Chapter 65. The In?inite Lab?rinth (2)
Riiip—! Riiip, crackle—!
The grotesque sound of tearing skin continued to echo around us. Kai and I continued walking along the path revealed by the flesh.
After we had walked for some time—the mass of flesh beside us, rather than the one directly ahead, opened with a gurgle.
A faint cluster of light seeped through from beyond it.
It looked almost like an exit.
Our footsteps were naturally about to stop when—
Gurgle.
The blood vessels within the Rulebook squirmed again, and another new rule appeared.
Rule 3. There are no exits in this place.
: If you see anything that resembles an exit, do not stop. Ignore all of them.
There were no exits?
“What shall we do?”
Kai asked after reading the Rulebook.
He meant that he would follow my decision, but even I found myself struggling to choose.
For now, we had two choices.
We could trust the contents of this [Rulebook] and continue moving.
Or we could disregard the [Rulebook] and leap into that cluster of light.
“If you give the order, I will enter the light first.”
Kai gave me a determined look, asking only for the command.
Just as he said, he appeared prepared to leap inside the moment I gave the order.
Perhaps because his Affinity was at [Friendliness], he seemed to trust me considerably.
More precisely, he seemed to trust his ability, Immortal Link. As long as Seraphia remained alive, Kai would not ordinarily die.
That was why I genuinely considered the option.
More importantly, the claim that no exit existed made no sense from the outset.
I checked the Rulebook again.
“For now, we’ll follow the Rulebook’s rules.”
“Understood.”
Kai followed my instruction without complaint.
Ignoring the cluster of light that resembled an exit, we continued forward.
How long did we walk with nothing but Kai’s blue Aura to guide us?
Even our senses were distorted, preventing us from properly perceiving the passage of time.
“Wait.”
I briefly stopped walking.
Kai also stopped, and as his blue Aura illuminated the surroundings, I looked around.
It might have been my imagination, but—
“I’ve had the feeling that we’ve been passing through the same place repeatedly.”
It felt as though we had been circling the same location over and over.
It was as if we had completely lost our sense of direction.
Kai appeared to have noticed the same thing.
After examining the surroundings, he spoke.
“I’ll leave a marker here.”
Kai began searching for somewhere to carve it.
That was one of the methods ordinarily used after becoming lost, but—
“No. It’ll be useless.”
That method would not work here.
According to [Rule 1], this space could erase or distort our traces.
“Then what do you intend to do?”
In response to Kai’s question, I extended Dragon’s Claw [A].
I tore a large chunk from the wall of flesh.
Screeeeeeeech—!!
The mass of flesh split apart with a spine-chilling scream.
“What are you trying to do?”
“There’s something I need to confirm.”
I extended Dragon’s Claw [A] again and tore into the wall of flesh.
Screeeeeeeech—!!
Another scream inevitably rang out. It was an extremely unpleasant sound.
The scream did not inflict any particular mental damage. However, it was still extraordinarily uncomfortable to hear.
Kai, strangely enough, did not even frown.
“Doesn’t this sound bother you?”
“It is quite unpleasant to hear.”
“Then how are you—”
“I’m protecting my ears with Aura.”
….Aura truly was convenient.
Since it was a power capable of manifesting practically anything its user could imagine, perhaps that was only natural.
Why couldn’t I use Aura?
Screeeeeeeeech—!!
I continued tearing apart the wall of flesh.
Then it happened.
Gurgle, squirm!
The damaged wall filled itself in, and strange patterns were engraved across its surface.
They were patterns whose meaning I could neither understand nor interpret.
‘Those are….’
Yet I recognized them.
That did not mean I understood what the patterns meant.
I had simply seen them before.
When I focused more intently upon the patterns—the Six Monarchs who served the emperor.
‘The Monarch of the Abyss?’
An Unknowable Terror Beyond Explanation—the Monarch of the Abyss.
What I had just heard was the whispering voice emitted by the Monarch of the Abyss.
[Tharanak li’hee fhtagn’nun.]
[Ng’gha fhtagn, I’ ahom wgah’nag1.]
An incomprehensible voice whispered into my ears.
Yet I recognized that as well.
I did not understand the voice’s meaning. I had merely heard it before.
If my memories were correct—this was….dangerous.
No matter what happened, I could not be allowed to encounter the Monarch of the Abyss.
I had to leave this place immediately.
I knew that, but—every sense throughout my body had become paralyzed, leaving me unable to move.
It was a sensation that could not be explained merely as becoming speechless or trembling in fear.
Before I knew it, the surrounding air had filled with suffocating despair and whispers.
The whispers became an unknowable terror that I could not explain.
That terror then transformed into incomprehensible waves—and destroyed my mind.
My cognitive abilities could not comprehend the present situation.
The mere attempt to understand it caused my mind to collapse.
As the nightmares of my previous life merged with my current reality—only then—could I finally understand Ian’s words.
The thing appearing before my eyes—
—Should I call it the Final Evil that rises from the Center of Eternity while uttering the Whispers of Chaos?
The thing tearing through my mind—
—Should I call it the final profane being, born at the edge of the abyss and surging violently through endless time?
The thing devouring my very existence—
—Should I call it a Formless Evil created by chaos within the abyss of infinite permanence, ceaselessly surging at the center of eternity—the ultimate negative existence created at the bottom of hell?
By the time I realized what it was—hope had fallen beneath despair.
My vision became distorted, and the space around me began to warp.
* * *
When strange patterns were engraved across the wall of flesh, Kai saw a new rule appear upon the Rulebook.
Adrian stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly like someone under a spell.
At that moment—
Rule 4. If strange patterns appear on the wall, leave the area immediately.
: Occasionally, incomprehensible patterns may appear on the walls. Do not look at them or attempt to understand them. Your consciousness will gradually become trapped within this place.
If the patterns begin spreading across your hands or arms, kill yourself.
Kai immediately moved according to the Rulebook’s instructions.
However—
“Lord Adrian?”
....Adrian did not move.
Gurgle, gurgle—!
As if matters were not already bad enough, the flesh comprising the space began surging again.
Faces bearing eyes and mouths protruded from the walls, ceiling, and floor, staring at them.
Grotesque legs and tentacles then extended outward, gradually swallowing the surrounding space.
“You must move immediately!”
Kai shouted urgently, but Adrian did not respond.
When Kai moved closer to examine him, he saw that Adrian’s eyes were completely unfocused.
At that moment—the Rulebook squirmed again, displaying another new rule.
Rule 5. Continually remind yourself who you are.
: This place will gradually erase your memories and identity. You will lose your name and forget who you once were. Eventually, you will lose your Sentience and become part of this place.
Remember your own existence at every moment.
“Come to your senses!”
Even when Kai shouted directly into his ear, Adrian remained completely motionless.
An ominous energy began emanating from the Rulebook.
Then strange patterns started appearing across Adrian’s hand.
Kai could not understand what was happening.
However, one thing was certain.
He had to separate the Rulebook from Adrian immediately.
Kai grabbed the Rulebook and attempted to pull it from Adrian’s hand.
However—the Rulebook would not separate from Adrian’s palm.
It was not that Adrian refused to release it. The Rulebook refused to release Adrian.
It remained firmly attached, as though it had become entangled with his body.
When Kai examined it more closely—he saw that the Rulebook was fusing with Adrian’s skin as though attempting to become part of his body.
“What in the world is this...?”
The Rulebook had to be destroyed.
Just as Kai was about to swing his sword—
Screeeeeeeech—!!
The Rulebook’s flesh surged outward like a wave and attacked him.
It possessed a grotesque form resembling a combination of a slippery mollusk and stone.
Kai retreated a considerable distance.
Another rule was then engraved upon the Rulebook.
====
Rule 7. Do not damage the Rulebook under any circumstances.
: This Rulebook is your only guide. If you damage the Rulebook, this place will realize what you have done.
====
That alone made it clear that the Rulebook was an evil object.
However, something else confused Kai even more.
It was the rule that had just appeared.
“Rule 7...?”
That had been Rule 7.
However, the rule that appeared before it had been Rule 5.
In other words, Rule 6 had been skipped.
The moment Kai realized that—the writhing blood vessels upon the greatly swollen flesh of the Rulebook engraved another rule.
As though issuing a warning, the Rulebook’s flesh swelled enormously.
Its blood vessels writhed violently, emphasizing the rule.
====
8. [Rule 6] does not exist in this Rulebook.
: If you ever discover Rule 6—
==
Then—no, could what followed truly be called a “rule”?
10. Once again, there are no exits in this place.
: Just die here. Die. Di—. Di—. D—? D—!?
==
9. Kill yourself.
: There is no hope for you.
The Rulebook intertwined with Adrian’s hand expanded as though breathing.
The fibers of its skin tore and creaked.
The text of the newly displayed Rule 10 abruptly broke off.
At the same time, the hand entangled with the Rulebook began thrashing uncontrollably, as though Adrian had completely lost control of it.
It bent at angles impossible for human joints.
Crack, crunch!
The gruesome sound of breaking bones erupted.
The uncontrollable hand suddenly seized Adrian’s throat.
====
Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die.
Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die.
It began strangling Adrian with all its strength.
Adrian’s complexion turned blue in an instant.
Kai immediately kicked off the ground and leaped forward.
He squeezed every last trace of Aura from his body and poured it into his sword, but—
Gurgle, gurgle—!
Tentacles of flesh extending from the Rulebook blocked Kai’s path.
No matter how many he cut apart, more continued emerging, preventing him from advancing.
“Come to your senses, Lord Adrian!”
Kai could do nothing except shout.
However, shouting alone could accomplish nothing.
Crush—!
At last, the sound of flesh being crushed rang out.
Kai saw it.
Grin.
A grotesque smile appeared on Adrian’s lips.
Adrian’s previously unfocused eyes suddenly flashed.
And—complex emotions intertwined within his gleaming eyes.
Fragments of emotion gathered within Adrian and swirled together.
“Found you.”
The moment he spoke—
Screeeeeeeeeeeeech—!!!
A deafening scream erupted from the Rulebook fused with Adrian’s hand.
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