Do you still remember the promise we made between us?
We met on the beach that night, got to know each other, and became friends who traveled together.
You and I walked through this country's mountains and rivers side by side. We experienced many things together. We both once wanted to roam freely between heaven and earth, never imagining that along this journey, we would encounter someone who made us willingly put away our wanderer's hearts, willingly accept being bound within the cage called "family"—the one we deeply loved, each other.
Hedda, I will never leave you.
No matter life or death, no matter poverty or wealth, I will always stay by your side.
From today onward, we will build a family. Whether we encounter happiness or sorrow, we will share it with each other. Whether good things or bad things happen, we will bear them together. We will have a healthy, happy child—perhaps several—and they will inherit the beautiful dreams and youth we once had. Perhaps they will yearn for adventure just like us, travel to every corner of this world, and perhaps, like us, they will meet the one they love along their journey.
At that time, I think we may already be old—our steps unsteady, our eyes dim with age. Even then, we would still have to rely on one another, watching the children we raised live lives that belong to them.
Would you be willing to face such a life together with me?
My dear.
…
Hedda…
Hedda… I'm sorry…
I was unable to fulfill my promise. I was unable to stay by your side. I was unable to walk through the rest of our lives together with you.
I am unwilling to leave you. I want to return to your side. I hope I can see you once more.
But these heavy layers of rock have buried me. I cannot escape. I no longer have any hope left.
I'm sorry…
I failed to do what I promised…
I'm sorry…
I loved you so deeply… yet in the end, I betrayed your heart…
Oh, God…
If you truly exist, please save me…
I do not dare to ask to live out my life like a normal person…
I only ask that I may see her one more time, that I may speak with her once more…
I want to tell her how much I love her. I want to tell her how deeply I regret everything, how desperately I wish to remain together with her…
I want to return to her side and say I am sorry. As a husband, I am so utterly useless—unable to fulfill the promises made to my wife, unable to stay by her side…
I want to hold her one last time, and then tell her to forget me, to go and seek the happiness her life deserves. I can no longer remain by her side. If there is still anything that can be done, then at the very least, please allow her to make peace with her regrets and sorrow. Do not let her linger over me anymore…
I'm sorry… my dear…
I'm sorry…
…
…
She can still remember her happiest moment.
Sunlight streamed through the church windows, falling upon the pristine white wedding dress.
He wore a slightly fitted suit, revealing an awkward smile as he shuffled forward toward her, utterly lacking the easy, unrestrained air he once had when they traveled together through mountains and wild lands on their adventures.
She almost laughed at the sight of him.
Yet when he finally came to stand before her, when he took her hand and spoke his vows to her with solemn sincerity, she nearly burst into tears instead.
That day, the tolling of the bells was exceptionally clear.
That day, the kiss she shared with him was exceptionally profound.
That day, the rings she and he exchanged slid onto their fingers, and from that moment on were never removed again.
Have you finally returned?
Once again, she felt that familiar warmth.
Have you finally come back to my side?
Once again, she heard that person's voice.
Have you finally returned to my side, never to leave again?
Once again, she touched that kiss meant for her alone.
How many times had she seen this moment arrive in her dreams?
How many times had she awakened from those dreams, only to realize that everything had long since turned to emptiness?
Scars would eventually heal.
Pain would eventually grow dull.
Those who have died can never return.
And those who live can only carry their heavy memories and continue moving forward.
But if you could come back…
If you truly could return to my side…
She reached out her hand.
Gently, she clasped his hand.
That familiar figure from her memories had yet to fade.
She could still recall the days they had spent together.
At last, she saw you again. At last, she returned to your side.
I'm sorry… I came back too late…
It's all right… you're back… that's enough…
They held hands.
The two of them looked at each other and smiled at each other.
Is it time to go?
Just like the days they once spent, hand in hand, walking forward together.
Back then, they had clearly looked down on these little gestures between couples.
Now, at last, it was time to…
[Your husband's death really has nothing to do with us, hahaha. To be honest, when he took a wrong turn and got stuck inside, we were actually quite worried at first.]
[After all, we were originally just conducting low-intensity research into the various changes inside the Red Nut Grey Cave. His death directly caused half of the cave to be sealed off, which was also a troublesome problem for us.]
[But who would have thought—truly, who would have thought—that it was precisely his death that led to the anomaly of the entire Red Nut Grey Cave, allowing my experiment to achieve a breakthrough. So really, he died wonderfully. Andres died wonderfully—this is what it means to dedicate oneself to humanity, hahahahaha—]
The foot stepping forward slowly came to a halt.
The happiness of reuniting with family was already within arm's reach.
So why was it impossible to keep moving forward?
[Stop wailing. It was just a little injection into your hand—does it really hurt that much?]
[Oh, the two test subjects who came a couple of days ago? They died long ago. Unfortunately, they couldn't withstand the experiment. A bunch of useless trash wasting my time—sigh.]
[What? You say they were just children under ten years old. Is that important? In the face of humanity's greater cause, that amounts to nothing. You should be jealous of their good fortune. Clearly useless trash that couldn't serve any real purpose, yet they still managed to leave a mark in the experimental records—something like that is actually quite rare.]
Her body slowly, little by little, turned toward the side.
There was no way to forget something like that.
Even with happiness within arm's reach, there were still things that could not be forgotten, could not be let go.
[Your child? Oh, I completely forgot about that. They died on the second day after you came in here. That day, it seems they were scheduled at the very end of the surgery list.]
[What kind of expression is that? Why are you crying? All right, ignore her and continue the experiment. The potential of this individual is truly beyond imagination.]
[Can you succeed? Can you become that final successful individual? You must hold on, my dear lady. Perhaps you will become the great cornerstone of an entire civilization.]
Her head also turned, little by little.
She looked at that person's face, at his lofty, self-satisfied expression, and at the smile at the corner of his mouth.
[We need to further increase the stimulation. Fine then—bring all of her family over.]
The images of happiness shattered bit by bit.
[Is there still no further response even with this kind of stimulation? However, she seems to like children quite a lot. In that case, how about bringing in some people from those immigrants and the slums?]
All beautiful memories dissipated within the burning flames, leaving only piles of ash behind.
[Dead…? So in the end, it was only this much. Still, the data and materials obtained were quite plentiful. Forget it—at least it wasn't a total loss. Then this one as well—throw it down below the Great Rift and see whether there can be any change this time.]
In the end, all that remained was the fire itself.
An inextinguishable fire of resentment, and, after the will had completely shattered, the distortion and madness that flooded the heart.
Thud—
The tattered, broken body slid into the rock wall.
Yet her consciousness had not truly died.
She could still see. She could still hear. She could still feel everything.
Whether it was the intense pain continuously spreading from her body at every single moment, or the desperate wails ceaselessly emitted by the corpses that had been thrown down together around her, as well as, from the depths of the darkness, from that research base, the self-righteous and triumphant voice of that man.
[The steps of human civilization's progress will be built by us.]
He walked upward step by step, repeating those words he himself was almost beginning to believe.
Meanwhile, her corpse rotted within the rift, little by little, continuously sliding deeper and deeper.
The piled corpses had already almost filled this deep fissure.
And her remains—rotted away to the point that almost only bones were left—slowly fell into the very bottom of this dark rift.
She was buried here, never able to leave again.
[We are the new era. We are the future.]
[Come, let us raise a toast together to the future of humanity!]
Rage.
A rage that burned the soul to ashes, that burned away all sense of self.
Not merely her own rage.
Rather, it was the fury of all those who had perished here—people trapped in despair, unable to find rest even in death.
She felt that burning blaze.
So scorching, so real, just like the flames burning upon her own body.
And so she began to climb upward.
Absorbing all the raging fires of those who could not rest.
Little by little, gathering all the anger and despair onto herself.
She had to kill everyone!
This insane obsession condensed, and the final result of its fusion was such a simple thought.
Kill everyone in that research base!
Kill them!
Kill everyone!
All those who harmed them, who cruelly slaughtered them; all those who spoke endlessly of righteousness and called themselves the steps of civilization; all those utterly disgusting people who likened themselves to the cornerstone of humanity—kill them all, wipe them all out, leave not a single one alive!
Kill!
Kill!!
Kill!!!
[Look at the state you people are in. To be honest, I really don't feel anything at all.]
[I am the highest leader of the entire research base. That so-called general is just an idiot who understands nothing—I am the one who can truly control all of this.]
[I will climb higher step by step, gain more power, gain more wealth, and become someone far above you, someone you will never understand in your entire lives.]
[As for you, hahahaha—human civilization's progress does indeed include your contributions, but so what? No one will remember your names, remember your experiences. You are nothing. You count for nothing. That is simply the truth, hahahahaha.]
[Hate me however you want. You can't change anything. This world has no heaven and no hell. Look at it—someone like me should count as utterly unforgivable, shouldn't I? But I won't be punished. I won't go to prison, I won't be executed, and I won't suffer any kind of divine retribution. I won't endure suffering like yours. No one will blame me. Even if I make mistakes, I will surely be forgiven. And one day, I will become a true god. I will become the supreme one who stands above everyone else.]
Darkness had already enveloped the entire observation area.
The disheveled woman, her white dress thoroughly soaked in blood, was completely covered in a crimson hue.
The ground shook violently. The ring in Takumi's hand had already disappeared. Andres's Obsession shattered at this moment; upon returning to Hedda's side, it found satisfaction and began to gradually dissipate.
As for Hedda's Obsession, whatever warmth and beauty might still have existed within it seemed to vanish along with Andres's dissipation. What remained was an even more terrifying, utterly frenzied rage than before.
The door in Takumi's hand had already fallen to the ground, facing Hedda directly ahead.
Meanwhile, in the Cryogenic Area, at the moment the power supply was reconnected, Chika dragged another door and burst inside. Panting, she looked at Maki and Kaguya, who had already pinned Vernon to the ground with his limbs almost completely broken. Without hesitation, she turned around and inserted the Blood Key into the lock of the door she had dragged over.
They could not wait for Hedda to reach the research area.
Once this core Obsession entered the range of the experimental zone, with history repeating itself, the Cryogenic Area would inevitably undergo a forced power shutdown. This place would revert to the stage of the original final day, and Vernon would once again turn into a half-anomalous, half-human form. At that point, everything would become a waste of effort. Therefore, a way had to be found for Hedda to come into contact with Vernon as a human under the premise of not entering the experimental zone. Only then would there be a possibility of completely breaking this core Obsession, and only then would everything have a chance to reach an end.
Under normal circumstances, as a Dark Night-level instance of top-tier difficulty, any players who dared to challenge this level and attempt a perfect clear by cracking the Obsession would, without exception, have already survived multiple Dark Night-level tasks. They would have obtained at least A-grade Dusk Blessings and Dark Night Blessings, and would be equipped with a very comprehensive set of Obsession Items for teleportation, attack, defense, healing, mental effects, summoning, and so on—or else they would simply have a powerful team to rely on. Only under such conditions would one attempt a task of this caliber. However, regrettably, Takumi had no way to do that. This cheat watch that gave him the chance to rewind and start over was utterly unreasonable: it directly tossed him into this kind of high-difficulty instance meant only for top-tier players to show off their skills, and even insisted that he achieve a perfect ending before allowing him to leave.
Even so, it was not as if he truly had no options at all.
The Blood Key, this peculiar item, would fail and become unusable when directly pointed at the core Obsession—for example, just as it could not be used to open the door of Room 304. But just like back at the Shirakawa Apartments, where the Blood Key could be used to open a door relatively close to Room 304, after dismantling the office doors of Gallagher and Vernon, Takumi and Chika directly used these two doors as intermediaries. Through the Blood Key, they successfully connected them together.
"Ugh—aaaaaah—!"
Beaten until his face was swollen and bruised, with his limbs cleanly twisted and broken by Kaguya and Maki, Vernon let out a shrill howl the instant he saw the door in Chika's hands open.
Meanwhile, Hedda—who, moments earlier, had been on the verge of carrying out the execution of Takumi under the rule of killing anyone on sight—had her gaze freeze completely at this very moment. It locked onto the space beyond that door, onto the still brightly lit Cryogenic Area behind it, and onto Vernon there, who still existed as a human.
[Aaaaaaah—!]
The terrifying shriek nearly shattered Takumi's eardrums, causing blood to begin flowing from both of his ears at once.
In the very next instant, that blood-skirted anomaly had already arrived in front of the opened door. Then, taking another step forward, it entered just like that into the Cryogenic Area, bathed in the cold light of the electric lamps.
In the next moment, the unsolvable loop that had persisted in this instance for who knew how many years collapsed completely.
And after Andres's Obsession dissipated, the disappearance of the core Obsession that sustained the Red Nut Grey Cave area within the instance triggered the instance's collapse. Accompanied by an incomparably violent earthquake, it swept through in a furious surge at this very moment.
Boom—
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