After Elegy cut off communications completely, we had set off to go find this accursed hole. By the way he described it, I was genuinely dreading each second it took for us to reach it. Thankfully, it took less than a second with the help of Sheep's hyperspeed fast travel, but my point still stands.

"Oh God, it really is here..." I gulped upon witnessing the crowd of people circling dangerously close around it.

"I half expected it to be somewhat secluded, but this is just ridiculous." Energy grunted, "It's in the middle of town!"

"It's dangerous is what it is." Sheep flapped his wings before clearing the entire area, "Phew! That ought to do it. The last thing we want is for someone to accidentally fall in."

That's Sheep for you, he got that done in a flash. Literally, he blipped and the entire crowd around the hole was gone. Then again, it seems their confusion over this sudden spatial translation had only fueled their morbid curiosity regarding the hole, so they quickly ran back to inspect it even more carefully.

"Another miracle!" One yelled loudly.

"First wisdom, and then miracles!" A second agreed, "How incredible!"

"We gotta go down there!"

"Anyone got a rope we could use!?"

"Quickly, go get some!"

"Ack, hey! Stop pushing, I almost just fell straight in!"

"Well, be more careful!"

The loud and annoying arguing was so loud that I couldn't even hear Sheep or Energy speaking to me over it. Seems simply giving them a sing to leave won't be working anytime soon.

"Hmph, then so be it..." I nodded decidedly, "Didn't think I'd have to resort to this thing again..."

"What did you say?!" Sheep shouted.

Energy, on the other hand, saw the device in my hands and quickly caught on, "Gah! Migu, that's-!"

"Say cheese!"

A White flash enveloped the entire street we were crowded in, blinding anyone who happened to have their Eyes open in that moment. Obviously, this meant everyone but Energy and me, who knew what the Flasher was capable of. Alas, I couldn't cover my ears properly due to not having enough hands free, but at this point I've gotten almost used to it. Urk, but it doesn't mean I don't hate this ringing in my ears...

"Gyahhhh!" Everyone fell to the ground in pain, "Bahh! My Eyes~!"

"M-Migu, what did you-!? What's going on-!?" Sheep panicked as well, "My Eyes, I can't see! I'm blind!"

"Calm down, calm down!" I grabbed his wings and pulled him close so he could hear me better, "You'll be fine, just wait for it to pass."

His numerous Eyes blinked once or twice, all at different times to maximize the creepiness of the action, but eventually he managed to get his Eyesight back. Surprisingly, even though he got hit point blank, he's managed to recover incredibly quickly. Before any of the others, for that matter.

"That was reckless, Migu." Energy frowned, "What if someone near the hole got startled and fell in?"

"Ah." I jerked in realization, "Let's hope that didn't happen."

"That was you?" Sheep's Eyes looked horrified, "Geez, give a warning next time, would ya'?"

Meh, even if I did, there's no chance you'd hear it through the commotion. Speaking of, the crowd has gotten a lot more quiet since I Flashed everyone. I wonder, what are the odds some of them actually fainted? It's entirely possible, but it only makes me question Sheep's tolerance more. Archangelhood is not to be messed with...

"Alright, now we can actually see what this hole is all about." I approached it semi-carefully, "Hello~? Anybody down there?"

"Don't lean to close to it!" Energy bickered.

"I won't fall, dang it!"

That being the case, these clouds are a bit too soft for my liking. It's like standing on pudding, and without calling myself fat or anything, I can definitely feel the ground start to give way slowly but surely.

"Hellooo~!?" I kept shouting down the abyss.

"Why would you even think anyone's gonna answer?" Sheep sighed.

"I heard these people mention something about the hole giving them some words of wisdom." I replied, "And Elegy did say we gotta make sure whatever's down there doesn't get out anytime soon."

"Out of this?" Energy scowled, "Not gonna happen, can't you see how deep this thing goes?"

I shook my head, "I can't."

"Exactly."

Hm, a fair point. But there's always a chance it's another form of a winged amalgamation like the bat roaches or even a being like the cherubim and Sheep. Climbing out by itself is definitely not gonna happen, but if it has wings, then that's a completely different story.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I'm with Energy on this one." Sheep chimed in, "Whatever the heck these randos were saying about the hole definitely shouldn't be taken at face value. After all, they attributed me moving them around as a miracle by the hole or whatever."

"No, but the wisdom part came before we even arrived." I refuted, "Surely, there's gotta be more to it."

"Then let's just fly down and make sure for ourselves." Energy groaned loudly with impatience.

"We were told to make sure nothing fell in or got out." I sat down a step away from the hole, "Let's not cause Elegy any more problems to worry about. His plate's full enough as it is already."

Sheep agreed, though Energy was pretty pissed about my executive decision. Y'know, for a guy who claims to be overly cautious and doesn't pull any stops when it comes to survival, Energy sure does like suggesting the most dangerous ideas. Maybe it's because he's an invincible brain with nothing to lose now? Who knows.

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"The situation doesn't differ at all from the bat roaches." Energy protested, "Leaving it alone until it grows out of control is more dangerous than nipping it in the bud now."

"Okay, wise guy, and how exactly do you intend to accomplish that without a body?" I frowned, "Sigh, none of us are in any condition to "defeat" whatever is inside this hole. Elegy was also rather vague with his description, so we don't even have enough information to make a proper guess."

Sheep nodded, "I agree with Migu, we should only focus on doing what he told us to do. Follow the recipe and you can't mess up."

It was two against one, and even Energy couldn't refute the fact he himself lacked any attack power. I was never a fighter to begin with, with stealth attacks being the only feasible way I could actually take a monster like a bat roach down. Then again, most of the heavy-lifting came from Energy's lent rapier, but that thing's gone too. The Flasher is really all I have on me right now, so at best I could distract this thing.

"If worse comes to worst, we're fleeing." Sheep reminded everyone.

Energy was furious, "Oh come on!"

"What?"

"Now you're just doing this to piss me off!" He said, "Running away, you serious? Our job was to take care of whatever the hell is lurking down at the bottom of that hole."

"Either you misheard or misremembered." I replied, "Because Elegy told us specifically to "try and stall it". Ergo, if we deem it to be too tough for us, we should prioritize our own health."

Yeah, Elegy's no loon. He knows that whatever is down there is something we probably won't be able to beat, so he made sure to give us this out. Besides, what good would recruiting us back into the party do if we just end up dying right after? At the very least, we should make sure to keep whatever's inside this hole at bay for as long as possible.

"Grr...! You people are making a huge mistake!" Energy fussed, "If you're not confident that we'll be able to kill it once it reaches equal ground, then stomp it down while it's a few floors below!"

"That wasn't the plan." I replied, a tad annoyed.

"Don't tell me it's some sort of warrior's code, descendant!" Energy scowled with all his might, "Chivalry died out with the last of society, you know?! The fair died first when everything went to shit, leaving behind only the ones who fought dirty!"

"It's neither chivalry nor a warrior's code thing, we just have no reason to take unnecessary steps that might end up backfiring on us." Sheep groaned, "Like what if we do drop down and the hole ends up being a tighter fit than we expected? I won't be able to fly us back up."

"Or worse, whatever's inside it mauls us to death before we can escape." I added.

"You're faster than time itself, man!" Energy glared heavily at the defiant archangel, "How can you not be sure we'll escape? Of course we will!"

He's being obtuse, at this point I'm pretty sure he's just arguing for argument's sake. His words hold no power, and Energy's just raising his tone with each reply to try and justify his lack of logic. Thing is, his plan might work, but ours definitely will. It's an unnecessary risk, and that's all there is to it.

"And what if it hitches a ride with us while we're flying out?" I suggested, "It escaped the hole, and we've somehow managed to speed that process up instead of slowing it down. Elegy's plan might not work if that happens."

"It might not work anyways!" He shot back.

"Actually, that's not the case at all." Sheep dismissed him, "Let's think back to how he told us to do this whole thing."

"Oh yeah, I was thinking about that too." I nodded, "He had some other ideas lined up for us, but ultimately opted for this one."

"Hm? What does that mean?" Energy looked confused.

"He also seemed to sort of hand it to us as an afterthought. I wouldn't be surprised if nothing came about this hole in the first place." Sheep explained, "Basically, if it was really something that serious, he would have already called us first. But that didn't happen."

Right, first we had to call him through the walkie-talkie, then we had to incessantly pester him to give us the next order. He was already preoccupied with his own affairs, as can be heard from his rugged breaths and annoyed voice. At the end of the day, he was just trying to get us off his back so he could go back to doing his thing in peace.

"In other words, you get it, right?" I giggled, "Things would remain the same no matter what we do here, hop down or not. Heck, if he knows about this hole, then I have no doubt he's the one who trapped the thing down there in the first place."

"Everything's... already done..." Energy remained lost for a long moment, "Ugh, that makes me mad for some reason."

"Can't exactly agree with the sentiment, since it means less work for us..." Sheep chuckled, "But I can see where you're coming from. Feels like we got tossed to the wayside just so the real star can steal the show."

"Oi, Elegy's doing a lot to save Vastoria." I pouted, "Don't go badmouthing him just 'cause we're not as resourceful."

"Ah, should I gift you a groom's outfit next?" Sheep teased, "I suppose, depending on the era, that women could have multiple partners."

"Hey, watch your tongue." I stared into his soul with my Eyes, "You're talking about my family member, y'hear?"

"Ack, my bad, I forgot." He backed off, but only for a short while, "Ah, but I guess technically, depending on the era..."

A stern smack to his outer wings was issued. Though he didn't feel it physically, the disgust in my Eyes was enough to deal emotional damage of a way higher grade in comparison. Don't go shipping real people, dipass, especially not blood relatives.

"Whoa-!" I felt the ground beneath me crumble.

Sheep shouted, "Migu!"

He saved me just before I fell, but the shock made my flasher fall down to the bottom. It's a shame, but at least this way we could gauge the distance from the bottom by waiting for the thud.

"..."

"......"

".........."

Hm? Is it that deep?

"Ack! What the-!?" A familiar Voice echoed back up to us.

"O-Oi, that's a-!" Another equally familiar Voice panicked moments before a White Flash emerged from the darkness of the abyss.

The Two screamed like maniacs at the bottom of the hole, their confusion and pain mixed into one as they scrambled to remove the effects of the Flasher from their Eyes and ears. Goddammit, Elegy, you should've told us it was just them.