Myuu looked up at Hajime with a surprised expression.
Myu was born and raised by the sea, so seeing the ocean was probably a common sight for her. However, on Earth, unless one worked in a field related to the ocean, ordinary high school students rarely had the opportunity to see the ocean.
"This is all thanks to Myuu."
"Thanks, Myuu?"
"Yes, because you invited me to take this adventure, I was able to see such a beautiful scene."
"……whee."
Miu felt shy, but...
"I promise you that I will never forget today's adventure."
"..."
Myuu's expression hardened once again. It was clearly something to cheer about, but the clever Myuu had heard the hidden meaning behind it.
Hajime waited a moment, wanting to hear Myuu's answer. Whether it was "Don't go" or "Take me away," Hajime wanted to hear Myuu express her feelings, and then Hajime would answer her directly.
However, Miao said nothing. She just kept her lips tightly closed and endured the tears that welled up in her eyes, not crying.
Time passes in quiet yet heart-wrenching sorrow.
Hajime took a deep breath, as if trying to adjust his mood.
Then, just as he was about to speak—
“──!? What’s going on!?”
Feeling the powerful aura that made their hair stand on end, everyone froze in an instant.
"Mr. Hajime! Look at the sky!"
Hearing Shia's cry, Hajime looked up, only to see the sky rapidly closing. No, it was the clouds and mist that were rapidly flowing out, creating that illusion. The moon seemed to be swallowed up and disappeared.
"Myuu, Remia, don't leave us."
Although Myuu and Remia had uneasiness in their eyes, they still nodded in agreement.
"Hajime-kun, a thick fog suddenly appeared... This isn't natural fog, right?"
"Who knows? It could be a natural phenomenon in this fantasy world."
"...What about Hajime's intuition?"
"This was done with human intention."
The submarine was shrouded in a thick fog, so thick that those on either end of the deck couldn't see each other, as if they were in the Hartrina Sea of Trees. Everyone formed a circle to protect Myuu and Remia.
"Did the legend appear?"
"If that's the case, then I'd be happy, but no matter how I look at it, it doesn't look like it's glowing."
"Master, look, here they come."
Tio's tone was stiff. As if she was about to see through the truth, her golden dragon eyes, with pupils slit vertically, stared straight at the thick fog on the starboard side.
As everyone looked in that direction, "that thing" appeared.
"what is that?"
Across the dense fog, a massive shadow flashed by. Judging by its outline, it must have been over thirty meters long. Yet, there was no sound of water, no wind, and even the dense fog remained untouched.
It's as if nothing exists there.
The closed world was silent and serene, with only the breathing of Shi and the others sounding exceptionally loud.
"whale?"
Kaori's voice was hoarse. Even in the silence, the aura she released was truly powerful, making one shudder.
However, Hajime also agreed with Kaori's feeling. Because on the huge shadow swimming in the air around the submarine, Hajime saw something like a tail fin that he had seen before.
"Even the Magic Eye Stone can't see anything... Hey, Tio."
"I'm sorry, Master, but I don't know of anything like this."
Tio, who was well-informed and had excellent observation skills, broke out in a cold sweat and shook her head in denial.
At this moment, the submarine shook violently.
“! Hajime-san!? The boat has landed on the water!? We’ve been swept away by the current!”
"What? Hovercraft mode isn't canceled!"
With a loud boom, the silence was finally broken. The previously calm sea suddenly became turbulent, with a terrifyingly fast and powerful current. Furthermore, the sea surface began to swirl with the help of an unknown "shadow".
“Pfft!”
"Dad, Dad! No!"
Hajime was about to pull out Donar, but Myuu somehow hugged Hajime, stopping him.
"Myuu!?"
"I'm sorry! But, um, I don't know how to put this... it's not a bad boy!"
"You said you weren't a bad kid..."
Myuu didn't know what it was, but she seemed to sense something from the shadow. A voice in her heart seemed to tell her not to harm it. Her eyes held anxiety, a sense of impatience she couldn't put into words.
Even during this period, things continued to change rapidly.
By the time they came to their senses, the thick fog had formed a massive vortex wall, making everyone feel like they were in the eye of a typhoon. However, the sky was invisible above, as the fog blanketed the zenith. Instead of the seawater swirling, it formed a vortex like a giant pit.
"They're trying to pull us to the bottom of the ocean."
"...This feels strange. The sea and the entire fog feel magical."
"Mr. Hajime, basically, I don't see a future where we'll die!"
Hajime looked at Yue. Yue could easily understand the thoughts of her beloved without words. Yue realized that Hajime was urging her to escape by teleporting, and she immediately created a portal. However, after that...
"Dad! The child is calling! It's asking for help!"
"What?"
Although confused, Hajime didn't have time to ask Myuu in detail what she felt.
──Ohhhhhhhhhhh!
The shadow roared. It wasn't the menacing growl of a wild beast, but a clearer cry, like the timbre of a wind instrument. At the same time, Hajime and the others were enveloped in light, their consciousness blurring for a moment.
“! Oops—”
Yue's tone was anxious, and the portal she created shook and then disappeared.
"Everyone, don't separate!"
There was no time to escape. At Hajime's command, everyone embraced each other, with Myuu and Remia at the center. The submarine then plunged to the bottom of the sea, and Hajime and the others lost consciousness.
“Wu, wow, where is this…”
Remia shook her head, regaining consciousness. She was completely unaware of what had happened and could only stand there in a daze, but that was only for a moment. Before she lost consciousness, she had clearly been holding her daughter tightly in her arms, but now she could no longer feel her daughter's warmth. The moment Remia realized this, she jumped to her feet before her face could even turn pale.
"Myuu! Myuu where are you!? Answer me! Mom is here!"
Remia's screams echoed all around.
However, she did not hear any response from her beloved daughter, and when she looked around, she could not see any sign of Shi and the others.
A strong sense of unease surged into her heart, as if an ice cube was thrown into her heart, and she even felt her hands and feet begin to feel cold.
She swore to never leave her daughter again, but she was not by her side.
That was something Remia absolutely could not allow. The thought of her daughter suffering again made her heart feel like it was being torn apart.
“…It’s okay, it’s okay. Hajime-san and the others are here too, so it’ll be alright.”
Remia urged herself on, telling herself to pull herself together. Almost sinking into anxiety and pessimism, Remia's eyes brightened up again. She took a deep breath, and her mood calmed down a little.
This time, Remia slowly looked around. All she could see were cracked cobblestones and half-collapsed building walls. It seemed as if she had been thrown into an alley in some town.
Anyway, she had to find Myuu, so Remia walked out of the alley.
After exiting the alley, she appeared to be on a main road. The road was about twenty meters wide and lined with a row of huge buildings she had never seen before.
The road stretched straight, with no end in sight on one side, only the horizon. In the opposite direction, about three kilometers away, stood a massive city and a cylindrical tower that soared into the sky.
Lemia had neither super jumping ability nor the ability to fly, so it was difficult for her to grasp the overall situation of this place. Even so, from the area she could see, it was clear that this was once a huge city with considerable technological capabilities.
Yes, it was in the past. The city was a scene of desolation and ruin, a state of utter devastation. No matter how I looked at it, the surrounding buildings were in ruins, devoid of any trace of human presence.
Not only that, looking up, the sky was a dark, lightning-like cloud, a desolate scene reminiscent of the end of the world. A thin layer of black fog enveloped the entire city, and the very air itself seemed murky. It felt like stepping into a gloomy realm unsuitable for human beings.
“Where is this place…?”
She should have been dragged to the bottom of the sea. Remia deliberately asked this question to hide the lingering eerie feeling.
Remia glared at the deserted town, then broke into a run.
"Myuu! Mom is here! Where are you? Answer me!"
Remia looked around and kept calling out.
The deserted road was covered in countless rubble and cracks, making it a very dangerous journey for the Sea People, who were not used to wearing durable shoes. Not to mention for Remia, who was currently searching for her daughter and was not paying attention to her steps. As expected...
“──!”
The moment her defenseless sandals touched the sharp corners of the rubble, they gave way and the laces snapped. A stream of blood flowed from Remia's slender feet.
Her sandals had become shackles, so Remia took them off without hesitation and threw them away. Then, without hesitation, she continued to search for her daughter barefoot. Although her feet were quickly covered in wounds, she did not stop for a moment.
Remia just screamed desperately, searching for the most important person in the world.
However, the mother's cry for her daughter...
"Eh? ...Who are you?"
It seems to have attracted bad presence.
Before she knew it, someone appeared in front of Remia.
No, it was a "something" that looked like a human. At first glance, it looked like a person covered in a black robe, but its face was shrouded in an unnatural darkness, and even its mouth was completely invisible.
That robe-like garment wasn't normal either; it felt like liquid. If I had to describe it, it felt like black tar smeared on my body...it's hard to describe.
Most importantly, Remia's instincts issued a strong warning.
You can't go there. You and it are absolutely incompatible.
Run away now with all your might!
However, in this deserted ghost town, this was the first time Remia encountered such a thing, and a "certain possibility" made her stop.
That's right, it's the possibility that "the other party might know about my daughter."
Being a mother makes you strong, and the result of forcibly suppressing your instincts...
"Um, um... did you see a little girl..."
Before he could finish his words, the terrifying black robe rippled. The next moment, the figure roared and stood up, condensing into the shape of a terrifying, enormous sickle.
I saw a man in a black robe approaching rapidly, looking like the legendary god of death.
Remia's face paled as she backed away, but her foot tripped over the rubble and she fell to the ground. A murderous intent that overwhelmed her instinct for survival overtook her, and Remia couldn't even utter a cry, nor could she avert her gaze.
—I have to find Myuu! You're the mother! Cheer up! Stand up!
But Remia kept pushing herself mentally. Facing an overwhelming killing intent unlike anything she had ever experienced, even if her body felt frozen and unable to move, she would never give up.
There was no way Remia would give up. Even though her body was trembling, she faced the blow with a fierce glare, as if ready to fight.
At that moment, a bright red flash pierced the head of the Grim Reaper.
"Eh?" Remia uttered a clumsy sound, as if the immobilization had been lifted. She saw the Death God's brain spurting out, exploding with black tar.
At the same time, she also saw the hem of the coat, which was also black but gave her a sense of reassurance.
"As expected of Myuu's mother, she's quite courageous."
Hajime praised her and landed beside Remia.
Remia's eyes widened in surprise, but she still shouted:
“Mr. Hajime! Where’s Myuu!?”
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