THUD—
A dull splash.
The orange taxi slammed heavily onto the sea's surface. The immense, instantaneous impact made Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi feel as if her chest was about to shatter.
A tearing pain shot through her entire body.
But... what terrified her even more was the frigid seawater rapidly pouring into the car through the window and the cracks in the doors.
"I don't want to die—"
"I don't want to die—"
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's consciousness had never been so clear.
The driver in the front seat, who had taken the brunt of the impact, had already lost consciousness and was slumped limply over the steering wheel.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi struggled to control her limbs, which were immobilized by either excruciating pain or broken bones, trying to push open the taxi door.
Evidently—
Newton's laws were still very much in effect in this world.
As the taxi continued to sink into the dark bay, with the interior not yet completely filled with water, the water pressure rendered Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's efforts completely futile.
The icy seawater submerged her neck, flooding her mouth and nose.
Staring at the deep, black water outside the taxi, Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi felt for the first time that death was this close.
"I..."
"I don't want to die."
Gurgle, gurgle... the words she tried to speak turned into a rush of bubbles.
Despair spread through the girl's heart.
Along with that despair, a black gear that had fallen from the taxi driver's hand began to spin frantically.
Finally... it spun and sliced into Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's chest.
The shallow, bloody line on the girl's chest, cut by Su Yuzu that morning, began to glow faintly in the dark, deep seawater.
Her long, dyed-orange hair began to turn snow-white, inch by inch, starting from the tips.
The slightly ill-fitting school uniform on her body was swallowed by a dark aura.
In the end... it transformed into a tight-fitting, black koi dress that clung to the girl's skin, outlining her graceful curves.
The girl's cleavage was half-exposed.
The inner curves of her breasts and her well-defined core were completely exposed to the seawater.
But... the most eye-catching thing of all was the long, thin red line that stretched from the junction of her collarbones all the way down to her lower abdomen.
It was a mark of shame—
And also a brand.
Dark gold, slit pupils opened in the deep sea.
BOOM—
The roof of the orange taxi shattered.
She gazed up at the sea's surface.
In that instant, she seemed to see the truth of the world.
Just as that taxi driver had said.
This was a power from the world's origin.
This was a power that could glimpse the world's reality.
What she saw... was the truth that allowed humans and Aberrants to stand upon reality.
And now—
She would build her own future upon the foundation of this reality.
A hand clad in delicate black silk clenched into a fist.
Her snow-white hair bloomed like The Flowers of Evil.
The crimson line on her chest burst forth with light.
At this moment, only a single name remained in Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's heart—
"Su... Yuzu."
—Aberrant · Full Manifestation—
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[Ding—]
[Warning... Warning...]
[Entering instance.]
[Entering instance.]
If Su Yuzu were awake right now, she would definitely be able to see it.
Just like before, a bright red "Warning" notification was flashing incessantly before her.
[...]
[Instance has been opened.]
[--Aberrant · Nightmare Singer--]
Across from Su Yuzu's room.
Crimson eyes suddenly opened in the darkness.
Kujou Katora frowned, looking in the direction of Su Yuzu's room.
"Is it..."
"My imagination?"
For a fleeting moment, her Hound of Blood seemed to have caught the scent of an Aberrant, a smell she utterly detested.
But... the scent then hid itself in the darkness and vanished.
Buttoning her pajamas, Kujou Katora got up, opened the door, and stood in the hallway.
She looked at Su Yuzu's door.
Holding her breath, she listened intently for Su Yuzu's steady breathing and heartbeat within the room.
No "Catastrophe Domain."
No scent of an Aberrant.
Everything... seemed as if she were just dreaming.
The hand resting on Su Yuzu's door slowly pulled back.
After hesitating for a long time, Kujou Katora curled up and sat down in front of the girl's door.
She reached out her hand.
A ferocious beast's head emerged from the shadows, its crimson eyes warily scanning its surroundings.
"Stay with me for a while."
"But..."
"You have to be quiet."
I can't disturb Miss Yuzu's sleep.
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The pitch-black world seemed on the verge of collapse.
A girl in a black, evening-gown-like koi dress walked on the surface of the sea.
She looked up at the sky.
Gray, unidentifiable fragments constantly fell from the gray sky.
As these fragments neared the sea, they seemed to ignite, burning up and turning into embers that scattered across the sky.
This is a dream—
And also a "Catastrophe Domain."
The Catastrophe Domain of a dream-type Aberrant.
It is also the most difficult Catastrophe Domain to detect, hidden in the deepest darkness.
Once... the Seventh Sequence Catastrophe Beast, the Deer Spirit of Nightmares, descended without a sound. Like the Grim Reaper swinging its scythe, it reaped human lives en masse.
In the end, it was the witch who had climbed out from among the starved corpses of hell who sacrificed herself to take it down with her.
They both stepped into eternal death.
"So~Yu~zu~~~" A distant, song-like sound hummed from the girl's lips.
She was searching for Su Yuzu's presence within the dream domain.
After undergoing "Aberration."
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's ability had already risen to Level 20, officially stepping into the realm of a Second Sequence Aberrant.
But... this also meant that the deeply transformed Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi had completely lost the right to return to the human faction.
However—
The black and purple eye-shaped totem drawn on the girl's lower abdomen shone brightly.
Did she care about that?
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi might have cared.
But Aberrant Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi absolutely would not.
She had only one goal now.
And that was revenge. Revenge on Su Yuzu.
"Found you—"
Her pale lips twisted into a grin.
The attire of a Second Sequence Aberrant was no longer just a uniform body-wrapping of black silk; even the mouth and nose were covered by a black, silk-like Aberrant material, as if wearing a mask or a face covering.
The attire of Second Sequence Aberrants had, to some extent, begun to possess its own unique characteristics.
However... a gown like the evening-dress-style koi dress Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi wore was still an exception.
Moving her legs, also clad in black stockings, Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi slowly closed in on Su Yuzu.
A distance of several kilometers in reality was just a few steps in the dream world.
An attack from a Second Sequence dream-type Aberrant.
Unless Su Yuzu was protected by a mental-type Esper of the Second Sequence or higher, it would be... absolutely impossible to defend against.
As for Kujou Katora.
Judging by those crimson eyes, completely different from the Soga family's deep red ones, and the lingering scent of blood on her...
The probability of her being a mental-type Esper was minuscule.
"Su Yuzu~~~" Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi called Su Yuzu's name affectionately.
Then... the girl froze.
A black rift suddenly appeared in the dreamscape.
It was as if a colossal monster was trying to force its way through the rift into her mental domain.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's body trembled, shivering as she tried to resist... but she was like a little girl, weak and limp, her wrists and ankles seized, pinned firmly against a wall.
"Uwaaaaah!!!!!"
A nearly helpless, pathetic cry.
Fear filled her dark gold, slit pupils, their reflection showing a black... colossal throne of thorns wrapped in countless dark chains.
A completely naked girl sat on the throne, her pale calves swinging and bumping against each other.
Looking down on her.
"I'm so hungry."
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[Ding—]
[The Second Sequence Aberrant · Nightmare Singer has activated "Catastrophe Domain · Domain of Corrosion."]
["Dominator's Aegis" ▇▇▇ has activated.]
[Beginning judgment—]
["Dominator's Aegis" ▇▇▇ activation successful.]
[...]
[The Second Sequence Aberrant · Nightmare Singer has been defeated by you.]
"Level 4 Hand of Paradox" EXP up↑↑↑
"Level 4 Hand of Paradox" → "Level 7 Hand of Paradox"
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