Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

He managed to utter some sounds, albeit with difficulty.

The sound was as if something had tightly bound them, rendering them unable to move; it was a dull, muffled sound, like that of a mummy.

Unable to speak, his mouth seemed to be covered by something, and he could barely make the action of opening his mouth.

Then, I felt a response.

At the moment I tried to struggle, the thing that was tightly wrapped around me responded in some way.

Or rather, the thing that had been watching her all along, silently embracing her, began to respond at this moment when she tried to struggle.

crunch--

The oppressive feeling was as if flesh and bones were about to be crushed.

Something seeped into the body through the skin and gradually spread between the blood vessels and nerves.

Unable to resist.

Despite wanting to resist this force, one is inexplicably unable to take any action, and even the thought of "resistance" is extremely difficult to generate, leading to a bizarre feeling of fighting against oneself. It's as absurd as trying to fight against one's own body, against one's own breathing, heartbeat, and blood flow.

Then, I heard the sound of that thing.

……

...Don't refuse your mother anymore...

……

A gentle, yet dizzying sound.

As the sound rang out, her consciousness became even more blurred, as if she would faint immediately upon hearing just one sentence.

But the voice continued to ring out, a voice so gentle yet unbearable, echoing endlessly in one's consciousness.

……

...Mommy will protect you...

...You will no longer be a toy of chaos, and you will no longer be afraid of death...

...From now on, Mom will always protect you. Let's stay together like this forever...

...No matter how twisted, how rotten, how much of a playground for filth in other worlds...with Mom, none of these will bother you. You will have eternal happiness and joy, and you will absolutely never suffer any more pain...

...And so are the people you love...

...The chosen one can only grow through repeated torment and pain, futilely fighting against an enemy he is destined to never defeat...

...It's all too late. From the moment this world was chosen, it was already too late... No matter how much you sacrifice, no matter how hard you try to save everything, it's ultimately too late...

...But it's okay, Mommy is here. Mommy can protect you, Mommy will always protect you...

...Just like Mom did before, let everyone merge together, let everyone become one, and enter Mom's body...With Mom, no one will hurt you, no one will torment you, you only need to feel happiness, only feel beauty and joy, that's enough...

...Don't reject your mother, don't go further into pain and harm, don't become toys of those chaotic things...If you continue to struggle in these games, you won't change anything. Stay with your mother, let her protect you...

Come on, come on...

...Be with your mother, be with the person who loves you, be with the person you love, and let him nestle in your mother's arms too...

...forever... ...

……

Because of some kind of damage that weakened his perception compared to ordinary people, the distorted sound became indistinct and unclear, making it impossible to fully understand its contents.

However, I've already figured out what the other person wants to do.

Even in this confused and hazy state of mind, I still managed to understand the other party's true purpose.

What it wants... is its master...

What this thing truly desires is its master… It wants to capture its master… It wants to imprison its master forever, to imprison its master in the name of "love"…

It's impossible to communicate with it and dispel its idea.

Just hearing its voice makes my consciousness crumble.

Any attempt to convey information is futile. The gap between the two parties in terms of life form and level is too vast. It cannot understand what it is expressing as a human being, and it cannot bear the other party's incomprehensible "love," and will only be completely crushed.

Even though he could sense that the other party was intentionally slowing down their power, treating him with utmost care to prevent his mental collapse and death, the difference in their levels was irreconcilable. He was already nearing his limit, barely managing to retain a semblance of consciousness. Doing anything more was likely impossible, unless… there was some way to… reconnect himself with the outside world…

Waaah... No... This can't go on... I can't let Master...

If this continues... I will...

I can't... I can't...

I am... early...

I……

……

Even self-awareness can no longer continue.

The fine, blood-red vines coiled around the girl's body, seeping into her flesh.

The blood-red flower bloomed, its core opening like a mouth, while the vines lifted the girl's body and gently lowered her, as if placing a fragile object inside.

The flowers were gently wrapped up.

The skin and flesh dissolved and were replaced by blood-red vines.

The bones transformed into a flowing liquid, which was completely absorbed by the flowers and vines and carefully stored away.

Finally, even consciousness and soul were completely consumed, leaving no trace in the real world, utterly erasing all existence.

The self that the girl had tried so hard to maintain was now completely unsustainable and was finally on the verge of collapse. Even though He had treated her as carefully as possible, like a giant carefully carving a glass ant, she still could not maintain her original posture.

Of course, she will not die.

His love ensures that He will never kill any life; He merely merges these lives with Him, allowing them to continue existing within His body, and bestowing upon them eternal happiness and warmth. Therefore, all lives swallowed by Him will endure, existing in His world in a fragmented, almost impossible-to-reconstitute state, endowed with an eternal state incapable of feeling anything but beauty, a state that essentially lacks the capacity for thought.

...I don't want to just disappear like this.

...In the final moments of consciousness, one can clearly perceive the process of being swallowed up.

...Dissolving from skin to flesh to bone...a terrifying process like being digested bit by bit...This inescapable nightmare grows ever deeper, with no end in sight, and even the ability to realize that one is in a nightmare is almost lost, and there is no longer any sense of self.

...Where is the master now...? He is also being hunted. The true target of this thing has always been the master.

...He seemed to think that the master was very special...He grabbed me because the master showed that he cared about me. Was that the reason?

...What should I do...I...I...

……

"Little Love!"

I heard a voice calling.

An anxious, weak voice came from a place that seemed both very close and very far away.

That was Gao Hai returning to the area of ​​[Li Family Village], returning to this place that was now deserted.

The blood-red key was put back into the space of the black watch. Behind him, through the door that was not completely closed, one could still see the blood-red flowers spreading wildly in [Zhangjia Village], and the blood-red vines stretching madly toward them.

Bang!

Gao Hai slammed the door shut, but found that the space connected to it hadn't been severed. Normally, after removing the blood key and closing the door, the space linked by the object of obsession should have broken down and returned to normal. But now, even with the door closed, Gao Hai could still feel the rapidly approaching crimson vines behind it, and the aura of that thing that was chasing him, that refused to give up.

Can that thing directly fix the spatial channels linked by the obsession? Or does it not need to do anything at all, but simply exist there to cause abnormal changes in the spatial structure, so that the spatial channels that should have been broken are forcibly stabilized?

Regardless of the reason, my time is running out.

Gao Hai turned his head and looked ahead at the gradually spreading blood-red vines.

The crimson vines released into [Li Family Village] were merely an avatar, far inferior in terms of corruption and power to the thing chasing Gao Hai. Therefore, even though he was face-to-face with this thing at a distance of no more than fifty meters, Gao Hai was still able to maintain the stability of his personality and flesh, and would not be corrupted by this thing's aura.

Unfortunately, he could only barely hold on under these circumstances. If it were a native player, even something of this level would have no chance of resisting and would be assimilated and absorbed in less than a second.

However, Hayasaka's presence still lingers.

Although it was very faint, Takami could still sense Hayasaka Ai's presence. She was still here, even if her condition had changed, she should still be here now.

Is the Blood Flower deliberately slowing down its corrosive effects, treating her with extra care?

Is it because of me? Because of my resistance to the Blood Flower as a [transmigrator], coupled with the special identity of the black watch's host, this thing's attitude towards me is clearly different from other players; no matter how many playthroughs I complete, it always keeps an eye on me. Therefore, has it also noticed Hayasaka, whom I've been traveling with alone, and realized that I have special feelings for her?

However, for such a non-human being, it's probably difficult for Him to truly understand human emotions and thoughts. In a sense, He might see Hayasaka Ai's existence more as an "environmental factor" that increases Takami's happiness, something akin to temperature, appetite, furniture color and arrangement. As for deeper concepts, whether such a being can comprehend them is another matter entirely.

However, this is not something Gao Hai is concerned about right now.

After receiving news from Maki that Hayasaka had been attacked, and knowing full well the dangers involved, Takami used the Blood Key to return here, and was already prepared.

We will never let what happened to Yotsuya Miko happen again.

He was certain that the Blood Flower's absorption and assimilation of Hayasaka was completely different from what Maki and the others had encountered in the second loop. It wouldn't let Hayasaka escape, wouldn't give her a chance to enter the next loop, but would completely absorb her like Miko had, binding her within its own body. And this was something Takami absolutely could not accept, absolutely could not allow.

"Hey, you're not really my mom, don't go too far!!!"

Gao Hai took a sudden step forward and, in the next moment, took the initiative to meet the writhing blood-red vines.

Chapter 101: The Crying Girl's Memories and the Intertwined, Broken Hands

My current behavior probably can't be considered rational, can it?

Gao Hai knew very well that if he went to find Hayasaka while he was already being chased by the Blood Flower, he would inevitably put himself in danger.

But so what? If he were to back down now, that would be the most unacceptable thing for him. He hadn't known that Miko's disappearance would happen before, and he could only helplessly accept the fact when it was already a done deal. If Hayasaka were to cause such a situation again, he would never stand idly by and let it happen.

Since death is inevitable, it's not the first time I've experienced it. Besides, from the beginning, I was prepared that I wouldn't be able to finish this playthrough and would have to wait until the next playthrough or even later to have a chance of winning. So, since it's an acceptable price to pay, there's even less reason to back down.

We absolutely cannot let this thing take away our teammates again!

tread!

Gao Hai's heavy steps caused the ground to crack open.

He reached out and grabbed a blood-red vine, tearing it forcefully from the writhing crimson flesh.

A sharp pain spread between my fingers.