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"Graaaarrr! Graaaahhh!"
The groans of a small beast-like child echoed through the sewers of the Nameless Streets. Faint glowing spheres of light illuminated the darkness. A figure stood before her—a tall young man with an unchanging smile and short black hair.
"Oh dear, are you feeling all right now, little one? Just a little longer and it will all end. You will be blessed with eternal happiness, and all the poor people of this town will finally join us in our Utopia."
He wore black clerical vestments and a blue metallic necklace with a single hand-shaped black crystal. This man always carried a book with him and never stopped smiling. His resting face was a smile, his surprised face was a smile, and even when angry, he smiled—always in eternal bliss.
"Grrr…! GRAAARRR!"
Selene roared furiously. Her body grew larger and more monstrous as the power of a Spiral of Madness manifested, covering her with flaring red runes. She wanted nothing more than to tear this man's face apart, but she could not.
Black chains made of a strange element bound her tightly in place, right in front of what appeared to be a large glitching crack in space—a portal leading to somewhere beyond the sewers, an entirely separate dimension.
"Hahah, I like your spirit. Please be patient."
The man patted her head. Selene snapped at his hand, only for the black chains to tighten further, choking her neck and forcing her to groan in pain while vomiting blood everywhere.
"Oh dear, what a mess. Please don't try that again, all right? Come on now, put more spirit into it. The faster we finish here, the quicker your pain will end. I'm cheering for you."
The man walked away, reading the pages of his book and following the instructions word for word. Dozens of people around him cleared the area and placed glowing crystals along with the corpses of Entities, Anomalies, and humans across the floor. The man supervised them while drawing hundreds of crimson runes on the ground, interconnecting the corpses into an almost demonic pentagram.
Black energy began emerging from the connected corpses. It spun in midair before flowing into the Dimensional Rift. Selene, shackled at the center of the formation in front of the rift, became a conductor for these dark energies, channeling them directly into the portal.
The Dimensional Rift trembled. The cracks in space grew larger. The man gently caressed his necklace, holding the small hand-shaped black jewel with religious obsession. His smile grew increasingly wicked with each passing second.
"Sir, the formation is almost complete!"
"We've secured all the necessary materials now!"
"With that child at the center, we'll draw the power of the Spiral of Madness and channel it into the Dimensional Labyrinth."
"And, as this book states, a Gate toward our Beloved Abyssal Mother shall open, yes?" the priest smiled. "Ah, I cannot wait! Everyone must know of our beloved mother's true grace!"
The priest rejoiced with the other members of his cult. However, most of the people working here were criminals, bandits, and thugs bound by black chains, unable to do anything but obey this strange man who had appeared one day, seized their territory, and enslaved them all.
"M-Master! There's a problem!"
A tall wolf-headed beastman ran toward the priest, lowering his head without daring to meet the man's eyes. The priest extended his hand and caressed the fur on his head as if he were a puppy.
"Yes? Speak, son."
"T-That damned prince! That bastard already took down The Knife, and now they're coming here! He somehow found our hiding spot! I've received a report—the men at the abandoned factory are fighting him. He brought his whole force!"
"Hoh? The prince? You mean the son of that false goddess? Well, well, isn't this perfect? We've been blessed by our beloved mother once more. He'll be the first to receive her grace! Isn't that wonderful?"
"B-But they're coming here! They might try to stop us! You promised you'd let me and my men escape once we finished this formation, right, priest?!"
"Ah yes! Of course, son. I never lie. In fact, now that we're almost done, I shall free you from your duties."
"R-Really?!"
The man smiled with relief as the black chains vanished from his body. Strength returned to his limbs, and he finally felt free. He stood and stepped back. He wanted to tear the priest apart with his bare hands, but he knew he would lose.
After all, this man was a monster wearing human skin. Not even a savage bandit like him could match him. Out of pure mercy, he had been spared when he first confronted this wicked creature.
"T-Then the rest of my men…! And we'll leave! I swear we won't interfere!"
"Yes, yes. You're all free from your duties. You've worked hard! Thank you so much."
The priest nodded and waved his hand. His book glowed with black light. The chains binding all the criminals disappeared. Everyone celebrated, crying in happiness at the thought of escaping this hell.
"However, why would you ever leave? Don't tell me you don't want to receive our beloved mother's blessings?"
"W-What do you mean, priest? W-We… we did everything you wanted!" The beastman leading the rest screamed, stepping back before turning to run. "W-We're getting out of here! Run!"
"Hahah, oh please, come back. She will soon arrive. You'll miss such an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see her!"
The priest laughed, extending his hand toward the fleeing men. Black energy surged from his palm and reached them all.
No—it was as if the black energy had always been inside them. This time, instead of chains, it manifested as black hands emerging from their mouths, tearing their bodies open.
"Guuaaaahhh!"
The screams of the unfortunate men echoed through the sewers. Selene watched in disbelief. The man showed no mercy even to his own subordinates, turning them into creatures more terrifying than herself.
"Oh! How wonderful! You have received our beloved mother's blessing! Rejoice! Hahahaa! Rejoice, everyone! Rejoice! Now please, could you be so kind as to greet our guests? We wouldn't want them interrupting us when we're so close to bringing salvation to everyone in the Frostbane Kingdom, right?"
As he smiled, the creatures roared and rushed toward the approaching "guests." The priest and his disciples finished the formation by placing the last few corpses. Among them were the bodies of children Selene recognized, children who had gone missing, whom the townspeople had blamed her for taking.
"A-Aeeeh! Aeerrrr!"
Selene cried in pain. The chains tightened further. Her body absorbed endless quantities of black energy, becoming a perfect conductor for the Dimensional Rift behind her. The rift's interior, originally an endless apartment complex, rapidly shifted into something entirely different…
"It's starting! It's finally starting! Oh mother! How long I have awaited you!"
A terrifying presence slowly emerged from the ever-growing Dimensional Rift.
Even Selene was terrified, staring at the crack in utter horror at what lay beyond.
A Mother of Endless Limbs and Eyes, who accepts, loves, and embraces all people as her beloved children.
♢♢♢♢
Louis felt a strange presence as he finished inspecting the weapons brought to him. He looked into the tunnel leading to the sewers, his sharp golden eyes narrowing. It was faint, but the air had suddenly grown heavier. Something was watching him from below. Wary, he quickly sent two zombies to investigate, along with one of his new subordinates.
"Rashid."
"Yes, master?"
From within his shadows emerged the tall, slender figure of the Dhampir. He looked at Louis with fear rather than loyalty. He was the only member of The Knife Louis had allowed to live, simply because the prince found his abilities useful. As a Dhampir, he possessed Vampiric powers like Shadow Movement, letting him hide inside Louis's shadow, a perfect, unexpected bodyguard and scout.
"Go down that tunnel with the zombies and tell me what you find."
"Understood."
The Dhampir obeyed not just out of fear. Louis had already paid him in advance and planned to employ him full-time as a bodyguard. No job paid better, and it was far less terrible than belonging to a criminal organization.
As he descended, Louis glanced back at his soldiers checking the abandoned factory. They had found more drugs stored in large wooden crates.
"Your majesty, we've discovered several tons of drugs here. It seems the Black Fang were distributing them as well," Fernand reported, kneeling beside him.
"I see," Louis said with an annoyed expression. "Let's wait a moment until Rashid returns with news…"
"Master!"
"Hm?"
A message came immediately. Louis looked into the tunnel as Rashid's voice grew agitated. He groaned in pain and gasped for air.
"Monsters! There are monsters down here! Horrors! Horrors!!!"
"What? Rashid?! Come back! I told you to scout only! Come back!"
"Aaaaaagghhh! The mother! The mother!!! The mother! The mother is here! She's hereeeeeeeeeaaaaaeeeghhhhhh! I am a good son, mother! I REPENT! I REPENT! I REPENT! I REPENT!!!"
"…?!"
Louis lost his connection to the Dhampir. He stared at the tunnel in shock. Catrise walked to his side. Little Melisa stayed behind the others, noticing the clear dread on the prince's face.
"Your majesty? What is it? What happened to Rashid?"
"I think he's dead."
"What?!"
"Something is happening down there, and it got him… He mentioned monsters and… I don't know what else. He was rambling about a mother."
"…?" Catrise was left speechless.
"He's dead?!" Elises gasped. "But that Dhampir was strong! Really tough!"
"Perhaps he still lives, young master. We just need to find him," Fernand said, peering into the tunnel. "Belladine, what do you think? Should we proceed?"
"I believe we should," Belladine replied. Her Spirits floated around her. "We came here to end this. We cannot allow a Dimensional Rift to remain under our noses, especially with monsters roaming below."
"Huh, this is worse than I thought," Helena said. "The Dimensional Rift must be starting to meld with our world. If things continue, it might twist this entire area into a permanent Dimensional Field connected to the Labyrinth!"
"We can't let that happen. Let's hurry," Louis said.
Everyone agreed and moved forward through the sewers. Catrise used her Holy Ice Hammer to smash the Miasma Crystals, purifying them with her magic and gradually reducing the miasma in the air.
Louis held back his precious Spiralwalker zombie, planning to use it as much as possible before devouring the Spiral Stone in its chest. In the short time he had possessed it, he hadn't found a way to fully transfer a Spiral to another person. This was his fallback plan.
Crackle…
"…?"
As they advanced toward the direction Louis sensed—the faint presence of the Ash Rune above Selene's head confirming she was still alive—everyone stopped. In the silence, they heard many limbs moving rapidly along the walls and ceiling. Their eyes widened as large silhouettes appeared, bright red eyes staring from the darkness.
"Shyaaaahh!"
A monstrous scream came from the ceiling. A human-sized creature leaped toward the group—a squirming mass of black limbs and red eyes. Helena pushed her Psychic Barrier forward, blocking it from reaching her.
"What the hell is this thing?!" she asked in disbelief.
"It's definitely some bizarre Grievance!" Catrise said. "Kill it, please!"
"On it." Helena wanted to analyze it further but noticed more approaching. "Goodbye."
She pressed her hand forward. Her Psychic Barrier surrounded the creature's body, crushing it with immense force until it formed an apple-sized cube—then exploded.
BOOOM!
The blast released black flames that engulfed the other creatures, making them cry in pain. This was Helena's favorite tactic: crush targets into tiny cubes under extreme pressure, then release them to explode. Miasma was highly flammable, making the flames especially effective.
"We fight as one."
Louis commanded his headless zombie. The silver-skinned giant swung its fists alongside its Incarnation, the Pugilist, blocking two creatures while Louis rushed from behind. He unleashed repeated Dragon Fang Spearmanship techniques with his spear. Dragon-like illusions surged from his Mana Aura.
"Gryaaaa!"
The creature screamed in agony as its body was impaled repeatedly. Black flesh exploded everywhere. Its red eyes shone brightly, attempting something. Louis averted his gaze but felt his body freeze, paralyzed.
"Those red eyes are some kind of Demonic Eyes?! They paralyze on eye contact…!" he groaned, forcing words out to warn the others.
Many soldiers had already fallen victim, paralyzed and overwhelmed by the monsters.
Louis clicked his tongue and summoned his Incarnation, the Gravewalker, focusing his mind and emotions to control it.
He knew the "trick" to an extent: the emotion born from facing death head-on, overcoming anxiety.
"Kill that thing, Gravewalker!"
"RAAAHHH!"
For the first time, the Gravewalker roared, opening dragon-like jaws filled with sharp fangs. It bit through the monstrosity and tore it apart, slashing nearby creatures with monstrous claws and pushing them back.
Helena noticed Louis's actions and nodded, concentrating her Psychic Power on her foes. She formed several psychic hands, grabbing multiple creatures and crushing them into cubes before releasing explosive blasts one after another.
Catrise kept her eyes on Louis and Melisa, swinging her hammer to crush the creatures repeatedly. Her Magic Hammer, a Soul Weapon of Ice and Holy Light, froze even these formidable bodies and cleansed their miasma, killing them after several concentrated blows.
"Just what are these things?!"
Fernand was shocked when Belladine's Spirit of Light revealed their true forms. The creatures had a base resembling a human body, but countless black, slimy arms sprouted everywhere, accompanied by red eyes and long black hair.
Aside from screaming and grabbing victims, upon killing someone, they clasped hands in prayer and transformed the dead into copies of themselves—black hands and red eyes erupting from the bodies.
"I've never fought anything like this! But Grievances and Entities come in countless forms! These seem to propagate by killing prey. Don't lower your guard, and don't let them kill you!"
Belladine buffed everyone with her Spirit Magic before fighting with her Magic Rapier, piercing the creatures and infusing their interiors with Spirit Spells. Wooden roots and branches exploded from within, tearing them apart.
"Elises stayed behind, so I can't use the Dual Aura Technique Master Louis taught me, but that doesn't matter…!" Fernand roared. "I'll dedicate everything to each swing! I'll improve or die!"
Fernand pushed himself to his limits, wielding his Ice Blade and Ice Shield effectively. He drew Ice Mana to reinforce his body repeatedly.
In this life-or-death moment without his friend to rely on, he finally began improving, surpassing his limits. Belladine's buffs to his Strength and Vitality helped greatly.
"U-Um…"
Melisa watched the battle, eyes full of fear. She wanted to help but remembered she was just a child with no real power—only accessories that conjured shields and barriers to protect her.
"GRYAR!"
One beast leaped from the sewer water, attacking her. Melisa cried and covered her face as her barrier bubble blocked the assault. The creature kept hitting it.
"S-Stop it!"
She pushed her barrier like a hamster ball, running inside to spin it faster. Sparks of mana friction generated electricity, sending the creature flying with a strong push from her tiny hands.
BOOOM!
The creature slammed into the wall, groaning as it slowly recovered. It was enough for Louis to reach it, freezing it with an ice spell before shattering it into pieces.
"I-I helped!" Melisa celebrated.
"Well done, Melisa, but don't overdo it!" Louis said. "Stay back!"
"O-Ok!" Melisa nodded, adapting surprisingly well to the chaos.
"How many of these things are there?!" Helena asked, expanding her Psychic Powers. "I'll make a wall ahead. Let's push forward—we have to close that Dimensional Rift no matter what!"
RUMBLE!
As Helena spoke, the entire town trembled. An ominous energy echoed from deeper within. They rushed forward. Those who could be healed were quickly treated by Catrise and sent to the surface by assigned medics.
More creatures emerged from the rift's origin, swarming Helena's psychic barrier. Ultimately, she had to stop as over twenty appeared, pushing back with all their strength.
"Tsk, how annoying! Why won't you get out of the way?!"
In fury, she formed a triangle with her hands. Her eyes peered through it.
"Perfect Triangle!"
FLUOSH!
Her Psychic Aura surged like endless invisible waves, grabbing all twenty monsters and crushing them into a triangular construct. When she released it, a massive explosion shook the town above.
BOOOM!
"Move, move!"
Helena amazed everyone with her incredible abilities. With her leading, victory seemed possible. They just had to persevere and survive.
"I see you're barely holding on. Don't worry—I relieve you of your duties."
Louis noticed his zombie missing an arm and covered in unrecoverable wounds. He quickly absorbed its soul and pierced its chest, tearing out a small Spiral Stone and eating it without caring who saw.
As he chewed the stone, small visions of its previous owner flashed through his mind. He shook them away—he had no interest in the past of a masochistic bald man.
Then words echoed in his mind. His soul shook, his thoughts unraveling as he ran, gasping for air.
{The Spiral Of Self-Flagellation}
["When the warrior no longer cared about his body being destroyed repeatedly, he sacrificed his sanity and embraced pain and madness, forming a Spiral of Self-Inflicted Agony. Those who walk this path seek to become unstoppable in exchange for their humanity."]
[A well-known Spiral born from the masochistic insanity of a nameless warrior. A Spiral only for those willing to sacrifice themselves for power, treating their bodies harsher than others in exchange for the strength to fight Destiny. Yet on the path to power, the Pugilist loses himself in endless agonizing pleasure—a combination of pain and despair tied to greater power, an addicting death sentence.]
[You have inherited the Fragment of {Self-Flagellation}, born of sacrifice and masochistic madness. Every time your body and mind suffer damage, once fully healed, they grow stronger. This sensation will become addictive, as you become unable to resist the pleasure of pain until you lose yourself and your purpose. Thou art suffering.]
[As the owner of a small Fragment, you cannot become the owner of the Ninth Spiral, the Masochist.]
[You have awakened a small fragment of the Spiral Incarnation: Pugilist.]
[Your Fragment manifests as a weakened version of {Iron Body (Tier 9)}: Strengthen the Endurance and Defense of your body in proportion to the total Pain and Agony suffered for 5 Minutes instead of 15.]
[Your Vitality and Strength have increased by +30]
[Your Maximum Fantasium has increased by +300]
"Good enough."
Louis quickly manifested the Pugilist while injecting himself with Fantasium. What emerged was a pair of giant floating steel fists. He now had another set of arms to protect him. The Necromancer only appeared as a skeletal hand, but this was far more useful.
"I'll have to use everything I have regardless!"
The skeletal hand manifested too, grabbing the soul of the headless zombie and two more from the monsters he had killed—pitch-black souls he saved for explosive spells or similar uses. As for the monsters, Louis couldn't turn them into zombies. Though they were once people and he could harvest human souls, the bodies were no longer human but monstrous, so they were unusable.
The Necromancer was restrictive—one could only zombify people they personally murdered. Perhaps higher ranks improved the Desecrated Soul Spiral, but for now, this was its limit.
As he prepared, Helena glanced back at Louis with concern. She quickly sensed three different Spirals within him—something normally unheard of…
"What is Louis even doing?! Three Spirals in one person? How is he… fine?"
She was shocked. Reports always described people at his level with multiple Spirals going completely mad and mutating into berserk Entities. Yet Louis was surprisingly stable. Whatever he was doing, he had somehow become a vessel for three conflicting powers.
"We're almost there!"
Catrise looked ahead. Black miasma filled the air like thick clouds. She unleashed Holy Light Magic, conjuring a bright explosion that cleared it all.
Several silhouettes appeared in the distance, along with the screaming body of a werewolf-like creature chained with black chains beside the Dimensional Rift.
"Selene!!!" Melisa cried.
"Gyaaaaahhh! Wraahhhh!"
Selene screamed in agony but paused, gasping for air and bleeding from every orifice. She noticed her friend approaching.
"Me… Meli… sa…?"
A figure stepped forward. A tall, handsome man looked toward them with a calm, soothing smile, spreading his arms in welcome.
"Ah, you're finally here! Welcome! Welcome, everyone! Have you come to witness our beloved mother's arrival with us?"
"What?! This guy…!"
Louis instantly recognized the man.
"What is a late-game villain doing here? So this wasn't the work of the Vultarn High Dominion?!"
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