Surprisingly, my connection with Ariel hadn’t severed, even though I had been taken all the way to hell. That alone felt incredibly strange to me, and it also showed just how powerful Ariel truly was. Or was it something else?
I wasn’t quite sure.
But at the same time—
’Although the connection with her still exists, it’s very weak. A lot weaker than it was in the past. I can’t quite communicate with her just yet.’
Did she get hurt?
Or...
As a certain possibility emerged, my steps slowed.
However, I quickly shook my head.
’It shouldn’t be possible. The Guild Master has placed a seal on her...’
".....Ah."
I closed my eyes.
Thinking back on everything that had happened, I started to get an idea of what could have happened.
’Right... considering the Guild Master’s personality, he most likely removed the seal the moment I disappeared.’
With the seal gone, Ariel was like a completely different person.
She wasn’t something anyone could contain, and by now, she had most likely already caused a great deal of chaos.
"Haha."
For some reason, I laughed.
Instead of feeling afraid of what she and the others might have done, I found the situation oddly amusing. If anything, I felt a sense of anticipation. What kind of sight would be waiting for me when I returned to the others?
"Hm?"
Sensing something, my laugh stopped as I looked behind me.
Taking note of Drake and Esteban’s faces, I touched my face.
"Is something the matter?"
"...No."
"All... good."
"Is that so?"
If so, why were they looking at me like that? It was almost as if they were looking at something scary.
I shrugged my shoulders and turned away from them.
’Maybe they’ve lost it after what happened in the Limbo. Can’t blame them.’
"Hehe."
Thinking back to the situation with Ariel and the others, I laughed again. The space behind me shifted once more, but I paid it no mind. Instead, I continued to chuckle to myself while walking ahead.
But as I continued to walk, my steps gradually slowed as something else crossed my mind.
’Right, now that I think about it, I don’t have any points.’
Leon had ended up taking the Data Transmitter.
Thinking about him, I didn’t feel any anger or anything of the sort.
I felt something else entirely.
Something more twisted.
’Now that I think about it, something doesn’t add up. I remember him saying he watched me hang myself, but the clearer my mind becomes, the more certain I am that it never happened. Was that some trick Paimon used, knowing he couldn’t contain him... or something else entirely?’
I wasn’t quite sure anymore.
Regardless, as things stood, I wasn’t able to acquire many points for my team. I did have a day, but was that going to be enough?
The only hope that I had was in my team.
Hopefully, they did acquire some points.
SWOOOOOOSH!
All of a sudden, something shot into the air, tearing through the thick fog. A moment later, crimson bled into the mist above, slowly spreading through the pale gray like ink in water. For an instant, the drifting veil turned red, the color hanging in the air before it began to thin and scatter with the wind.
I knew in an instant what it was as I started to walk in that direction, Drake and Esteban following from behind.
’I wonder if I’ll be able to make it in time.’
The flare was one of the few ways that I could acquire points.
However—
Sizzle~
Staring at the sizzling pellet, I knew I had been a step too late. The ones who had called for rescue were already gone.
I suddenly grew curious.
’Did they get sent to hell as I did? Or is this the work of an anomaly?’
For a while now, whatever this thing was had been toying with me, and with everyone else here. Even now, I could barely understand how it did what it did, or what it truly was.
Just what was I dealing with?
Crunch!
Lifting my head, I saw several figures appear in the distance, and my eyes narrowed.
This scene... it felt like déjà vu.
Was it just a coincidence?
As I continued to stare in the direction the noise had come from, the silhouettes slowly grew clearer before my eyes.
At the same time, they seemed to notice me as well. They began to approach, only to freeze the moment they properly caught sight of me, too.
"Oh."
For a split second, her face contorted. But just as quickly, it smoothed out, and a genuine smile appeared on her lips.
"I’m really glad to see you here."
No, you weren’t.
"Did you come here to check the flare? What a coincidence that we both ended up here."
No, probably wasn’t.
"Hm? Where is your squad? And..."
Catherine paused, finally noticing the two people standing behind me. The moment she recognized them, her expression shifted ever so slightly.
I explained the situation first.
"They’re with me. We both got separated from our groups, so we decided to work together. Isn’t that right?"
I glanced at the two of them, and they nodded without hesitation. Their quick response caught me off guard for a moment, but I quickly brushed it aside and turned my attention back to Catherine.
The words were about to leave my mouth when I suddenly sensed something, shifting my attention elsewhere. I wasn’t the only one to notice the changes as Catherine and the others also turned their heads, several figures appearing to our right.
More people?
The silhouettes moved forward, and their figures soon became clear. The moment they stepped into view, it felt as though an invisible pressure spread through the air, pressing in from all directions as a young girl with dark hair appeared.
Appearing next to her were her members, each one radiating a pressure that seemed to synergize with hers as she scanned our group, eventually pausing her attention towards me as her brows furrowed.
My brow raised at the sight of her.
’Isn’t she the one from Eclipse?’
What was her name again?
Seraphine? Yes, that was her name.
As far as I was aware, she was extremely young and ranked 11th in the overall rankings. In otherwords, she was a monster.
Scanning our group and then Catherine’s, her eyes narrowed slightly before her gaze finally settled on me.
"You’re him, right?"
Her voice was soft, but clear in my ears.
Strangely, I didn’t feel much under her gaze. Perhaps it was because of everything that had happened to me recently. Even as I stared back at her, there was no pressure weighing down on me.
If anything, I was intrigued.
What exactly could she want from me?
"You’re the one everyone is talking about."
"...Likely."
"Mhm."
Seraphine nodded, her expression unchanged as she shifted her attention toward what remained of the flare, which slowly and gradually sizzled out.
I watched her and her team with some interest, curious to see what she would do next. But the words that came out of her mouth were not what I had expected.
"I more or less understand what’s going on. I’ve been studying this mist, and whatever it is that’s been roaming around. I’ve memorized its pattern, and I’ve also smelled its scent. I should be able to figure out its location soon."
She turned her attention towards me.
"Are you interested in joining my team?"