Chapter 345: Penacony Arc 『 Part Forty 』, The Eternal Limbo of the Penacony
「 "Once, someone said to me… 'No compassion for the enemy, for that is cruelty upon yourself. But you must see clearly who the true enemy is...' And then, with one swing of your blade, you must understand its meaning and the price you pay."
"This is the only advice I have for you, from someone burdened with a blood debt."
While the two were occupied with their exchange, Black Swan had already returned, bearing word from Miss Himeko and March 7th. There was bad news, and there was good.
She handed a Memory Bubble to Stelle; soon, the images of the others flickered into view.
Members of the Family had intercepted Himeko and March 7th. Black Swan stood right beside them, yet the Family's agents seemed utterly oblivious to her presence.
Himeko: "I understand the situation. Please ensure you escort Stelle to a safe location. If you have the capacity, you may also begin a preliminary investigation into the Hotaru matter. We shall rendezvous later at the Clockie's statue." 」
「 ..... 」
〜DanMachi World〜
"Phew…"
Seeing that Miss Himeko and March 7th were unharmed, Bell let out a long sigh of relief. Ever since witnessing Hotaru's tragic end, his nerves had been pulled taut as a lute string, fearing that the blade named 'Meme' might find its way to Stelle's other companions.
"Miss Hotaru turned completely into a pool of water…"
Liliruca mused, her head bowed in thought.
"If Miss Hotaru died within the Dreamscape, what would happen to her physical body? Can she re-enter the dream through the Dreampool?"
"Miss March 7th mentioned earlier that after entering the Primal Dreamscape, Stelle could be found neither in reality nor in the dream. I fear… Hotaru's physical form may have vanished as well."
Hestia couldn't help but shudder. At first, she had thought Penacony was merely a place for a vacation, but now it seemed Penacony was perhaps more perilous than the Dungeon itself.
At the very least, adventurers exploring the Dungeon understood the dangers of their destination and prepared accordingly. But in the Dreamscape… who knew when a Meme might crawl out to feed you a blade?
The worst part was its hit-and-run nature; it fled the moment the deed was done, making it impossible to even rally a party to subjugate it.
Bell shook his head.
"I still find it unlikely for a physical body to simply vanish. Perhaps the Family has made some move behind the scenes to hide her away. After all, once someone reaches the Primal Dreamscape, they essentially learn the Family's secrets. The Family wouldn't just let her go."
—
「 The group intended to find a secure location to continue their discussion.
"Miss Black Swan, don't you intend to open a… portal, or something of the sort?"
"Hmm… I wouldn't recommend it. Her mental state is currently unstable; we must avoid 'crude' methods of transit like the one we just employed. Furthermore, while we evacuate, we can do more for Miss Hotaru, can we not? Some traces of her still linger nearby. Before they fade entirely, let them become your 'memories.'"
"…If we can conduct an investigation along the way, that would be for the best." Acheron looked at the puddle Hotaru had left on the ground, her gaze trembling slightly. "Apologies, could you give me a few more minutes?"
Perhaps under the influence of the Dreamscape, these traces were gradually dissolving.
They watched as Acheron turned and walked away. Stelle remembered—it was exactly there that she had turned into bubbles.
The group saw her come to a halt. She merely pursed her lips and lowered her eyes. After a long moment, she stooped down, her hands moving as if to gather something, before standing once more.
"May death be the end of your boundless dream... Guiding you back... to the waking world."
Within Acheron's palms, those droplets turned into dream bubbles. Tiny fragments of light, like fireflies, drifted up from between her fingers, flying toward the invisible reaches of the Dreamscape.
On the ground lay a half-dissolved mobile phone, holding a single unsent message… and a photo. The two people in the picture were smiling brightly.
Once Stelle sent the photo to her own phone, the last remaining trace of Hotaru vanished completely, dissolving into dream bubbles. 」
「 ..... 」
〜Journey To The West World〜
Taiyi Zhenren, patting his protruding belly, was wobbling his way back to the Golden Light Cave. From a distance, he could already hear Nezha's thunderous roaring from within.
"This young master is going to skin that monster alive! I'll gouge its eyeballs out one by one and play with them like marbles!"
"Nezha, calm yourself first…"
Ao Bing's voice followed immediately.
"Calm my foot!"
A series of clattering and crashing sounds echoed from the grotto.
"The person turned into water! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE CALM? WE SHOULD KILL THAT MONSTER FIRST, THEN THROW IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF THAT MAN WITH WINGS ON THE BACK OF HIS HEAD AND SEE WHAT HE HAS TO SAY FOR HIMSELF!!"
Listening to his disciple's furious outburst, Taiyi Zhenren merely sighed softly.
He gave his two small tufts of beard a performative stroke, intending to make a grand entrance with his masterly dignity, when suddenly a fruit platter came flying through the door—
Splat!
Chilled watermelon pulp plastered his entire face. A few grapes and dates rolled down his belly. Seeing Taiyi Zhenren get hit, Ao Bing cried out in alarm and rushed out to help him. Meanwhile, Nezha stood barefoot on a stone table, his temper still far from extinguished.
"Oh, dear me…"
Taiyi Zhenren wiped his face, licking away the pulp before staring at Nezha with a stern expression.
"Acting like this, you're bound to cause trouble sooner or later. One must be calm when facing a crisis; one must know how to analyze—"
"Can analysis save people?! The Dreamscape of Penacony is all the Family's doing. That monster definitely has something to do with that Wing-Man! We should go find him—and forget an explanation, I'm going to rip those two wings right off his head! In short, as long as they're with the Family… not a single one of them is getting away with this!"
—
「 In the Dreamscape, Black Swan sensed a slight anomaly. "…What is this? There is a sudden… heat appearing within the Memoria?"
Acheron spoke guardedly, "You noticed it too. It's as if something has caught fire…"
The trio arrived at a hall, only to find the scorched remains of the Dreamjolt Troupe scattered everywhere. Faint sparks still lingered on their corpses, proving that the perpetrator had not gone far.
Some of the monsters' remains had been pierced by some sort of thermal high-energy weapon; the tissues beneath their carapaces seemed to have explosively evaporated in an instant due to the intense heat.
"Judging by the memories within these husks… the individual is tall, far more robust than an average adult male. Their methods are clean and efficient—every strike was a killing blow. Perhaps a mercenary, or an assassin."
"He entered from the door on the far side of the lobby and headed deeper into the hotel. If that's the case… he must have seen everything that transpired before…" Black Swan's expression suddenly turned grave. "…I retract my previous statement. We must hurry to the Memory Zone where Miss Hotaru's image was imprinted. Given this friend's style of operation…"
"If his destination is also there, no clues will be left at the scene." 」
「 ..... 」