. eh? YoureShin?

!?

Shin was surprised to hear his name from Milts lips .

His face was visible only from the eyes and above . Analyze couldnt be used when the targets face wasnt completely visible .

Milt was one of the top players among those caught in the death game . It wouldnt be strange for her to identify Shin via Analyze, but it was a mystery how she had found out it was him before even trying that skill .

(I will deal with her . I dont know if Milt noticed your presence too, but its best if you stay hidden . )

(Understoodher spirits condition is abnormal too, please be careful . )

Shin nodded without turning back and emerged from the water as naturally as he could, in order to keep Milts focus on him .

His eyes never left Milt .

How did you know it was me?

I have practiced spirit techniques focusing on the water element, after all . My Undine is a dear friend, and you were underwater . I dont think I need to explain further .

Ah, a technique that wasnt in the gameno, I should stop thinking in these terms .

Shin didnt know what spirits were . He discarded that opinion, reminding himself to stop thinking with a game-like frame of mind .

Im glad you understood so quickly . I too have something to ask you, can I? I didnt contact the others, so rest easy .

Well isnt that grand . What do you want to know?

Milts expression became stern after Shins question . After staring at Shin for several seconds, she spoke .

Are you really Shin?

At the very least, I think I am . I dont know if itll be enough proof, but I remember the battle when I cut you down .

Shin talked about his final battle with Milt . Some of the information he mentioned was only known to them .

I see, you really are Shinbut if you are in this world, then it means you died? Did someone kill you? Or was it a monster?

No one killed me . I was pretty surprised myself when I got here .

I bet . I was completely lost too, at the beginning .

Shin continued the conversation while studying Milts reactions . Time passed, but no other presence was entering his field of perception .

Rather, Shin noticed that Milts way of talking had changed . Her polite speech was gradually turning into a somewhat childish one .

You came here to destroy the ritual, I guess?

Who knows .

You dont need to hide it . Im sure you did . The Shin I know would never ignore something so cruel . Because Shin is scary . and . kind .

. . Milt?

Shin called to Milt when her words started to sound feverish . She had been talking happily until a moment ago, but her expression had gradually turned into a grimace of pain .

Ah, aaahShin? It cantbe . Im, dea . . d? AaahShinShinshinshinshinnn!!

Milt started moving while repeating Shins name .

Creating ripples in the water, she moved next to Shin in an instant . Even if her mental state was abnormal, her physical body remembered her movements and reproduced them perfectly .

A deranged smile was on her face .

I felt something was offso I was right .

After muttering a curse, Shin prepared to fight back . He caught her right hand, which was aiming for a palm strike, with his left hand, then stopped her left knee strike with his right hand .

Milt, thus unable to move one arm and leg, tried to kick Shin with her right leg . Shin let go of her limbs and dodged the kick aimed at his chin .

He had cast Cure to heal her status ailments, but black mist had covered the attacking Milts body; the magic skill had not affected her .

However, Shins Cure had dispelled most of the black mist . Using it one more time would have likely generated the desired effects .

Possibly because of the mists disappearance, Milts expression started to seem confused . She had put distance between them, as if scared by something, and started to attack randomly, like a complete beginner .

Shin drew closer to Milt, while nullifying the continuous magic attacks with his innate resistance .

I wanted . . wantedto see yo . where . fightsleepyscary

The words coming out of Milts mouth were scattered, broken . Shin thought she was reliving memories of the death game .

His assumption came from the knowledge of her reason for being so obsessed with fighting .

. am I, alive? I will, wake up? No . if sothen

Milts next words cleared all of his remaining doubts .

Someone, pleasekill, me .

I refuse .

Milts words left her lips as tears streamed down her cheeks, but Shin refused her .

He stopped both of her arms with his right hand, then grabbed her head with his left hand .

Come back to normal already!

The skill he used blew away all the mist haunting Milts body .

He had infused more magic power in this second Cure, which easily blew past the mists resistance and healed Milts status ailments .

Milts status was now normal . However, possibly because of the mental burden, she had lost consciousness .

Shin couldnt leave her lying naked like that, so he materialized a mantle and laid it on her .

If even someone her level ended up manipulated, there are demons on a whole other level than the one in Bayreuth .

A Duke class, maybe? Or even

Could be a Grand Duke .

Milts stats were high enough that, with the right equipment, she could fight toe to toe with Kagerou . Being a poison user, she had trained her resistances to status ailments too .

Despite that, she had been affected by powerful status ailments .

Whoever had put Milt under their control was someone with abilities equal or superior to hers .

Hn

While Shin and Schnee were talking, Milt mumbled softly .

As she slowly opened her eyes, maybe because she noticed the presence of people in the vicinity, she looked towards Shin .

EhShin?

Hey there, youre awake?

Ah, yes . eh? Shin!? Why!? Aaah! Why am I naked?!?

Milt fully regained consciousness, slightly panicking after noticing her state . She apparently had no recollection of recent events and was rightfully confused, voicing questions such as Where am I!? or Why is my body all sticky!?

Er . anyway, lets calm down, OK?

Shin, why are you naked too? C-could it be that you have taken advan?!

I havent!! And look better, Im wearing a swimsuit! Im not naked!

Shin couldnt help but interrupt Milts words, whacking the girl looking up at him, wrapped in the mantle, over the head .

Hitting her on the head in her current state would be too much, I think?

Nah, no problem if its her .

Uuhyoure merciless

Shin looked over at Schnee, showing her that there was nothing to worry about, then turned to Milt again .

Milt had somewhat calmed down, thanks to Shins chop, and focused on understanding her current situation and whereabouts .

So have we calmed down now?

My head hurts, though . But this lack of mercy is just like you, Shin . First of all, could you tell me what I was doing here, and naked?

Before that, tell me how much you remember . You just jumped at me, you know . Well, I guess you could wear something first .

Shin demanded an explanation from Milt, arguing that he had the right to ask first .

Milt put some clothes on, finally looking presentable, and started talking while massaging her head .

. . and thats all I can remember . Its all blurry after thatI felt my consciousness return fully when I saw your face in front of me .

Milt explained how she had joined Ouroboros Hollow in her search of strong opponents; she had visited this cave in an escort mission for the Summit Faction, but then her memories became muddled .

She had surely met someone, but couldnt remember who it was .

I see, they basically did what they wanted with you .

AahI have no excuses .

Milts head hung in shame for letting something like that happen to her .

Having fallen to someones manipulation had hit her deep .

Shin, youre going to rescue the person I kidnapped, right?

Yes, along with someone else though .

Could you take me with you? I have to put an end to what I caused, with my own hands .

Her tone of voice was calm, but Shin felt that Milt was angry .

She had a peculiar code even in her PK days; she would only start a fight to the death if the opponent agreed to it . Even if she had been manipulated, she probably didnt want to blame others for something she had done .

More fighting power is always welcome, but there are people close to the girl you kidnapped on our side, you know?

Thats fine . Or rather, that means I should do it even more . I only kill when I am attacked with killing intent, or the opponent agrees to a duel to the death . I dislike and have no intention of assisting kidnapping or blackmailing . I had no control over what I did this time, but it doesnt change that it was me . I have to make amends .

Milts expression stiffened .

Shin saw it and thought that she wasnt trying to deceive them .

(Schnee, what do you think?)

(At the very least, I dont think shes acting . Because her contract spirit seems to have placated too . It was probably concerned about its masters abnormal state . )

After hearing Schnees opinion via Mind Chat, Shin thought that it could be a good idea to bring Milt along .

It would mean to add a former enemy among their ranks, but Shin knew Milts personality; he was sure that even if they didnt bring her along, she would act on her own .

Got it . You can come with us, and itll be a great help if you cooperated with us . But only if you dont act on your own accord . If you stand in the way of our objectives, then I really wont have any mercy .

I know that well . Fighting against you is an extremely charming prospect, but I couldnt enjoy it in this situation .

Milt seemed to understand that she wasnt actually trusted and nodded with conviction .

No need to be charmed . Weve wasted enough time, lets go back for now . You have Shapeshiftattached, yes?

No problem, look .

Milt answered Shins question and transformed her equipment .

Her battle wear, oriental styled with a great amount of skin exposure, changed shape adhering to Milts body .

A school swimsuitbut why

Milts transformed swimwear left Shin at a loss for words . Like a good student, she even had Milt printed on the swimsuits chest area .

Re-attaching the enchantment Shapeshift as many times as needed would allow the user to pick their favourite type of swimsuit .

For that reason, during the game era very few wore swimwear considered for fetishists, like school swimsuits or string-type swimwear .

Hehehe, I will let you know that this shape grants a 10% speed boost to underwater movement!

Who even programmed this

Shocked and defeated to learn of this surprising bonus, Shin swam back at high speed, his party in tow .

I might as well introduce you, shes more or less my former support character, Schnee . Shes strong, but dont get any weird ideas .

Thinking it weird to not do their introductions, Shin decided to do it first .

And this is Milt . Shes an advanced player they used to call Milt the Poison Lolita during the game era .

Po, poison Lolita?

Hey!! What kind of introduction is that!? I didnt choose to be this short anyway!

Shin had exposed Milts nickname in a completely casual manner .

Milts height was the same as her real body, 145 cemel .

She had apparently used her real selfs face in the game, with her still innocent-looking features, more on the cute than the beautiful side .

However, her body was a junior high school students at most . It would be a bit of a stretch even to think of her as a high schooler .

One of VRs characteristics was the inability to change significantly not only ones facial features, but also ones physique .

She got that nickname because she looks like a lolita and is a poison user . They also called her stuff like Mini Berserker .

Theres always something saying how short I am ! My main job is conjurer after all, and I might be small but Im not flat!

Saying so, Milt pushed up her chest with her hands .

The swimsuit, which was already considerably stretched, changed shape under Milts hands .

Her chest had been touched up to the point that one could imagine she had went a little overboard when creating her avatar . Such symbols of maternity was already quite prominent in their natural state, but now they looked slightly lewd .

Added to Milts looks, this Lolita + Big breasts + School swimsuit combination created a very dangerous view .

If you have time to act silly, then speed up . And once we get on land, stop messing around .

First you reveal my nicknames, but then you ignore me, huhreminds me of how cold the old Shin was .

Its just your imagination . Do you feel any change in your condition, by the way?

Ah, no . Im alright . Even if I was under control, I was practically sleeping . My head doesnt hurt or spin . No problem even Im poked fun at, like you just did .

Milt had noticed that Shin had tried to annoy her on purpose and stopped complaining .

She didnt look like she was forcing herself . Her HP and MP had not changed either and her status showed a complete recovery .

Anyway, I have to applaud your lack of any reaction after seeing this physique of mine . And I thought that this kind of body would be more popular with boys than my real life one .

What a shameso muttered Milt, in a manner that made it hard to tell how serious she was .

Shin didnt find Milt unappealing either . But he wasnt the kind of person to react to nudity or sexiness in a situation like that .

Youre a mystery as usual .

A woman of mystery, thats who I am .

Dont puff up your chest dressed like that . Were almost there .

Shin spoke while looking at the light filtering from above the water . The three had reached the shore in a few minutes .

Sir Shin, who is this person?

Their return had been slightly late, but the party had come back safely . Noticing the added presence of Milt, though, spurred the question from Konig .

AhIll explain, so please listen until the end .

As Milt would join their entourage, her true identity had to be revealed .

Milt, above all, was Hermies kidnapper . If they hid the truth now, and it was revealed by a turn of events later, things would likely take an unfortunate turn, so it was decided to reveal the truth now .

After the explanation, Konig remained in deep silence .

He had grabbed his blades hilt as he heard the newcomers name, but somehow Shin managed to explain to the end .

You really dont remember anything?

After a long silence, Konig asked a question with a calm tone .

From Konigs viewpoint, as one of the victims and Hermies personal guard, simply hearing she was manipulated, there was no other way was obviously not enough to convince him .

I cant make any excuses about that . But I too resent having been used that way . Shin saved me after all, so I want to show my gratitude . I know my words are less than convincing, but at least I am confident I could match a divine beast in battle .

Milt spoke while looking directly at Konig . Her eyes expressed that she had no intention of backing out .

I knew it would turn out like this

Shin had expected this development, so he carried Konig away, without missing a beat .

Sir Shin, I do not mean to doubt you, but will this really be all right?

I know what you mean . But it would not be wise to act separately . You also know how strong she is, right?

Konig was not in prime condition at the time, but Milt had easily bested him . Her stats were also higher than his .

Even using Shins map and detection abilities to the fullest, it would have been difficult to find Hermie, who was not a member of their party or a support character .

The cave interior, which was mostly artificial, was quite large, even considering only the extent they were aware of . They had to look for Hermie while avoiding traps and enemy eyes, definitely not an easy feat .

Even if they let Milt go, if she was found Shins partys freedom of movement would be limited as well; and if a Grand Duke-class demon was among the enemy ranks, they would have to go confront it .

Considering that there were also chosen ones among the enemies, there was nothing to lose in having as much fighting power as possible .

Well, if we used one of these we wouldnt have to worry about betrayal .

With these words, Shin pulled out one of the Submission Collars retrieved from Bulks room .

Guh .

Konig let out a frustrated grunt .

He too knew that Milts eyes were not lying .

Besides, he probably would not want to use the Submission Collar on someone who wasnt some despicable villain, but had just been manipulated .

. I suppose there is no other way .

Konig cast away his personal feelings and agreed .

My names Milt . My race is High Pixie and Im a Conjurer . This is my dear Undine friend, her name is Nel . Anyway, everyone is so strong here! Why dont we fight later?

Milt introduced herself to the party while Shin was away . Although the last part was unnecessary .

After that, they heard from Milt all the information she remembered about the caves layout, to speculate where Hermie was held and the ritual would take place .

After all party members reviewed their roles, the party started moving .

To think that its possible to speak underwater .

Tiera muttered this comment while swimming next to Shin on their way towards the cave .

Her swimsuit was a brilliant green bikini, and a necklace imbued with the skill Dive V floated above her chest .

Even though Im using the same skill too, I have no idea how its possible to talk underwater though .

Theres no air forming around our mouths either, so its a mystery how we can breathe too . Well, thanks to this we can move through the water, so I suppose Ill just accept not understanding how it works .

The whole party was heading towards the underwater caves entrance .

Yuzuha and Kagerou were in tow, dog paddling behind them .

They passed the lake where Shin and Milt met and proceeded forward, wary of any traps or guards .

As long as Shin and Schnee made full use of their detection skills, only an exceptionally intricate trap could slip through their vigilance .

There are a lot of dwellings and storage rooms in the shallow areas . I guess the more important parts are deeper?

Probably, yes . I remember I went down a fair distance . Even though this isnt their headquarters, the Summit Faction is a large organization . They even reinforced the caves walls to prevent them from crumbling easily .

I should have guessed . When there are full of holes, all it would take is just one earthquake to wipe it off the map .

The walls were bumpy and uneven, but the path was wide enough for 4 adults to walk side by side .

There also were many large hall-like clearings, personal rooms, and storage rooms; if they had built so many without reinforcing the walls, they would have definitely crumbled sooner or later .

Shins party proceeded deeper and deeper while checking the map for the room they were looking for . Since they searched each floor they visited, their progress couldnt be very fast .

Whats this?

Roughly 1 hour since they started their descent, Shins Magic Sonar picked up a larger clearing in the map .

It was far larger than the rooms used as storage rooms . It appeared that there was something in the back of it, but Magic Sonar couldnt scan the room completely, so it was only partly displayed on the map .

Could it be the ritual site?

Schnee whispered softly .

It could be . What do you say, Milt?

I think you guessed right . I do remember it was a large room .

It was possible for Hermie to be imprisoned near the ritual site; Shin and the others proceeded downwards, while searching the surroundings even more carefully than before .

. . Shin .

As they were descending, Shibaid called to Shin, who was walking next to him .

Whats wrong?

It certainly looks like there are Grand Duke-class demons here .

I cant pick up anything in my detection range, though?

I can feel their fighting spirit . This stale, foul feelingits a War God-type, no doubt about it .

Shibaids eyes were fixed in one direction as they walked, his words filled with conviction .

Shin asked Schnee with his eyes, but she shook her head .

As Schnee had previously felt something other than miasma, Shibaid had probably felt something the other party members couldnt .

There was no proof for his words, but no one doubted Shibaid . Konig and Milt knew that it was not odd for those who dedicate themselves to battle to be able to feel the presence of other powerful warriors .

Tiera also did not say anything, probably because she too possessed a similar unique sense .

A solo type, maybe . Hopefully there arent raid types then .

The humanlike demons called War God-type, compared to raid-types, had fixed conditions to defeating them, so it was not impossible to take them down even when fought for the first time .

They were still powerful enemies, but considering the expected spent time and sustained damage to defeat them, they were still easier targets than others .

Were almost at what could be the ritual site . Lets continue talking later .

The whole party shut their mouths at Schnees warning .

The detection fields did not pick up anything in particular .

With Shin and Schnee leading, the party headed towards the place thought to be the ritual site .

Kuu! This place is yucky!

Gruu!!

Yuzuha and Kagerou suddenly became agitated . Their whole bodies fur stood up, as if they were trying to intimidate something .

Whats wrong now?

Yuzuha answered Shins question, expressing her thoughts while stumbling on her words .

According to her, this location was a node of Ley lines, but because of the miasma their original function was inhibited .

You can feel it?

Its the same as the place I was before, it feels sick here, kuu

The clearing seemed absolutely normal, but they soon realized that there was a very large magic circle drawn on the ground . The material reinforcing the walls and ground was clearly different from the other rooms too .

Apparently, this magic circle was part of what was negatively influencing the flow of the Ley lines that Yuzuha had talked about .

The stench of blood is strong here, after all . Who knows what gruesome things they have been up to in hereafter all they did to us, lets show them what our craft can do .

In case they couldnt find Hermie, the party retraced part of the magic circle, in order to prevent it from activating .

Shin was not familiar with magic circles so large as to encompass a whole floor, so Schnee directed the operation .

Okay then, time to see whats ahead .

After the modification of the magic circle was completed, the party assembled before the door leading beyond the ritual site .

It was a heavy door 4 mels high and 3 mels wide . It was locked as well, but before Shins party the lock was no different than a toy .

Shin and Shibaid pushed open the door, which clearly had to be guarding something important .

Maybe because it had been used with care, the door opened without so much as a sound . The scenery behind it, however, was something no one could have expected .

Are you kidding me . .

Shin unconsciously muttered under his breath .

Before their eyes lied a gigantic crystal, roughly 10 mels tall . Its transparency was so high that it looked like artificially polished glass .

Because of that, the thingrather, the living being inside the crystal could be clearly seen .

Is thatFilma?

Schnee whispered the name of the person in front of her eyes .

It was, without a shred of a doubt, Shins 2nd support character, Filma Tolmeya .