It was a mass of black, mud-like substance, radiating an unsettling aura. Countless souls clung to it, and in her eyes she could see their expressions twisted to the extreme, lunging toward her.
Most terrifying of all, within the space that had now turned blood-red, a massive soul consisting of only a head streamed a line of bloody tears. Its mouth gaped wide as it bit toward her.
She tried to move, only to find that she could not move at all. She could only watch helplessly as her own head was about to be swallowed whole—when a figure clad in garments like blazing fire floated before her. A slender hand curled slightly, and with a flick of a finger against its forehead, the creature shattered.
As it vanished, the abnormality in this space also disappeared. Bright sunlight spilled across the tabletop, and her vision returned to normal. "Huff... huff..." Gasping violently for breath, Chu Lian's face turned pale, and faint tears swirled in her eyes.
She gently leaned against the bewildered Nabe and said softly, "Nabe, I need to rest for a while. Just hold my body. Don't mind me."
After speaking, she closed her eyes. Her breathing grew faint, and it was obvious she had fallen asleep.
"Ayase..." Inside the system space, she looked at the empty expanse and called out nervously. Yet no one responded to her voice. "Ayase..." she called again softly. Still, there was no reply...
Shiroha, who should have appeared, was nowhere to be seen either. In this vast space, it seemed as though she was the only one left...
"Ayase..." Slowly kneeling down, her voice choked. What had just happened truly terrified her—terrified her beyond measure.
But even that fear was nothing compared to the anxiety brought by Ayase's sudden disappearance. She knew that Ayase's various abnormalities during this period all foreshadowed that she might leave. But she did not want it to be now—at this moment, when she needed someone to rely on more than ever.
Before this, whether it was the bizarre enemies of the Otherside, extraterrestrial lifeforms, legendary beings, or ghosts and spirits, she had seen them all.
Even if they gave her some feeling, it had only been surprise—not this kind of pure terror and fear. That had felt like an enemy born entirely from the depths of the soul, something utterly impossible to guard against.
"Ayase..." She sniffled softly and bit her lower lip as she stood up. Even if she was gone, she could not remain so weak...
"Little Lian'er, I'm here..." From behind, a soft body embraced her, and by her ear came a tenderness she had never heard before—careful and utterly doting, as though cherishing her fragile self beyond measure.
"I went to deal with something just now, so I couldn't come back in time. I'm sorry..." Feeling the trembling and fear of the girl in her arms, Ayase's eyes were filled with heartache.
Such an enemy—let alone Chu Lian—even she had felt a surge of fear. For Chu Lian, who had never encountered an attack on the spiritual level before, terror was the most natural reaction.
That kind of pure, extreme malice—the Spirit of Terror born from endless resentment—could ignore any level of strength and attack the soul directly.
If there was even the slightest flaw in one's heart, whether Earth, Heaven, or Transcendence Realm, all would perish under its assault. No one had ever been able to guard against it. One could only confront it with an even stronger will.
The reason she had not appeared earlier was because she had ordered Shiroha to activate the highest level of protection, preventing that vengeful spirit from invading Chu Lian's soul, while she personally went to deal with it.
After all, such a creature was originally born in the Purgatory and Shadow Planes, growing by devouring souls. Once fully formed, it would become the kind of Spirit of Terror that gave countless powerful beings headaches.
This one was already close to completing its evolution. Even if it had not yet reached the full strength of maturity, it was not something Chu Lian—who had never tempered her mind—could withstand.
More importantly, Ayase had discovered upon it a trace of the aura unique to their own world. In other words, it had followed Chu Lian's trajectory to this world.
Ayase knew very well that both the Shadow Plane and the Purgatory Plane were connected to all worlds. As long as one found a point of entry, entering was not particularly difficult.
Because the system always opened Dungeon Spaces in the same manner, she was very familiar with the method.
But how had it managed to lock onto Chu Lian? Neither the system nor she herself had detected its pursuit. It had nearly caused a catastrophe.
If Chu Lian's soul had truly been devoured just now, the system would inevitably have been implicated as well. To break free from that existence's internal grasp would have required a heavy price.
And to rescue Chu Lian's soul would certainly have damaged her origin. When the Heavenly Demon arrived, both she and Chu Lian would have been finished.
Fortunately, it had been in an immature state. Driven by its craving for Chu Lian's soul, it had revealed itself, allowing Ayase to strike and injure its true body in a single blow. Following the traces it left behind, she had fought it and severely wounded it.
Although failing to keep it was a pity, leaving it unable to recover for a long time was good enough.
That thing had been far too greedy for Chu Lian's soul—so greedy that the moment it found an opportunity, it attacked without hesitation, regardless of its immature state. Truly strange.
Her appearance and battle with it had all taken place within a Purgatory Plane beyond ordinary comprehension. For Ainz and Nabe, who had only ever dealt with the main plane, it was perfectly normal that they sensed nothing.
But Chu Lian was different. For various reasons, she had come into contact with the Purgatory Plane and the Shadow Plane even before the school trip began. Perhaps it was then that she had been targeted by that not-yet-fully-grown Spirit of Terror.
"Ayase, I'm really scared..." Tears flowed uncontrollably. She made no attempt to conceal her current weakness. All the disguises she wore outside were unnecessary before the one who knew her best. She only needed to let her see all of her vulnerability.
"I know. I was careless, Lian'er. I'm sorry you had to face an enemy that you shouldn't have encountered at this stage." The heartache in Ayase's eyes deepened. She truly had not expected such a creature to follow silently.
She guessed it was likely because the faint spatial turbulence during the opening of the Dungeon Space had been detected by it, allowing it to pursue them.
It was one thing for the system to be unable to guard against such a thing, but how could she herself have assumed there was no problem? If something had happened to Chu Lian, what would she have done?
"Mm..." Ayase was now her only support. That lingering sense of fear still wandered in her heart. If it could not be cleared away, she had no idea what might happen afterward.
"It will be all right..." Gently lifting the girl's chin, Ayase leaned down and kissed her, capturing her soft tongue...
A little sweet—that was her taste.
A little salty—that was the bitterness of tears.
With her eyes closed, she accepted that tenderness, and slowly, slowly, drifted into sleep...
"You're awake?" When Chu Lian opened her eyes, she found herself sitting inside a carriage. It was Nabe who had been holding her all along, and it was also Nabe who had spoken.
Nodding, Chu Lian rubbed her head and rose from the maid's embrace. Looking around at the surroundings, she immediately understood where she was.
"Have we encountered any monsters?" She turned and asked Nabe with a smile.
The maid shook her head. "So far, everything has been normal. We haven't encountered any enemies yet."
Studying her thoughtfully, Chu Lian asked, "How long did I sleep?"
Nabe considered for a moment. Although she did not know why Miss Deloris had suddenly fallen asleep, her condition now seemed perfectly fine, so she did not dwell on it. "About an hour."
"An hour… That's good…" She let out a breath of relief. She had thought she had slept for a long time. It seemed that in her perception, the extreme tension had distorted her sense of time.
For some reason, after falling asleep in Ayase's arms and waking again, that lingering terror buried in her soul had already vanished.
"Perhaps Ayase helped me…" In truth, Ayase herself found it strange that the fear—even she had been unable to dispel—had quietly disappeared. If the location had been more suitable, she might have grabbed the girl to study her properly.
"Oh, Miss Liliana, you're awake? Didn't you sleep well last night?" The short-haired girl at the front of the carriage noticed her stirring and called out.
"Ah, not at all. I slept with my fiancée last night. How could I possibly not sleep well? I was just a little bored, that's all." Of course, Chu Lian would never reveal the truth. She casually made up an excuse to brush it off.
After turning her words over in her mind and recalling how listless and uninterested she had looked during their earlier conversation, Ninya immediately felt that this explanation made perfect sense.
"I'm sorry if our matters bored you," Nfirea said as he turned around to face her. He did not mention the matter of her fiancée, evidently having already heard about that little joke from the others.
"It's fine. I just don't like letting overly complicated matters distract me. It's enough to leave those to Big Brother. Although he can be a bit foolish at times, he's still the one I rely on the most." Stretching lazily, Chu Lian unexpectedly began praising Ainz.
Ainz, who was guarding the rear of the carriage, nearly felt like he was about to float into the sky upon hearing his little sister say that. This was his good little sister Deloris—so obedient, giving him plenty of face in front of outsiders.
As for the line "although he can be a bit foolish," he automatically filtered it out. Having a little sister really was wonderful.
"You two have a very good relationship," Nfirea observed, looking between her and Ainz.
"Of course. In this world, only the two of us remain as family. With no one else to rely on, naturally we have to stay close. Otherwise, we'd just be bullied." Chu Lian deftly played a word game, presenting a half-truth so seamlessly that it sounded flawless.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that." Even a dull boy could tell he had touched on something inappropriate, and he apologized at once.
"It's all right…" Though she appeared unconcerned, her next action clearly revealed her stance. Taking Nabe's small hand, she jumped down from the carriage and walked alongside Ainz.
Once Nabe stood beside Ainz, she relaxed slightly. If she had not needed to hold Chu Lian earlier, she would not have had to sit in the carriage at all. It was terribly uncomfortable.
"Hey, as thanks, Nabe, I'll give you a gift when we get back," Chu Lian said with a wink and a smile.
"Serving you is my duty," Nabe replied, shaking her head. To her, it was already a blessing. How could she accept a gift?
"If you don't accept it, then I'll give it to someone else." Chu Lian subtly emphasized the words "someone else," causing something inexplicable to stir in Nabe's heart. She turned her face slightly to the side and gave a small nod.
Chu Lian knew that meant she wanted the gift after all. Pressing her lips together in a faint smile, she then looked ahead, her gaze gradually sharpening with vigilance.
"Peter, how about we rest over there?" Nfirea pointed toward a spot and spoke to Peter.
The warrior turned to look. It was a stretch of rocky ground beside a river—perfect for resting. "Sounds good." He then turned to Ainz. "Mr. Momo?"
"Understood." Ainz halted his steps. Knowing the reason, he agreed, and the group moved over to rest.
Only one person, though smiling outwardly, kept her mind taut as a drawn bowstring. She had sensed danger. It was different from the fear she had felt on the second floor of the Adventurer's Guild when encountering that Spirit of Terror. This was a reaction to a powerful creature—and to danger approaching.
She knew that something beyond the original storyline had begun to unfold.
Danger was advancing, step by step…