A young woman ran on the hallways, swiftly and frantic.

"--- --- --- ---"

Her breath blew out countless pant, again and again as if it never stopped as she knew right if she wasn't alone. She kept running more and more until a man appeared before her field of view.

At first glance, he seemed unfamiliar, although his figure was conspicuous. However, if we looked at him more thorough,

Around him unfolded a dark shadow which made out of something bizarre. But, in terms of his attitude, he was on the contrary to the girl.

He showed no panic at all, and a sigh did come out from his mouth.

"--"

He clad in black, except his head.

Short hair, barely white

Dark purple eyes--of course, that was Ruel.

The Crime Lord.

It was odd that he showed up at these times.

Because usually, he observed, watching everything through the shadows as if everything was a movie.

Thereupon, he seemed to look back towards the source of the shadow.

No, he did not gaze back to the source of shadow at all--instead, he knew that presence--even fully from the start.

Hence, he knew the source of the shadow.

Perhaps, his mind did already inform him what it was. It was a massive unidentified creature. It was spherical, and around it, some dozens of tentacles were surrounding that tremendous mass of flesh.

Apparently, that creature whatsoever was the one that blocked the source of light, after all. Because it was so troublesome, then Ruel determined himself to set it aside.

"--Come." He said to the creature.

Afterward, the creature leapt to the ground, as it seemed it was shrinking because its size wasn't originally like that.

Most entities couldn't imagine its size--it was unreachable by them after all. No one of them could fathom what being it is.

Likewise, its power was the same as unfathomable as the size.

It could crumble all worlds themselves to nothingness--no, even those were very unmatching for it. Even it did transcend the Wholeness of The World and unbounded by any concepts and such.

Furthermore, it was a mere sliver of its power. Its actual power even could end most of The Outer Realm people with ease.

However, Ruel thought to himself it was a mass of fodder as if to him it was just a single ordinary dog, despite he had known this.

Back at the point where that creature landed on the stone grounds, he turned his gaze back as if he merely ignored the entity.

And as the creature's jaw emerged from the tentacles, it roared.

But, instead of a booming monstrous sound, a hissing sound could be heard at the ends of its jaws.

Before it had the time to roar--or even landed on the ground, it had already gone. Also, Ruel had raised his right fist upwards as if he threatened that mass of meat with it.

However, actually, he conceptually erased that being permanently by just raising his fist upwards. Then its wave intersected the body and created a hole through the mouth, and it abruptly erased its entire body as if it never existed from the beginning. It was so fast even it ignored the concept of speed, time, and some ilk as perhaps, he deleted and recreated those concepts easier said than done.

And after he eliminated that mass of flesh, he realized.

And suddenly, she also realized.

They were at an intersection of infinite building narrows.

Therefore it was no longer the World.

It was another reality that is bigger than it.

As she bumped right onto him, she fell. Afterward, she tried to stand, but in the end, she didn't manage to do so and sat back to the ground instead.

Now, it revealed her mini-shorts as before her loose t-shirt covered it.

Also, her big thighs were very conspicuous, as though Ruel would be distracted by its' beauty glowing skin.

However, regardless of that, Ruel then approached the girl as soon as possible.

"You okay?" Ruel said as he offered his right hand to her.

As he did so, she was a bit afraid to take it at first. Then, as he convinced her again, she accepted his hand because she sensed no danger in it--instead, kindness did came from it.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Thereupon as she grabbed his hand, his hand helped her to stand up. But, as she stood up, soon she fell back to the ground, as her feet couldn't bear any longer.

When her's body momentum was mid-air, both of Ruel's arms stretched out as those went for the back and leg. As one of his hands grasped her leg, it suddenly felt a good sensation. It was so dazzling and soft as if that vigor hand of him felt the breeze from it. Indeed, now his left hand was holding her thighs.

"You seemed to be so tired,"

said the Crime Lord to her.

When she held her thighs, a relaxed expression crept up onto his face.

--No, that expression rose along with a red blush and a bitter smile that gradually followed it. Next, as he snapped back, he lifted that mass of the combination between that silky fascinating skin and a pair of thick and cylindric flexible muscles, and then another hand of him lifted her back as well.

"--Eh, wait, what are you doing?"

She suddenly asked as probably it was her reaction after Ruel.

But, her tone didn't sound as frightened, but it was just slow but sure.

However, Ruel seemed to ignore her, and instead, he ran off that place as he lifted her on his arms, and suddenly a door appeared right before him.

To be more accurate, it was a bizarre positioning--like there's no way a door built as the ground acts as it walls around.

Thus, as of right now, he was right in front of the door, so he opened it by stomped harshly on it.

And after that, they jumped into that door as if the space inside it was a pool.

And it automatically shut again from inside.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Endou let out another sigh, and then, he spoke as the others encircled him and paid attention to him solemnly.

"Fine, but I'll give you a piece of information about that thing I had seen just now."

"That thing...it was a murder...it wasn't a usual murder at all. Someone must be here a few hours ago.

Everyone suddenly frightened as their eyes were open wide upon heard him say so. But, it was just for a moment as they paid their attention back at Endou.

"--But it wasn't a human's doing at all. It was impossible after all to do this."

"Also, around that place, there was some sorts of liquid that likened to blood. Now it does make the bartender the suspicious man. Maybe he could serve that victim a wine or some ilk, but he failed and killed him instead. You guys have another opinion?"

"Hm, that might be possible. But are you sure about that?" asked Myu.

"Well. and another thing, on the wall, I saw a magic circle back then. It seemed so intricate, so it also made another prospect. It may be still the bartender, or don't tell me,"

"--Someone here had set a trap." Mizuki continued.

As she said it, suddenly their hairs were fluttered at right. The window around them suddenly crashed as those tables around flew as if some bags of dust. And those bottles and cups that encompassed by the bartender's table, pretty much of it fell to the floor with crashing sound.

Perhaps, it was an earthquake or typhoon, but--

"?!"

"Let's go, everyone! We don't have much time to stay because they want to lure us in!"

Endou said as he leapt outside from the crashed windows.

In terms of his gaze or expression, it wasn't clear at all because his very hair covered his entire eyes. However, regarding his tone, it was a bit higher from before, but it was far from screaming at all. His tone sounded to order them to do the same thing as he did; escape.

The height from the streets to the bar's first floor is enough, and that's why they jumped outside. As they ran away, they sensed even the atmosphere in that town changed, and the sky around them was sorts of foggy, although the weather wasn't cold at all.

"...This is getting weirder. Even the skies around us are foggy, as if a haunted town in movies. Something's must be wrong here," Endou uttered some words again as he glimpsed towards his friends.

"?!" As Nami looked on the street, she might see something weird again--

"A trail of blood?! Impossible--how can be?"

It unfolded along the streets around them and placed onto their left.

Now, it was clearly weird, and not even words could defy it anymore.

'How terrible, whom might it be?'

Endou's thought spoke to him as he caught a glimpse of that said blood.

Thereupon, they saw a four intersection road that might lead them straight, left, and right. And they went right as the trail of blood went so.

As they left, an unknown mass of shadow appeared out of the blue, and it utterly went before them by the trail of blood.

And from afar, Endou could see someone on the street. He was lying on it as though his soul was away. As they approached it, it suddenly lost,

and--

"?!"

"HAAahAHAHAAHAhHAHAHAAHAHA!!!" A laugh cried out from somewhere.

"Who's there?!" Endou seemed aware of it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, well,"

A voice of someone also heard from somewhere.

It was a voice of man, loud and clear.

And it sounded as it was nearer from the laugh before.

No, it was more than expected.

Some steps could be heard.

A man suddenly appeared from the foggy space around.

He seemed fancy, though he seemed all alone at the moment.

Perhaps, he was a noble or, he was another magician who wants to join their party.

"Who are you?" Endou asked to him

He wore a white coat that seemed old and fancy with some blue linings and golden parts.

Beneath it, he might wear a shirt or something ilk.

Even though his hair was tidy, he fingered his golden hair again, and he seemed to speak with the source of laughter as it bursts again.

"Stop it." He said as he emanated his booming voice as if the entire place shook.

Then, he turned his gaze back on them.

"Hm. Whom should I start with?"

As he spoke, suddenly his golden staff was thrown back on his hand as it flew out of nowhere.

"I am no more than a mere man that sent by God to fix up this broken world. I am said messenger of God."

He said as he raised up his golden staff to the sky.

It was a plain golden staff, and there was nothing bizarre in terms of its shape.

As he spun his staff, he spoke.

"Alright, I'll get you to the point. You wanna know the truth, don't you?"

He continued.

"Ah, back then, I saw your friend on the City Garden. At first, he wanted to meet someone, but it was foolish and naive, so I killed him!--"

"--Hear me! I am Dominico Caduceus, The Chairman of Snakes, and I made all these scenes, after all."

Caduceus blatantly revealed his doings out of the blue. As he ignored the presence of others thus, he continued.

"I murdered them! I made the blood! I erased them from this very existence! They were unworthy of it! Also, I tell you once again! I KILLED HIM!"

He said in a booming voice as he beautifully danced around them. Then, he also play with Hiruko's head as if it was a ball.

Meanwhile, as the others heard this--

Endou's expression was conspicuous yet unclear at the same time.

What expression was he?

His hair even closed his set of eyes, as well as the half of his nose.

Therefore, it was unseen.

But still, anyone could felt this.

"You...You..."

Endou said as his tone sounded neither unhappy nor fascinated.

It was unclear, yet it drew the emotion that swelled on his heart.

It was -- a sorrow

As he knew the lost essence of his friend, he even felt the stronger feeling that came from it.

Even it dampened the presence of everyone around.

While Caduceus, as if he had a great nobility,

He grinned wickedly as his hands played the staff.

Moreover, he didn't feel any sorry because he claimed it as a duty from God himself.

Thereupon, Endou abruptly turned his face to Caduceus,

and he walked to him as mixed emotions lingered inside him.

Sadness and Anger, now he turned it into strength, and he rapidly thrust his hand onto his face.

"...You Bastard!"

As he said, he kicked his face once again. Afterward, as the momentum was right, his hand moved his hair upwards to reveal his eyes. As if a mysterious power lingered there, then, he stared his eyes towards another set of Caduceus's eyes.

But--

Some red ruby liquids sprayed vigorously behind his neck alongside someone's creepy scream that cried before him.

--He was dead.