Yes, I did all of this!

Upon closer inspection, one can see that these people all have injuries or disabilities to varying degrees, but their eyes are very serious, shining with light, completely unconcerned about their pain.

A good mental state is beneficial to physical recovery, but their posture clearly exceeded the scope of "good," and seemed more like a desire to abandon their bodies, giving the entire venue an eerie atmosphere.

"interesting."

At the edge of the venue, a doctor leaned against the wall, calmly observing the scene before him.

The doctor was dressed in a white coat, with a professional mask, head covering, and goggles on his face, and rubber gloves on his hands. He looked like he had just come out of the operating room.

However, unlike the image of a doctor, this person's posture was very casual, and there were many spike-like protrusions on his shoulders and gloves, making him look out of place.

However, it can still be quite deceptive if you don't look closely.

"It seems that even after so much time has passed, the sea monster's words still have an impact on people."

“…Neville.” Behind the strange doctor, another person appeared from around the corner, staring at the doctor.

With his gray hair and a cane, he would be easily recognizable as the hospital director if a third party were present.

The identity of that strange doctor was revealed by the hospital director.

"Oh."

The eccentric doctor turned his head and looked at the lame hospital director.

"As Lord Leviathan said, your interests are still so... bizarre."

Looking at Neville's strange attire, the dean remained silent for a moment before speaking indifferently.

"Thank you for the compliment." Neville removed his mask and goggles, revealing a face streaked with blood and tears, and smiled maliciously.

—This hospital was the "clue" of Leviathan. After searching for several days, Duanmu Mo found this private hospital.

When he discovered this place, the real dean had already disappeared; to be precise, his neck had been connected to Leviathan's tentacles.

Based on Duanmu Mo's rough guess, the dean must have used a portion of his power to connect the strange man's remnant soul when it was flying around.

Given its circumstances at the time, it's likely that the dean was bewitched when Leviathan first appeared, the day it manifested its enormous body above several cities.

Afterwards, Leviathan spoke of dreams about heaven to those who had been bewitched. The headmaster, being old and crippled, longed for Leviathan's words.

So on the day the monster's remnant soul went berserk, Leviathan connected with him without much effort. This dean probably connected with the tentacles on his own initiative and became a hanged ghost.

Although now separated by a seal, Leviathan can still contact the Dean and make him work for it.

"Come with me, Lord Neville, this is not the time to talk."

As the dean turned to leave, he heard Mu Mo behind him say, "There's no need for that."

The next moment, the dean's vision went black, and his body felt as if it had been swallowed by something unknown. After a moment of dizziness, his vision returned, and he found himself in the dean's office without even realizing it.

"ah......"

Pressing his hand to his head, the dean saw Neville pull off his hospital white coat and sit in his office chair.

"..."

The dean naturally took the guest's seat and stared at the strange man in front of him.

After becoming a hanged ghost, one should be connected to Leviathan's memories, but Leviathan's memories include not only the sea monster itself, but also countless hanged ghosts. For a human brain to process such a massive amount of memories would only result in a brain explosion.

However, if one were to become a monster, one would be unable to conceal their body. Therefore, the dean only had a small portion of memories related to Leviathan in his mind.

All he knew about Neville was that he was a disgusting guy, but one he couldn't afford to underestimate.

"So, what is your Leviathan Lord's plan?"

Playing with his sharp fingernails in his freak form, Duanmu Mo propped his feet on the table and asked.

"He said that magical girls are still insignificant compared to the past, but their existence would hinder his actions, so he needs to deal with the magical girls."

"You want me to kill them?" Duanmu Mo asked.

"No... the master didn't tell you to do that. He said to leave these kinds of things to us."

The dean wasn't lying; he spoke honestly. In fact, he hadn't even anticipated Neville's arrival; he only remembered an instruction—what to do if Neville came.

In addition, he is currently sharing memories with Leviathan, which is why he appears so calm; it's just that the "signal" isn't very strong due to the seal separating them.

us......

It wasn't just the dean who was bewitched. Duanmu Mo believed that there must be others who had voluntarily become hanged ghosts. With this group working together, even ordinary people could cause some trouble for the magical girls in secret under Leviathan's instructions.

"So, I'm still on vacation, right?"

He lowered his leg, yawned boredly, and looked at the dean with a mocking expression:

"The thing in the back of your head should understand, right? If you don't give me something to do, I'll find something to do myself."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the dean fell silent. Then, after a short while, accompanied by a ripple from the invisible tentacles behind his head, the dean finally spoke:

"Helping us get something isn't difficult, but it does carry some risk."

"What is it?"

The dean narrowed his eyes, staring at Neville before him, and said:

"The key to unlock the seal."

"The Key to the Underworld?" Duanmu Mo asked in surprise.

"That should be a suitable way to address him," the dean said after a moment's thought.

"Oh?" Duanmu Mo chuckled, raising his hand to reveal a card: "You mean, it wants this one of mine?"

"Yes... but not yours," the dean said cautiously.

"—We also have information about other Keys to the Underworld."

Seeing Neville wave his hand, gesturing for him to continue, the Dean took a deep breath and said:

"Soon, some artifacts will be sent to the Kamishiro City Museum, and among them is the aura of the Key to the Underworld."

Under the dean's honest advice, Duanmu Mo opened his computer and searched for a while, finally finding that the matter was indeed true. He nodded, a look of amazement on his face:

"Not bad. By the way, how did you know?"

The dean spoke of the memories that surfaced in his mind: "You should know that the Key to the Underworld is a mixture of the energy of monsters and magical girls."

"...I think I understand."

He was naturally aware of this, having learned about it when he fought against the Desolate Poison Vine. At that time, Cang Yi was also humiliated by the Desolate Power because he carried the Key to the Underworld, which contained the Desolate Power's energy.

So when Duanmu Mo heard him say that, he understood that the energy of this Key to the Underworld was most likely related to Leviathan:

"So, the energy of that stone belongs to Leviathan?"

"No, it's 'death'."

"die?"

Duanmu Mo frowned, and the Netherworld Key card between his fingers flickered, quickly transforming into the eyeball of the dragon's corpse:

"Is it?"

“Yes.” The dean nodded. “According to Lord Leviathan, the Key to the Underworld sensed the aura of its own body and automatically moved closer here.”

Upon hearing his words, Duanmu Mo recalled the scene from the previous two times he released the strange creatures with an aura of death in Kamishiro City and Kazekawa City, and then sealed them inside with the eyeball cards.

Not only did they use cards, but their own guns and swords also used materials from that dragon, so they would probably carry a similar aura while in use.

But this isn't my problem; it's the Key to the Underworld.

Duanmu Mo possessed a card formed from Huang Yu's Netherworld Key, and was well aware of its abilities; the Netherworld Key formed from Huang Yu's energy could not do this.

Judging solely from the performance of the Key to the Underworld, it is enough to prove the unfathomable strength of that dragon.

"But what do you need this Key to the Underworld for?"

Putting down the mouse, Duanmu Mo leaned back in his office chair and asked him:

"Should I open the sealed gate to further revive myself? Or use its Netherworld Key to obtain a large amount of death energy?"

"do not know."

The dean shook his head: "Lord Leviathan didn't tell me about this memory."

"let it go."

Duanmu Mo leaned back in his office chair, looking at the information on his computer.

The cultural relics were not sent up in the same batch, which means it was impossible to wait at one stop in advance; we just knew that they would eventually come here.

Putting his thoughts aside, Duanmu Mo stared at the dean across the desk.

—The information gleaned from his words goes beyond this. It's normal for Leviathan to know the power of the Key to the Underworld, but to even know its direction is rather intriguing.

From this perspective, the relationship between Leviathan and that dragon is probably more than just that of enemies.

With a faint smile, Duanmu Mo stood up, the shadow cast on the wall behind him deepening.

"In that case, I won't disturb your operation any longer. I'll try my best to find a way to get the Key to the Underworld. Goodbye."

After saying that, he took a step back and disappeared into the shadow of the wall.

. . . . . .

Chapter 411: The Museum

After leaving the hospital and having a meal outside, Duanmu Mo went to the museum in Kamishiro City.

The museum is located in the center of the city, and Duanmu Mo had visited it several times before.

hum-

The motorcycle engine roared to life, the snowy weather slowing the vehicle down and increasing the risk of slipping while going uphill.

At such times, drivers who are struggling to keep their vehicles steady may see the black and gold motorcycle smoothly moving forward, the patterns on the body lighting up as they ride, emitting a faint red glow.

The slippery phenomenon occurred when Duanmu Mo arrived at the museum in the center of the city.

Even in this snowy weather, the museum remained open to the public. Duanmu Mo took off his motorcycle helmet nearby and rubbed his hands, which were covered in motorcycle gloves, giving the impression that he was also afraid of the cold.

As he walked into the museum and looked at the artifacts around him, Duanmu Mo memorized them.

As the magical girls' strength increases, their perception of the monster's energy also deepens. In other words, when the dragon's Key to the Underworld is transported here, they will most likely sense the presence of this energy.