Chapter 58 About the Strange Mental Imagery Labyrinth
As the distance between the monster and X decreases, the surrounding environment changes around it.
The once sparsely populated crossroads has been transformed into a traditional Japanese mansion.
Having witnessed such scenes before, X and the criminals understood.
This is the labyrinth of mental images—a place that reflects a distorted inner self.
In this way, the monster's identity becomes very clear: he or she is a twisted human.
This time, not only X and his group were implicated, but also Fukuzawa Yukichi, who was knocked unconscious, and Edogawa Ranpo.
And... the young man who appeared to be the commander among those trembling gang members.
Of that group, he was the only one who got caught up in it.
As for Dante, who had been with X from the beginning, he was kicked out as well, probably because the guide never entered the labyrinth. As Virgilius's "master" in a sense, he was also kicked out.
Before leaving, Dante grabbed a certain honest man and successfully retrieved the white unicorn that had been lent out.
The man who had intruded was looking around with a surprised and uncertain expression, muttering to himself:
"This...is this the Takase Association...?"
This building is clearly the ancestral home that the Takase-kai doesn't use easily!
Halfway through his sentence, the young man's pupils suddenly contracted, revealing a look of fear, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying.
Even though he knew perfectly well that he shouldn't be here, the biggest difference between him and the others was that he was the chairman's son-in-law, and this house was like his own home to him.
There are a few distracting baits here...
Thinking of this, Yuichi Takase turned around and ran towards a room behind him.
Let those busybodies face the monster! He won't die in this godforsaken place!
What are you saying in your gibberish?
X watched as the only guy who had wandered in said something and then ran away frantically, giving him the feeling that this person was not far from panic.
The problem is, if you're going to run away, why are you laughing?
Unbeknownst to Takase Yuichi, he thought he was making a strategic retreat, but he was unconsciously laughing the whole time.
The laughter grew louder and louder, almost like a GPS device, constantly broadcasting its coordinates to the monster it "saw".
He quickly navigated the labyrinthine rooms according to his memory and arrived at his destination—his wife Miho's room.
As soon as he entered, the first thing that caught Takase Yuichi's eye was Takase Mie's face, which was looking at him with a puzzled expression.
What's she doing here?! Could it really be teleportation? A supernatural ability?
"First from the right? Why are you running like that?"
As soon as Mie Takase opened her mouth, the man's heart, which had only half settled, sank heavily again. This was definitely not his wife!
The being in his wife's body was speaking to him in her voice, offering words of concern and trying to touch him.
But... his wife's wedding ring was gone, leaving only a slightly white mark, indicating that something had been worn there for a long time, blocking the sunlight and causing a color difference in that area of skin.
He wondered if it was just his imagination, but deep in his wife's eyes seemed to dwell a monster, a monster that sent chills down his spine.
His wife would never face him with such a submissive attitude; she always resented him for taking away her love and for taking away her freedom.
"First on the right?"
Seeing that her husband was ignoring her, "Takase Mie" called his name again, but the man in front of her was sweating profusely and completely ignored her.
"Right...one...!"
The man's continued silence seemed to make "Takase Mie" realize something, and her voice suddenly lost its previous fluency, becoming intermittent, and even sounding a bit like the sound of an old videotape playing.
The door behind him, originally intended to keep monsters out of the room, had become the biggest obstacle trapping him. Takase Yuichi couldn't turn around. His wife... no! That wasn't his wife!
Something ripped open this beautiful skin from below, revealing scarlet flesh and blood.
Half of his wife's face floated lightly to the ground. Yuichi Takase stared in horror at this bizarre scene, his nose seemingly able to smell the bloody stench emanating from the suddenly grown, crimson human body.
He wanted to scream, but it was as if an invisible hand was choking him, and he couldn't utter a sound at all. He could only watch as that deep red figure walked towards him step by step...
Over there, because the doctor didn't use any harsh methods, Fukuzawa Yukichi woke up quickly, and then they started walking around the mansion.
Compared to the somewhat abstract term "mental maze," this house is more like a real "maze."
There are no enemies or events to be decided here, only endless shoji doors and repetitive scenery.
"Supervisor," the seemingly invisible Fifth Sinner, who appeared to have merged with the air, suddenly spoke, "we've been here before."
The young man, whose clothes were covered with bright yellow eyes, saw once again the mark he had left before—the imprint left by the burning feathers.
As they moved around, the map recorded in X's terminal became more and more complete.
This is also the biggest point of conflict.
According to the location display on the terminal, this was indeed an area they had never been before, but the feather marks that Meursault saw could not be faked.
That mark was branded by the Feather of Glory, and it is unique to this company. Unless an employee of the company or a Flame Sparrow comes along, this mark cannot be forged.
Then... there's only one possibility.
"This is an illusion."
X's voice overlapped with another voice. Yuichi Takase had appeared on the other side of the shoji door at some point and said the same thing as X.
The young man who returned was completely different from his panicked self not long ago; he was calm and composed, as if he were a different person.
Seeing the wary gazes of everyone focused on him, Takase Yuichi shrugged and slowly raised his hand to indicate that he was harmless.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? Didn't we come in together? Besides, I know the layout of this place very well; I can help show you the way."
Edogawa Ranpo, who was instinctively shielded behind Fukuzawa Yukichi at the first moment, frowned as he looked at Takase Yuichi and took out his glasses from his pocket.
"He's a fake! Something's wearing his skin!"
The boy wearing black-rimmed glasses spoke softly, but his voice was very clear in the quiet room.
X was right next to the green-eyed boy, and his first reaction upon hearing "wearing a skin" was that he had run away with nothing.
But how could that be? He checked the security camera footage before leaving home today.
At that time, the well-behaved dog with its messy appearance was sticking out its tongue and staying obediently in the control room.
As it turns out, you shouldn't make promises you can't keep, or you'll end up in an awkward situation.
As soon as the boy finished speaking, Takase Yuichi, who had just been speaking like an ordinary human, seemed to know that he had been exposed. He didn't even try to explain; he just lowered his head.
Immediately afterwards, X heard a voice that was almost etched into his DNA.
“I love you…”
How did my level six employee manage to escape? How did he manage to escape?!
Fortunately, I brought a large number of employees with me to handle this unusual event. Otherwise, given the current situation where there is no reverse Kabbalah suppressor...
Even though being penniless is considered one of the easier-to-control A-class anomalies, that's within the company. If only they hadn't left the company, X thought.
However, there is still one thing to consider.
"Yoshihide!"
Although I don't know why the big dog is here in three forms, one thing is clear.
Hurry up and throw Mori Ougai over here!
Once the dog strikes with a chop, he's really done for!
Compared to Mori Ougai, who was always cooped up in the lower-level archives, Ryoshu, also an "employee" in the Control Department, had dealt with nothing countless times.
Although He attacked directly in all three forms this time... this distance is enough!
As Mori Ougai shed his human skin with nothing left, he summoned Alice to stand in front while he began to retreat.
He hadn't gone far when he felt a tightness around his neck; a hand had grabbed his collar. The next moment, he felt weightlessness, and he was airborne.
In the rapidly receding view, Mori Ougai could see clearly that it was Yoshihide, who, while charging forward with her greatsword, threw herself back behind her.
Logically, he should thank her.
The situation is indeed urgent, but is there really no more dignified way?
Liangxiu threw it with great force, and Alice appeared in mid-air in a flash, catching her master who was about to crash into the wall due to inertia.
This was the first time Mori Ougai had witnessed a live demonstration of suppressing anomalies. He knew what happened in the company every day, and he also knew that the young man with golden eyes next to him held the lives of all of them in his hands.
Seeing something firsthand is always different from hearing it from someone else.
In his vision, his "colleagues" were like an undead legion, because they knew they wouldn't actually die, which was why they dared to fight the monsters in the company.
He was thrown next to X, who was giving remote commands; this was the best viewing spot, and he could see it clearly.
These people are even more fanatical than the Undead Legion. The Undead Legion has fear and trepidation, which ultimately leads to their downfall, but these people completely disregard their own lives.
Even with their superiors standing far away in a safe place, they did not hesitate and completely disregarded their own lives, as if they were certain they would not die.
This is not in the company, nor is there the time travel technology that the employees call technology.
How could they face death so calmly?
Unlike Mori Ougai, who stood beside X observing the battle, Fukuzawa Yukichi clearly wanted to lend a hand, even though he might not be of much use.
The silver-haired swordsman noticed that the young man's gaze lingered on him briefly because of his actions:
I advise you to stay here.
X noticed someone trying to help and quickly stopped them. Someone without EGO armor, unable to revive, and whose background was unknown, shouldn't go up and cause trouble.
However, he could only offer a friendly reminder; he couldn't let Mori Ougai knock him out again.
The dog that leaves the company is like a wild horse that has broken free; its intensity is worlds apart from what it was inside the company.
Fortunately, Ryoshu's Justice Arbiter deals high-level soul damage and has considerable armor resistance, so it can be said that X is counting on her to deal damage.
However, the damage from "Nothing to My Name" is too high, so the damage-absorbing position was given to Honglu, who has the highest armor resistance.
However, without a regeneration reactor, even the highest level of armor resistance wouldn't be enough to withstand the damage.
X couldn't help but miss the reverse Kabbalah suppressor and regeneration reactor at home once again, and prepared to revitalize Honglu.
As if in response to his thoughts, everyone present heard a thud.
It's the sound of church bells.
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Author's note: Maybe the next day [chin resting on hand][chin resting on hand]
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