One meant uniqueness, and it also meant the first.

Descent meant coming down from the heavens. It meant birth. It meant appearing in the world.

Paired with what her teacher had called “the source of the great chaos,” Ariel naturally guessed the “true identity” of the existence wandering not far from her.

After all, she’d cleared so many ancient ruins and personally witnessed so many remnants of history. Of course she knew exactly how terrifying the source of that catastrophe—one that had nearly destroyed an entire civilization—really was.

Civilization severed.

Humanity ruined.

Cities left barren, turned to dust.

Calling it an apocalyptic disaster wasn’t an exaggeration at all. And even after a full thousand years, human civilization still hadn’t recovered to the prosperity it had possessed a thousand years ago.

You only had to look at the ancient ruins and ancient magic that still remained an unsolved mystery to understand what a brilliant era that had been.

Unfortunately, even the most brilliant era has the moment it collapses.

And “It” was the source of all of it.

"Control your thoughts. Don’t think of Its name in your head!"

The moment she realized Ariel had figured out the answer, Ariel’s teacher immediately warned her with a hard, serious voice.

"We’re too close to ‘It.’ Not just language—key words inside your thoughts can also be noticed by ‘It.’"

"I know."

Ariel nodded.

"I’m not going to commit that kind of taboo."

"Good."

Ariel’s teacher very clearly let out a breath of relief.

Even for her, waking up and discovering the most terrifying Evil God in history— even if it was only a remnant—was practically right in her face... would make your “heart” race. Even though she was only a soul right now, with no heartbeat.

But she was also somewhat used to this by now.

After all, she was Ariel. The last time she’d awakened was because Ariel had provoked some unknown existence inside an ancient ruin—back then, she’d been the one to carry her and flee the whole way at a critical moment, barely avoiding the outcome of even her soul becoming the other party’s food.

Ariel was brave, fearless, had a fighting spirit...

but sometimes she had a little too much fighting spirit.

No one ever knew what kind of “big stunt” Ariel had pulled that made her wake up again.

"But then again..."

Ariel’s teacher rubbed her chin, a trace of confusion showing.

"I can understand any big stunt you pull. But why is that Muen Campbell at your side—and why is he wearing the appearance of Miss Muse, the one you’ve been pining after?"

No matter how she turned it over, Ariel’s teacher couldn’t understand how this could have happened.

Compared to “why is ‘It’ here,” this was obviously far more complicated.

As Ariel’s closest teacher, she naturally knew that Ariel used to mutter that beautiful girl’s name all the time—even when she went to bed at night. A pretty girl who fit her exact tastes. Through countless nights of tossing and turning, she’d even hesitated over whether to dial that frequency in her hand.

She called herself a master of emotions, but at moments like that she looked completely like a little kid stuck in first love.

So why was Miss Muse now beside her?

And more importantly—beneath that skin...

was her most hated Muen Campbell?

Before, Ariel’s teacher might not have noticed because she was suppressing her power. But now that her soul-force was fully unleashed, she could see Miss “Muse’s” true face at a glance.

It was so shocking that even she—who’d seen countless absurd things over a long span of time—couldn’t help being stunned.

She couldn’t understand it.

"...That’s a long story."

Ariel let out a long sigh, once again wearing the kind of dead-fish eyes that looked like she’d seen through every truth in the world.

"Teacher, you only need to know this: once I get out of here, the first thing I’m doing is chopping him to death."

"Is that so?"

Ariel’s teacher thought for a moment.

"Then do I need to protect him? After all, he’s been exposed to the effects brought by pollution at that level. Even if he looks fine for now, maybe before long he’ll be twisted into a complete monster by that pollution."

"..."

In the real world, Ariel secretly opened her eyes into a thin slit, forcibly controlling herself not to look toward the direction the irresistibly tempting rustle was coming from. She only looked at Muen beside her.

His expression was twisted in pain. One hand flailed around wildly, as if he were trying to grab something.

Like a drowning man—ridiculous and pathetic—like he could sink for good at any moment.

But Ariel still sighed softly.

"Forget it. He still owes me a hundred million. If he dies, who’s going to pay me back?"

That’s right. It was all for that hundred million.

And so she could chop him to death with her own hands later.

Enduring the nausea in her chest, Ariel reached out and took hold of the flailing hand.

Warmth transferred.

In that instant, Muen’s expression calmed, like he’d returned to some place that felt safe.

"Oh my." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Ariel’s teacher raised her brows in surprise.

"Looks like while I was asleep, I missed quite an interesting show."

"...What show? Teacher, you’ve misunderstood."

Ariel sank her focus back into her mental space, expressionless as she glared at her teacher’s gossip-filled face.

"Rather than thinking about something that meaningless, isn’t the important thing right now how we get out of here? And by the way—does your protection even work? That was ‘It.’"

"Heh. If it were the complete ‘It,’ even ten of me would be useless. But what you’ve encountered is only a remnant."

"A remnant?"

"Yes. A remnant lingering here, moving along the old trajectory. But even a remnant is terrifying enough. That’s why I told you to avoid doing anything that might draw ‘Its’ attention. If ‘It’ discovers there are still little bugs hiding here, then even I won’t have any way to deal with it."

"That scary?"

Ariel couldn’t help shrinking her neck. This was the first time she’d ever seen her teacher—who always seemed like she could solve any problem in the world at a critical moment—admit so bluntly that she was weak.

In the past, whenever they ran into an opponent she couldn’t deal with temporarily, she’d still stubbornly mouth off about how she used to do this and that, and how she would do this and that once she got her body back.

Now she wasn’t even stubborn about it anymore.

Which meant ‘It’ was truly terrifying to a degree she couldn’t imagine, even if it was only a remnant.

"I’m getting the feeling you’re thinking something very disrespectful again."

Ariel’s teacher knocked her on the head once. Since it was only a manifestation of mental power, it didn’t hurt at all.

"As for how to leave... we can only wait."

"Wait?"

"Wait for ‘It’ to leave on its own. If I’m not wrong, ‘It’ is only wandering within this area—it won’t stay in one spot for long."

"That makes sense."

Ariel thought about it. Zagu’s soul had said that “that existence” was drawn here by their fight.

If it could be drawn here, then naturally it would also leave when it didn’t find its target.

So they would wait.

Ariel gathered herself and waited in silence.

Muen did the same. After confirming Ariel’s side was completely safe, he also sealed off all perception for the moment and fell into stillness, waiting.

The two of them were like infants, holding hands, floating inside a space so twisted and deformed that even the very concept of up, down, left, and right seemed corroded—silent and quiet as they waited.

Finally—no one knew how long it had been.

"All right."

Bzz.

Ariel’s teacher’s voice, and the Black Book’s faint tremble, sounded at the same time inside Ariel’s and Muen’s mental spaces.

The two of them opened their eyes at the same time, and instinctively looked at each other.

In the first instant, both of them saw the relief of surviving a disaster on the other’s face.

Then—when their gazes moved from each other’s faces to their tightly joined hands—that relief turned into the terrified look of “let me explain,” and the furious look of “how are you still alive.”

Ariel flung Muen’s hand away and pulled out a handkerchief, wiping furiously.

Bad luck, bad luck, bad luck!

Too much bad luck!

The yellow-haired virus would infect her!

And the worst part was that she’d run into something this unlucky more than once in such a short span of time.

Off to the side, Muen clicked his tongue.

It wasn’t like it was the first time—did she have to overreact this much?

I’m still wearing Miss Muse’s outer appearance. Just because my insides are yellow-haired, you don’t love me anymore?

Trashy woman!

But...

what he thought in his head was one thing.

What he said out loud, of course, was another.

"Ahem. Thanks."

He still had to thank her. Even though he wasn’t in immediate danger of dying at that time, compared to the Black Book— which also liked to toss him aside and make him handle things himself—Ariel’s teacher’s soul-force really was much more considerate. It spared him a lot of mental torment from the outside.

"You don’t need to thank me. I was only # Nоvеlight # doing it for my hundred million."

Ariel crossed her arms and turned her head away irritably. Saving that detestable Muen Campbell again really did seem to make her extremely unhappy.

"O... okay."

Muen swallowed the flattery he’d been about to say.

Ariel didn’t have any obvious tsundere traits. Unlike Celicia—who was completely mouth-says-no-heart-says-yes—Ariel’s words were better treated as her genuine feelings.

Otherwise, her Skyfire greatsword might really come down at any moment.

"Then next, we should—"

"You’re asking me?"

"Right. Fair point."

Muen’s gaze swept around them. Even though the remnant of ‘It’ had left, the traces of distortion still hadn’t dissipated. Countless mad, chaotic lines were woven into everything, and with two normal people standing here, you couldn’t help wondering whether this was reality at all.

Fortunately, both of them had ways to block pollution. A normal person would’ve already become one of those twisted lines.

"Since it’s gone, we shouldn’t waste time. Let’s go to the final destination."

"Wait."

A pleasant female voice suddenly rang out.

Muen’s eyes widened as he watched a phantom shadow rise from Ariel’s body. It was like a wisp of dense blue smoke, yet it formed into a curvy, alluring figure with a seductive posture and a face and body that didn’t lose to any beautiful girl Muen had seen so far.

Only, the depth and age that occasionally seeped out from the depths of her eyes highlighted a maturity that didn’t match that youthful appearance.

"Teacher?"

The one surprised wasn’t only Muen—Ariel was too. "Why did you come out?"

"I don’t know how much you trust this cross-dressing pervert..."

Ariel’s teacher sighed helplessly.

"But how could you be this careless? He was in contact with distortion at that level for so long, and you didn’t even think to check whether he’d been polluted?"

"Wait, since when am I a pervert—"

Muen raised his hand fast, like a grade-schooler trying to point out the teacher’s mistake.

"Ah."

Ariel clapped her hands as if she hadn’t heard a single word Muen said, suddenly realizing something.

"Yeah. You’re right—how did I forget?"

"Forget it. The bigger the crisis, the more careful you are, but you’ve been sloppy about small things more than once. Hurry and recover your condition. I’ll do it."

Ariel’s teacher drifted forward, and in an instant she was right in front of Muen.

Because she was only a soul-shadow, Muen couldn’t sense any aura at all.

And yet, that pressure was absolutely real.

"Hello, Muen Campbell. You can call me Peles. I’m Ariel’s teacher."

"Y-Yes... hello."

"Hm? Why do you look completely unsurprised by my existence?"

Ariel’s teacher—this ancient being named Peles—looked Muen over.

Of course, she wasn’t looking at the false skin on the outside, but at the real Muen Campbell beneath it.

In that instant, Muen felt like he’d been completely seen through.

But that sensation seemed limited to his physical body. It didn’t dig into deeper layers.

Better than the first time he’d met the old loli. That made him secretly let out a breath.

"Nothing. It’s just that soul-force just now didn’t feel like Ariel’s."

Muen kept his smile as gentle and polite as possible.

"Very clever. And your body’s trained well, too. Hard to imagine that in only a little over a year, you’ve grown this much. You’re not even slower than Ariel."

Peles nodded with satisfaction.

"Your personality has also gotten much more likable. I just don’t know why you’ve developed that kind of kink—I hadn’t heard about it before... May I check whether you’ve been polluted?"

"..."

Muen’s mouth twitched.

So looking like a girl meant he had a cross-dressing fetish? The world was so cold. When would a tough guy like him—who only ended up in a little dress because of an accident—finally get to stand up?

But he still had to keep smiling.

"Of course."

If he didn’t smile, he’d die. The name “Miss Peles” sounded elegant like a noble young lady, but she was one hundred percent pure gold, a real powerhouse.

Even in the story as far as Muen knew, her true body still hadn’t been described clearly. But if she could push Ariel into the role of savior, she definitely wasn’t simple.

"Don’t worry. I’m not interested in peeking into other people’s secrets. This is just a fairly standard check."

Peles raised a hand.

A few small items automatically flew out from Ariel’s ring.

With her soul-force surging, those items quickly arranged themselves around Muen. Then she drifted around him in a circle, murmuring under her breath.

Thin smoke curled, carrying an enchanting fragrance. A special instrument dripped silvery liquid that rippled with Peles’s movements. She stared at those ripples, waiting for the change inside them.

"Smoke, spices, mithril... What an ancient method. Don’t people have dedicated testing instruments now?"

Muen’s eyes tracked that hazy figure as she moved.

"Compared to instruments, I trust myself more."

Peles flicked her hand, packing everything away.

"No abnormalities. No signs of pollution. You’re impressive."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Muen nodded modestly, not surprised at all.

After all, inside him there was the Black Book, and there was the Black Sun. He’d already had face-offs with multiple Evil Gods and been fine. He really didn’t think there was any Evil God’s pollution that could affect him at this point.

Of course, a true descent was a different matter.

"By the way, shouldn’t you check Ariel too?"

"I have my teacher protecting me personally. Do you really think I’d have a problem?"

Muen got another huge eye-roll in return.

"Fair enough..."

"Don’t worry. I’d already awakened before ‘It’ appeared. With my soul-force running at full power to shield her, Ariel is absolutely safe."

Peles stroked her chin, staring at Muen with obvious interest.

"W-What... what is it?"

Muen’s hair stood on end under that stare.

"Nothing. Go on."

"Go on? Go on with what?"

Muen looked completely lost.

"With the thing you didn’t finish, of course. Ariel told me she followed you here, didn’t she?"

Peles blinked, looking rather surprised.

"So you really are the kind of scumbag who’ll sleep with her but won’t marry her?"

"..."

Muen’s poor little heart jumped. What kind of metaphor was that? When had he been a scumbag? Having one girlfriend, one fiancée, one lover, and one little maid made him a scumbag now? Could you not casually slander people? His House Campbell reputation was being ruined by people like you, you know?

"Um... I think your advice is more important right now..."

"I don’t have any advice."

Peles crossed her arms.

"I generally don’t casually interfere in young people’s choices. You can ask Ariel about that."

"..."

Damn it. Why were all these old things like this?

Muen cursed inwardly again.

But irritation was irritation—even if he had no choice, he still had to grit his teeth and step up.

Because, as Ariel’s teacher said, he was the one who’d dragged Ariel in here and brought her to this place.

So he had the responsibility to lead her to the final truth, and to get her out.

It had nothing to do with guilt, nothing to do with the hundred million.

Only responsibility.

Muen raised his hand again and let the chain on his wrist hang naturally.

In truth, this tower was already its “destination,” so it shouldn’t have reacted at all. Muen’s earlier fiddling hadn’t found anything either.

But after what just happened, he knew he didn’t have the time to leisurely search inside this inverted tower anymore.

If he ran into ‘It’ again, he probably wouldn’t be this lucky a second time.

And besides, on An’s side...

So—

"Please. If there really is some will I don’t know—something that wants me to find that important place, that wants me to save An, to save ‘them’... then please help me one more time."

A nameless will ought to be assumed to carry the greatest malice, but along the way, he—or she—had clearly been standing on Muen’s side, judging from the guidance in the shadows.

Now that he’d come this far, there was no room left to hesitate and overthink.

Do a good deed to the end. Help me one more time.

Muen didn’t have much hope. It was only an attempt.

But—

the chain trembled.

As if a wind had come.

Making it sway like a wind chime, pointing toward a direction.

"There really is something!"

Muen was ecstatic.

Then the very next moment, that ecstasy froze on his face.

Because the direction the chain pointed...

those nauseating twisted lines were like they’d been pumped full of stimulants—far more frenzied and chaotic than the ones around Muen. Countless deformed tendrils swayed, even producing an eerie hallucination of “come on, big guy, come play.”

It was obvious.

That was exactly the direction ‘It’ had left in.