Elsewhere, near the ruined fountain… a few hours earlier
Emilia was lying on the ground, her face completely covered in blood. She was laughing softly, then spoke in a calm tone:
"Hehehe… that bitch. Fighting her was truly terrifying… She destroyed this place with her madness."
Some of the gothic mansions had been ruined, and the streets had disappeared beneath the rocks that now covered them. Massive cracks had opened in the ground, from which bolts of lightning still surged—remnants of the previous battle.
On the other side, Elianora was standing, gazing at the galaxies above. Then she looked down at her right hand, now fully healed.
"Damn… she peeled the flesh off my right hand… how savage. But it doesn't matter… what matters is that we won." Her voice carried a low growl as she flexed her restored hand.
Emilia stood up, brushing dirt off her clothes, patting her back lightly. Her eyes wandered up to the moon as she spoke:
"We need to hurry before those two idiots reach the clown's tomb before we do."
Elianora smiled and looked at her, replying:
"That's right… We've rested long enough, it's time to——"
Before she could finish her sentence, a terrifying tremor struck. The sky cracked into countless shards, raining down like salty glass. A massive hand emerged from the abyss—it was Lovecraft's hand.
Emilia swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty, as if someone was gripping her tongue:
"Is that… the Crimson Moon…? Is the First Form going to appear?"
Elianora clenched her hand tightly, staring at the awe-inspiring scene. Her voice trembled with fear as she said:
"Lovecraft's hand. That's the one thing I never wanted to see."
The colossal hand of Lovecraft turned toward the moon and, in a fit of rage, shattered it. From above the hand, the Crimson Moon emerged—gigantic, almost the size of the sun, and bleeding profusely.
The hand struck the earth's shadow with just one finger. Though the impact wasn't direct, it sent an overwhelming shock through the past lands. Then, the hand was withdrawn into the unknown, leaving the sky in ruins. What remained was a blood-red glow that painted the heavens with dread.
"What is this madness?" Emilia whispered in terror. "And the craziest part is that when the Crimson Moon appears, it warps the structure of reality. Ancient cities could reappear… even forgotten Victorian mansions from the lost Earth."
"This phenomenon will last for an entire week," she growled, frustration surging through her. "Damn it, I just want to finish this mission and return to the Cathedral."
She looked toward the forest, then grabbed Elianora's shoulder:
"We must keep moving. We don't have much time."
"You're right," Elianora nodded.
The two of them walked toward the Forest of Black Fungi. As they crossed the gate, chains descended from the shattered sky, sealing the way back and emitting a strange warning sound.
The sound resembled an echo between universes, a cosmic hum in a doubled tone. They both looked up at the broken sky as black shadows rained down like missiles.
"Damn it… this is getting crazier by the second," Emilia muttered under her breath.
They entered the Forest of Black Fungi. The forest was vast, with countless winding paths. Towering trees stretched to impossible heights, while others were so wide they took up entire swaths of land. To the left was a massive abyss containing the ocean of Ank'rart, the deepest ocean in existence.
The sky rained a mix of crimson and black blood in scattered regions without any clouds. Once inside the forest, the sky was completely obscured by massive leaves.
Ahead of them were two paths. One was shrouded in such darkness that they could see blood-red eyes peering at them from within—eyes that wept blood and stared without blinking.
The other path was no less terrifying. A strange creature stood there, with a huge red head, long arms, a humanoid red body, and short legs that resembled a shark's tail.
"What is that thing?" Emilia asked, pointing toward the bizarre creature.
"I… I don't know. It doesn't even feel like it belongs to this world," Elianora replied, placing her hand on her neck.
The red creature had its back turned to them. It pointed forward with one long hand while laughing in a chilling, unsettling way.
"Hehe… Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe…"
Then the laugh abruptly stopped, and a quiet voice emerged:
"The Lady will heal me… It's okay… I'm not afraid… The Lady will heal me…"
He kept repeating the same words until he vomited blood.
"Who does he mean by 'The Lady'?" Emilia asked, confused.
Elianora glanced at her, whispering:
"I hope I'm wrong, but most likely… one of the Great Ones."
Emilia's pupils dilated as she looked at Elianora in horror:
"If it's one of the Great Ones… we're dead. Just hearing them speak for a few minutes is enough to drive anyone insane."
Elianora gave a fearful smile:
"And you think the Great Ones would descend in their true form? No, these are just secondary bodies… forms we can perceive without dying instantly."
Emilia looked forward—and the strange creature was gone, leaving behind a large pool of blood.
They approached the pool of blood, where words were written:
"Follow the fire… it will lead you to the Lady… I hope she can heal you. Hehehe."
The blood ignited and the words vanished with it. Elianora pointed ahead:
"If we want to get out of here, we'll have to follow their instructions."
Emilia nodded. They continued along a narrow path surrounded by towering trees. Black fire lit the way.
After a long walk, a black mist surrounded them. Emilia looked around and said:
"This road is so long… haven't we reached the end yet?"
Elianora placed her thumb and forefinger on her chin and said:
"I don't know how to explain it… but I once read a book about isolation and madness. If you want to drive a person insane, make them walk a road where they're alone—truly alone. That's when they begin to think of everything they've done, over and over, until the thoughts consume them. Because there's no one else to talk to… only themselves."
Emilia spoke with a mocking tone:
"Oh, it seems a new professor has appeared."
Elianora extended her arm and gently pushed Emilia aside, teasing her. After a few more minutes, the two of them arrived at a half-destroyed path leading to a massive bridge held by chains from above.
"Finally, I thought we'd never get through this annoying path," Emilia said loudly.
"That's true, but we have guests who want to welcome us," Elianora said, pointing with her index finger toward the edge.
A group appeared, all wearing long coats open from the front with black shirts underneath. Strangely, they had no heads, and wide-brimmed hats floated above their bodies. In their hands, they held burning scythes.
"Stay away from the Lady! Leave, you filthy whores!"
"Kill the heretic and her friend!"
"They have defiled the sacred path!"
They repeated these strange words with heavy, cryptic voices and walked in a crooked but fast manner.
"We need to kill them quickly," Elianora said loudly.
Emilia nodded, then charged toward them with force. She pulled out her twin daggers and aimed to slice through one of them, but its body stretched and slammed her in the stomach, launching her into a wall.
Boom…
Stretching? Strange and new moves, Emilia muttered to herself. Then she swiftly attacked again and sliced off its leg. The creature screamed loudly and drove its scythe into her abdomen.
"Filthy thing, you will never reach the Lady!"
Annoyed by the powerful stab, Emilia grabbed the scythe in anger and cut off the creature's hand. Another one appeared behind her and slashed her back deeply. But she turned, swung her dagger across its belly, and tore it open until its intestines spilled out.
The one whose hand she'd cut off was now smashing her leg. She thrust the dagger into his back and split him in two.
As she turned around, the creature in front slashed off her arm—but with quick reflexes, she struck it down, pulled out her pistol, and fired a shot into its chest. Its body exploded.
"Filthy… heretic… you will never reach the Lady," the voice echoed even after the body was gone.
Meanwhile, Elianora was fiercely fighting off the rest. She grabbed one of the creatures and tried to tear it apart, but was stabbed by two scythes—one in her chest and one in her abdomen.
She spat out a large amount of blood, her eyes turning red from the hemorrhaging. Clenching her fists in rage, she sliced the creature in front of her in two. Then, spinning halfway around, she severed the arms of the others.
She yanked the scythes out of her own body despite the searing pain and terrible burns, and quickly slashed them both in half.
Elianora breathed heavily, fury coursing through her veins. Emilia, wiping her dagger on the clothes of the fallen creatures, said:
"Shit… they're terrifying. Their movements are twisted and unpredictable."
Elianora approached, holding her abdomen, and replied in a tired voice:
"Yeah, and they seem to think as one… for beings with no heads."
Then she continued:
"Come on, let's keep moving toward that bridge."
Emilia nodded. Both walked across the bridge. After just two steps, the path collapsed behind them, and a mountain rose from the ocean, raining upwards violently.
They both turned around, and Emilia said:
"It's like we're in a place completely devoid of physical laws."
They continued walking, and soon, they found themselves approaching a colossal castle, with a vast courtyard in front of it. They reached the shattered gate and stepped into the large courtyard.
And then—shock overtook their faces. The entire courtyard was filled with dozens of those same red creatures.
"What the hell is this madness?" Emilia said, stunned by the sight.
Elianora looked toward an old man sitting in a wheelchair. She placed a hand on Emilia's shoulder and said:
"Look at that old man."
Emilia turned and they both walked toward him. He wore a white coat buttoned from the front and a blood-soaked scarf covering his head. In his right hand, he held a long staff.
The old man spoke in a tired tone, pointing his staff toward the castle:
"Toward that whore… the one who claims herself among the Great Ones."