Late at night.
Everything was silent.
Everyone else had already fallen asleep. No one noticed what Tendō Kisara was doing.
She rushed into the underground city with the others like a maddened bull, turning a blind eye to all the dangers Yami Tsukishiro had warned about.
In fact…
The monsters that appeared on the first few levels of the maze weren't even that dense.
Those zombies were originally just there to raise the difficulty a little and build up atmosphere in the dungeon.
For ordinary adventurers, as long as they explored carefully and eliminated the scattered zombies bit by bit, they wouldn't pose much of a threat.
However—
These three people mistakenly thought they could escape by rushing straight toward the exit in the maze.
So.
They ran all the way without a second thought.
Completely unaware that, step by step, they were walking into a crisis.
Their reckless charge drew the hatred of countless zombies.
Just like that…
A desperate, breathless chase began—
—until it finally turned into the tragic scene now frozen before Yami Tsukishiro's eyes.
"Haa… looks like I need to spell out the dungeon guide a lot more clearly next time."
Yami Tsukishiro smiled helplessly.
He really hadn't expected that just this one wave would be enough to wipe all three of them out.
What was even more ironic was that the total number of magic stones the three of them carried was actually enough to trigger a resurrection benefit. Ten stones usually aren't even enough!
[Black Bullet World Resolution: 3%]
[Now all three people appear in the afterlife and cannot be resurrected]
"…The world analysis progress is stuck like this?!"
Faced with such a bizarre situation, even the usually composed Yami Tsukishiro was at a loss for words.
But fortunately—
Just when he was feeling truly helpless…
The Multiverse Dungeon thoughtfully handed him a "patch."
A clear chime rang in his ears.
[Ding. It has been detected that all the adventurers summoned from the Black Bullet World cannot be resurrected normally. You will receive one additional summon from this world!]
Only then did the heart hanging in his chest finally settle.
"Seriously… thank you so much, Myriad World Dungeon."
Yami Tsukishiro muttered to himself.
If the system hadn't intervened at that critical moment, everything might really have been ruined by these three idiots.
Thinking of this, Yami Tsukishiro made up his mind.
He had to meet these three who had almost brought the entire Multiverse Dungeon crashing down—
these so-called "talents" who had managed to create such a ridiculous bug.
Endless darkness shrouded everything.
It was like a glutton that could never be satisfied, devouring all light, swallowing the world until one could not even see their own fingers.
Within that darkness, the three people who had died—but could not truly disappear—each faced their own death in a different way.
Among them, Kayo Senju maintained a calm, composed expression.
She walked slowly forward through the darkness, her steps steady.
Kisara Tendō gripped the katana in her hand tightly, as if facing some powerful unseen enemy, her gaze sweeping around her with unwavering vigilance. Every step she took was abnormally cautious.
Only Enju Aihara was different from the other two.
Her eyes, once lively and full of spirit, had become increasingly dull and lifeless.
She hugged her knees tightly, curling up quietly on the ground.
Sitting naked in the endless darkness, her thoughts had drifted far away; her whole being seemed to be in a daze.
All of her past experiences flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
What those memories brought her was not the fear of death, but a faint sense of relief—relief that she could finally be freed from the title of "Cursed Child."
Maybe for her, death… really was a kind of release.
"You two are actually still alive?"
At that moment, Kisara Tendō finally noticed the other two and was taken aback.
Even though they had desperately tried to run forward, within the misty darkness of death they had never truly moved.
From beginning to end, they had been standing in the exact same place.
What had changed was simply that Yami Tsukishiro had deliberately allowed them to see one another.
Enju Aihara lowered her head even after hearing Kisara's voice, remaining silent.
Kayo Senju, standing beside her, tilted her head slightly.
"I remember… we died in the dungeon because we were too impulsive and ran around recklessly… and ended up drawing a huge horde of zombies to us."
[Very good. At least one of you finally realizes how stupid and reckless you were.]
"Who's there?!"
Kisara Tendō instantly tightened her grip on her katana, her body tensing as she scanned the darkness warily.
Kayo Senju slowly raised her head.
She stared into the boundless darkness ahead, doubt filling her heart.
"Are you the one who brought us here?"
As she spoke, something seemed to surface in her memory.
Her eyes grew even more curious.
"You once asked me if I wanted to live like an ordinary girl… but it looks like that doesn't matter anymore, does it? I'm already dead, aren't I?"
Her words were like a blade, slicing straight through the illusion of reality and forcing everyone to face the cruel truth.
In this moment, Kayo Senju's mind was exceptionally clear.
She understood her current situation with painful clarity.
Kisara Tendō, listening at her side, couldn't hide her surprise.
"Eh? Didn't you say you wanted revenge?"
At this time, Enju Aihara—who had been silent all along—finally lifted her head.
In a fragile, wavering voice, she murmured,
"He told me… that he could let me live in the sunlight again…"
"Oh?"
Kayo Senju nodded lightly, as if something had just clicked into place.
A look of realization slowly appeared on her face.
She began to piece together the truth behind everything.
These questions were like sharp swords, stabbing straight into the hearts of everyone present.
Yet instead of giving them the freedom to choose their own fate, those questions felt more like shackles...
shackles that had dragged them all here against their will.
Kayo Senju's eyes gradually sharpened as she stared into the darkness ahead, her small face set and serious.
"I can feel it… an air of authoritarian control," she said quietly. "We're already dead. In this place, all our wishes are as fragile as bubbles. Can you tell us—" her gaze never wavered, "—is this really the right thing to do?"
[...]
Yami Tsukishiro was genuinely surprised that this girl could analyze the situation so calmly, even after realizing she was dead.
[You're very smart.]
[You can call me the master of this dungeon. This entire labyrinth is under my control.]
[To be honest, among all the adventurers I've seen, it's rare to witness a full party wipe in the very first-level dungeon caused by such reckless behavior. Even I couldn't help but be surprised.]
"Urgh…"
Kisara Tendō suddenly felt a surge of embarrassment rise in her chest.
She started to replay everything that had happened before, seriously this time.
Only then did she realize just how recklessly they had acted, how blindly they had charged ahead—
and how that carelessness had led to such a miserable end.
It wasn't so much that they were killed by the murderous zombies.
It was more like they were reaping what they themselves had sown—
the price of their own arrogance and self-assumed cleverness.
"It really was my self-righteous stupidity that dragged everyone down," she admitted through gritted teeth.
"But… what I don't get is this: if we're dead, then how can we still think clearly like this? And why did you come here to talk to us?"
Kayo Senju did not deny that her overly confident judgment had helped cause their downfall.
While reflecting on herself, she also tried her best to peel away the layers of mystery before them.
[In this dungeon, death is not the end of life… but another beginning.]
The cryptic words had barely faded when—
All three of them suddenly felt a burning sensation in their stomachs at the same time.
"Haah—what the?!"
Kisara Tendō flinched, startled. She instinctively tugged her sailor uniform skirt down a bit and looked at her lower abdomen.
The moment she saw the heart-shaped red mark that had appeared there out of nowhere, her eyes flew wide open.
"T-This is… some kind of… crest…?"
Kayo Senju didn't bother to hide her surprise.
She had learned enough to understand what a mark like this might mean.
[Slave brand.]
[From now on, you are my slaves. This is your end… and your new starting point.]
"Slave…?"
Kisara Tendō's temper snapped instantly.
"You've got to be kidding me!" she shouted.
She absolutely refused to accept it.
She still hadn't avenged the blood-soaked grudge in her heart with her own hands.
How could she possibly accept being trapped here as some insignificant "slave"?
Compared to her outburst, Kayo Senju remained much calmer.
"…I don't like the term 'slave' at all," she said flatly. "But can you at least tell us exactly what you expect us to do?"
[As slaves, even if you die, you will have the ability to resurrect and be reborn.]
"…That's considered a benefit?"
Kayo murmured, a faint hint of surprise flickering across her face.
[You can think of it that way.]
[What you must do is constantly conquer dungeons and obey my orders unconditionally… including becoming my dogs.]
Yami Tsukishiro's voice laid down the conditions without a trace of hesitation.
"Don't even think about it!"
Kisara Tendō's rejection was absolute.
She would rather die than surrender.
She hadn't yet swung her blade for her own revenge.
There was no way she would willingly become someone's dog.
[Kisara Tendō. Get down on the ground, wag your ass like a dog wagging its tail, and beg for mercy.]
As Yami Tsukishiro's cold, ruthless command fell—
Something completely unexpected happened.
"Woof! Woof!"
The change was as swift as lightning.
Kisara Tendō, who had been resisting fiercely just a moment ago, suddenly dropped to all fours.
She fell forward onto the ground like a real dog, barking loudly as her body trembled and her ass swayed awkwardly, imitating a tail-wagging motion she didn't even possess.
The sight was so bizarre it defied understanding.
Time itself seemed to freeze around them.
Even Enju Aihara, whose heart had sunk into numb resignation, couldn't help but look over in stunned silence.
As for Kayo Senju, who had witnessed the entire scene from start to finish, confusion and shock surged within her like a storm.
"…What on earth… is this…?"
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