"So, how's the research going at the moment?"
Anathasia spoke while standing around the table with the rest of us.
Papers were spread across its surface.
Most of them depicted some kind of dragon.
Or maybe a serpent.
"At the moment, the entities have not displayed any particularly hostile behavior," the researcher Grace had been sitting with earlier replied.
He adjusted the documents in his hands before passing several of them toward Anathasia, Rania, and Roselia.
"However, we've observed several changes in the surrounding landscape since Miss Reina and Miss Grace arrived on-site."
"In case any of the entities became hostile?" Rania asked, lifting her eyes from the papers.
The researcher nodded.
"Correct."
"Such as?" she continued.
"Subtle but noticeable movement from the mountain range approximately ten kilometers from this facility."
He placed another set of documents onto the table.
"Tremors were also recorded several days before Lady Rania and the others arrived."
His expression grew more serious.
"We suspect an underground entity may be responsible."
"As far as we understand, Aegea is completely solid throughout. There should be no geological pressure accumulating beneath the surface."
"Meaning the only reason the ground would move," Roselia continued smoothly, "is if something powerful enough—or large enough—is moving it deliberately."
She looked directly at him.
"Is that your conclusion?"
The researcher nodded.
"Yes, Lady Roselia."
His gaze briefly swept across the room.
Grace was currently sharing peanuts with Francesca and me.
Meanwhile, Anathasia, Rania, and Roselia remained focused on the reports.
The researcher cleared his throat before continuing.
"The Transcendents have also denied any involvement."
"They stated that Lady Rania and Lady Roselia explicitly prohibited them from entering The Woodlands."
"However, several of them have volunteered to cooperate should any danger emerge."
He organized a few more documents.
"Additionally, nations from the other continents have confirmed that twenty academies will be dispatching research groups to assist with the investigation."
Anathasia continued reading silently.
Roselia eventually lowered her papers back onto the table.
"And Reina?"
"Where is she?"
"Miss Reina is currently with Sir Lucian," the researcher answered immediately.
"Alongside two Transcendents and a team of roughly twelve personnel. They're establishing an additional facility for the incoming research groups."
He paused.
"Other than the geological disturbances, no additional anomalies have been observed."
"The entities remain docile."
"Though..." his gaze drifted toward Yukihime, who stood beside Francesca sharing peanuts from her palm.
"It may be due to the presence of Miss Grace and Miss Reina."
A brief pause followed.
"Or Lady Swordswoman."
Every eye in the room shifted toward Yukihime. She stood quietly beside us, crushing a peanut between her fingers before eating it. Noticing everyone's attention, she slowly looked up.
"…Yes?"
Anathasia glanced toward the researcher.
"What did she do?"
The researcher looked at Anathasia. Then at Yukihime, who was still eating peanuts as though nothing unusual had happened.
"…Nothing dangerous," he replied carefully.
"Nor particularly concerning."
"Miss Yukihime merely patrolled several kilometers beyond the facility perimeter."
He hesitated.
"While simultaneously remaining inside the facility."
Silence.
The researcher awkwardly adjusted his glasses.
"She informed us she was using clones."
Nobody said a word.
—
A short while after the meeting concluded, I found myself walking alongside the outer wall surrounding the camp.
Steel.
Actual steel.
I ran my fingers across the smooth surface.
"They're really starting to industrialize everything…"
I nodded to myself.
"Hoh."
A deep female voice suddenly echoed nearby. I couldn't really tell where it was coming from.
"And you are?"
I raised an eyebrow while still examining the wall.
"Not someone who would interest you, I suppose."
A strange presence manifested behind me. Without thinking much of it, I casually turned around. A woman stood there. Green and black hair.
Unfamiliar.
And very clearly not human. Something about her felt... wrong. Not hostile, just a bit weird.
The woman paused, her eyes settled on me. For a moment, genuine confusion crossed her face.
Then—
She froze.
Completely.
Her entire body went rigid. The green color vanished from her eyes, leaving behind empty gray pupils. A whole ten seconds passed.
Then the color returned. The woman stumbled backward once, and Twice. Her face had gone pale.
Not surprised.
Terrified.
"…W-Wha…"
"Hm?"
"What..."
Her voice trembled.
She took another step away from me.
Then another.
Eyes wide with unmistakable horror.
"What... are you...?"
I tilted my head slightly but didn't take another step toward her. At this point, I was more concerned she might actually faint if I got any closer.
"Not a monster... and yet you look human... act human..." she muttered under her breath.
She looked away, covering her mouth while sweat trailed down the side of her face.
What is this woman even seeing?
"You..." she spoke again, barely managing to maintain eye contact.
"Your existence... it shouldn't..."
Her voice trembled.
"You're not even The End."
A brief pause.
"You're something worse."
I blinked.
"Worse?"
Before I could ask anything else, the woman vanished.
No flash.
No distortion.
Not even a strand of hair remained behind.
One moment she was there. The next, she was simply gone. I stared at the empty space for a second and shrugged.
"…Well, that was weird."
With nothing else to do, I continued wandering around the facility.
Eventually, I ended up near the station on the opposite side of the camp. Where I found Anathasia standing in front of what appeared to be a clay dragon.
I stopped.
"What's that for?"
She paused before glancing back over her shoulder and stepped aside from the statue with her arms folded.
"Just testing my crafting skills."
I looked at the clay dragon.
Then at her.
"Crafting skills?"
A brief pause.
"Or are you just bored?"
Anathasia lowered her gaze slightly before looking back at the dragon.
Almost immediately, scales began spreading across its body. The smooth clay surface darkened and hardened, transforming into jagged obsidian-black scales.
At the same time, the dragon itself began growing larger.
And larger.
And larger.
"…Crafting skills?" she repeated.
"You just pulled off God's whole making-something-from-clay thing." I said flatly.
"In Genesis? Yeah, I know."
She shrugged casually.
Together, we watched the transformation finish. The clay disappeared entirely. In its place stood a genuine dragon. An enormous obsidian-black dragon.
Towering over both of us.
The moment it spread its wings—
—the entire facility darkened beneath its shadow.
An instant later, an earth-shattering roar exploded across the landscape.
Researchers screamed while several people ran out of nearby buildings. Others simply froze in place. Meanwhile, Anathasia and I stood there with our arms crossed.
Watching.
"Miss Veridielle!"
"Miss Anathasia!"
Rania and Roselia had stopped nearly a hundred meters away.
Both stared upward at the colossal dragon now towering above the clearing between the station and the facility.
"Good God..."
Roselia flickered from where she stood and instantly reappeared beside us. One hand immediately buried itself in her hair.
"Miss Anathasia... for what reason?"
Meanwhile, Rania simply walked over while continuing to stare upward.
"…It would easily qualify as a Calamity-Class threat."
Her gaze shifted toward Anathasia.
"Did Miss Anathasia create this herself?"
Anathasia responded with a casual thumbs-up. Then looked back toward the dragon.
"Though..."
She snapped her fingers.
The dragon instantly flickered. One moment it stood in the middle of the facility. The next, it had been relocated outside the walls entirely.
Far beyond the station.
Ready for takeoff.
"Letting it flap its wings here would probably destroy everything."
Roselia slowly looked up from her facepalm.
Her expression had become completely flat.
"You're only thinking about that *now*?"
The dragon launched skyward before anyone could continue. A thunderous gust erupted outward as the reinforced walls barely held.
Several sections of roofing were torn from the station buildings entirely.
Within moments, the dragon disappeared into the clouds. The sky itself seemed split apart in its wake.
Rania continued staring upward. Roselia continued questioning every life decision that had brought her to this moment. Meanwhile, Anathasia simply turned toward me.
Ignoring Roselia completely.
"Anyway."
She tilted her head.
"You were saying?"
I paused.
Glanced toward Roselia, who was still muttering to herself. Then looked back at Anathasia.
"Right."
"There was this weird woman earlier."
"She suddenly appeared behind me."
Anathasia listened quietly.
"Then she took one look at me and immediately looked terrified."
I rubbed the back of my neck.
"She said something about how I wasn't even The End."
"Or something worse than that."
I shrugged.
"Honestly, I have no idea what she was talking about."
Anathasia nodded slowly.
One finger lightly tapped against her arm.
"Huh."
A moment passed.
"Guess seeing The Constant standing right in front of her scared the soul out of her."
I blinked.
"The Constant?"
Anathasia snapped her fingers.
"Yup."
Then she pointed directly at me.
"That's you."
A small grin appeared on her face.
"And honestly?"
She shrugged.
"That's way worse than any Outer God."