〈Entry Detected—-Floor Level: 1,202.〉
〈Entry Detected—-Floor Level: 1,204.〉
〈Entry Detected—-Floor Level: 1,206.〉
〈Entry Detected—-Floor Level: 1,215.〉
Omariro, with Yuka and Sōshin in his arms, landed inside a mysterious playground-like area, with large toy houses surrounding the entire area.
〈Rule: Don't Gaze Upon the *Toys.*〉
Omariro set Yuka and Sōshin down, looking them over. "Hmm. Jugen-Kōbisha: Forbidden Prison."
A portal opened, and Emeru flew out, now a slimy blob. She immediately looked around, noticing Omariro. "You!"
She formed a pair of green fists, swinging at him, but he blocked each of her attacks with one hand.
"How! Dare! You!"
"Need girl help. Group injured."
She stopped. "What? You can't heal them yourself, with all your special JUGEN powers?"
"Only self."
Emeru shifted into her humanoid form, putting her hands on her hips. "Why should I help you, you rude old man?"
"Back to prison for girl."
Omariro snapped his fingers, and the portal reappeared. Emeru immediately waved her hands. "Wait, no! Don't! I'll help, I'll help!"
"Girl do no tricks."
"Alright, just don't send me back in that scary place!"
The portal disappeared and Omariro tapped his stuff on the ground. "Jugen-Sōunsha: Nendō Tensō."
The bodies of Yuka and Sōshin began to float behind Omariro, shocking Emeru. "Wait, you can move things with your mind?"
"Question irrelevant. Explain floor."
"Floor…wait, this is Floor 1,215! How'd you get here so fast?"
"Irrelevant."
"And didn't you pick up some healing sigils that could save your little friends here?"
"Girl ask question. Answer obvious."
Emeru took in the scenery. "This is the Toybox…it's a super scary place! My brother banned me from ever coming down here, and you dragged me against my will! You owe me for this!"
"Toys not seen."
"They aren't the fun kind of toys," she shivered. "They're dangerous, monstrous, evil beings with no semblance of humanity!"
"Toys no concern. Only healing."
"Well, you need a sigil," she explained, folding her arms. "So you can either reach the sigil shop at Floor 1,220, or hope we nab one until then."
BOOM. BOOM.
In the distance, a large male doll-like figure could be seen pacing around, and Emeru quickly dragged Omariro and pulled the two of them behind a house, with Yuka and Sōshin's bodies following. "Hide!"
The doll's stomps shook the entire area, and it paused, looking around. Emeru quickly clung onto Omariro, shaking, as the man remained still.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The doll walked away, and Emeru quickly peeked her head out. "I think it's gone."
Omariro tapped his staff, and he and everyone else reappeared on the toy streets. "Totem hidden."
"Duh, it's hidden! It's in one of these houses, so we need to search each one without being detected!"
Omariro walked over to the nearest door, pushing it open with his staff. Inside was an empty room, with a toybox inside.
"Hmm."
Once he opened the toybox, a countdown began to ring.
〈5…4…3…2…1〉
The entire house exploded, causing Emeru to scream and attract the attention of the doll, which quickly stomped its way over to the house, looking around.
"…"
After finding nothing, it continued. When the smoke cleared, Emeru noticed Omariro standing perfectly unharmed, only missing one of his shirt sleeves.
"You…how did you survive that? That bomb's big enough to kill a slime like me! You're human! Well…I thought…"
"Cursed," Omariro told her. "Forever."
She backed away, watching him warily. "What do you mean, *cursed?*"
Omariro turned back toward the houses. "Girl need not know. Houses wait."
As he proceeded, Emeru maintained her distance, watching him carefully as he got to the next house.
"Wait!" she interrupted. "Shouldn't you…make sure it's not booby trapped?"
Omariro ripped the door off the hinges with one hand, looking inside. Another toybox awaited, and when he opened it, the ceiling retracted to reveal a barrage of blades waiting, which Omariro effortlessly deflected.
"House empty. Slime girl come."
Omariro teleported them over to the next house, but they could hear banging on the door, and they quickly got to the side of the house as a large jester toy walked out, repeating the same line.
"Hiya there, friend! Wanna hear a joke?"
They walked for its footsteps to disappear before checking the house. Emeru stayed by the steps while Omariro flipped one of the toyboxes open.
〈Key 1 of 3 Located. Collect all *Keys* to unlock Totem Chest.〉
"Puzzle," Omariro realized.
"That's odd," Emeru questioned. "I could have sworn he'd told me the totem was in a house…"
Omariro tapped his staff, and Emeru quickly yelped. "Eek! Don't hurt me!"
He pointed it behind her. "Toy."
"Huh?"
Emeru turned around, noticing a large bear toy behind her.
〈Rule: Broken.〉
The bear growled and grabbed the two, swallowing them whole.
???——
Omariro and Emeru found themselves tied to chairs and seated at a large plastic dining table. In the shadowy corner of the room stood the bear, while a wooden artist mannequin toy stepped onto the table, peering at Omariro.
"Interesting…" the mannequin remarked. "What have you brought us, Emeru the Slime?"
"Heh, eh," she gulped. "This is all a big misunderstanding! Can you please let us go—-?"
"Silence!" the mannequin ordered. "Toys may speak when told."
"I'm not a toy…"
The mannequin turned toward Omariro. "You. I can sense great power coming from you. No wonder you've got this girl so timid. She's always been…a cowardly soul."
He brought his face closer. "Your name's Omariro Nyugawa, isn't it? I know you."
Emeru looked between the two. "Wait, you do?"
The mannequin paced around Omariro. "You hide what you are from your closest allies. You lead them with the illusion that you're the same as them. Even this poor, innocent slime here, doesn't know the monstrous entity that you are."
The mannequin whipped his head toward Emeru. "Did he ever mention that he's interacted with the Endless?"
Emeru's eyes widened. "What—?"
"You made a big mistake coming to Kagoshima, Nyugawa. Or should I say, Danjon no Hakaisha?"
"Puppet speak clear. Games faze none."
"We'll play a game, alright. I hear Emeru here is fond of them. It's called Hide and Seek. You know the Rule: Don't Look at the Toy. And don't get caught by it either."
"W—which toy?" Emeru gulped.
"Why, my favorite one, of course! I call it—Mukui no Ningyō!"
In response, a large hand burst through the floor, pulling the entire table down and causing everyone to fall. Omariro quickly broke his restraints and teleported Emeru and himself to the ground, where they felt the doll staring right at them.
"Don't look at it!" Emeru yelped.
It tried to grab at them, but Omariro teleported the two into an untouched house, as the doll began looking.
Emeru did her best to hold her breath as Omariro teleported his group inside the house.
"Was it true?" she whispered. "What he said?"
"Puppet talks. Slime don't listen."
"But you're not answering the question! What ARE you?"
"Man," Omariro replied. "Old man."
Emeru narrowed her eyes as his attention refocused on the doll, who walked past a house, smashing into it and peering inside.
"Brother…" she thought. "Please get me soon…"
The doll backhanded another house, tearing the top clean off.
"It's getting closer!"
"Calm, girl. Keys must be found."
As the doll turned its back, Omariro opened the door and teleported the group to the next house, checking the toybox as the doll whirled around.
〈Key 2 of 3 Found.〉
The doll quickly sprinted forward, but when it got close enough to break open the house, it noticed they were gone.
"Grrr…"
The doll stomped toward the center, surveying the other houses. It heard the sound of glass breaking, and it quickly sprang toward the location, crushing the house underfoot.
Yet again, nothing was there. The mannequin, standing nearby, was rubbing his plastic beard.
"Old man's sneaky," he noted. "Tear them all down!"
In response, the doll began splitting the buildings in two bit by bit, all of which were empty.
In a building far to the left, Emeru nervously watched as the doll began destroying structures in their direction.
"It's coming, it's coming!" she whispered, frantic.
Omariro checked the toybox, but only a pile of confetti emerged, coating him. "Boxes hold no key. Key somewhere else."
"What do you mean?"
Omariro looked outside, blocking the doll's body with his hands. As he squinted, he noticed a toybox on the top of its head.
"Box on doll."
Emeru followed his eyes, noticing it as well. "Up there? It's gonna see us, and we're gonna break the rule!"
"Rule meant to be broken."
"Huh—-?"
Omariro tapped his staff, and they found themselves under the doll's feet, and the mannequin noticed them.
"Below you! Get them!"
It tried to crush them underfoot, but Omariro tapped his staff, teleporting the two onto its back, where they clung on tightly.
"Heights!" Emeru gasped. "I'm scared of heights!"
"Girl hold."
Omariro tapped his staff on the doll's back, causing it to smash its hand into it, but they were already gone.
The doll frantically searched its body, but there was no trace of them. Suddenly, Omariro reappeared on its shoulder, and it smacked it, tearing chunks off.
"No you idiot!" the mannequin hissed. "Don't hit yourself! Hit them!"
Omariro and Emeru landed on the head, where dozens of toys from large plushies to wind-up puppets were waiting, and both quickly closed their eyes.
"End of the lie, Destroyer!" a toy hissed.
"Toys foolish."
As they marched, Omariro closed his eyes, meditating. "Jugen-Kaiseisha: Seimeiryoku Tanchi!"
Omariro felt the presence of a toy above him and whacked it off the doll with his staff.
Emeru quickly clung onto his back. "Gah! Where are they?"
A toy grabbed onto Omariro's leg, and he batted it away effortlessly. More toys jumped the pair, piling onto them.
"RAH!"
Beneath them, a powerful crackle of energy erupted, blasting all of the toys off Omariro.
"Jugen-Tōshi: Cursed Hex Armor!"
Omariro and Emeru got up, as the box began to slip off the doll. A cat toy sank its claws into it, and Omariro threw out his hand.
"Jugen-Sōunsha: Nendō Tensō!"
The box began to drift toward Omariro as he and the cat battled for it. Omariro noticed the doll raising its arm, preparing to bring it down.
"Above!"
The doll slammed its hand into its own head, causing it to wobble, shake, and then crash into the ground, crushing the mannequin underneath it.
BOOM.
Once the dust settled, Omariro emerged, holding the box in hand. Emeru, now a blob, quickly bounced out of the way.
"Am I alive? Phew, I survived!"
She caught sight of Omariro. "YOU survived?"
"Girl shocked."
She bounced up to him. "I think I've served my role very well, no? Now may I please be let free to roam as I desire?"
"Girl come with me."
"Aww…"
Omariro opened the box.
〈Key 3 of 3 Found.〉
Right before their eyes, a totem formed, and Omariro grabbed it.
〈Totem Seal Acquired. Level 1,216 Clearance Enabled.〉
A gate formed, and Omariro brought Yuka and Sōshin over to him as he went through it.
Emeru held back, looking around at the destruction, before nervously jumping through as well.
Floor 10,000—-
Han and Shino hid inside a tree as serpants patrolled the jungle terrain below, devouring rookie after rookie.
"All this death," Han gasped. "It's horrific…"
"We're all rookies," Shino pointed out. "We can't face a threat even the Kaidanchō can't take on alone."
"We can't let a sadistic monster like her anywhere near Mr. Nyugawa."
"What does she want with him?"
"She wants to be his wife. And I guess she wants me as the sick pet that keeps her company."
"Well, we can't let that happen, can we?"
"No, not in a million years."
Han noticed blood shooting up from the center of the jungle. "We need to figure out a way to stop her. Right here, right now. Or at least trap her so Mr. Nyugawa can handle her without anyone else dying."
"How do you propose we do that?"
"We're in the jungle," Han explained. "We have to hunt her."
———