Bzzzz—
A dull ringing reverberated endlessly.
Through the shared senses of his spectral policeman, Takakai perceived a cacophony of distorted noises flooding his mind.
Beyond the opened door, a tidal wave of black sludge erupted, swallowing the unsuspecting specter whole.
Within the ooze, vaguely humanoid shapes pressed against the policeman's form—their faces twisted in grotesque expressions, mouths stretched wide in silent screams.
Were they pleading?
Cursing?
Begging for release?
Takakai couldn't tell.
Their voices had degraded into an unintelligible, ear-splitting drone—a noise so alien it triggered vertigo and nausea.
No residual memories.
No lingering emotions.
These blackened remnants of humanity had been erased so thoroughly, not even their final words remained.
Squelch... Squelch...
The screaming sludge dissolved, losing all cohesion.
Yet the spectral policeman stood, wading deeper into the room.
Step.
Step.
With each movement, the slash marks covering walls and floors grew clearer.
Overturned desks.
Shattered glass.
Documents torn to shreds, soaked in black filth beyond recognition.
This was no accident.
This was rage given physical form—the aftermath of someone methodically destroying everything until nothing remained to break.
The culprit's height?
No more than 120cm, judging by the blade marks' placement.
Takakai could practically see it:
A small, grinning girl—cleaver in hand—carving her way through the room, painting it red before reducing it to ruin.
Chiyo's hatred for the researchers had clearly run bone-deep.
And by the time she'd done this, she'd likely already begun her transformation—no ordinary child could've achieved such carnage.
First, we had hirano the "Gun Demon" slaughtering thirty cultists at an idol concert.
Now, Chiyo the "Elementary School Butcher" massacring researchers like a force of nature.
What is this, a competition for most unhinged backstory?
Still, the pieces were coming together.
The broad strokes of Hachiya Chiyo's tragedy were clear.
But gaps remained:
How had she gained supernatural abilities?
How had she befriended the near-fully spectral Butcher?
What was the nature of her connection to the Great Maw Flowers?
And most crucially—
What regret anchored her, even after her vengeance was complete?
Takakai recalled the orphanage vision—the "Get out!" that had ejected him.
At the time, he'd assumed it was a specter's attack...
But specters didn't warn. They killed.
Could it have been...
A living Chiyo?
No, that made no sense. The dungeon's core was Chiyo's grudge—she had to be dead.
Yet Shirakawa Apartments had Kyoko the Half-Specter.
Nutty Putty Cave had Director Folnen, who existed in both human and spectral forms.
The line between human and specter wasn't absolute.
So perhaps...
Two Chiyos existed:
The spectral core grudge drowning the school in blood.
The lingering humanity trapped in the orphanery memory.
If so, reaching that "human" Chiyo might reveal her true wish.
But how?
His first visit had been a fluke—a psychic resonance during the fall between layers.
To return intentionally would require diving even deeper—perhaps to a fourth layer beneath this black-stained hellscape.
And then there was Takamagahara to consider.
[As a long-term prisoner here, my condition is... precarious.]
The woman's voice echoed again, though only Takakai could hear it.
[Without my unique blessing, I'd have perished long ago. My body has fused with this place—hence my... spectral qualities. But rest assured, I'm quite sane. No surprise decapitations from me~]
Hayasaka stiffened, frantically twisting to spot the speaker—but found nothing.
Only Takakai's sharp eyes caught it:
A second hand, barely visible, grafted to Hayasaka's back, moving in perfect sync with her limbs.
So it's piggybacking on her. Probably can't manifest fully without a host.
The voice claimed affiliation with the Crimson Society, but Takakai suspected otherwise.
From Kumami's eavesdropping, he knew Takamagahara's remnants had manipulated Kita Ikuyo—attempting to escape through her.
This thing likely wanted the same.
As for escaping the dungeon itself—the so-called Normal End—Takakai had never pursued it, focused solely on core grudge resolution.
But the method probably involved:
School records (expulsion notices?)
Orphanage ties (assuming a false identity?)
Role segregation (researchers vs. students?)
Whatever the path, this parasite would know.
"Let's start simple," Takakai said, staring at the back of Hayasaka's head. "How do we escape this dungeon?"
The voice giggled.
[Straight to the point! I admire that~]
[Very well. But remember—some truths are... unwise to speak aloud here.]
A beat.
Then—
[The exit lies in the place she can't bear to face.]
[The one spot in this hell untouched by blood or madness.]
[Find the white door.]
[That's where it begins.]