Boom— Boom—
The ruins in the darkness were collapsing even more violently now.
The restless specters let out piercing shrieks as they surged toward the few remaining living beings in this shattered place, forming a massive horde chasing after Takakai and Miko. The scene had abruptly shifted to something resembling a zombie outbreak.
For Takakai, this kind of scenario was all too familiar—after all, every dungeon he'd experienced so far had ended similarly. Compared to the ladder-climbing in Shirakawa Apartments or the platforming in Nutty Putty Cave, this ruined landscape was just flat ground. The difference was almost laughable.
Whoosh—
Amidst the fierce winds, Takakai's eyes gleamed with a bloody light.
His speed increased rapidly, leaving the specters far behind as he closed in on Kumami's position ahead.
A twisted figure suddenly lunged from the side, only to be frozen in place by Kumami's bronze eye before stiffly collapsing back into the ruins. Then, several more figures closed in from all directions, attempting to block Takakai's path. But by then, "Bocchi #1" had already reached Kumami's side. Takakai took a deep breath and hurled Miko forward with all his strength, using the lingering aura of Maki and Chika on Bocchi's puppet to teleport himself over.
Kumami, standing at the gate, immediately focused her bronze eye on Miko, suspending the girl midair with an invisible force that negated the lethal impact of the fall. Takakai then rushed forward to catch her, bringing them both to the gates of Fujisaka Academy.
"This dungeon is about to collapse. Passing through these gates is our way out," Kumami said urgently, relieved to see everyone accounted for.
The school gates of Fujisaka Academy represented the exit all trapped students had dreamed of—the [Path to Survival] within this dungeon. Normally, these gates were impassable, as no student had ever escaped through them in life. Only during the dungeon's collapse could they serve as an escape route.
"Kumami, Miko, you two go ahead. I need to stay behind for a bit," Takakai said calmly after setting Miko down.
"Stay behind? Are you insane? Can't you see those things coming?" Kumami was shocked, while Miko immediately insisted, "I'll stay with you, senpai," her expression full of concern as she clearly couldn't understand why he would choose to linger at such a critical moment.
"I have to stay alone for a while. Please."
Takakai remained firm.
"...Is it because of a curse? You can't let others see it, right?"
Kumami frowned, immediately grasping the implication.
When Takakai nodded, Kumami decisively grabbed Miko's shoulder and turned toward the gate. Through the mental link, Maki's last words to Takakai were, "Don't do anything reckless," before the puppet of Bocchi disintegrated into dust, unable to maintain form as the dungeon collapsed.
Step—
Facing the oncoming horde of specters, Takakai slowly raised his left hand—the one wearing the black watch.
An eerie sensation spread through him.
It was as if he was no longer himself.
His thoughts, his personality, his very perception—all seemed to twist into something unnatural.
He spoke:
[The guilty, beyond redemption—only endless flames can purify the filth you carry!]
This judgment made no mention of the innocent victims, likely because their remnants had already found peace after the trial.
The black watch's face split open.
The teachers, the researchers, the politicians—every specter remaining in this crumbling dungeon was sucked into the watch, dragged into the blood-soaked city within.
Click— Click—
The watch's hands spun rapidly, resetting all the way back to 0, returning to its fully charged state. For a moment, the needle even trembled toward the 11 mark, as if overflowing with absorbed power.
Considering this dungeon spanned decades, involved countless individuals, and produced horrors both in quality and quantity, Takakai could only think: So damn dark, yet so damn satisfying. From now on, this watch would be these bastards' eternal home. He hoped they'd enjoy their time in the flames.
Click—
The watch's hands finally settled at 0, returning to the state it had been in when Takakai first obtained it in Shirakawa Apartments.
Though this Crimson Moon dungeon had been filled with suffering, the final outcome was undeniably satisfying—a hard-earned reward for all the struggle.
But it wasn't time to relax yet.
As the watch normalized and that sense of being controlled faded, Takakai scanned his surroundings but found no other living beings.
This place was now just collapsing ruins sinking into an abyss of darkness.
Touyama Akira—the second Scarlet Moon player he'd rescued from the dungeon—had vanished after their parting at the hospital. Whether he was alive or dead, where he'd gone, Takakai had no idea.
During the specter siege in the underground theater, Touyama—who should have been transformed into one of them—hadn't appeared among the orderlies and doctors. That meant he must have broken free somehow... or been taken by something else.
Could it have been Takamagahara?
And what about that doll room he'd only seen in the first loop—the one filled with living dolls, where many players were surely still trapped? Even if it had been well-hidden, it should have become visible as the dungeon collapsed.
Yet Takakai hadn't found it, hadn't seen a single doll.
So the place Alice had taken him to in the first loop wasn't part of [Fujisaka Academy]. That room... was likely part of Takamagahara, wasn't it?
After all this effort, he'd only resolved one small piece of the puzzle.
Takakai had a feeling he'd return to this dungeon, back to [School Horror Tales]. And that day might not be far off.
After all, Yoruyama Academy already had a half-dead, half-alive Kita Ikuyo wandering its halls. Based on how he'd been dragged into this dungeon by Miko's misfortune, Takakai suspected the red-haired girl would pull him into another mess—after all, as an anime protagonist, she was bound to have her own storyline.
Just please, let the plot be at least somewhat wholesome next time. Not that dungeon worlds were ever wholesome, but if things kept getting darker and more extreme, he wasn't sure he could take it...
With a final sigh, Takakai noticed the collapsing ruins were now only about ten meters away from him.
And it was then, in the darkness, that he saw something.
Faintly, in the distance, shapes emerged.
One was a school—a massive, intricately structured high school.
Another was a chaotic pile of rooms, haphazardly stacked like a child's building blocks, impossible to define clearly.
The third was a compound patrolled by soldiers, surrounded by barbed wire and high walls, filled with people in striped pajama-like uniforms. It resembled a repurposed school.
Lastly, there was a barely visible structure, so far away it was almost indistinguishable.
Was that... a school?
Takakai found it strange that he instinctively recognized it as such, even though he could barely make it out. It was as if the knowledge had been forcibly implanted into his mind.
"What is this, the Four Heavenly Kings' graveyard? Wait, no—I've already taken down Alice, the first of the Four. So those must be the remaining three... plus the legendary fifth? Don't tell me I have to clear them one by one. That sounds exhausting."
Muttering to himself, Takakai turned away from the visions, ignoring the crumbling ruins now mere steps from him, and strode toward Fujisaka Academy's gates.
[Um... can you be Alice's friend?]
A timid voice suddenly spoke up.
Takakai turned, but saw nothing.
Yet he could sense it—one last, tiny remnant of will, still lingering in this dying world.
"No, that's not how you ask."
He chuckled, then spoke earnestly.
"You should say, 'Can I be your friend?' That's the right way. That's what someone who truly wants a friend would say."
There was no response.
Because the moment Takakai gave an answer unrelated to [violence] or [torture], that small remnant found peace at last and faded away.
With that confirmed, Takakai didn't hesitate any longer. He stepped through the gates, into the darkness—into the sudden burst of light beyond—and left the crumbling dungeon behind.
Bzzzt—
A cacophony of noise seemed to echo in his ears.
For a fleeting moment, he saw something.
A person writing, head bowed.
Frowning in thought, carefully considering something.
[What are you writing?]
Alice leaned in curiously, watching as she asked.
[A story. Well, one that isn't fully formed yet. I have the outline, but the details need work.]
The person sighed, yet their tone carried excitement.
[What kind of story?]
Alice pressed. Behind her, two researchers dissected a student's corpse, blood pooling across the floor.
[I want to write about a hero. Someone who endured terrible suffering, yet survived the tragedy. For years, he wandered in a daze, unable to move past the pain, repeatedly questioning why he was the one who lived. In the end, he pulls himself together. When he discovers the past isn't truly over, he decides to stand up—to stop the disaster with his own blood and life. But when he finally ends it all, he realizes nothing has changed. Things have reverted to how they were from the start. He's become the villain.]
The person spoke animatedly, their voice brimming with enthusiasm.
[Wow, isn't that just a tragedy then?]
Alice blinked, tilting her head in thought.
[Exactly. Comedies are all the same—happy endings are boring. Tragedy holds the real power. Ah, this story must end in flames. Let fire consume everything, burying beauty and sin alike. The oblivious masses will remember neither the hero's name nor the villain's crimes. That's enough. The framework is set—now to fill in the details.]
As they spoke, the person tucked away their papers, their voice full of anticipation.
[Hmm, I don't really get it. Alice just wants friends. So, can Alice really become like you?]
Alice shook her head, clearly uninterested in stories, quickly changing the subject.
[Of course. If you listen well—to the researchers, to everyone—and make as many friends as possible, you can become like me. You're perfect, after all. So wicked, so pure, so innocent. Finding an actor like you is rare...]
A low chuckle.
The person's gaze shifted.
On their paper, the elegantly written letters "KP" stood out.
Their previously warm tone turned icy in an instant.
[Honestly, you're such an irritating person.]
[I'd already concluded this story. Why are you scribbling over it?]
[Defeating the villain, freeing the innocent—ending it with such a cliché, boring finale. Is this what you wanted? How presumptuous—]
Crunch!
A hand seized Takakai's throat, nearly tearing his head from his shoulders.
[Think you're so capable? Fine. This game is open to you anytime. Pick any of the remaining stages—let's see what you can do to my work!]
The voice grated against Takakai's ears, a distorted, unbearable noise laced with static.
[What are you doing?]
Alice watched in confusion, unsure who the person was talking to.
Snap!
With a sound of shattering, Takakai felt himself being crushed, an unimaginable pain surging through him.
Then—
His eyes flew open.
He sat up abruptly, gasping for air, finding himself back on the floor where the ghostly hands had dragged him into the dungeon.
What was that just now...?
His head still buzzed with dizziness as he tried to steady his thoughts.
He reached up.
Touched his neck.
No abnormalities.
The skin was intact, muscles and bones undisturbed.
What he'd seen must have been an illusion.
Yet that fleeting pain, that sensation of being shattered—
It remained vivid, clinging to his senses.
Takakai fell silent, unable to summon even a hint of a smile.
...
...
...