[User] They were enlarged, as though they were looking through glasses, and they swiveled and turned as Gargantua made its pointy way across the icy ground.

[Assistant] Kaito and the others continued following Gargantua in silence. No matter how far they went, the scenery never changed. That, in and of itself, was unsettling. If all of it is beautiful, then it kinda feels like everything in it is dead. A chill ran down Kaito’s spine, one completely unrelated to the cold. The notion that they were merely going around in circles began captivating him.

[User] Gargantua came to a sudden stop. Thrusting one leg into the ice to use as a fulcrum, the automaton spun around. It turned to face Jeanne and rattled its head up and down. It was clearly conveying something to her, as Jeanne quietly nodded back.

[Assistant] “Ah, I understand now. C’mon, ya lumps! Keep up!” Jeanne and Gargantua changed course. Turning to the side, they set out perpendicularly from where they had stopped.

[User] Kaito found it rather difficult to believe that the Grave Keeper had traveled in such a bizarre manner. It would appear that the two of them had stopped following the Grave Keeper’s tracks altogether. But then where are they going?

[Assistant] Gargantua stopped and began walking parallel to their original route.

[User] Kaito and the others followed after it. As they did, the scenery around them began gradually changing. The ground began sloping up at a much more noticeable angle than the hill they’d visited earlier. Kaito found himself on the verge of slipping a number of times. Each time, though, Hina successfully managed to support him. Constantly thanking her, Kaito laboriously made his way up the silvery hill. Especially large snowflakes began crunching under his feet, and he called ahead to Jeanne.

[Assistant] “So why’d we stop following the footprints and come this way instead?”

[User] “The number of sets of prints increased. Do you know why that is, mister?”

[Assistant] “…The Grave Keeper must have met up with her subordinates. We must be near their camp.”

[User] “Precisely. A keen hypothesis, coming from The Fool. Furthermore, the Deus Ex Machinas share information among themselves. According to Pantagruel, this cliff is the optimal location from which to observe their camp. Also, do make sure you avoid walking in front of Gargantua. Falling to your death before we meet our first foe would be a hell of a bad joke!”

[Assistant] Kaito cocked his head, confused by Jeanne’s warning. It sounded like there was a cliff in front of them, sure, but not even he was dumb enough to just fall over its edge. A moment later, he took it all back.

[User] Gargantua had come to an abrupt stop. Before it lay nothingness.


[User] The ground in front of its silver legs had cleanly vanished. It was like someone had carved it off with a knife, then stuck a fork in it and carried it away. No normal cliff declined so sharply. Oh man, I would totally have fallen off there. Narrowly stopping as well, Kaito broke out in an internal cold sweat. He timidly peeked over the edge. He could make out the Church’s camp way down below. A number of tents were lined up in orderly, systematic intervals. Each one bore at least two flags emblazoned with white lilies and images of the Saint. Fires were lit throughout the camp, illuminating it amid the snow. They were clearly having to put much more work into maintaining their heat than the beastfolk had. They’d probably even put their camp’s back to a cliff in order to stave off some of the wind chill. The speck-like people in the camp were hustling and bustling, no doubt due to the Butcher’s disappearance. After he mentally recovered from the sudden appearance of the cliff’s edge, though, Kaito’s eyes came to rest on something else entirely. "Hey, what’s…? Oh, geez." There was something above the cliff. The figure had been frozen stiff with its arms spread out wide. It looked like a statue of some sort of pagan god or perhaps an inane scarecrow. It was a man dangling in the air. His body was supported by a thick stake, which pierced through his buttocks and exited his mouth. Frozen blood and feces dripped down between his legs. His eyes were open in an expression of intense agony. It looked like the stake had been driven in while he was still alive. With a second glance, Kaito confirmed the cruel truth: the man, clad in a luxurious vestment, had been impaled. Then his body had been put on public display atop the cliff. "Who is that?"

[Assistant] “…Yah Llodl.”

[User] "What?!" Upon hearing Elisabeth’s answer, Kaito let out a surprised yelp. After Godd Deos’s death, Yah Llodl had taken advantage of the Church’s changing power dynamics to join its upper echelon. And even with just the small conversation he’d had with Yah Llodl over a communication device, the man’s pride had been abundantly clear. Yet, now, this was the state he was in. His failure back at the underground tomb had probably been the cause. And as far as people who could have gotten away with purging him went, only one came to Kaito’s mind. After all, when she’d heard about the Butcher’s escape, this was what she’d said:

[Assistant] “…The Grave Keeper.” There was no doubt in his mind that she was the one behind the grim spectacle before him. Kaito had long since gotten used to seeing torture. And loath as he was to admit it, looking at someone who’d been impaled almost had a sort of familiarity to it.


[User] Even so, seeing the corpse of someone whose arrogant laugh he’d just heard came as a blow. Elisabeth and Jeanne, on the other hand, seemed to regard Yah Llodl’s death with complete disinterest. Taking their eyes off the body, they looked back toward the camp. “Hmph, I see.”

[Assistant] “Indeed. It’s rather unambiguous.”

[User] There was no reason for Lute to know who Yah Llodl was, but he still seemed to find the Torture Princesses’ composure unsettling. However, he, too, realized that retreating would accomplish nothing. Because of that, he cautiously followed their lead. Kaito and Hina lined up beside them and did the same. Before long, Kaito found himself frowning. The Church’s camp was even more chaotic than he’d expected. Cautious inspection made it clear that they were split into two large factions. One group of people was wearing silver armor with pelts draped over themselves to keep out the cold, and the other group was clad in scarlet, executioner-like outfits. Each one was gathered together and acting as a unit, like two herds of different beasts.

[Assistant] “It falls well within my expectations, but it seems they aren’t a monolith, are they?”

[User] “Indeed, that they are not. And it’s a big ol’ laugh, coming from chumps who’re goin’ on about reconstructing the world! You’re all pilin’ into the same damn grave, ain’tcha?! Shepherds and sheep refusing to get along—what a riot!” Jeanne narrowed her crimson eyes, and Jeanne raised her voice in scorn.

[Assistant] Kaito immediately deduced what the two of them were talking about. The paladins and executioner-looking guys aren’t exactly enemies, but could it be that they’re on bad terms? The paladins looked to be forming a search party all on their own. They headed south, but their spirits seemed low, and they could hardly be described as unified. Instead of rebuking them for their sloth, though, the executioner-like group merely headed north. Neither group seemed to have any intention of working with the other. In fact, the executioners seemed to be avoiding the paladins.

[User] “What’s going on? They came all the way to the World’s End, and now they aren’t even gonna work together?”

[Assistant] “The paladins have lost their commander. Though she was young, they put a great deal of trust and responsibility in Izabella. Trying to keep their morale up despite having her unjustly snatched away from them would be a fool’s errand. And this is the World’s End. Unlike the Capital, the Church can deploy their transfigured paladins freely. That scarlet bunch would likely have preferred to come here with themselves and their grotesque pawns alone.”

[User] “However, while the reconstruction sect holds the reins of power within the Church, their control is not absolute.” Jeanne took the explanation over from Elisabeth and dispassionately laid out the current state of affairs within the Church. “Refusing to take the normal paladins along would have earned the distrust of the royals and some of the notable aristocrats.


[User] Even with the attractive proposition of escaping the grand burden of having to rebuild the Capital, the reconstruction sect will fail to sway many of the less devout. And the powerful have a tendency to value gold higher than God, y’see. They both have a way of slippin’ away when you really need ’em, though!” Taking Jeanne’s mocking words into account, Kaito took another look at what the people down below were doing.

[Assistant] The streams of silver and crimson had completely split apart, serving well to illustrate the discord present among their camp.

[User] “As a result, the normal paladins were taken along, but in name alone. The grotesque pawns are likely off searching, and the scarlet lot is no doubt going to join them and try to capture the Butcher. The paladins, on the other hand, seem to have been sent off in the opposite direction. With that in mind, it would appear that the north is far more promising. The Butcher fled quickly, though. I have my doubts as to whether they’ll truly be able to catch him…”

[Assistant] “Excuse me, Lady Elisabeth?”

[User] “Hmm? What is it, Hina? …Oh-ho?” As Hina repeatedly tapped on her shoulder, Elisabeth turned around. After looking in the direction Hina was indicating, she blinked repeatedly.

[Assistant] A silly expression crossed Kaito’s face, as well. At some point, something had taken a seat atop Yah Llodl’s corpse’s shoulder. It was a small emerald-green mass, and it was gnawing on his frozen ear.

[User] Startled, Lute reeled backward. As he pointed at the mass, a cry slipped out of his mouth. “Y-you! You’re the irreverent whelp who invaded Lady Vyade Ula Forstlast’s bedchambers!”

[Assistant] “Kyau!” The response he received sounded entirely innocent. The dragon whelp began turning lively somersaults in the air. Its splendid tail, which seemed a bit too large for its body, swayed behind it. It didn’t look repentant in the slightest.

[User] How long had it been there? Just as that question crossed Kaito’s mind, though, a more pressing concern weighed on him

[Assistant] The body was put on display up here. In other words, the Church was fully aware of how well the cliff overlooked their base. It was odd, then, that they hadn’t stationed any guards there. As he carefully surveyed their surroundings, Kaito gasped.

[User] “Hey, wait, Elisabeth! Look where you’re stepping!”

[Assistant] “Hmm? Ah, I see. Little wonder, then, that standing here was so comfortable!” Elisabeth nodded. Beneath her high heels was a man buried in the snow. His scarlet hood peeked out from amid the white. He appeared to be unconscious.

[User] Worried that the man might freeze to death, Kaito frantically reached out his hand. When he touched the man’s skin, though, it was strangely warm. Apparently, he’d stored magic stones on his extremities to preserve his body heat. A jewel designed for communications was installed on his chest as well. In all likelihood, he was the one who’d been in charge of guarding the cliff top. But why, then, was he unconscious?


[User] Kaito cast a sidelong glance at the whelp. Its emerald scales glittered as it spun around in the air. Each time it twirled, it lashed out with its tail. A blow from that looked to be about as powerful as one from a blackjack from Kaito’s old world.

[Assistant] "Kyoon!" the whelp cried as it puffed out its chest.

[User] Upon seeing the vigor with which the whelp was making its claim, Kaito nodded in conviction. "Looks like this guy’s our culprit."

[Assistant] “Aye, no doubt. Excellent work, you!”

[User] “Dunno if that’s really something you should be complimenting it for.”

[Assistant] “Excuse me, Mr. Whelp, but why did you knock out the lookout and then stay here?”

[User] “Kyoon!” By means of answering Hina’s question, the whelp let out a loud cry. Then, with a chomp, it tore off Yah Llodl’s ear. After tossing it up in the air and catching it in its mouth, it gobbled the dead flesh down.

[Assistant] Kaito and Lute openly grimaced.

[User] Apparently done trying to cheer them up, the whelp shot into the air like a bullet. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, it began flying off into the silvery atmosphere. For a second, it turned back toward Kaito and the others. It seemed to want them to follow it. Kaito was reminded of the chunk of bone-in meat that had been left behind at the castle. It looked as though, just like back then, the Butcher had predicted their movements once more and had sent the whelp to guide them. He was clearly trying to send them somewhere. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was still anyone’s guess. Either way, our only real option is to follow it. Knowing that, Kaito steeled his resolve. Leaving the corpse and unconscious lookout behind them, they all took off at a run. Then, following the distant whelp, they began making their way down the pearly hill. The whelp looked like it was flying aimlessly. Its wings were comprised of thin bone and membrane, and it flapped them to fly high up into the milky-white, rainbow-tinged sky. Then it would glide for a while. It seemed to be rather enjoying its travels. However, for those trying to follow it, the wasteful movements in its flight path were the source of a great deal of stress. Kaito’s displeasure was painted all across his face.


[Assistant] “Hey, does that thing even really know where it’s going?”

[User] “Hmm… It does belong to the Butcher, after all.”

[Assistant] “And Mr. Butcher is awfully fond of playing around. I suppose we can only hope.” Elisabeth’s shoulders slumped, and Hina smiled to try to placate her. Continuing forward through the unchanging snowscape was hard on the legs, but it was harder on the spirit. However, it quickly became clear that, despite the whelp’s playful flight, their efforts hadn’t been wasted. A living creature’s corpse had appeared before them in the empty world. When Kaito first saw it, his immediate reaction was shock.


[User] “…Hmm. This land seems free of foreign invaders, yet they appear to have been killed by something.” Elisabeth stooped down and began inspecting the damaged sections.

[Assistant] Kaito did the same.

[User] "With my cunning intellect, I’ve unraveled all the mysteries. The weapon…was a slab of meat!”

[Assistant] “I’d be surprised if it was anything else. In other words, that means the Butcher definitely passed this way.” The two of them nodded to each other.

[User] As Kaito stood atop an unsullied patch of ice, though, a snapping sound rang out from around his feet.

[Assistant] “Huh?”

[User] “Is something the matter, Sir Kaito? Hmm?” Lute turned around as well, and his ears perked up. The two of them started inspecting the ground at their feet for presences

[Assistant] “…!” Slipping along its now-slanted surface, Kaito narrowly managed to land on his feet.

[User] “Ah!”

[Assistant] “Fall back, Sir Kaito! I shall repay the debt I once—” Drawing his sword, Lute stepped forward, intending to meet the hammer-like blow.

[User] “How dare you try to strike my dear husband, you hoodluuuuuuuuuuum!” However, Lute’s noble declaration was drowned out by indignation and fury. His ears went slack, and he stopped in his tracks. Hina dashed across the ice like a cannonball. Accompanied by her vaunted halberd, she twirled freely through the air.


[User] “Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Her maid uniform fluttering, she raised her weapon aloft behind her back.

[Assistant] Then, as she flew forward, she swung it down hard. Its blade crashed solidly into the something’s side. There was the sound of glass cracking. The something’s body flushed with white, then shattered. Its needle-thin fragments scattered all about. Upon mixing in with the snowflakes, they ceased to even be visible.

[User] Hina then landed with an elegant thump. After courteously straightening her maid outfit, she gave a sweet bow. “Phew. With that, the cleaning is successfully finished. How was that, Master Kaito?”

[Assistant] “Perfect as always, my dearest Hina.”

[User] “Eek! Oh, Master Kaito! Not in public! Why, how embarrassing!” As she let out quiet shrieks, Hina covered her reddening face.

[Assistant] Watching over her with affection, Kaito nodded.

[User] Lute stepped back as he commented, “Very…very well, then.”

[Assistant] A bemused expression overtook Elisabeth’s face.

[User] The sole member to ignore the commotion and continue walking was Jeanne.

[Assistant] Everyone else then hurried after her. And with that, Kaito and the others left the somethings’ corpses behind and continued pursuing the Butcher as though nothing had changed.


[User] Eventually, their surroundings started to transform with increasing speed. Snow began falling from the empty sky. The massive flakes resembling delicate lacework fluttered gently through the air. Upon closer inspection, each one of them had a unique shape. In all likelihood, no two of them were alike. The strange rainbow membrane covering the milky-white sky was beginning to get thicker as well. Snowflakes tumbled lazily down from within it. It looked like silvery flower petals being spat out from inside an oil slick. Anywhere else, such a blizzard of petals would have been unimaginable. The area around Kaito’s group had long since taken on an otherworldly quality to it. If someone had told them it was the afterlife, they practically would have believed it. Kaito’s eyes were captivated by the landscape’s untarnished, lifeless beauty. The world was hollow and empty, and it was terrifying. But at the same time, it was also endlessly fascinating.

[Assistant] As Kaito was preoccupied by all that, the whelp abruptly stopped advancing.

[User] “Kyau!” With a loud cry, it gave its wings a powerful downward flap. After making a sharp nosedive, it suddenly vanished without a trace.

[Assistant] “Wait, where’d he go?” Kaito looked down in a panic. The scenery, which had had a bare minimum of regularity to it, had come to a complete and total stop. At some point, a narrow, deep fissure had appeared before them. In contrast with its transparent icy walls, the ravine was filled with a pervasive darkness. The whelp must have flown down into it. It was almost like it was trying to say that its task was complete. Now convinced that something awaited them beyond the crevice, Kaito turned to look up. The fissure extended farther and farther. Little by little, it grew wider and deeper. Beside it, a new fissure stretched out its distant arm as well.


[User] They continued on like a pair of wide rivers. Eventually, they met up and converged on a colossal hole. The pit resembled a volcano’s crater with its gaping maw. Suddenly, a strange conviction assailed Kaito. Let’s say hypothetically that all the ice in the World’s End melted. What would happen? The water probably wouldn’t reach the sea. Regardless of whatever differences in height there may be, every drop of it would flow into that hole. Yet, even so, the void would remain. Even if it swallowed up everything else, nothing could ever fill that abyss. And at the same time, Kaito remembered something he’d once heard. Someone once said that the world has no end. The world is round, they proclaimed, and as such it has no terminus. Someone once said that the world has an end. It’s like a waterfall, they proclaimed, one that swallows up anything and everything. Someone once said that the world has an end. For God created that place, they proclaimed, and designated it “the World’s End.”

[Assistant] "...The World’s End." Kaito mumbled that phrase once more. Unlike the world he’d come from, in this one, there was a real chance that all three stories about the World’s End were true. The world was round, and it had no terminus. But it did have an End, one that God had designated. And therein lay a waterfall that swallowed up anything and everything. As those thoughts rattled around in his head, Kaito’s vision wandered. Given that the whelp had disappeared, this was no doubt the “answer” they’d been searching for.

[User] "Master Kaito, over there."

[Assistant] "Ah, there, huh?" After looking to where Hina was pointing, Kaito nodded. A narrow path just barely lay between the two crevices, and someone was standing at its end. The figure was black, and it was standing alone before the pit. In a way, it looked lonely, as though it had been waiting a long, long time for someone who had never come.

[User] "...The Butcher." A brief murmur escaped Elisabeth's lips.

[Assistant] Kaito was about to break out in a run, but then he heard something.

[User] "Ah, what an excellent job you all did finding him! Now, at long last, I’ve finally reached a complete understanding!" A loud voice called out from behind him. Lodged within it was an unfathomable amount of joy. Goose bumps rose all across Kaito’s flesh. Horrified from the bottom of his heart, he felt his face stiffen as he turned around to look.

[Assistant] "Blessings on you, and blessings on me! Everything is just as you will it!" Standing behind him was exactly who he’d expected to find. Her snowflake-covered crimson cloak fluttered, and she was flanked on all sides by grotesque, transfigured paladins. The image of the giant men protecting an adorable little girl was almost picturesque, like a painting of a maiden surrounded by monsters. But in reality, it was the girl who was the monster, not the transformed men.


[User] "You all were perfectly able to pursue me. Thus, the converse should be true as well, no? I find it truly, truly sorrowful, you know, that we should meet again in such a way." The Grave Keeper launched into a sudden monologue. Words came pouring from her mouth with no preamble or introduction. Her face was dark beneath her scarlet hood, yet her white cheeks were tinged red like those of a maiden in love.

[Assistant] "It was said that the rights would be granted impartially. Equally, to all races, to all peoples. Yet, that was never anything more than a sweet little white lie. The Apostle made his choice back at the very beginning, he did.”

[User] Kaito’s brows involuntarily furrowed. The Grave Keeper was clearly agitated about something, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was that had set her off. Impartial rights… Is she talking about the letter the Butcher sent out? But this thing about the Apostle making his choice back at the start…what’s that about?

[Assistant] “It was simple once I put my mind to it. The fact that the whelp served as a guide was proof. The fact that he sought ‘two’ was proof. And if that is the case, then it’s hardly my place to raise objections. It’s only right that the number of people who receive blessings be limited. Only a few shall bear witness to her sacred awakening. For that, verily, is providence, is it not?” The Grave Keeper’s tone began gradually shifting. It started to sound like she herself was the one she was trying to convince. An indescribable sense of unease washed over Kaito. Lute’s reaction seemed no different. Elisabeth and Jeanne, on the other hand, appeared wholly unfazed. It seemed that the two Torture Princesses had anticipated a showdown with the Grave Keeper.

[User] “…Just what exactly are you going on about?” Elisabeth raised an eyebrow.

[Assistant] Kaito was taken aback. Apparently, not even Elisabeth knew the reason behind the Grave Keeper’s confusion. Jeanne’s expression was as blank as always, and her rose-colored gaze was steely. Instinctively, Kaito grabbed on to the jewel within his pocket. Heat emanated from the stone by means of a response. Letting Vlad out here might be a good idea. As the Kaiser would have it, Vlad was “He Who Rears Hell Within His Mind.” His disposition was fundamentally calm, but his nature was twisted and mad. There was a good chance that he’d be able to interpret the Grave Keeper’s ramblings for them. But calling Vlad out here would raise problems of its own. Standing around the Grave Keeper was a group of gigantic, transfigured paladins. Their stiff armor was spread out over their engorged muscles like caramel. Their limbs were elongated as well, knees, elbows, and all.


[User] Hina was standing in front of him, protecting him with her halberd at the ready. Lute also had a firm grip on his sword’s handle. Everyone present was prepared for fighting to break out at any moment.

[Assistant] The Grave Keeper shook her head vigorously from side to side, as though to suggest that the entire thing was preposterous. Snowflakes fluttered loosely off her scarlet cloak. She then clutched tightly at her chest as she wrung her pained words out. "No, no, heavens, no. I, and those who share my beliefs, no longer have any intention of turning our swords on you. Now it’s faith that’s required of us."

[User] “…Wait, you’re not here to fight us?”

[Assistant] "I believe in you all, you see. Even if you don’t afford me the same sentiments! However, you require an ordeal. Indeed, one from another besides myself. However, that is all. That, truly, is all."

[User] “…Someone other than you?” Kaito felt an unpleasant premonition, and a chill ran down his spine.

[Assistant] Even now, the Grave Keeper’s voice was tinged with madness. Her pupils were dilated, her arms were spread wide, and spittle flew from her mouth as she talked. "For the sake of the world, for the sake of the people, our revered Saint fell into slumber and shed tears of blood! That is what flows through the roots of the Church—her unrewarded love, her noble self-sacrifice! In the name of faith, in the name of the world, she cast herself aside! And what could that be but the most desirable trait possible for those chosen to possess! I have sacrificed everything, discarded even my ego! Can you, the chosen ones, say the same?" As she forcefully posed her question, the Grave Keeper held her right arm aloft. An unpleasant metallic noise followed. Upon looking at her hand, Kaito finally noticed something. Clenched within her small fist was the end of a silver chain.


[User] The noise acted as a signal, and the paladins set into motion. Relinquishing their posts at the Grave Keeper’s side, they parted to the left and right like waves. Then, in unison, the transfigured paladins knelt. Then, pulled by the chain, something with four legs advanced between them. The thing was a beast draped in fine scarlet cloth. Beneath the cloth, its flesh and bones burbled as they constantly swelled and contracted back to their original shape. Each time they did, blood gushed forth, and a cry of pain rose from beneath the folds.

[Assistant] The moment he heard it, Kaito shuddered. He recognized that voice. “Th-that’s not…”

[User] "And here it is! Here it is, O unworthy contractor of mine!" The Kaiser’s laughs echoed within Kaito’s eardrums. At the same time, he felt someone firmly staring at him. The boy who’d once saved him was looking straight at him, his unflinching gaze boring into Kaito’s skin. The dead boy, Neue, was asking Kaito a question with his eyes.

[Assistant] Can you? Neue was asking.

[User] Can I what? Kaito replied silently. But even as he did, his thoughts naturally rushed to a certain fact. I’ve slain a lot of people. He’d drenched himself in blood, lost his left arm, and lost his status as a normal human. He’d killed foes, he’d killed demons, and he’d killed underlings. That was how he’d gotten by. But up until then, he’d never once killed someone he himself held dear. He’d gotten this far without ever needing to. But Neue’s gaze was asking him a question. Can you?

[Assistant] "It seems a proper trial is upon you!” The Kaiser, on the other hand, was merely laughing his almost-human laugh.

[User] “Please show me tragic devotion befitting the favor you’ve received! Show it to me, if you’d be so kind!”

[Assistant] As she made her loud entreaty, the Grave Keeper yanked off the scarlet cloth. The curtain to the freak show had been drawn, and the creature’s full body was revealed.

[User] Kaito reflexively looked down at his feet. Then he let out a violent whisper. “........................................................................ You fucking monster.” The thing beneath the cloth had once been human. Its silver hair was longer than it had been before. It crept like vines, winding its tangled tips around the creature’s legs. All its flesh had metamorphosized and had either swelled up like tumors or was sagging. Because of that, the scars that had once run across its skin were exaggerated, causing them to look like stitches. Its armor had been taken from it, and its spine was crooked and warped like an animal’s. Its breasts rocked as they scratched against the surface of the ice. Then she slowly looked up.


[User] When she did, her gemlike, mismatched blue and purple eyes came to rest on Kaito and the others. Even now, her eyes were still beautiful. "Ah… Ah, ah, ah, ahhhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The creature let out a roar of agony.

[Assistant] Can you? Neue’s gaze once more. Can you kill Izabella Vicker? he was asking. Can you kill her, like all those transformed paladins you unhesitatingly decided there was no way to save?

[User] Kaito parted his trembling lips. Then he gave his confession to the phantasm whom only he could see. “I…can’t.”

[Assistant] Then the thing that had once been Izabella leaped. Its sharp claws and fangs loudly bore down on Kaito.


[User] Torture Princess There existed something that Kaito Sena had never thought about. It was something he’s stubbornly ignored time and time again. For instance, there were all the people who’d been forcibly turned into underlings. For instance, there were the people whose pain had been used to pacify a demon. For instance, there were the paladins who had eaten demon flesh, either by force or by stupidity. In other words, innocent victims. Kaito had killed them, hoisting a flag of mercy all the while. Because he’d known that there was no other way to save them, he hadn’t so much as hesitated. Despite its hypocrisy, the act itself had been compassionate. However, therein lay room for a question to arise. It was a question related to an instance that had yet to occur, one that Kaito had purposefully avoided thinking about. What if, hypothetically, one of the victims was someone Kaito knew well? Would it still be so easy for me to kill them, claiming that there weren’t any other options? Could he, Kaito Sena, do that? Or was the reason he’d been able to avoid hesitating merely because the victims hadn’t meant anything to him? …It’s the latter. Now Kaito could be sure of that. That was the plain truth of the matter. Even so, he still didn’t believe that he’d been in the wrong. Someone you knew would invariably be more important to you than someone you didn’t. That was just how the world worked. And at the same time, killing someone, even someone who meant nothing to you, was hard on a person. It wasn’t as though Kaito was a homicidal maniac or something. In order to save someone who was constantly suffering, though, someone else necessarily had to get their hands dirty. Suffering an eternity of pain was a cruel thing indeed. Because he believed that, Kaito had drenched his hands in blood. Doesn’t it make it blasphemous if I can’t do the same now, then? “I did it to you all, but I can’t do the same to someone I know.” Was he really going to face the mountain of corpses he’d piled up and say that? It would be complete and utter bullshit. And it would be deeply, deeply unforgivable. But of course, Kaito Sena already knew all that. Back in the real world, that entire train of thought had gone through his mind in the space of a blink. As he returned to his senses, Kaito channeled mana into the soles of his feet, propelling himself back on his own strength. Not a second later, Izabella’s forearm shattered the icy ground before him. He landed a hairbreadth beside Hina, who had almost taken off at a run.

[Assistant] As she breathed a sigh of relief, a heartbroken light passed through Hina’s eyes. "Master Kaito… I understand how you feel, but…"

[User] "Huh? …Oh." It was then that Kaito first realized that his hand was outstretched and had been for some time.


[User] Grabbing his right arm with its beastly left counterpart, he forcibly wrenched it back down. Then, with trembling fingers, he stroked his cheek.

[Assistant] I knew it was gonna end like this. Or, at least, I should have known. Kaito had left Izabella behind, knowing full well what would become of her. Even so, the scene before his eyes smashed his heart to pieces like a hammer. That was simply how cruel Izabella’s transformation had been.

[User] Elisabeth said nothing.

[Assistant] Surprisingly, Jeanne’s expressionless face showed no changes.

[User] Lute, however, let out a low growl, sword in hand. He narrowed his eyes, as though digging through his memories.

[Assistant] “Sir Kaito, is perchance that monster someone you…? No, I, too, know her name. Izabella. Izabella the paladin… That silver hair, the color of those eyes… Could that truly be Izabella Vicker? Why, that’s their commander! Why has she become such a thing?”

[User] “Lute, you and Izabella knew each other?”

[Assistant] “She paid us a few courtesy calls regarding the assistance Lady Vyade Ula Forstlast was providing in rebuilding the Capital. Her manners were rare for a human, and she valued repaying her debts. Why, from her second visit on, she even brought souvenirs for my wife! Well, I suppose that hardly qualifies as knowing her. Yet, still…” Then Lute stiffened his jaw, his teeth audibly grinding together. As he looked at Izabella’s grotesque form, his lupine eyes flashed. Dumbfounded, he repeated himself.

[User] “Still…”

[Assistant] “It’s okay, Lute. It’s more than enough in my book.” If it was someone he hadn’t known, he could likely have put her down out of pity. But knowing her character, how warm her heart had once been, would have dulled anyone’s blade. That was just the way things were. Sentiment had the power to radically change the weight of a murder. Even so, though, there were times when battle was inevitable. Now was one of those times.

[User] “Ah-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah, ehhhhh, eh, aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Izabella let out a maddened scream. Several of her bones had pointlessly expanded. In particular, her knees and elbows pierced through her skin. Each time she moved, blood flowed freely from her body. In spite of that, though, she leaped around with clear purpose. Her silver hair grew violently disheveled. Chunks wrapped around her limbs tore free, taking bits of scalp with them as they went.

[Assistant] “Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee, ha-ha-ha-ha, hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Even so, she continued laughing at the top of her voice. Recollections started flashing through Kaito’s mind. Then, despite knowing that it was the most meaninglessly sentimental thing he could possibly do, he began filtering through his memories.


[User] First, he thought back to what had happened in the Capital, back when the demonic mass of flesh had invaded. Izabella’s straight silver hair had glistened in the moonlight. Back then, not a single scar had marred her skin. After unhesitatingly taking the Kaiser’s contractor’s hand in hers, she’d spoken.

[Assistant] “Let’s take out that demon together.”

[User] Next, he thought about the events back in the demon’s world, the space where everything died.


[User] Paying no heed to the fact that the force of her mana was tearing apart her skin from inside, Izabella had shouted at him through a communication device. “Don’t give me that nonsense, Kaito Sena! Enough is enough! You should be looking for any help you can get, even if it comes from a monster! Don’t you want to save the suffering people as soon as possible?”

[Assistant] She had been the one to deal the final blow to the gatekeeper within, a monster that the Grave Keeper had created by fusing a demon with a divine creature. Despite her trembling hands, Izabella had laid her arm horizontally over her chest. Despite her flowing tears, she’d given it a bow. “No longer must you be bound by the chains of your tortured existence. Your efforts guarding the tomb did not go unnoticed.”

[User] Izabella had stood with her back to the exploding light. Even while she rejected Kaito and the others, she’d still smiled. “That we are, I suppose. Idiots, one and all.” The lacerations running across her pale skin had twisted unattractively. Yet, even so, Izabella Vicker was beautiful. She had truly been beautiful.


[Assistant] I… I can… As he tried to finish thinking through his answer, though, Kaito found himself interrupted. Crimson flower petals had begun gently fluttering around him. Startled, Kaito felt his eyes go wide. At some point, crimson had become interspersed with the silver snowflakes dancing through the air. A violent wind broke out, and petals and feathers flew through the air as though trying to blot out the milky sky. Astonished as he was, Kaito was reminded once more of a certain truth. Sentiment had the power to radically change the weight of a murder. That was only natural.

[User] But there’s someone I know who’s fully willing to trample their own thoughts and feelings underfoot. She was someone who paid no heed to the wails of others, no matter how grief-stricken or forlorn they might be. And she had the power to utterly destroy her own feelings and sentimentality. The hefty sins she bore on her back did nothing to dull the resonance of her loud laughter.


[User] She was arrogant, and at the same time, she knew full well what it meant to take a life. Her black hair fluttered as she began advancing, passing by Kaito in silence. When she did, she didn’t spare him so much as a glance. She said nothing to anyone else, either.

[Assistant] “Resent me to your heart’s content. ’Tis your right to do so.” Unhesitatingly, she looked into those blue and purple eyes. Her gaze didn’t waver for a moment. Just like she’d done for Marianne and the children who’d been fused to the mass of flesh, she gazed at the one she intended to kill.

[User] At the same time, Kaito felt as though he’d been struck by lightning. What am…what the hell am I doing?

[Assistant] “Go now to your rest.”

[User] “Elisabeth, wait!” The shout escaped Kaito’s lips half-unbidden.

[Assistant] Elisabeth whirled to face him, clearly annoyed.

[User] Izabella stooped over, then let out a growl.

[Assistant] Keeping a careful eye on her movements, Elisabeth heaved a sigh. “What, are you going to insist that we can save her or some such nonsense? Idiocy taken to extremes can border on sin, you know.”

[User] “No, that’s not it! I just need you to hold on for a minute.” Kaito tried to take a step forward. When he did, though, he realized something. Even though his thoughts were clear and level, his knees were on the verge of unceremoniously giving way.

[Assistant] Hina quickly rushed over to his side. She gently took his hand in hers to comfort him. “Master Kaito, your hand… I understand what it is you’re thinking. What a truly kind man you are. If you wish to do this, even though your legs tremble so, then I shall accompany you.”

[User] “Thanks, Hina. Every step I take forward is thanks to your help.” Kaito returned Hina’s soft squeeze. Then, with her by his side, he stepped before Elisabeth. Awkward as his demeanor was, the Torture Princess didn’t laugh at him. She simply waited for him to speak. As he gazed at her, he ruminated on something. Back at the entrance to the underground tomb, when he and Elisabeth had been crossing blades, what was it he’d been thinking about? Why had he fought so hard to avoid being killed by the Torture Princess? It wasn’t fear of death. It was mindless obsession. That’s right. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to die. It was something way more important than that. Like hell I’m gonna let Elisabeth kill me. Like hell I’m gonna let her kill anyone else she cares about. That was what had been going through his mind. Isn’t that right, Kaito Sena?! The number of people whom one could choose to save at all costs was highly limited. Kaito was well aware of that fact. Back before he was reincarnated, he hadn’t had a single person who was precious to him.


[User] That was precisely why he’d decided to fight to the bitter end to protect the ones he’d found in this life. But this demon-ridden world was harsh and cruel. His experiences in his past life had helped him learn one thing quickly: Due to his powerlessness, his arms could reach only a handful of people. Because of that, he’d chosen to put Elisabeth Le Fanu ahead of the whole world. He’d decided to put his entire existence on the line to save that dreadful, horrible, peerless sinner. What, then, could he possibly have to tremble about? “Indeed—one who forgets their greatest wish is naught but a fool masquerading as a saint.”

[Assistant] The Kaiser had told him to trample over everyone who stood in his path. Kaito ground his teeth. Even if Izabella’s smile had been beautiful. Even if she’d been radiant as she foolishly strode straight forward. That was something he couldn’t allow the Torture Princess to bear. “I’ll be the one to kill Izabella Vicker.” And with that, Kaito made his declaration.

[User] He squeezed Hina’s hand in gratitude. Then, after tapping the back of her hand to set her mind at ease, he let go of it and strode alone toward Izabella.

[Assistant] The Torture Princess narrowed her crimson eyes.

[User] Hina closed her eyes, then opened them.

[Assistant] Lute hung his head downward.

[User] Kaito Sena raised his hand high and made to snap his fingers. Then, right before he could, a massive silver fist came crashing into him. “Hmm?”

[Assistant] “Wh—?”

[User] “Master Kaitoooooooooooo!”

[Assistant] Elisabeth arched an eyebrow.

[User] Lute was dumbstruck.

[Assistant] Hina let out a cry.

[User] As for Kaito himself, it took a couple of violent revolutions of his body before the fact that he’d been punched set in. He then descended in a cartoonish tailspin.

[Assistant] A moment before he crashed to the ground, though, Hina successfully slid into position to catch him. “A-a-a-a-are you all right, Master Kaito? I had no idea you would go popping and whizzing through the air like that, my beloved. Oh heavens, what would I have done if I hadn’t caught you?”

[User] “H-Hina… Ow, ow, what happened to me?”

[Assistant] “Why, it was her.” Confused as she was, Hina’s tone when she answered Kaito’s question was filled with unmistakable reproach. At the other end of her pointed gaze, a single individual was walking forward. Her honey-blond hair danced luxuriously. It was the golden girl, her outfit as risqué as ever. Behind her was a steel giant. Deus Ex Machina had merged back together, and it was the one who’d punched Kaito.

[User] Her rose eyes flickered as Jeanne de Rais looked down on Kaito Sena. When she spoke, her voice was cold. “As the one who chose Izabella Vicker as my evangelist, getting to the bottom of her transfiguration is my duty. Sorry for butting in just when you worked up your resolve, but I’m gonna need you to back down now."


[User] "This one’s mine.” Then Jeanne turned to face Izabella and looked down on her transformed, monstrous form. After slightly narrowing her eyes, Jeanne raised an arm.

[Assistant] The steel giant squared off in response. Spiderweb cracks splintered in the ice beneath its feet. "Granting her death will be my responsibility. Arrogantly, selfishly, and self-righteously shall I lower the curtain on her life… No, my apologies. Allow me to correct myself, that I may speak the untarnished truth. Granting her death will be my privilege.” Jeanne spoke with imposing dignity.

[User] Izabella offered no reply. Blood and drool dribbled from her lips, and she receded backward, as though on high guard.

[Assistant] Jeanne watched over her calmly. Then, eventually, the corners of her lips curled up into something resembling a smile. “It seems the stories were true… First loves just ain’t meant to be.” The next moment, Izabella dashed forward like a lion.

[User] When she did, a steel fist crashed hard into her side.

[Assistant] Kaito watched over the state of the battle, still swaddled in Hina’s arms.

[User] Lute opened his mouth in bewilderment.

[Assistant] Elisabeth crossed her arms.

[User] That was just how powerful Deus Ex Machina was after returning to one body. “I suspected as much. You didn’t need to consume something like that to attain power, li’l miss.” Jeanne began talking to Izabella. While she did, the steel giant continued mercilessly swinging its fists. Even if they tore or were sliced, Izabella’s limbs and torso would quickly regenerate. Because of that fact, the steel giant narrowed down its attack to blunt strikes. Its fist carved a straight arc through the air. Its offensive options may have been limited, but its movements surpassed the perception of man and beast alike. Unable to avoid the strike, Izabella was dashed hard against the cold ground. The subsequent blow crushed her body. Her bones writhed, trying to return to their original positions. As they did, her flesh loudly burst. The regeneration had been too much for her, and her ribs had popped out through her back like springs.

[Assistant] Lute’s lupine snout scrunched up. Unable to take it anymore, he averted his eyes.

[User] Kaito was silent as he watched the one-sided beatdown.

[Assistant] Hina was silent as she watched the one-sided beatdown.

[User] Elisabeth was silent as she watched the one-sided beatdown.

[Assistant] “Gah… Ahhh… Argh… Geh…” Izabella violently retched. Blood and countless chunks of flesh spilled out onto the ice. For the first time, Izabella looked afraid. She dragged her broken legs along as she tried to put distance between herself and Jeanne.

[User] Jeanne gracefully approached the fleeing Izabella, steel giant in tow. Then, with an almost terrifying calmness, she continued talking. “Divided as they were from the titan, miss, you once managed to reach me through Bandersnatch and Gargantua. And as you were before, you would have remained composed even in the face of Deus Ex Machina’s parts combined. So what’s this sorry shit?


[User] "I told you not to go, didn’t I?”

[Assistant] “Graaaaaaaaaah, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Jeanne received a low, terrified roar in reply. Her words didn’t seem to have reached Izabella.

[User] Jeanne’s rose eyes narrowed just a hair.

[Assistant] Izabella’s entire body undulated. Her flesh was rapidly expanding. Muscle fibers began wrapping around her still-exposed ribs. When they were finished, they’d formed sets of winglike, fleshy protrusions. Her body’s damage was forcibly being compensated for, but it was impossible to completely negate the wounds from the blows she’d received. Izabella drew back even farther. Even while she was retreating, her movements took on a frailer quality to them.

[User] Jeanne gazed expressionlessly at the veritable wounded animal before her. “…I told you.” Jeanne whispered, her voice sounding truly young.

[Assistant] “Gah, ah, ahhh, grahhhhhhhhhhhhh, gyah!” Izabella recklessly leaped at the giant only to be brushed away like a flea for her troubles. The arc she painted through the air on her way to the icy ground was almost comical. Bones and flesh writhed beneath her skin once more. However, her regeneration was growing more and more chaotic. Strange convulsions ran all across her body. Izabella managed to lift herself off the ground, enduring no small amount of pain as she did. She looked ready to leap again.

[User] “I think that’s enough, little lady. Just submit to your pitiful, tragic rest.” Jeanne spoke coolly, directing her words at Izabella’s trembling back.

[Assistant] “Gah, ah… Gaaaaaaaah!” Izabella let out a meaningless moan.

[User] Jeanne opened her mouth. Before she could say anything, though, she showed a rare moment of hesitation. After closing her mouth and opening it again, the whisper seemed to practically spill unbidden from her lips. “You are a leader, though perhaps only in name, no?”

[Assistant] When it did, Izabella stopped in her tracks. Her silver hair violently shook as she suddenly turned to look over her shoulder. When she did, she focused her blue and purple eyes on Jeanne, just as she had once before.

[User] “Ms.…Izabella?”

[Assistant] “Izabella…”

[User] "Izabella..." Kaito and Hina both reflexively called out her name.

[Assistant] She gave no reply. However, the light of reason had faintly made its way back into her eyes. It was fleeting, though, and ephemeral. She was on the verge of being ruled by nothing more than her base animalistic instincts of pain and starvation and the fear of death. Her face morphed unattractively back and forth. From senseless beast to human, from human to beast. Once her internal battle had finished, Izabella’s trembling legs set into motion. She sat down in place. Her silver hair gently sagged as she bowed her head and went motionless. It was as though she was asking that they cut off her head and be done with it.

[User] “Impossible… How can this be? How can she retain her sanity even after being transfigured so?” Elisabeth’s voice was filled with disbelief. Her words echoed Kaito’s sentiments as well.

[Assistant] Jeanne remained silent. Her rose eyes, though, opened wide in what could only be described as bafflement.


[User] She seldom showed anywhere close to that much emotion. The next moment, her eyes rapidly set into motion. She cast her gaze away from Izabella, focusing it on the Grave Keeper with such intensity that sparks seemed likely to start flying out. The scarlet-clad girl, for her part, replied to the hostile stare with a warm smile.

[Assistant] “I see. So shit was weird from the start, huh?” Jeanne nodded.

[User] As Jeanne spoke, Kaito realized something. All the transformed people they’d seen had had their eyes engorged, congested with blood and sometimes even ruptured. Yet, Izabella’s eyes had been just as beautiful as ever. Coming from someone who knew what she’d looked like originally, Kaito felt the state of her transformation had seemed near-absolute. In truth, though, the degree to which she’d been transformed was probably comparatively lighter. In all likelihood, the paladins on the verge of death had had their skin melting off beneath their armor. Kaito tumbled out of Hina’s arms. He unconsciously covered his mouth. Was it because Izabella resisted? Or…did the Church do that intentionally? Either way, she must not have eaten much of the demon meat. But in the end, what difference did that make? The fact that she was beyond saving remained unchanged. That was what the rational part of his brain determined. At the same time, however, a wave of discomfort ran over him. She…should be, but… There’s something off about Jeanne.

[Assistant] There could be little doubt that the golden Torture Princess was even more rational than Kaito was. At the moment, though, she had completely laid off the attack. She merely blinked, her rose eyes flashing. “…This falls outside my expectations. But not yours, I suppose?” Jeanne continued staring at the Grave Keeper as she murmured.

[User] The young girl offered no reply, instead just continuing to smile her perfectly unnatural smile. Her gaze was affectionate, so much so that it evoked the image of a saint. It was an expression one would hardly expect to come from the one who’d birthed this hellish situation.

[Assistant] Her whispered voice had a rare tone of bewilderment to it. “It seems that I do have the power to save you, little lady.” Jeanne turned back toward Izabella once more.

[User] “What? !” Kaito couldn’t stop himself from letting out a shout. As he did, Deus Ex Machina moved. Despite its considerable mass, it gave off no noise or presence as it advanced. And then the giant ruthlessly crushed Izabella.

[Assistant] “W-wait, you, you just said you could save her! You said you can save her, didn’t you?”

[User] “Yes, I can save her. And this is a necessary step in doing so.” After returning to his senses, Kaito shouted out yet again, to which Jeanne replied coolly. However, it certainly didn’t seem that way to him. Deus Ex Machina slowly lifted its fist. Unsurprisingly, Izabella’s body was almost completely crushed.


[User] "Allow me to reiterate myself. This is sufficient. The bits I smashed weren’t necessary, see?"

[Assistant] "Unnecessary?"

[User] “Now, all I have to do is remove them.”

[Assistant] Kaito asked his question in an uneasy tone.

[User] Jeanne replied with conviction. His reaction was one of blank shock.

[Assistant] “Then we can do our best to supplement the places where the demon meat set its roots in with parts from Deus Ex Machina.” But Jeanne unconcernedly laid out a means by which to preserve Izabella’s life.

[User] "Wait, is that even possible?”

[Assistant] “It is. They’re weapons designed for combat, but they can alter their forms as they please. They can even act as human organs. However, in doing so, we would lose access to a powerful weapon.”

[User] Kaito’s eyes went wide in comprehension.

[Assistant] Kaito looked over at Izabella’s crushed body. Then he turned his gaze to the Grave Keeper, who was looking at Jeanne like a shepherd watching over a lost lamb. Kaito suddenly recalled the inscrutable declarations she’d made.

[User] “For the sake of the world, for the sake of the people, our revered Saint fell into slumber and shed tears of blood! That is what flows through the roots of the Church—her unrewarded love, her noble self-sacrifice! In the name of faith, in the name of the world, she cast herself aside! And what could that be but the most desirable trait possible for those chosen to possess! I have sacrificed everything, discarded even my ego! Can you, the chosen ones, say the same?"

[Assistant] “Please, show me tragic devotion befitting the favor you’ve received! Show it to me, if you’d be so kind!”

[User] As that question rattled around in Kaito’s head, though, he was suddenly interrupted.

[Assistant] “What to do; what to do?” A distracted murmur echoed out. Kaito’s eyes went wide.


[User] Of all the things she could be doing, Jeanne was standing before Izabella’s crushed frame with her arms casually folded.

[Assistant] His voice grew rough as he pointed at Izabella’s dying body. “What the hell are you talking about?! What is there to think about? You can save her, can’t you? !”

[User] “Indeed. I can save her.”

[Assistant] “You said she was your first love, didn’t you? !” Kaito’s scream was so forceful, he risked damaging his throat.

[User] A beast-like growl slipped from Kaito’s mouth.

[Assistant] When she spoke, her voice was just as calm. “Allow me to ask you a question, then, mister. Is that deed truly more worthy than bringing about salvation?”

[User] “Screw you. Shut up.” Kaito violently repudiated the correct answer he’d arrived at.

[Assistant] Jeanne blinked.

[User] “Don’t listen to me!”

[Assistant] “…Pardon?”

[User] “Don’t listen to anyone! Think about it yourself! Think about it yourself, all on your own! Don’t let anyone else decide for you what is and isn’t more precious than the world! You have to choose; you have to make the decision!"


[User] "Dammit, you, you’re not thinking at all!”

[Assistant] “You’re saying rather strange things, mister. What are you suggesting it is that I’m not thinking about?”

[User] “You can’t seriously tell me you paid a single thought to whether you’d regret it or not!”

[Assistant] Upon hearing Kaito’s accusation, Jeanne cocked her head to the side. It was faint, but her lack of expression started crumbling a little. She blinked as she replied, her voice filled with utter astonishment. “Whether I would regret it or not? That don’t matter for shit.”

[User] “Like hell it doesn’t! And the moment you couldn’t immediately say that you wouldn’t proves it, goddammit! You’re the one who brought up first love, so don’t you dare pretend you’re some robot who doesn’t know what emotions—Oh, right, this world doesn’t have robots… Anyway, don’t talk like you’re pretending you don’t have feelings! Dammit, how can you be so…how can you be such a…?” Kaito was even more dumbfounded than Jeanne was. Unable to find the words he was looking for, he stomped his foot on the ground. Then he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. The words he finally found were equal parts earnest and ill-fitting. “How can you be such an idiot?”

[Assistant] “I see. How nonsensical. However, this does mark the first time anyone has ever asked me that.” Jeanne’s whisper was quiet and subdued. She looked back over at Izabella. The convulsions running across her body were growing weaker and weaker. Yet, Jeanne refused to move, as though she were frozen solid. The heavy silence persisted.

[User] Kaito was on the verge of wringing more words out of himself. Before he could, though, Jeanne hesitatingly opened her mouth, then closed it again. After repeating that process a few times, she finally managed to get the words out.

[Assistant] “What do you think, miss, Torture Princess Elisabeth Le Fanu?” The question had an almost desperate ring to it. Likely expecting words of rebuke, Jeanne elaborated on her inquiry to the black Torture Princess, the woman cut from the same cloth as herself. "You consider all equally. You bear heavy sins and will someday burn at the stake for them. You refuse to betray those you’ve killed, and you obstinately continue your life as an arrogant, honest sinner. If it were you—?”

[User] “Hell if I know. Silence. I’m tired of listening to you.” The reply came in three curt remarks. Furthermore, it came from a location that nobody had expected. Everyone present turned to look. Lute, in particular, gave a heavy gasp. Elisabeth Le Fanu was positioned in midair. Facing her target, she was holding her sword aloft. On the other end of her sword stood the Grave Keeper, whose scarlet robe fluttered as she looked up at the Torture Princess aiming for her. Everyone felt as though time had frozen over. The sinner and the zealot exchanged a meaningful stare. The Grave Keeper could have easily given orders to the paladins, who were still kneeling to the side.


[User] However, she persisted in her silence. The crimson blade drew toward the pale neck, almost as if the two were destined to meet.

[Assistant] The moment before the sword reached its target, the Grave Keeper spoke as though in prayer. “‘You are free to act as you will. But pray that God shall be your salvation. For the beginning, the middle, and the end all lie in the palm of His hand.’” Her quiet, hopeful smile had never left her face. As the Grave Keeper spoke to her killer, her expression was steeped in heartfelt affection.

[User] “Hallelujah.”

[Assistant] Elisabeth’s blade sliced through her young neck. Blood surged. The Grave Keeper’s round little head went flying through the air. It then rolled along the ground, eventually coming to a stop still draped in its scarlet hood. A pool of blood quietly gathered. The Grave Keeper had been killed before their very eyes, and she hadn’t so much as put up a fight.


[User] The paladins didn’t move. The way they refrained from counterattacking implied that they’d been given orders not to beforehand. Instead, they stood up in unison and raised their arms horizontally over their chests. Turning to face the Grave Keeper’s corpse, they bowed. Their postures seemed to be ones of mourning.

[Assistant] Kaito arrived at a hypothesis that the Grave Keeper’s escorts seemed to have had a relatively high compatibility with the demon meat and that maybe that was because they’d willingly chosen to consume the meat and carefully tuned their portions. No matter what kind of person they are, anyone with a strong will will inevitably find admirers, even if that person harbored nothing but madness, just so long as their conviction was unshakable.

[User] "Tch, how ghastly. ’Tis my first victory to ever be so irksome.” Elisabeth landed on the ground unopposed. She clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.

[Assistant] A violent wave of confusion washed over Kaito. The Grave Keeper had died, and she hadn’t even tried to defend herself. And she’d probably even told the paladins not to retaliate. But why? He had no idea what she’d been trying to accomplish, and pondered if they should really be playing along with the Grave Keeper’s scheme like this. Plagued by his misgivings, Kaito turned to look back at Jeanne. She still hadn’t made her decision. Instead, she was looking at Elisabeth in supplication.

[User] Elisabeth dispelled her sword and began walking. It didn’t look as though she intended to give Jeanne any replies past the three she already had. The black Torture Princess passed by the golden Torture Princess. Suddenly, though, Elisabeth came to a stop. Still facing forward, she gave a quiet murmur. “’Twere it I, I would ask no one. And if any dared tell me what to do, I’d lend them no ear.”

[User] “Yet, ask you did. I obtained power by killing people as they wailed and screamed. You obtained power by killing the willing. One part the same, one part different—not that I was informed, at any rate. In truth, I find it unpleasant that such a woman would declare herself Torture Princess. That is what I say to you, Jeanne de Rais, the saint, the whore, and the maiden of salvation.” Only Elisabeth’s eyes moved as she gazed at her in profile. When Elisabeth spoke next, her voice was cold beyond belief. “Do as you please. ’Twere it I, I would kill her. But you are not I. And the burden of your choice shall be yours alone to shoulder. But bear no conceits—saving the world and destroying it are but mere matters of personal selfishness.”

[Assistant] “…It would seem both my options are cruel. But damn, this one’s a doozy.” Jeanne’s voice was quiet and subdued.

[User] The ebony Torture Princess resumed walking, leaving her behind. Elisabeth left Kaito and the others behind as well as she headed toward the Butcher.

[Assistant] Kaito hurriedly grabbed Hina by the hand and followed behind.


[User] As they ran, Kaito cast a fleeting glance backward.

[Assistant] Only Jeanne and Izabella remained atop the ice.

[User] Alone, the golden Torture Princess gazed down upon the dying woman. She gazed down upon the person who, by all rights, she should let die. She gazed down upon the first woman she’d ever loved.

[Assistant] "I'll…" Jeanne's whisper came out hoarse. Then her head flopped to the side. For the first time, her expressionless visage shattered. With a perplexed look on her face, she let out a childlike whisper.

[User] "...I...will?" And then Jeanne de Rais, the saint, the whore, and the man-made maiden of salvation, made her choice.


[User] Kaito and the others ran atop the narrow pathway that sat between the two fissures. Bottomless abysses lay on either side. One wrong step and they would be swallowed up by the unknowable darkness. They dashed quickly but carefully.

[Assistant] As he quickened his pace even further, Kaito felt a strange pressure coming from ahead. It was like a wind was blowing up from the bottom of the pit. However, the air around him didn’t seem to be moving an inch. Now that he thought about it, the snow had stopped falling as well. The atmosphere was frozen over and tense. It felt as though the whole world were holding its breath.

[User] Even so, he kept on running. Eventually, as he closed in on the figure’s back, he called out to it. “Butcher!”

[Assistant] “Why, if it isn’t Mr. Dim-Witted Servant, Madam Elisabeth, and Ms. Lovely Maid! And the rest of you fine people, you’re all here!” The Butcher did a little hop.

[User] Perplexed, Kaito came to a stop. Everyone else did the same.

[Assistant] Elisabeth frowned in displeasure.

[User] Jeanne, bringing up the rear, wore a serene expression on her face. Not looking at the Butcher, her gaze was solidly fixed on the woman she was cradling in her arms. It was Izabella, with more than 70 percent of her body supplemented with machine parts. She was adrift in a defenseless slumber.

[Assistant] As the Butcher looked at her, he let out a surprised cry. “Ah, so that’s what you chose! Goodness gracious, what a surprise! I had a hunch, somehow or other, yet it’s a surprise all the same!”

[User] “You little…”

[Assistant] “Humans really are intriguing creatures, I must say. They have wisdom surpassing any beast, yet at times they find themselves driven by their emotions despite knowing full well how illogical they’re being.


[User] “You knew this was gonna happen, just like the Grave Keeper did, then?” Kaito’s voice was full of quiet rage, indicating his revulsion and fury at having been toyed with by the two of them.

[Assistant] “Oh no, I just heard bits and pieces of information from my little whelp. So I figured, this is what would happen if the golden, Deus Ex Machina–wielding Torture Princess butted heads with the Grave Keeper, that’s all. She was quite the devout believer, after all, and she had a rather solid head on her shoulders. But, me oh my, I’m just glad that that delightful woman is all right!” His response was clear and prompt.

[User] “You don’t get to say that!”

[Assistant] “I’m being entirely sincere! Back when I was trapped in the Gibbet, she was kind enough to show me concern. Wishing death on her was the furthest thing from my mind!”

[User] “Skip the nonsense, Butcher.” A cold voice interrupted Kaito and the Butcher’s exchange. Slipping adroitly through the group’s ranks, Elisabeth took her place at its head.

[Assistant] “You referred to yourself as the enemy of the world. And even had you not, this entire affair began when you sold Vlad that demon meat. Was this nonsense about restructuring your desire as well? Every creature in this world may well die thanks to you. So you can skip the nonsensical rejoicing over a single woman’s survival.” She then went on, marking the Butcher as an enemy with her gaze.

[User] “Hmm, I must say, calling it my ‘desire’ is really quite off the mark. But I suppose you are right.”

[Assistant] “Yet, at the same time, you invited us here. To what end?”

[User] The Butcher offered no answer. Instead, he began thinking to himself and turning about idly in place. As he did, his usual cross-marked sack dangled from his shoulder. Then he began humming a strange tune.

[Assistant] “Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho, my meats are the finest meats around! Filled with love and bravery, they’ll never let you down! Eat them and your courage will increase one millionfold! As always, I’m your friendly neighborhood Butcher! Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!”

[User] “…!” Kaito shuddered in spite of himself.


[Assistant] The Butcher was acting the same as always. Given their current situation, only madness could account for that. And at the same time, a sort of melancholy struck him as well. It was the kind of pathos one would feel toward a clown atop a stage, the kind of pity one felt toward those who had no choice but to play the part of the comic. Could it be that none of us has ever known the Butcher for who he really is?

[User] “To the contrary, Mr. Dim-Witted Servant!” Kaito’s gaze had apparently been enough to convey his sentiment, as the Butcher hopped up and down in protest.

[Assistant] When he finally landed, he thrust his finger straight toward Kaito.


[User] “I’m overfond of tall tales, it’s true, but never once have I told a lie! Thank you very much! Okay, well, there’s a small chance that I might have exaggerated a bit from time to time, and I might have told a lie here and there, but… Ahem. But the kind, adorable, lovable Butcher you’ve all come to know and love is the real deal! It merely…wasn’t all there was to me.”

[Assistant] “Truth, lies, they make little difference. The point where such things mattered has long since passed.” Elisabeth offered no reaction to the gloomier words the Butcher had ended his speech with. She stepped forward, as though to demonstrate how fed up she was. Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal glittered in her hand.

[User] “Now, I’ve but one question for you. Where is the Saint?” With each step she took forward, the Butcher took one back. The heel of his foot struck a hard, frozen snowflake. It slid backward a smidgen, then was soundlessly swallowed up by the darkness. The Butcher had nowhere left to run. Elisabeth thrust Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal toward him, then continued pressing him for answers.

[Assistant] “Talk. We’ve come to kill her. All the way here to the World’s End.”

[User] “And how well you’ve done to make it here. Ah, the efficiency of your questions…how very like you, Madam Elisabeth.”

[Assistant] “You’d do well to understand this, Butcher: The time for buffoonery is over.” Elisabeth’s calm retort shut the Butcher down. His glib remarks came to a complete stop. Tilting his head a smidgen to the side, the Butcher let out a docile murmur.

[User] “…It’s over, is it?”

[Assistant] “We are those who know what goes on behind the stage. Never again can we return to the audience. Not even you would keep performing to no end, I suspect. Isn’t it about time to put an end to this farce?” Elisabeth laid out her question dispassionately. But deep in her voice was a faint hint of sympathy, a fact that caused Kaito no small amount of shock. Hearing Elisabeth show sentiment toward an enemy was a rarity among rarities. Maybe…maybe Elisabeth appreciates where he’s coming from. Like a faithful jester, the Butcher had continued playing out his role. But perhaps he wasn’t the only one who’d chosen to become something instead of just being someone. As he stood before the Torture Princess, the Butcher gently scratched his chin.

[User] “I see, I see. Time to close up shop, is it? Yes, well, I suppose it is.”

[Assistant] “It is, isn’t it? And in following, enough playing around. Tell us what your duty was.”

[User] “In that case, allow me to start by sharing a serious little anecdote with you.”

[Assistant] "Very well. Speak.” Still training her sword on him, Elisabeth jerked her chin. The Butcher nodded, then gave a bow. Then, as though he were laying his heart bare, he began narrating.

[User] “Did you know, Madam Elisabeth?"


[User] "Fairy tales are always born from the smallest of things."

[Assistant] "More of your tall tales, even now?"

[User] "Destiny is much the same way, you see… The very shortest of memories can come to define a man’s whole life." Although his story seemed to have little to do with their current situation, the Butcher persisted in telling it. Serious to the last, he spoke his truth. His voice sounded strangely old and hoarse, and his tone was firm and inflexible.

[Assistant] Although he should have already known it, Kaito realized something all over again. The Butcher is the Saint’s Apostle. In other words, he’d been alive since before the world had even finished forming. In a sense, he was literally the oldest person in existence. He’d lived for far too long for the word lifetime to even begin to cover it. In spite of that, though, the age of the memory he was laying out hadn’t worn it away in the slightest.

[User] “Madam Elisabeth, do you have memories of your mother?”

[Assistant] Elisabeth replied with silence.

[User] Kaito suddenly thought back on the facts he knew. Elisabeth’s parents had died in an “unfortunate accident.” Right before it, though, there had been sightings of a massive black dog.

[Assistant] The Butcher peeked around behind Elisabeth. His gaze landed on Kaito and Hina. “Mr. Dim-Witted Servant and Ms. Lovely Maid, what about…? No, I suppose not. My apologies. Whether or not one has such memories varies from person to person. It’s neither a good thing nor a bad one. But I…I have them. Not that she could truly be called my mother, that is.”

[User] "You mean…?"

[Assistant] “The moment I attained consciousness in her arms, the very first things I saw… Over the course of my long, long life, not once have I ever forgotten that memory. Not once could I forget that memory.” The Butcher’s voice was calm and quiet.

[User] Kaito sucked in his breath. The person who created him was the Saint. When he spoke about her, his tone remained light, but his voice grew weighty. Contained within it were hatred; grief; a vast, untarnished amount of love; and a frightening amount of passion and emotion. The scant few decades of a human’s life could never even come close to attaining such sentiment, nor were they sufficient in understanding such a feeling. The only thing capable of swallowing up the Butcher’s emotions was the crystal-clear air. At long last, Kaito realized something—why the snow had stopped and why the wind wasn’t blowing. The world is waiting for the Apostle to tell his story.

[Assistant] “In the end, I was but a single seed of evil. A pawn without even a name to his name. And I’ve understood that fact for a long, long time.” The Butcher took a deep breath, then exhaled. He clutched at his tattered clothes. Then he went on, forcing the words out of his throat.


[User] “But I saw that smile… I saw that smile.” Just what was he saying about that expression he’d seen? He spoke with alarming speed as he elaborated on his answer. “It was the smile of one who had, for the first time, obtained a companion in a desolate, lonely world. It was the desperate smile of one whose absolute solitude had been broken. In that moment, she greeted me with unmistakable love. That smile was more than enough to prove that to me. And…through her tears, she spoke…” Then, just for a moment, the Butcher trailed off. When he spoke again, it was in a voice steeped with nostalgia for a time long gone by, or perhaps one filled with the exhaustion of countless ages. “‘Thank you for being born unto me,’ she said. That was all. And that was enough.”

[Assistant] Kaito narrowed his eyes.

[User] In his entire monologue, not once had he explained why he’d sold the demon meat. At the same time, though, it was more than sufficient as a confession of motive. Because he’d heard those words, the Butcher had carried out the Saint’s mad wish. Despite knowing that it would destroy the world, he had taken the demon meat, and he had sold it.

[Assistant] The Saint’s words to the Butcher had been a blessing, one filled with joy and gratitude. At the end of the day, though, he’d spent his whole life bound by them, and they’d turned him into the entire world’s enemy. In that sense, weren’t they more like a curse, then? Kaito was about to say as much aloud, but he stopped himself. The Butcher didn’t need to be told that. He knew. Yet, even so, those few words of hers had given his whole life meaning. If they hadn’t, he would have stopped walking down this path long ago. He had ascended past the point where regrets were still relevant.

[User] Suddenly, the Butcher took a small breath. Then he set down the white bag on his back. When he did, it made a small sound. Having cast aside the goods he’d carried around for so long, he spoke in a whimsical voice. “I had fun, Madam Elisabeth, Mr. Dim-Witted Servant, Ms. Lovely Maid, really, truly, and deeply. The living cannot live without finding enjoyment in their days. And when I watched you all fight back, my, how radiant you looked. Yet… Yet, knowing full well how mad it is, there is a request I need to fulfill.” For that shall be the evidence of my existence, the sole proof of my love for her.

[Assistant] As Kaito listened to the Butcher’s cryptic declaration, a certain quote resounded within his chest. It’s a nonsensical little fairy tale, and one that’s gone on for a very, very long time. Was the story a tragedy or a comedy? Kaito and the others had no way of knowing. And how is the Butcher planning on bringing it to an end?


[User] What was the mad request he was trying to fulfill? Elisabeth shifted her sword vertically a hair.

[Assistant] “So? Where is this dear Saint of yours?” She asked in a voice fully devoid of emotion.

[User] “Madam Elisabeth, it brought me such joy when you saw fit to voice how delicious something was. Mr. Dim-Witted Servant… No, Mr. Kaito. The fact that you, a mere human, made it this far on conviction alone is something to be proud of. Ms. Lovely Maid…Ms. Hina. Thank you for preparing my meats so exquisitely. And congratulations on your wedding.” The Butcher’s voice was light as he obstinately ignored Elisabeth’s question.

[Assistant] Her irritation was about to show on her face, but at the last moment, the corners of Elisabeth’s mouth froze.

[User] Kaito rapidly went pale.

[Assistant] Hina rapidly went pale as well.

[User] Lute looked around restlessly.

[Assistant] Jeanne offered no response.

[User] Kaito took off at a dash.

[Assistant] Hina took off at a dash.

[User] Elisabeth reached out with her sword-free hand.

[Assistant] “Butcher, no!”

[User] “The time has come to close up shop. This marks my final task as a merchant: delivering meat.” The Butcher didn’t, in fact, stop, instead taking off at a dash himself. The way he ran wasn’t forward but backward. Yet, nothing lay there except darkness.

[Assistant] “I said so, did I not? The fairy tale must come to an end.”

[User] Kaito’s eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. Just as he’d thought, the last thing the Butcher had said had been his final testament.

[Assistant] “Tch!” Elisabeth snapped her fingers. Having seen that her arm wouldn’t reach far enough, she summoned forth a vortex of crimson petals and darkness from the air. Her aim was unsteady, perhaps due to her agitation. However, the chains just barely managed to wrap around the Butcher’s arm.

[User] Kaito breathed a sigh of relief.

[Assistant] “Wh—?”

[User] “And finally, thank you so much for your many years of patronage.” The Butcher’s clawed left arm remained bound by the chains. It, and it alone, dangled in the air. The Butcher had drawn a knife from the many folds of his cloak, then severed his own arm. His body fell, as though it were being sucked in. Ribbons of blood followed him down as the abyss consumed him. In the end, all that remained was that one arm.

[Assistant] Elisabeth stopped at the edge of the cliff.

[User] Hina came to an abrupt halt, too.

[Assistant] Kaito, on the other hand, didn’t. His momentum practically carried him over and into the abyss. Then, with his arm still outstretched, he got ready to leap into the vast darkness.

[User] Elisabeth and Hina frantically wrapped their arms around him. They nearly ended up slipping as well, but the two of them narrowly managed to maintain their footing.

[Assistant] “Get back, you dullard!” They both cried out in unison.

[User] “Master Kaito, please step back!” They both cried out in unison.

[Assistant] “…This isn’t right.” The words tumbled from Kaito’s mouth.


[User] Kaito scooted backward little by little, trying to get his jumbled thoughts in order. Not even he knew what he was trying to say. He didn’t know what it was he found so wrong, so abhorrent. But then, all of a sudden, he realized what it was that was filling him with such sorrow and vexation.

[Assistant] “Thank you for being born unto me.”

[User] This isn’t right, goddammit!” Kaito screamed from the depths of his soul. Tears began spilling out from the corners of his eyes. No matter how many times he’d lost his humanity, no matter how many times he’d tasted the pain of death, Kaito hadn’t shed a single tear. But for the Butcher’s sake, he cried. He let out animalistic wails. But he received no response.

[Assistant] Hina gently stroked his back.

[User] Elisabeth said nothing. She merely snapped her fingers. The silver chain transformed into petals, then vanished. The Butcher’s arm descended, accompanied by crimson. When it did, Kaito felt a faint pressure in his eardrums. He looked up with a start. Then he heard it.

[Assistant] “GRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” A roar reverberated up from the depths of the pit, one that tore the heavens and cracked the earth. The World’s End quaked at the terrible cry. Following the vibration of the atmosphere, cracks began running along the surface of the ice.


[User] “It awakened by consuming the Apostle? What in the blazes is it?” Elisabeth murmured, her voice low.

[Assistant] As she did, a massive pair of wings extended up from the pit to the sky. They were like massive, fleshy flower buds reaching for the heavens. Then, like a flower blooming, the wings unfurled. Rejecting all constraints of gravity and volume, the dragon softly flapped them and took off into the sky. When it did, its entire monstrous body came into view. Compared to its wings and body, its limbs were comparatively stubby. It also had no scales, which was unusual for a dragon. Its pale, pinkish flesh was fully exposed. Between that and its round shape, it called a human fetus to mind. The thin red membrane swimming in the air behind its neck made it look like it was on fire.

[User] Jeanne narrowed her eyes. As she regarded the strange dragon, she said in almost a whisper: “Why, if it isn’t the Legend Dragon, the supreme flesh drake… According to the literature, the male was hunted by a group spearheaded by the merchant of legend. That must be the female, then. Who’da thunk it’d survived by staying out here. Now, this, this is a fairy tale.”

[Assistant] “Man… Looks like those tall tales of yours were true after all.” Kaito muttered in disbelief. He thought back to all the stories the Butcher had told seemingly half in jest. One of those stories had been about the battle against the Legend Dragon. Although he’d dressed them up as tall tales, the Butcher had shared no small number of his memories with them. At that moment, though, harsh winds began to blow and knocked Kaito out of his reverie.


[User] Eventually, her chest entered Kaito’s frame of vision. “Wh—?” As it did, he let out a dumbfounded noise. He finally understood why the Butcher had woken her up. A hard crystal had been forcibly embedded in her soft flesh. And in the Legend Dragon’s chest, encased in the red crystal, something was sleeping. A naked woman was floating within. She looked as though she’d been buried within a coffin suspended in midair. She was horribly defenseless, frozen upside down and submerged naked in the bloodred liquid. Its red crisply offset her white skin.

[Assistant] Hina held down her hair, which was being blown about by the wind. She blinked and whispered in puzzlement: “Is that…the Saint?”

[User] “Man… I guess it makes sense why no one could find her.” With that, Kaito nodded. The Saint had been hidden away in the belly of a sleeping dragon at the bottom of an abyss in a pit at the World’s End. There was no way any ordinary search party could have turned her up. Kaito had no words; he merely looked up at the drifting dragon. The stone in his pocket containing Vlad squirmed, but he ignored it. He didn’t have time to worry about Vlad right now. The Saint they’d been seeking was floating right before their eyes. However, Kaito didn’t have the first clue as to what to do. So what are we supposed to do with her? The being before them was simply too far removed from mankind’s sense of scale. Kaito gazed up at the shadow-casting giant and the woman lodged in its chest in bewilderment. And the Legend Dragon continued to drift.


[Assistant] A low, merciless voice rang out.

[User] “Reenactment of the Plain of Skewers: Impaled Victim.” Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab! Innumerable crimson petals scattered through the air, and countless stakes fired out from them. The silence was shattered, and blood flew through the air. Easily over a thousand iron stakes had buried themselves in the Legend Dragon’s body. The air violently trembled. Kaito was certain that the Legend Dragon had let out a scream, but he couldn’t hear it. It must have been at a frequency that human ears were unable to perceive. The Legend Dragon contorted her body through the air in anguish. Stakes fell out from her trembling flesh in succession. They roared through the sky as they toppled to the ground and pierced the frozen earth. At the same time, massive amounts of blood gushed forth from the Legend Dragon’s wounds. The fresh blood pooled wide atop the ground like a lake. However, a few of the humongous drops twitched, then halted in the air. Several orbs of blood hovered in place.

[Assistant] “Huh?”

[User] “Hmph.” The next moment, the bloody spheres shot toward Elisabeth. The path was narrow—she had nowhere to run. At this rate, Kaito and the others would get taken down as well.


[User] But Elisabeth was the very image of composure. As she swung Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal, darkness and crimson flower petals spread out over the chasm. When they vanished, they left behind a web of chains that covered the hole.

[Assistant] Elisabeth cracked her neck in displeasure. “I first thought of this as I watched the Butcher fall. I must say, I’m disappointed it didn’t occur to me sooner. Ho!” Elisabeth took an acrobatic leap and landed atop the chains. Then, despite her high heels, she effortlessly dashed across their delicate iron loops.

[User] Seemingly uninterested in harming anyone except their foe, the dragon’s bloody spheres took off in pursuit. The countless crimson orbs snapped at her heels like a pack of beasts. Elisabeth weaved a graceful, nimble dance atop the chains. As they grazed her afterimages, the blood pellets fell down. When they came into contact with the chains, they burst into steam and then vanished into the pit. The Legend Dragon lurched unsteadily as she let out a groan. Many of the stakes were still embedded in her flesh. In her current state, she was nothing more than a target.

[Assistant] Kaito thought back on the story he’d just been told. The male Legend Dragon was once hunted down by a group of merchants. If that was the case, then there was no reason why the Torture Princess shouldn’t be able to kill the female.

[User] Grabbing a chain, Elisabeth hoisted herself upside down. After avoiding the blood that had been aiming for her foot, she arched her back and made a soft landing. Then she mercilessly snapped her fingers once more. “Arachnophobia.”

[Assistant] A new swirl of crimson and black appeared high in the sky. Two iron claws shot out of it. Then, like the hands of a long-fingernailed woman, they each split into four and reached for the Legend Dragon. When they did, they snatched her massive wings up by their bases, much like an innocent child would to a small animal. Their pointed tips dug into her draconic flesh as they lifted her high into the air. Another violent tremor ran through the air, the echoes of an inaudible scream. Blood gushed forth and melted the icy ground. The claws froze in the air, almost as though they’d heard the scream. They were finished moving.

[User] But the Legend Dragon’s weight caused her to begin sagging. Each time she did, her wings tore from their bases where the claws remained lodged. She gradually started falling faster and faster. Then the Legend Dragon fell, her wings shredded to pieces. When her fleshy body impacted the ground, its weight caused the earth to quake. Tremors ran through the World’s End. This, of course, caused the skinny path Kaito and the others were standing atop to shake. If not for the fact that they’d immediately grabbed on to the chains stretched out atop it, they very well could have toppled into the abyss.

[Assistant] Lute collapsed onto the chains, then frantically crawled back to the path.


[User] Kaito broke out in a cold sweat and wiped it away with his fist. “Looks…looks like we made it.”

[Assistant] “’Twill only get worse from here, fool! Make haste!” Elisabeth’s angry voice rose up to meet him.

[User] Kaito blinked in astonishment. As he did, he heard a faint popping noise. A chill ran down his spine before he even understood what it signified. The next moment, he discovered that his ominous premonition had been on the mark. Fatal cracks had begun loudly winding across their narrow walkway. Kaito looked up in shock. At some point, Elisabeth had finished making her way across the chains and had reached the side of the cliff opposite them. She was waving her arms atop the solid ground and shouting.

[Assistant] “Hurry! At this rate, you’ll be caught up when it collapses!”

[User] “Oh, now you tell me all of a sudden!”

[Assistant] “It was hardly sudden, mister. That much weight comes crashin’ down, even you should be able to put two and two together.”

[User] “Pardon me, my beloved Master Kaito! But I have no intentions of giving you up to that abyss!” Jeanne was cradling Izabella in her arms and had already begun running.

[Assistant] Kaito, on the other hand, had gotten a late start, so Hina scooped him up. That moment, the ground at her feet shattered. As she carried him bridal-style, Kaito turned to look behind them. The path had started to crumble. The ice sounded like a mirror as it shattered. The fragments glittered as they descended into the darkness. Kaito succumbed to his primal fear and gulped. Hina shot forward, accelerating like a bullet. Lute had originally been behind her, which meant that he was now in front as they ran for dear life. However, due to the weight of his winter gear, his footsteps were sluggish. Hina caught up with him in the blink of an eye. After thinking for a moment, she shifted Kaito to under her arm.

[User] “Master Kaito, this may be somewhat uncomfortable, but I ask that you bear with me! And, Mr. Lute, pardon me!”

[Assistant] “Oh my!” Hina reached her free arm out and snatched Lute up by his burly back. Surprised by her strength, Lute let out a little yelp. Then he reflexively flattened his ears and tucked in his tail. The walkway continued loudly crumbling. If they slowed down even a little, the abyss would swallow them up.

[User] “Ha!” Hina kicked off hard against the ground. The hem of her maid uniform flared out, and the glimmering ice beneath her feet shattered. She skidded as she landed, scattering snowflakes in her wake. The two adult men in her arms screamed. However, their screams were drowned out by a loud clattering noise. Kaito and Lute cautiously looked backward. The thin path between the two crevices had vanished without a trace. Now that the obstruction was gone, the two ravines had joined together like a single vast river.


[User] Beyond it was the pit with the chains stretched over the parts of it still visible. Lute shook his entire body, and the fur on his cheeks stood up straight. “Th-that was a rather close shave… To think that Ms. Hina would end up having to carry me. Good gracious, how embarrassing. I do thank you, though. Never shall I forget this debt I owe you.”

[Assistant] “Th-thanks, Hina… Seems like you’re always saving my ass, doesn’t it? Now…” Kaito stared hard, trying to make out what was happening on the other side of the pit. The Legend Dragon was over there, writhing in a lake of her own blood. Eventually, the fierce convulsions running through her body stopped. The red gem in her chest continued glowing unabated. The pale woman was still sleeping inside, like an insect trapped in amber. In a daze, Kaito thought back to what Jeanne had once told him. “Our salvation lies in murdering Diablo, murdering God, and, yes, murdering a human.”

[User] “Is it…is it time?” For now, the Saint had fallen to a place where they could kill her. As he stood atop the World’s End, Kaito Sena thought to himself. The end was finally upon them. All they had to do was kill the Saint, just like they’d originally planned. Ever since he’d heard the Butcher’s lonely soliloquy, every positive thought he’d had about the Saint had vanished. The very fact that the person who’d destroyed the world and built it anew still lived was unnatural. Now, mankind would lose the Saint, and the world would avoid destruction. And they would all live happily ever after. The fairy tale would finally end. Will it, though?

[Assistant] “Now, then, I aim to proceed! Feel free to stay there, you lot; you’d be hindrances at best!”

[User] “Please wait. I, too, shall come… Or rather, allow me to join you, Torture Princess!” Elisabeth called out from the opposite cliffside, and Jeanne replied. Despite her expressionless visage, though, she seemed troubled as she cast her gaze down at the woman in her arms. Izabella was sleeping like a baby. Jeanne gently stroked her mostly metal cheek.

[Assistant] “My dear little lady.” Then, lifting her head, Jeanne looked at Lute. He’d gotten down from Hina’s arm and was currently sitting cross-legged on the ground. Jeanne slowly approached him. He quickly stood up, his fur standing on end to illustrate his wariness. Jeanne stopped directly in front of him, then quietly held out Izabella. Lute seemed bewildered. However, his fur settled down, and he took Izabella from her. Jeanne softly brushed Izabella’s silver hair from her face. Then she gave Lute her quiet request.

[User] “Of the three of you, your arms seem the thickest and most comfortable, mister. I leave her in your hands. Please do not let her go. She is very precious to me. Not that she herself knows, mind you. Hell, she’d probably find it a bother!"


[User] "But hey, that’s first love for ya, am I right?”

[Assistant] “Precious…you say. I understand. Then on my name as Lute, I shall protect her to the last! Hmm?”

[User] Being a devoted husband himself, Lute must have been moved by Jeanne’s words. His ears and tail sprang up as he acquiesced. At the very end, though, it seemed like he remembered the fact that Jeanne had severely wounded him not long ago. Lute hmmed to himself and scrunched up his snout. As he did, Jeanne faced him and bowed deeply. “You have my sincere thanks.” Kaito and Hina felt a slight shock. It was the first time they’d ever seen the golden Torture Princess act so admirably.

[Assistant] Lute’s voice got caught in his throat for a moment before he replied with a docile nod. “Think nothing of it. I may bear resentment toward you, but that has nothing to do with Madam Izabella. And grudge or not, I can hardly forsake another’s beloved. If you would entrust her to me, then I will see to it that she remains safe.”

[User] “Again, you have my gratitude. Thanks a million, li’l pupper.”

[Assistant] “Learn when to stop talking, will you? !” As Lute shouted angrily at her, Jeanne turned around and broke into a run. Hurrying toward Elisabeth, she dashed alongside the rim of the hole. Her radiant honey-blond splendor gradually grew distant. Kaito remained where he stood. If he went, he’d probably just be in the way. All that was left was for the two of them to lower the curtain. The Kaiser was silent, seemingly having lost interest in the way things were proceeding. The stone in Kaito’s pocket was flaring up as usual, but now wasn’t a great time to have a conversation with Vlad. Kaito’s gaze was fixed firmly on the woman within the red jewel. She was still far away, but thanks to the Legend Dragon’s collapse, she was now a good deal closer. She looked utterly defenseless. All they had to do was kill her, and the nightmarish turmoil regarding the world’s restructuring would finally come to an end. Will it, though? However, doubt still welled up unbidden in Kaito’s mind. All of a sudden, he noticed that his heart was palpitating strangely. Sweat was dripping from his entire body. Discomfited, he lost track of his thoughts. Then he pressed down against his forehead.

[User] “Master Kaito? My dear Master Kaito, whatever is the matter? Your face is ever so pale.”

[Assistant] “No, no… I’m fine. It’s nothing… I think it’s nothing.” Hina worriedly stroked his brow. As he felt the soft sensation of her fingertips, Kaito replied. Deep in his mind, though, his childish self was asking his rational self an innocent question. Will it really, really, really, though? No, you’re right. Something’s off. But what? Kaito couldn’t really put his finger on it. But his discomfort raged on, beating incessantly against the inside of his skull. He found himself lost in the strange sensation.


[User] It wasn’t that he wanted to stop them from killing the Saint. At the moment, it was the correct choice to make. But something was off. Will this really, really, really bring everything to a close? Do I really believe that? You’re a big dumb-dumb! his inner child crowed. Think about it carefully, the rational part of his brain murmured. And now that he considered it, there were a number of questions that he and the others had more or less ignored. Why did the Grave Keeper bring Izabella to us like that? Why did she give Elisabeth her blessings, then offer no resistance and practically kill herself off? Why did the Butcher invite us here? Why did he specifically wait for us to arrive before waking up the Legend Dragon? Then, upon noticing another fact he’d overlooked, Kaito went pale. The various races had each received a letter, and in the letter had been a certain phrase. “The beginning, the middle, and the end all lie in the palm of His hand. If you wish to reject those words, make for the World’s End.” But we were the only ones the Butcher didn’t send it to. Perhaps that fact signified something truly terrible. And at the same time, a question he had failed to consider up until then crossed Kaito’s mind. The Butcher had claimed that the whole uproar about restructuring hadn’t been his desire. The Apostle and the fanatics had simply been trying to grant the Saint’s wish. But had anyone ever said that the restructuring itself was what the Saint had been wishing for? That fundamental problem now pierced through Kaito’s brain. He frantically dug through his memories. That’s right—it was the Grave Keeper! She’d said that “God and the Saint have been seeking this restructuring for many ages.” But was the restructuring itself really her true desire? Wasn’t it also a possibility that the reconstructing was simply a natural part of the process involved in granting her true wish? If that was the case, though, then what did the Saint actually wish for?

[Assistant] “Ah!” At that moment, Kaito’s thoughts were forcefully interrupted. An incredible amount of heat was coming off the stone in his pocket. He was about to click his tongue in annoyance, but then he realized something. Vlad’s never been this insistent about wanting to come out before. So what could it be that Vlad wanted to tell him? Kaito hurriedly ran mana through the stone. Azure petals and black darkness fluttered up through the air. When they vanished, they left behind a man in aristocratic attire. Unlike usual, he didn’t move to strike a dramatic pose. Vlad’s limbs dangled loose as he turned to face Kaito. Upon getting a look at Vlad’s crimson eyes, Kaito gulped. Fierce madness and burning thoughts were swirling within Vlad’s gaze.

[User] “…Why?”

[Assistant] “Um…”

[User] “Why did you so obstinately refuse to let me out until now, my dear successor?”

[Assistant] “M-my bad."