"What is the most dangerous foe an adventurer must face while traveling the world?"

Ren still remembered those words, posed by their supervising instructor not long after he'd enrolled at Holy Fiora Journey Academy.

"One: giant Roaming Beasts."

"Two: cruel and belligerent demons."

"Three: cunning angels who look down on humans as an inferior species."

"Four: the fearsome dragon race, rulers of the earth."

Of the four choices written on the blackboard, Ren had picked number one — Roaming Beasts.

Most of the class had answered the same way. Dragons came in second, demons third, and angels dead last.

But the instructor had said this:

The correct answer was none of them. The answer was the world's harsh natural environments themselves.

The deadly maelstroms of the Dead Sea, capable of swallowing any vessel whole.

The Yellow Springs Death Forest, where deranged magnetic storms ensured that anyone who wandered in would never find their way out.

Scorching deserts that could evaporate every drop of moisture from a human body in under an hour.

There existed frontiers in this world where exploration proved extraordinarily difficult no matter how much knowledge, skill, or strength a human possessed.

Even without vicious Roaming Beasts. Even without hidden realms shrouded in mystery. Places certified as natural danger zones for one simple reason: they were too harsh for humans to survive.

"And that's what the Demon Lands are... huh."

"What's wrong, Ren?"

"Just thinking this place really lives up to its reputation."

Muddy earth.

Two days ago, when they'd set out from Holy Land Canaan, the air had been sweltering — a ferocious hot wind that felt like it could boil you alive. Now, though, the breeze was lukewarm, damp, and carried a nauseating stench of rot.

"We're almost at the entrance to Vanessa Wetlands, right? It's an official Demon Lands zone on the maps and everything. Even I'd heard the name back at the academy."

From the ocher wasteland into blackened wetlands.

The path they walked still had a paved stone road, but the terrain on either side had given way to sludge-like bogs.

"But I messed up... If I'd known it was a toxic gas and poisonous water eruption zone, I should've stocked up on countermeasures. The markets in Canaan probably sold antidote herbs and everything. My instructor even told me to chew raw herbs when crossing through toxic gas zones."

"I don't have herbs, but I do have herb candy."

With an air of great ceremony, Kyelse held out a small piece of candy.

"Fine, I'll share. Just for you, got it?"

"...Thanks. But does this actually work as an antidote?"

"The wrapper says 'throat lozenges.'"

"That's completely useless!?"

"It's the thought that counts. By the way, Ren — there's a town over there."

Kyelse pointed ahead to a cluster of brick buildings in their path.

The road ended right at the entrance to a watchtower, with a wire-mesh wall extending outward on both sides.

"That would be..."

"A checkpoint," Fear answered smoothly. "Since entering a zone designated as Demon Lands is inherently dangerous, I've heard that each party must file an application to pass through."

"That tall watchtower is an observation post for monitoring the conditions of Vanessa Wetlands, I'd imagine. And the wire-mesh barrier marks the boundary — everything beyond it is officially designated as the Demon Lands."

"So that's why there's a checkpoint..."

The party ahead of them was already filing into the checkpoint building. Inside, they'd need to request passage clearance — and wouldn't be let through without it.

"Elise, the Gate of the Underworld is smack in the middle of the Demon Lands?"

"Yep. Apparently it's pretty well-known among some parties."

Elise strolled ahead with a carefree air.

"Angels use concealment arts to hide the Gate of Heaven, but demons don't bother hiding the Gate of the Underworld. Any party that's explored this area would know where the gate is."

"Well... I guess you wouldn't come to a place like this otherwise."

The gate's location fetched high prices on the information market. Parties that bought the intel would come to Vanessa Wetlands with the explicit goal of breaching the Underworld.

"Ren, just to be safe — please don't mention the gate at the checkpoint."

"Got it. I'll say we're here for Demon Lands exploration."

Into the checkpoint entrance.

In stark contrast to the gloom outside, the floor was bathed in dazzling light — and the first thing that seared into Ren's vision was the checkpoint guards with their spears raised.

And then, seated on a long bench in the corner of the room, a fairy sobbing her eyes out.

"Eeeeeeek, Rin, Rin, it's terrible!"

"Will you quit crying already!?"

"The boss and Misty are gonna die..."

"They're not gonna die! Seriously, stop crying and calm down! Your face is so swollen it's beet red from all the tears!"

"B-but, but..."

The fairy girl hiccupped through her sobs.

Large red eyes, and hair that shifted in a gradient from fluorescent green to red.

She wore an oversized hat and a long-hemmed robe straight out of a storybook — the spitting image of a fairy-tale witch. She stood about waist-height on Ren. Small by human standards, but impressively large for a fairy.

"A greater fairy. That's rare," Kyelse remarked.

"Right? A fairy that hates humans, in a human-built structure of all places," Elise added.

Kyelse and Elise exchanged glances.

Greater fairies — known for dwelling deep in remote forests, high up in the canopy, far from civilization. They almost never appeared outside their woodland homes. Ren had never seen a real one before.

"They're supposed to be smart, right? There are stories about them — how if you bring a party carrying fruit to their forest, they'll repay you by revealing the location of hidden treasure, or guide you through secret forest paths..."

"Yes, but they're also known to be extremely timid and skittish. That's a trait of fairies in general," Fear said.

Fear nodded, still studying the greater fairy with evident curiosity.

"For one to grow attached to humans is rare enough, but appearing inside a human building like this — even I've never seen that before."

"Hey, Fear-senpai — the girl sitting next to her, is she also...?"

"Yes, beastfolk. That's quite rare as well."

The girl sitting beside the sobbing fairy and trying to calm her down — she was clearly not human either, even to Ren's eyes.

Brilliant golden eyes with narrow, cat-like pupils.

Large triangular ears poked out from short red hair, and a tiger-striped tail of yellow and black extended from her tailbone. From her exposed shoulders, her entire body was covered in sleek, cat-like fur.

"Riiiiiiiin!"

"Hey, shut it, Silk! The boss ain't gonna die! Misty's with her too! And you're drawing attention, so knock off the waterworks already!"

"Mmph!?"

A beastfolk girl putting a fairy in a full nelson — now that was a sight you didn't see every day.

Both species were known for avoiding human contact and living deep in the forest. And on top of that, fairies and beastfolk weren't exactly on friendly terms with each other.

"They seem to be in some kind of trouble. Ren, any ideas?"

"Don't ask me..."

Fear gave a helpless half-smile, and Ren answered with a shake of his head.

Then —

"You lot — have you been through the registration? Demon Lands exploration, or special assignment for party rescue?"

Two inspectors — elderly officials who reviewed checkpoint clearances — appeared from the Demon Lands-side entrance, out of breath.

"This is a danger zone designated by the Continental City Alliance as the Demon Lands. Civilian passage is prohibited. Even registered parties must have successfully completed a minimum number of prior assignments before—"

"No, wait. You people are—!?"

The first inspector's eyes went wide, and he held up a hand to stop his partner.

His gaze swept over Kyelse, Fear, and Elise, scrutinizing each in turn — then both inspectors' stares locked onto Ren.

"...You lot — you're that Party 'Knight of Reincarnation'?"

"The swordsman who's the spitting image of Eleline, accompanied by three girls. That's the same composition as the Sword Emperor Eleline Party."

The party name the inspector had used was a colloquial title.

It had started as a rumor spreading from Flame Cliff City Jio after they'd driven off Achendia, Demon General of Blaze. Then news that they'd even clashed with Elmekia Dusk in the Hegemon City itself had shocked the entire world — and the nickname had essentially become their official designation.

"Ren, just answer honestly. We need passage clearance for the Demon Lands, so claiming to be an established party should work in our favor," Fear whispered in his ear from behind.

"...Yeah. We're the ones people apparently call that."

"I knew it!"

The two inspectors clapped their hands together, faces alight with excitement.

"We've heard the stories! How you knocked out a Wyvern that was attacking a town with a single glare, and annihilated Achendia and her demon forces on the Flame Mountain in a single night!"

"...Huh?"

"Cut the great demon Achendia clean in half, and even took down Knight King Zelbright of The Hegemon City Elmekia in one blow!"

"What!? Where did those rumors come from!?"

"Ha ha ha — no need for such modesty!"

"I'm not being modest!"

Rumors breeding rumors, spiraling completely out of control.

First of all — Kyelse was the one who'd knocked out the Wyvern in the student district.

Kyelse, Fear, and Elise were the ones who'd driven off the demons at Galia Flame Mountain. And Achendia had only been pushed back to the Underworld, not slain.

The crowning absurdity was the Knight King bit — from Ren's perspective, that fight had been a crushing, one-sided defeat.

"Indeed. Exactly as the rumors say. This Ren did it all. Put every last demon to the sword," Kyelse announced, chest puffed out.

"He's the knight we're so proud of. Even the Knight King fell in one blow, you know," Fear said with a graceful nod.

"Wish you could've seen it — when he cut Achendia clean in two," Elise added with a grin.

"What are all three of you saying!?"

Three girls, nodding with their chests proudly thrust out.

"Remarkable! Just as the rumors told!"

"We'll grant you passage. With your reputation, the Demon Lands beyond should pose no challenge."

"Th-thanks..."

...You three are going to pay for that later.

Ren turned back to shoot them a look loaded with that exact sentiment — and naturally, Kyelse, Fear, and Elise all wore the most innocent expressions imaginable.

"Excuse me, but could I ask one thing? Those two over there — the fairy and the beastfolk?"

"Them?"

The greater fairy, still sobbing away, and the beastfolk girl desperately trying to calm her down.

"They're members of a party as well."

"A party!?"

He turned to look back reflexively.

He'd half-suspected it already, even as surprising as it was.

It wasn't unheard of for fairies or beastfolk to join a human party — rare, but not impossible. Fairies were a naturally curious species, and beastfolk had a temperament that never forgot a favor received. Once their wariness toward humans softened, it wasn't out of the question to have them as allies.

...Fairies have aptitude as Hunters and Thieves, thanks to their unique fairy arts.

...And beastfolk are naturals as Fulltypes, given their athletic prowess.

But seeing them actually serving as party members was a first for him.

"So why are those two here?"

"Their members got stranded in the wetlands."

The two inspectors wore bitter expressions.

"Those two came back to the checkpoint to request rescue, but they're in quite a state. Beyond their companions being stranded, we can't get any clear details out of them."

"We've been calling for volunteers. Coordinating the rescue of parties stranded in the Demon Lands is part of our duties."

So that was why they'd been so winded when they first appeared.

"Hey, Ren."

"Hm?"

"That fairy and the beastfolk have been listening to us talk, and now they're staring over here," Kyelse said, arms folded.

He followed Kyelse's gaze —

His eyes met two pairs of eyes staring intently back at him.

"...Knight of Reincarnation? Rin, Rin, Silk's heard of them!" the fairy whispered.

"Yeah. Ain't they the party the boss said was awesome? B-but those three girls... they smell funny. Especially the silver-haired one... that smell, could it be...?"

"Y-yeah... Silk thinks so too. There's no mistaking that smell."

The fairy and beastfolk whispered to each other.

And then Kyelse strode right up to them.

"You two, no need to whisper like—"

"It's a dragon!?"

The bench flipped over with a crash.

"Rin, Rin — Silk and everybody are doomed!"

"C-c-c-calm down, Silk! A d-d-dragon... I ain't scared of one! I could take it out with one punch!"

"Then why are you hiding behind Silk!?"

The fairy and beastfolk scrambled to the far corner of the room, faces white as sheets, clinging to each other and trembling.

Kyelse, for her part, put on a gentle expression and tried again.

"Calm down, you two. Don't be frightened. We mean you no harm."

"She's going to eat us!?"

"I am not!"

Her efforts utterly in vain, Kyelse retreated.

Rare as it was, that last remark had clearly stung.

"...Ahem. Ren — tag in."

"Hey, it's all right. We're not going to do anything bad."

Ren stepped in to replace the dejected Kyelse, walking up to the two of them.

"Is it true you got separated from your friends?"

"...Yeah."

The greater fairy nodded, tears still brimming.

"Silk and the others — four of us came. But the boss and Misty..."

"We heard there's this plant called Immortal Grass growing in the wetlands. It can cure any poison and it's so nutritious it's the best possible medicine for sick people..."

The beastfolk girl continued, still holding the fairy tight.

Immortal Grass — a legendary cure-all of the highest order. It grew only in venomously toxic marshlands, and its leaves and stems were said to be white as snow and translucent.

"So you got separated from your friends while looking for it?"

"Yeah. We found this tower thing deep in the wetlands. Like a black stone sculpture. When the boss and Misty got close to it, this crazy fog rolled in and... they were gone. I couldn't track them even with my nose."

"A black tower? Could that be—"

The beastfolk's words triggered a flash of memory.

The battle at Holy Land Canaan —

When he and Elies had driven off Mia, Demon General of Wave.

"The Gate of the Underworld!? Don't tell me you teleported it here!"

"Massive triangular-pyramid obelisks, evocative of a great beast's claws. At the center of the four obelisks, an impenetrable black fog materialized as a solemn gateway."

The Gate of the Underworld.

A party that didn't know it existed could easily stumble into it and get transported to the Underworld.

"Elise?"

"Mm. Probably exactly what you're thinking," Elise said, scratching the back of her head with a rueful grin.

"You can use the same gate to get back to the surface, but some people panic so badly they can't think straight. Safer if we go find them ourselves."

"...What's a gate?" the beastfolk asked.

"Don't worry about it. Point is, we'll go find them for you. Special service," Elise said with a confident wink at the bewildered beastfolk girl, Rin.

"Leave it to us. We've got a pretty good idea where they ended up."

"F-for real!?"

"You're really going to save the boss and Misty?" the fairy asked.

"We do need to hurry, though. An ordinary human who stumbles into the Underworld with no idea what's happening isn't going to last long."

Elise walked briskly toward the checkpoint exit.

At that, the two inspectors who'd been watching the whole exchange rushed over in alarm.

"Hold on! We've already dispatched a request to other parties for rescue support! Wait for the first wave to report back before—"

"I'm afraid we don't have that kind of time," Fear cut in.

Her skirt swirled lightly as she turned.

With a gentle smile and a flash of her shapely legs, Fear was the first to break into a run.

"Elise, I'll leave the navigation to you."

"You got it!"

Elise and Kyelse followed right behind.

The guards at the checkpoint couldn't react fast enough to stop them as the four dashed through the exit and headed straight north into the Demon Lands of Vanessa Wetlands.

"All right then — we're heading straight for the gate by the shortest route! We'll be cutting through some bottomless swamps and toxic gas eruption zones along the way, so try to keep up, okay Ren?"

"You're a boy, so you'll be fine," Fear added.

"What does being a boy have to do with bottomless swamps!?"

Ren took his first step into the Demon Lands, chasing after the three girls ahead of him.

Muddy earth.

Every step sank his boots into the mire. When he tried to pull free, the sludge clung to his soles like something alive, trailing sticky threads.

"Ugh, gross! The mud's clinging to my boots like it's alive!?"

"Don't panic. If you let the mud throw off your stride, you'll only sink deeper. Just run like you always do," Kyelse said, glancing back over her shoulder.

True to her word — despite running through this disgusting bog, not a single speck of filth clung to Kyelse's boots.

Same for Fear. Same for Elise.

They could probably run across the surface of water without raising a single drop of spray. That was how unnervingly silent their footwork was.

"...You guys really are something."

"Ideally we'd just fly," Fear remarked.

She ran lightly across the bog.

"It's faster, you stay clean, and you can avoid the pockets of toxic gas. Win-win-win."

"Can't we?"

"Look behind you. Carefully — don't turn all the way around."

Footsteps closing in from behind.

The clank of armor plates grinding, the rattle of sheathed greatswords bouncing with every stride — Ren caught Fear's meaning and glanced back while he ran.

"Other parties!?"

A good dozen or more, boldly tailing their exact route. Not just one or two parties, either.

"Parties that saw us at the checkpoint. I suppose they overheard our exchange with the inspectors. We really have become famous, haven't we?"

"...They're following us?"

The same thing had happened at Galia Flame Mountain with Elmekia Dusk.

Dozens of parties had gathered there for the campaign against Achendia, Demon General of Blaze. But the instant they'd realized Elmekia Dusk had joined, Ren remembered how the other parties' faces had changed.

"During the Achendia campaign too, there were parties afraid of having their glory stolen by Elmekia Dusk, remember? Rescuing a stranded party counts as a legitimate assignment — success earns you credit and compensation. I'd wager they panicked when they saw us heading out and gave chase."

"What should we do about it?"

"Let them be. More importantly, Ren — eyes front. You're about to walk into a bottomless swamp."

"Whoa!?"

The brown-stained mud gave way without warning to a pitch-black swamp of liquid darkness.

A dead swamp where not a single blade of grass grew. One drop of the poisonous water in your mouth, and your entire body would go numb — leaving you to sink helplessly into the bottomless depths.

A sight truly worthy of the name Demon Lands.

"Elise."

"On it, Kyelse. Ren, this way — watch exactly where I land."

Elise leaped without hesitation onto the surface of the bottomless swamp.

She should have sunk.

Instead, her toes kicked cleanly off the surface of the mire.

Skipping forward like a stone across water, Elise's body sailed through the air, landed several meters ahead on the swamp's surface, and bounded onward — further, further ahead.

"Bogs have a dense mix of soil and sand particles suspended in the water. All you need to do is read the flow and the still spots to identify where the surface is firm enough to stand on. She's finding the right footholds and making precise jumps," Fear explained.

Do keep up, now — with a smile, Fear kicked off the ground after her.

Where Elise landed, small ripples spread. Before those ripples faded, Kyelse touched down on the same spot. Before Kyelse's ripples faded, Fear leaped to the next.

"Ren."

"I-I know! ...God, here goes nothing!"

He held his breath, steeled himself, and launched into the pitch-black poison swamp.

He used the ripples Fear had left as landing markers, touching down on each with only his toes. Before his foot could sink, he launched himself toward the next set of ripples.

"This is terrifying! One wrong step and the swamp swallows me whole, right!?"

Fighting down a dizzying wave of fear, he locked his eyes on Fear's landing points and nothing else.

Two successful leaps. Three —

"Ooh, Amazing, Amazing!"

And then.

A small, hooded figure was running right alongside him at his feet, looking up at him.

"Gnome?"

"Don't Be Scared. The Earth Will Support You."

The spirit bounded ahead with a sprightly gait. As a spiritual being, it left no ripples or footprints on the water's surface — yet its steps radiated strength and confidence all the same.

"You Can Do It!"

"...Yeah."

Answering the spirit who'd appeared to soothe his fear, Ren kicked off the water's surface.

Watched over by Elise, Kyelse, Fear, and Gnome — it wasn't long before Ren cleared the deadly poison swamp.

"...Haah... ahh... I-I made it!"

"Oh — Ren, don't breathe. This is a toxic gas eruption zone. If you don't hold your breath, you'll die."

"What — is — wrong — with — this — place!?"

Insects with bodies no thicker than a human finger, yet grotesquely long and spindly limbs.

They were hunted by venomous snakes that surfaced from the swamp — and those snakes, in turn, were picked off by monstrous crimson birds.

Even creatures armed with venom fell prey to something carrying an even deadlier toxin. A savage ecosystem of predator eating predator.

That was the scene Ren witnessed in Vanessa Wetlands.

"...H-hold on... break..."

He doubled over, gasping for air.

With his luminous blue sword thrust into the marshy ground for support, Ren squeezed out his voice between ragged breaths.

"Fighting... a ten-meter giant centipede... while holding my breath... in a zone spewing toxic gas... was genuinely life-threatening... in the respiratory sense..."

"Your face was turning bluer by the second, you know. We were all on the edge of our seats wondering when you'd pass out from oxygen deprivation," Fear said, pressing a hand to her lips with a light giggle.

Meanwhile, Kyelse had declared "snack time" and pulled out a box of sweets, while Elise was busy chasing down some rare insect.

"By the way, I've been curious — that spirit sword. It hasn't returned to the Triumphal City?"

"Yeah, that's the thing. It's been sticking around ever since I summoned it in the Hegemon City."

Spirit Sword Vierge — though the hilt was thoroughly rusted and discolored, the blade itself still harbored a brilliant, clear blue, like the surface of a pristine sea.

"That sword itself is a spirit tool packed with powerful spirit energy. It was that sword that knocked flat the Archangel who was strutting around Heaven and the Demon King who acted like they owned the Underworld — no questions asked."

The sword that had formed the cornerstone of Brave Hero Eleline's legend.

It had originally been displayed in the Triumphal City without a scabbard, so when he'd summoned it, it had arrived without one. He'd wrapped the blade in bandages and now carried it slung across his back.

And it was startlingly light.

Like a sword made of feathers. So light he kept forgetting he was even carrying it.

...I summoned it when I fought Zelbright in the Hegemon City.

...And even after I lost consciousness, it stayed right here.

Ancient summoning arts weren't infallible. No matter how skilled the caster, a summoned object would eventually return to its place of origin as time passed.

And yet, Spirit Sword Vierge had shown no sign of vanishing even after a full week.

"I don't get it either. Any idea why?"

"Why it hasn't disappeared? ...A few possibilities come to mind, but don't worry about it. After all, that's for the spirit sword itself to decide."

"Meaning?"

"Secret."

Kyelse's answer was cryptic yet oddly amused.

She pulled a wrapped treat from her snack box.

"Anyway — the fact that you can properly summon the spirit sword deserves praise. As a special reward, I'll give you one of my brandy-filled luxury truffles."

"...Hmm."

"What — one isn't enough!? Tch, such unexpected boldness. F-fine then — a huge splurge: two! How's that!?"

"No, no. I just can't bring myself to eat sweets in a place this terrifying."

He pulled the spirit sword from the ground and surveyed his surroundings once more.

"Ren, break over?" Elise asked, releasing the insect she'd caught.

"Yeah, I'm fine. There's a stranded party out there, so we need to push on... But man, they don't call this the Demon Lands for nothing. Nobody's following us anymore."

The parties that had been tailing them.

Some had managed to take a wide detour around the first bottomless swamp and keep up, but by the time they'd crossed the toxic gas eruption zone and the dense thicket swarming with venomous insects, every last one had apparently given up.

There were probably parties back there far more experienced than Ren's group.

Yet even seasoned adventurers had balked at going further. Ren himself had only made it through by desperately keeping pace with the Three Princesses ahead of him. If someone told him to cross this Demon Lands zone solo, he'd honestly have to admit he wasn't confident he could.

"Well, yeah. But this particular Demon Lands zone has a specific reason for being so bad," Elise said.

"A reason?"

"Yep. Turns out this whole Demon Lands zone exists because of the gate."

"This place!?"

Even among the Arcana Continent's regions, Vanessa Wetlands was an anomaly. He'd never heard of a Demon Lands zone being caused by the Underworld's influence.

"I assumed it was just toxic minerals leaking up from underground..."

"Plenty of Demon Lands zones are like that. But this one's special. Remember how I said anyone can use the Gate of the Underworld if they find it? Well, that also means things from the Underworld can crawl up to the surface just as easily."

Over ages, Demonic Aura and demonic beasts from the Underworld had seeped upward, half-transforming the area into the Underworld itself.

That was the true nature of Vanessa Wetlands.

"So other Demon Lands zones too?"

"Hmm, hard to say. There might be two or three more if you looked, but a place this heavily affected by the Underworld is pretty unusual."

Elise kicked away an approaching leech as she spoke.

"You need the right wind patterns and terrain for the Underworld's toxins to accumulate, plus the right temperature and weather for Underworld creatures to thrive, plus food sources. All those conditions happened to line up perfectly here."

"...I feel like I just got a preview of what the Underworld's gonna be like."

The vast subterranean world — one of the largest hidden realms known to exist.

Throughout recorded history, countless warriors, adventurers, and royal armies had ventured into its depths, yet not a single one had ever mapped its entirety.

He felt like he'd just glimpsed a fragment of that merciless environment.

"So, Elise — how much farther?"

"Let's see... we should be getting close. Umm... this way, I think!"

Elise pressed on through the sludge-melted ground without concern.

"Ah, just ahead! I recognize this!"

What Elise pointed to was an eerie hill where the ground was bleached white.

"I see. So it was fallen leaves that made it look white. Whether that's the plant's natural color or some kind of toxin or disease, I can't tell..." Fear mused.

"Don't go saying creepy stuff, Fear-senpai..."

A wetland carpeted in snow-white fallen leaves.

The wind swept in and lifted the leaves at their feet, scattering them into the air.

The sun that had been directly overhead had slipped toward the horizon at some point, staining the sky a smoky crimson. Under that fading light, Ren followed Elise's lead up the hill, and —

"..."

His breath caught.

He stopped at the crest of the hill, and the words left his mouth before he could think.

"No way..."

The Gate of the Underworld was there.

Massive triangular-pyramid obelisks, evocative of a great beast's claws. Four of them forming a single gate — consistent with the one Elies had summoned during the fight against the Demon General of Wave.

If there was one difference, it was this: the impenetrable black fog that should have materialized at the center of those obelisks had almost entirely dissipated.

A door stripped of its power to transport —

The Gate of the Underworld had been destroyed.

One of the four obelisks was demolished beyond recognition.

Two more had been snapped roughly at the midpoint, and even the one that still retained its shape was riddled with cracks.

"..."

He had no words. What could have done this? More than the gate to the Underworld being sealed — just trying to comprehend the scene before him made his head spin.

"...Oh, they really went and did it."

Amid the silence.

The one who spoke first, her eyes lit with a dangerous gleam, was the former Demon King herself.

"The Gate of the Underworld belongs to the demons. And whatever belongs to the demons belongs to me. Somebody went and smashed it without permission."

"Storm clouds on the horizon," Fear murmured.

She approached the ruined obelisks.

Picking up a fragment of the shattered tower, she studied it with a sharp, focused gaze.

"Tremendous force. To obliterate the gate this thoroughly..."

"That bad?"

"Yes. It's fortunate we at least heard about this from Elies back at the Holy Land. If we'd come across this with no warning, I honestly don't think I could have stayed composed. More importantly — these fractures, they can't be very old."

The fragment slipped from Fear's fingers, clicking against the ground.

"The entity that humans call the 'Silent Agency.' It seems they're an enemy we cannot avoid on our search for the Encore."

"They beat us to the punch," Kyelse said flatly.

She brought her nose close to a half-ruined tower.

"Nothing registers on my sense of smell, but the Silent Agency can't have gone far. There's no telling when or where they'll attack."

Had they tracked Ren's party from the Hegemon City? Or had they simply gotten here first?

One thing was certain: as Fear had said, the odds of encountering the Silent Agency on their quest for the Encore had just skyrocketed.

"Oh — that reminds me, Ren," Kyelse said, clapping her hands.

"Remember the fairy and beastfolk party from before?"

"Yeah. The ones who asked us to find their missing friends."

"Traces of human scent are still here. Looks like they did fall through the gate into the Underworld."

"...Seriously!?"

He spun back toward the ruined obelisks.

A party that had fallen into the Underworld. With the gate destroyed, there was no easy way for them to return to the surface.

"Elise, are there other gates nearby?"

"There's one more on this continent. But even moving fast, it'd take at least a week on foot. We could have Kyelse shift back to dragon form and fly there on her back, but..."

Elise folded her arms, her mouth twisting in thought.

"Getting to the Underworld wouldn't be the problem. But using a different gate means you arrive somewhere different. We'd end up far away from the missing party."

"Yeah, that's true..."

Wandering the impossibly vast Underworld on foot, searching for a stranded party whose location was unknown. The thought alone was exhausting.

"...Hmm."

"What's up, Ren?"

"Just wondering if we could get this to work."

Under Elise's watchful gaze, Ren picked up a fragment of the obelisk from the ground. He pressed it against the broken section of one of the half-ruined towers, fitting it together like a puzzle piece.

"Like this — reconnecting the broken parts."

"Come on, seriously?"

Just as Elise's skeptical grin suggested, the gate showed no reaction whatsoever.

"This thing's a proper piece of O-PARTS, you know. It's not going to fix that easily."

"But look — there's still black fog here..."

At the center of the four-obelisk gate, a thin remnant of pitch-black fog still lingered. When Elies had summoned the Gate of the Underworld, this black fog had materialized as the gateway itself.

Now it was barely enough to hold in his arms, but it floated gently in the air.

...If the gate had truly shut down completely, this fog would have dissipated too.

...I don't think it's fully dead.

After all, one of the four towers still stood intact. The other two were half-destroyed — but only half, which in itself could be seen as proof of residual function.

"Fear-senpai? With the Gate of Heaven, what would happen in a case like this?"

"I'm afraid the gates are managed entirely by the Cupids. The Goddess would certainly know, but... Kyelse, what do you think?"

"It does look like it hasn't completely shut down, just as Ren says. And none of us can afford the time to travel to another gate. Which means..."

Kyelse walked up to the last surviving tower.

She stared at it intently, as if trying to bore a hole through it with her gaze.

"Hyah!"

Kyelse's roundhouse kick connected squarely with the tower.

"Now work, damn you. Show some spine."

"She kicked it——!?"

"In the dragon valleys, we have a tradition for teaching fledglings who can't fly — we do exactly this. Ah, the memories. I used to toss plenty of younglings off cliffs myself... So come on then, gate. If you call yourself O-PARTS, then live up to the name!"

"Whoa, whoa — stop it, Kyelse!"

He grabbed Kyelse in a bear hug before she could deliver follow-up kicks to the two half-destroyed towers.

"Calm down, Ren. Look."

"Huh?"

Where Kyelse pointed —

The intact tower and the two half-ruined ones had begun glowing with a faint purple light. Pitch-black fog was welling from their tips like a spring.

"You're kidding!?"

"It seems the gate's decided to show some spine after all. ...Though this might put us in a bit of a bind," Fear said, scanning the area.

The black fog spilling out was beginning to surround them, slowly forming into a massive doorway.

"We're all standing right in the center of the gate. Which means every one of us — Archangel and Dragon Princess included — is within the transfer range. At this rate, we'll all be sent to the Under—"

Before she could finish.

Ren and the three girls had already been transported — from the surface to the Underworld.