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

And then there's Miss Aoyama. Although the dark monster she transformed into was truly terrifying, she lost all will to fight after losing the trophy, choosing to leave instead of harming herself. This proves that the trophy held immense significance for Miss Aoyama, right? So much so that even as a monster, she couldn't let go of it.

Ultimately, isn't that "hospital" that talks about saving lives and bringing happiness just manipulating and desecrating people's hearts?

Deceiving those who are already suffering just by living, hurting those who harbor beautiful wishes in their hearts—what exactly does such a heinous villain want to do, and why does he have to bring so much harm to this world?

Xiaohua couldn't figure out the answer to the question.

She sighed softly, feeling an unbearable pressure that made it hard to breathe.

The three players beside him continued their discussion, debating how to scout around the factory and how to transmit intelligence outwards.

It was at this moment that Xiaohua suddenly felt a faint chill, and felt that the trophy she was holding was gradually getting colder, even to the point that it felt prickly to her touch.

"It's Miss Aoyama, she seems to be coming."

Realizing the problem, Xiao Hua turned to face the three players and quickly whispered something.

Before Angel and Wang Gui could understand what Xiao Hua was saying, Li Ling realized something was wrong and her expression changed. She suddenly grabbed Xiao Hua's shoulder and pulled her aside.

boom--

A burst of crimson light erupted in an instant. Wang Gui, who had no time to dodge, activated the defense of the crimson domain fragments, and was then knocked to the ground by the recoil.

"Such an aura...Crimson Moon level!?"

Angel, who had also dodged aside, realized something was wrong and quickly flipped through the book in her hand, her face instantly turning pale. However, before she could find the content she wanted to read, a dark figure appeared in front of her, and then the light of the crimson field erupted again. Angel staggered back several steps, and blood began to seep from the corner of her eye.

"Wang Gui, go!"

Then Li Ling sprang up from the ground, shouting as she threw something in front of the monster.

Upon hearing this, Wang Gui did not hesitate. A detonator appeared in his hand, which he lit and threw.

boom!

The first close-range explosion was heard by Xiao Hua, who was protected by the fragments of the crimson domain released by Li Ling. He only heard a loud bang, and then his ears started ringing and he couldn't hear anything.

Boom, boom! ! !

The second explosion was caused by the detonator Wang Gui threw, which triggered something Li Ling had thrown out. A white light instantly enveloped everything. Xiao Hua only had time to see a large truck, resembling an oil tanker, appear for a second before being instantly knocked unconscious and losing consciousness without uttering a sound.

In a dark and distorted world, a bright light suddenly shone forth.

Despite being protected by the fragments of the Crimson Domain, Wang Gui and Angel were still thrown away, their whereabouts unknown.

Li Ling and Xiao Hua were flying in mid-air, but before they could land, a dark figure appeared in front of them with the burning flames and reached out to grab Xiao Hua.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, Li Ling kicked the thing in mid-air, sending it flying.

bang——

The second muffled thud came as the dark creature instantly charged forward again, slamming into Li Ling with a brutal impact. The impact caused her to loosen her grip, and Xiao Hua was sent flying, the trophy falling to the ground and disappearing without a trace.

"Depend on……"

Unable to fly, Li Ling cursed under her breath. Without hesitation, she took out her phone and threw it at Xiao Hua, hitting him and ensuring the fragments of the Crimson Domain continued to protect him. She then used her own flesh and blood to withstand the shockwave, slamming into the ground and creating a shallow crater before quickly getting to her feet.

"Even the tanker truck explosions in movies don't make this much noise. This is way too exaggerated!"

Watching the fiery clouds rise in the distance, Li Ling clicked her tongue. The tanker truck she had thrown out earlier was one she had shrunk and preserved on the way here using the power of her obsession. She had originally thought that combining this thing with Wang Gui's detonators would create a temporary advantage through shockwaves and flames, but she never expected that when it actually exploded, it was comparable to a nuclear bomb in a movie, directly blowing all the players present away.

However, with the protection of the Crimson Domain, things weren't too bad after surviving the first shockwave. For example, Li Ling only suffered minor burns to her arms, which she used to shield her face. If the evacuation hadn't been timely, the entire group could have been wiped out in the blink of an eye. After all, the aura of that dark figure was simply too terrifying.

Yes, just like now, that thing has appeared in front of Li Ling. Even though it is still on fire, the darkness covering its entire body has not dissipated at all. The eerie aura it releases makes Li Ling, who is very close by, feel breathless.

So they came after me first because I kicked them? Tsk, looks like I'm going to die here today.

Knowing full well that she had no ability to fight against a Red Moon-level monster, Li Ling gave a bitter laugh, already prepared to be killed on the spot.

But soon she noticed that the thing didn't attack, and its attention wasn't even on her, but rather on... what was behind her?

Turning around, Li Ling saw a figure emerging from the smoke of battle, with long, fiery red hair and a tattered trophy in the other person's hand.

"Sister Qingshan, is this what you're looking for?"

Kita Ikuyo stopped and looked at the shadows ahead. Her voice was tinged with a mix of emotion and helplessness, but her gaze was resolute.

Chapter 41: The Reappearance of "Green Mountains and Seven Seas" and Deeper Inside the Wall of Flesh and Blood

Kita was certain that he wouldn't mistake Aoyama Nanami's aura.

After all, before meeting Gao Hai, he had already gone through thirteen dungeon missions with her and Boqi-chan, and they were all very familiar comrades-in-arms.

Speaking of which, when I first met Sister Qingshan, she was already a very experienced veteran player.

The girl could still clearly remember her first experience of being caught up in the "Sacrifice Game". At that time, she and Goto Ichiri had just finished practicing guitar together in a hidden space under the school corridor. They were about to leave the school for the stars when they walked up the stairs and ended up in front of the gate of a dilapidated shrine. They then discovered several people from different places around the world and were caught off guard and plunged into a crisis.

Then, Aoyama Nanami, who was leading a new team from the [Market] and responsible for exploring low-difficulty unknown dungeons, recognized the two girls as students from Japan. She approached them to comfort them, told them about the [Sacrifice Game], and even demonstrated the extraordinary power of the obsession objects. Later, under Aoyama Nanami's guidance, Goto Ichiri accidentally solved the mystery of the core obsession of the dungeon, thus successfully destroying the dungeon and obtaining a Twilight-level blessing. The three of them began to cooperate and gradually formed a three-person team.

From the initial difficulties to the gradual adaptation and maturation, Kita remembers all the hardships and pain along the way very clearly.

She knew that it was Aoyama Nanami's guidance that had led her and Ichiri from ordinary people to the pinnacle of Red Moon level players. Without this understanding and kind senior, she and Ichiri would have surely died in the first dungeon long ago, and would never have achieved what they had today.

She knew that Aoyama Nanami harbored a deep-seated unresolved issue. Just as she and Ichiri wanted to form a band with Nijika and Ryo for life, Aoyama Nanami shared a similar, intense desire. And according to Kita's speculation, that desire was to become a voice actress. After all, Kita had seen those voice acting books hidden in Aoyama Nanami's rented room—those worn-out, yet never dusty—more than once.

Aoyama-nee... To become a voice actress, she worked part-time throughout high school. After signing with a voice acting agency, she continued her studies, working and learning voice acting simultaneously—practically risking her life. However, becoming a gamer ultimately shattered her dream. To survive, to cope with the monthly death challenges, Aoyama-nee couldn't balance her dream with her studies. Furthermore, as her strength increased, she also took on the responsibility of mentoring newcomers. So, in the end, due to the unavoidable realities of life, Aoyama-nee chose to abandon her dream and leave the path she had strived for for years.

Kita was always well aware of these cruel realities.

She originally intended to support Nanami Aoyama's dream and use her own and Ichiri's band experiences to convince her that the dream of becoming a voice actress was still achievable. However, she died in the "School Ghost Story" incident, and Ichiri subsequently left the band, negating Nanami's dream with an even crueler reality. Perhaps at that point, she had completely given up and could no longer believe in the possibility of her dream being rekindled? Maybe it's because of this change in mindset that she is now...

hum-

An invisible force has been unleashed with the arrival of Kita Ikuyo.

No words were needed; simply by existing there, everyone present could deeply feel the powerful aura emanating from the girl.

Li Ling, who was closest to the player, could sense Kita Ikuyo's power, which far exceeded that of a Red Moon-level player, and the faint, shimmering domain light behind that power, belonging to Takahashi.

Now I think I can understand why Kazama Ren wanted to be a high school girl.

Seeing this, Li Ling couldn't help but smile and shake her head.

With such terrifying power, let alone transforming into a high school girl or a Japanese girl, if that Mr. Gao wanted to, he'd probably dare to climb up even a grown man. Ah, but I'd better not do that; I'm too old for that.

"Leave this to me. Go and finish your tasks. I'll hold her off."

Kita Ikuyo spoke softly, taking a step towards the dark monster ahead.

"it is good."

Without wasting a word, Li Ling immediately jogged away from the battlefield where a super war was about to unfold and began searching for her companions.

The explosion of that oil tanker was incredibly loud. Although the Blood Domain fragments could protect players from harm, the shockwave couldn't be completely neutralized. I wonder where Angel and Lao Wang have flown to now, and what about Xiao Hua, that complete newbie? I wonder if she'll survive.

While analyzing the possible whereabouts of her teammates, Li Ling quickened her pace.

In the clearing she had left, Kita's red hair danced in the wind, and an invisible power emanated from her entire body. The monster, shrouded in darkness and now within ten steps of her, moved at that moment, vanishing from its spot in the blink of an eye and appearing right in front of Kita the next second.

boom! ! !

A little further away, Angel had just climbed up from the balcony of a house when he saw the flames bursting in the distance and the street that had almost completely collapsed in an instant.

A figure swept through the air at supersonic speed, breaking the sound barrier, followed by windows shattering in the gale.

The almost solidified black substance flowed through the sky, fell, and with a gentle touch, turned several buildings into ruins.

"Sister Qihai, remember quickly, you shouldn't be like this."

I could faintly hear someone's voice in the raging wind, someone earnestly calling out something.

But the next moment, the pitch-black color seemed to be stimulated, and immediately released its power in an even more ferocious manner. The spreading and twisting dark colors rushed wildly in all directions, giving Angel a momentary illusion of being attacked by monsters in the apocalypse.

However, Angel didn't quite know what followed, because a jet-black tentacle swept across the balcony where she was, tearing the entire house apart. Even though Angel herself managed to dodge the attack, she couldn't stop the collapse of the building and fell downwards along with the rubble.

It did not fall.

Angel blinked and realized that he was not falling, but floating in mid-air.

Moreover, the entire torn-up building showed no signs of collapse, and Angel could even vaguely see some building fragments floating slightly upwards.

Kita Ikuyo's figure, amidst these shattered building ruins, stood like an apostle of God, gazing up at the twisted monster shrouded in darkness, watching the tentacles it projected towards him once more.

Flip.

Without any movement, the direction of gravity was reversed by the girl.

The shattered building flew upwards, then hurtled towards the monster, crashing into it and dragging it down with it. It smashed through the shopping mall below, cracking the street and ravaging the surrounding buildings with its wind pressure.

[Gravity Domain]

This is the last blessing power Kita possesses.

This ability is simple and easy to understand: it involves controlling the gravity within the area covered by Kita Ikuyo's spiritual power. She can temporarily create new directions of gravity to alter the movement of objects within that area, or she can strengthen or weaken gravity. Of course, as a blessing power, Kita can also enhance the suppression of strange creatures when releasing this power, and she can autonomously split the area within its influence into multiple different regions, applying different gravity levels. This power acts directly as a set of rules, possessing extremely high priority. It can be said that with this ability alone, Kita can suppress the vast majority of strange creatures; even enemies at the Abyss level would find it difficult to contend with her.

Rumble, rumble——

The ground is collapsing one after another.

Under the full force of the blessing power unleashed by the girl, the monster hidden in the darkness let out a shrill roar and struggled desperately to resist, but it was no match for the extremely powerful Kita and was forcibly suppressed and unable to move.

I could sense an eerie aura gradually gathering around me.

Kita knew that his undisguised act of vandalizing the city had already attracted the attention of all the strange creatures in this edge of space.

This is actually a good thing; having everyone come to him is much more convenient than him going to them one by one. Anyway, with his current strength, it won't be easy for the [Hospital] to come up with something that can rival him. Whether it's fishing to see if there are any hidden powerful enemies, or covering for the players who have already escaped, in Kita's view, it's all very worthwhile.

"So, you really can't hear my voice anymore, Nanami-nee? Do you know how much time Pochi-chan and I spent looking for you? Do you know how worried we were about you? And... Mr. Gao too, he went to great lengths for you. Everyone hopes to find you and hopes you can come back to everyone's side."

Once again, he transmitted his voice to the monster in the darkness.

Just like before, there was still no response.

The will belonging to [Aoyama Nanami] seems to no longer be in that thing; it has completely disappeared.

After being transformed by the hospital, Aoyama Nanami is probably like one of the ordinary people in Tokyo who have been transformed, and she can never go back to her original form.

No, Kita would never accept such an outcome. She had barely managed to come back alive, only to have her senior mysteriously disappear as well; she would never accept such a thing.

Mr. Gao… he always manages to create miracles, always turns the impossible into the possible. This time, all I need to do is trust him. That's right, there's no need to overthink it; just believe that Mr. Gao can solve Sister Qingshan's problem, believe that he can create miracles!

The girl clenched her fists, looking at the monsters struggling desperately ahead, gradually breaking free from the control of the gravity field. Then she glanced at the Twilight and Dark Night level monsters that were gathering from all directions and active in the edge space, her eyes showing no fear.

Since we have chosen to trust Mr. Gao.