toward Ei and wrapped the area around him in flames.
“As long as those flames are there, you’ll be safe! Run before the threads reach you. I’m sure you can burn the labyrinth walls too!”
“Is it alright if I run?”
“Of course. More importantly, hurry up and run.”
After that, when she no longer heard any reply, Senano judged that Ei had run away and once again fixed her attention on the Aberrant Entity before her.
“If you touch the red blood, your legs get fixed in place. The threads it releases are the same. Most likely, physical toughness has nothing to do with it. The act of sewing has the effect of turning the target’s surface into cloth. There is no mental interference through visual contact. Physical attacks were effective when it was Togigara no Yome, but I don’t know about now.”
That was an act of entrusting things to the next person.
She had chosen to leave behind information, staking her own body on it.
『Senano-san! I requested the dispatch of Rank Holders. Really, it’s only a little longer, so don’t give up!』
“I wonder if they’re really coming.”
『What do you mean?』
“I feel like the higher-ups are going to stop it by attaching all sorts of reasons. Because this isn’t a normal request. Togigara no Yome escaped from a facility, fused with another Aberrant Entity, and ended up in a place like this. Do you really think that could happen by coincidence?”
Senano had already realized who was behind this incident.
“The Enri Agency is trying to do something again. I was probably turned into a conveniently suitable test subject with decent ability. Damn it, if I die, I’m cursing them.”
『Senano-san…!』
“Don’t call me in a voice like you’re about to cry. Rather, praise this elite quality of mine, being able to keep doing my job until the end. More importantly, hurry and protect the civilian too. The Rank Holder aptitude could also be a lie to lure me out. It might be better to dispatch the memory processing squad too.”
『……………Understood.』
“Thanks, Raku-chan. Thanks for sticking with me to the end. And tell the juniors there was a capable Rank Holder.”
Saying that, Senano let out a breath as if she had made up her mind.
(If you’re a Rank Holder, you can’t live long. I knew that from the beginning, so I’m fine.)
As long as one fights supernatural beings, the probability of a Rank Holder dying in a single mission exceeds forty percent.
If it is A-class, even more so.
That was why this could also be called a natural conclusion.
If an Aberrant Entity different from the information appeared fused with another Aberrant Entity, just how many Rank Holders could deal with it?
At the very least, it was certain that it was impossible for Senano, who was still a student.
“…Haa.”
Senano stared fixedly at the Aberrant Entity.
And just when she was trying to obtain even one more piece of information.
『P-phase fluctuation variance is rising sharply! That’s not all. The Enri Density and sealing response value are abnormal too! Senano-san, something, something is there…!』
“It’s already here.”
『That’s not what I mean! A new reaction has been confirmed inside the labyrinth. Do you understand? Observation data from inside the labyrinth, which should normally be difficult to observe, is being recorded clearly as obviously abnormal values!』
The operator’s voice was strangely panicked.
Suddenly, Senano noticed that sweat was soaking her back.
“…It’s hot.”
A heat intense enough to make her say it out loud suddenly assaulted her body.
The surroundings were still dark as before. However, for some reason, her body felt as though it had been placed under the blazing summer sun.
『If these values are real…』
Within the village, which should have been silent, the cries of cicadas had begun to ring out before anyone noticed.
Night was painted over, and blue began to dominate the sky.
Something was remaking the labyrinth.
『The class is Omega. That means a calamity-lord-class has manifested on the scene!』
“…What a bad joke.”
Saying that, she tried to laugh it off out of bravado, but in that very instant, a familiar face passed through the edge of her vision.
Glossy black hair swayed in the gentle summer breeze.
The translucent white skin looked all the more radiant under the sunlight.
The white attire worn over that body stood out clearly, like the only cloud floating in the blue sky.
“…Why are you still here?”
The one before her was Ei, who should have escaped.
With a smile on his face, Ei glanced once at the Aberrant Entity and then turned back toward Senano.
“What are you doing! Hurry up and run!”
Ei said nothing.
Unable to leave a civilian in a place overflowing with abnormalities, Senano desperately ordered him to retreat.
However, Ei still did not try to run.
More than that, with his back completely turned to the Aberrant Entity, he brought his face close to Senano.
(How was he able to get all the way here!?)
At last, Senano noticed the abnormality.
As though the fog over her vision had cleared and the road ahead had appeared, the abnormalities until now began connecting one after another.
(To begin with, this boy’s existence is strange, isn’t it? Why did I think he was an ordinary civilian up until now? Even during Tank of Glass Voices, just the fact that he was there should have made me suspect an Aberrant Entity’s window. And yet, why did I…)
An assumption she would never make under normal circumstances.
No, perhaps it should be called an alteration of cognition.
Only now did Senano finally realize the abnormality of the existence before her.
At the same time, she understood.
(Ah, I see. The Enri Agency’s target wasn’t me, but…)
Without saying anything, Ei covered Senano’s vision with the palm of his hand.
Strangely, she did not feel like resisting.
(So it was this boy.)
The moment she accepted that, the surroundings shifted even further into summer.
Before long, Ei’s breath could be heard by her ear.
“Do not look at anything, do not laugh, do not cry. Just remain there.”
Told that, Senano gave a small nod.
At that moment, she felt like Ei had smiled, but there was no way to confirm it.
『Sena■o-sa■! ■■■■■te■da■■!』
The operator’s voice gradually faded into the distance.
In its place, the cries of cicadas swelled like a flood and shook Senano’s eardrums.
It sounded like applause celebrating the descent of something.
At some point, the smell of blood had vanished, and the soft scent of grass and trees brushed her nose.
Just when the battle with the Aberrant Entity up until now began to feel like a dream, Ei’s voice was heard again.
“It’s alright now.”
The hand was removed.
What entered her opened field of vision was neither the night sky, nor a false blue sky like a lie.
It was a real blue sky.
The surroundings were still the same abandoned village as when she had first seen it, and there was no change at all in the ground either.
That’s right. Nothing had changed.
Not only the Aberrant Entity, but even a single scrap of thread had vanished from this world.
(Togigara no Yome was completely annihilated…?)
Peering into Senano’s stunned face, Ei tilted his head.
“Are you alright?”
At that voice, Senano snapped back to herself, took one step back, and stared intently at Ei’s face.
It was still a beautiful face as always, but right now it was a little frightening.
“…Who are you?”
At that question, Ei showed a gentle smile.
Then, while extending a slender white hand toward Senano, he said this.
“I’m Oretsu Ei. Once again, pleased to meet you, Senano-san.”