The Immortals were holed up in their homes, full of fear. Although they prided themselves on their long life expectancy, they couldn’t escape accidental death. And without the Dark Core, they could not revive. Recovering the Dark Core was difficult in every sense of the word. The best chance to do so was in Karla Amatsu’s hands, yet Waving Moment was not powerful enough to affect willpower. She could heal bodily injuries with her Core Implosion, but she couldn’t rewind people’s memories or emotions. And the Dark Core was a Divine Instrument born from the people’s wishes. She could have fixed it had it been only slightly damaged, but there was nothing she could do now that the willpower given to it had already dispersed. The Ailan dynasty—or rather, the Gandesbloods—were pressed for a countermeasure. But they couldn’t think of anything. Not until the girl with the special Core Implosion showed herself. “Not a good movement of the stars. Life just doesn’t go the way you want it to, eh?” I sighed while walking down the streets of Jingshi. The original plan had been to destroy all the Dark Cores before heading to the Netherworld, but those Star freaks’ rampage had exceeded my expectations. I had to take care of things before my boxed garden went down the path of demise. “Your Highness, where is this door?” Cornelius, walking beside me, asked with excitement. Behind us, Amatsu and Tryphon also looked interested. This felt so right. Spica La Gemini had comrades following her. “Right there. According to Fuyao’s survey, the world leaders headed over to the Polar Union to search for the people who disappeared into the Netherworld. Apparently, they’re going to force open a door by breaking the Dark Core.” “Wait, but why not just use Jingshi’s door?” “It broke after Terakomari’s meteorite hit. The whole thing sounds very interesting… I heard you don’t know where you’ll end up if you cross it! Maybe you’ll get crushed and die as soon as you step through.” “………And we’re going to do that?” “Of course!!” I licked my blood candy and continued walking. Soon, the ruins of the Zijingong palace came into view. At the center of the wreck was a shining door. Normally, there would be a tight security net around the portal, but at the moment, all the soldiers were knocked out on the ground. I couldn’t help but smile. It was so like her that she’d left them alive. “Fuyao! Good job!” “Mm.” Foxgirl Fuyao Meteorite was sitting at a round table. After hearing me call out to her, she timidly rose to her feet. Judging by her lethargic expression, I must have been dealing with the “head.” “…Now we can go to the Netherworld, Your Highness.” “That’s right. And you chose me… I’m so glad!” “Hah.” She looked away. All Lunae worked for the sake of their own goals.
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Cornelius, for her experiments. Tryphon, to serve me. Fuyao, to find her reason for being. Amatsu, to betray me. And I, to shut myself in. What a disjointed group. Laughable in comparison with those Star people. But our wills all pointed in a single direction. “Let’s go! To fulfill our ambitions!” “Hold it. I don’t wanna go if I could die…,” said Cornelius. “But that’s part of the fun! Part of life!” “No, get away fro— Amatsu, help meee! I’m gonna diiie!” “Good. I’m going home,” said Amatsu. “You soulless bastard!” “You’re coming, too!” I told him. I pulled Amatsu and Cornelius’s arms and jumped into the door. Fuyao and Tryphon followed shortly after. Now, then… My Netherworld arc had gotten off to an earlier start than expected. It was time for the climax of my story. Beneath Jingshi was an underground prison. There, the government incarcerated the villains who had rebelled against the dynasty. Terakomari Gandesblood had once visited the place to face the evil grand chancellor Shikai Gudo. In the deepest, most heavily guarded area of the prison was a tall woman. Former Minister of Military Secrets Nerzanpi Rocha. The Death Master, the very same woman who’d brought turmoil to the Enchanted Lands. She was wearing an all-black outfit, like always. It had been a few days since she’d been captured, and she was only allowed one cigarette per day—her mind was getting foggy. “No joy from friends afar…” No sign of Star Citadel coming to help. Rather, they couldn’t come to help, since everyone else was in the Netherworld. Death Master Nerzanpi Rocha was in charge of gathering the Dark Cores. Dead Maestro Tremolo Parcostella was setting the stage for destruction in the Netherworld. Coffin Bearer Nefty Strawberry guarded Yusei. And the aforementioned Yusei was their leader. …We should’ve sent more people here. Now that she thought about it, sending a single person to obtain six Dark Cores was ridiculous. “Nothing to do but leave it in their hands. I’ll bow out here… Hmm?” Just then, Nerzanpi noticed the change. In the candlelight, her shadow began squirming like an animal. Shades could send their shadows across realms—this was how Nerzanpi had kept in contact with her comrades. But distance was a problem when using it. It was impossible for a Shade to freely control their shadow unless they were near the Netherworld—in the middle of the Dark Core Zone, for instance. But Nerzanpi’s shadow was active at this moment. I see. It must be due to the door. Then there was still something she could do. Nerzanpi concentrated to get a grip on the situation in the Netherworld. There was conflict brewing on the other side. Huge emotions whirled violently, giving energy to Yusei. After a couple hours of invoking, the person she was looking for arrived. The biwa bard dressed disheveled in casual vestment. Nerzanpi quietly opened her mouth. “Tremolo… The plan here failed. Kill the vampire Terakomari Gandesblood the moment you see her.”