Side Story: The Abyss

He was walking along an overgrown mountainside: a young boy, wearing white robes stained red with blood. His movements were unsteady and his eyes were hollow. He had no destination in mind; he was simply wandering aimlessly.

It was a forest all but untouched by human hands. Strolling through it was plenty dangerous in and of itself. But no harm came to him. At his approach, the sharp branches crumbled and thick grasses wilted away. The stinging insects flitting around him fell quietly to the ground, and the wild dogs that surrounded him collapsed without a sound. Even the soldiers, with no idea what they were guarding, fell without exception. Seeing that something was wrong, they would call out to ask who he was and then immediately die. No one could stop him.

He slowly made his way up a slope. While he had no clear objective, it seemed like he was trying to get away from somewhere. After making it through the mountains, he continued on even farther. The government had no idea what was in that forbidden village since the days of old, nor why they had to conceal and protect it. They only became aware of the threat once their guard detail had been completely wiped out, along with an entire settlement nearby.

◇ ◇ ◇

With a shout, Asaka Takatou hurled the ball. Thanks to her excellent form, it shot forward with considerable speed, landing snugly in Yogiri's baseball glove.

"You throw so fast, Asaka."

The two were in the front yard of their home in the forest, playing catch. It was today's choice for their post-lunch exercise.

"Heheheh, I used to play baseball in elementary school, you know."

Yogiri threw the ball back. Having no knowledge of the game at all, his form was sloppy, so the ball barely made it to her feet.

"I'm really no good at this," he said, disappointed. He had intended to throw it much better, but tossing a ball that far required more skill than he currently had.

"Don't worry about it, you just need some practice. Humans succeeded because they were so good at throwing things, after all."

"Really?"

"Really. Throwing things is a human specialty," Asaka said, stepping back into the role of teacher for a moment. "I read in a book somewhere that the definition of a human is an animal that walks on two legs, throws things, and can use fire."

"I see. In that case, am I a human?"

"Of course you are."

But Asaka was internally panicking as she said it. He seemed to have caught on to the wrong part of the story. Of course Yogiri looked human. But considering what he could do, it was hard to call him just a human.

"But we should really get you better at throwing. If you're not doing anything like hunting, it might not be a very useful skill, but being able to throw something and hit your target feels pretty good."

Asaka began teaching Yogiri how to properly throw the ball. She figured building up skills like this was necessary for him to live as an ordinary person. Her job was to instill a Japanese mentality in him. She didn't know what he had been doing up until she'd been brought in, but judging from what she'd heard, he'd been hidden away here and taught almost nothing about the world.

In short, her job was to make an upstanding citizen out of an unsocialized child who was entirely lacking in common sense. She didn't like putting it that way when they were talking about a boy who had essentially been imprisoned, but even through her indignation, she could acknowledge his situation.

"I wonder how long they'll take," she said aloud as she watched Yogiri practicing by throwing the ball at the wall. While she couldn't see where they were, she could clearly hear the sounds of a large number of people working in the forest nearby.

Enormous beings calling themselves Executors had left their corpses strewn about the village. Although the damage done to the mansion the day before had already been repaired, dealing with the bodies was a more challenging prospect. Bringing in numerous pieces of large machinery, the workers had intended to take the corpses apart, but they had proved too solid, so progress wasn't looking good.

"All they had to do was bury them," Yogiri, the one responsible for killing them, had said.

"They want them for research or something. They want to take them up to the surface, so they're trying to take them apart."

She thought it was a pain, but of course, mysterious beings who had suddenly appeared in the underground facility had plenty of value as research subjects.

"I really hope they finish soon," she added.

Not knowing how long it would take them to finish their work, Yogiri couldn't go out to the village to play. Asaka didn't think he'd put up with his living area being so tightly restrained for too long.

◇ ◇ ◇

"I read your report. I'm glad things are going well."

In a meeting room on the surface level of the facility, Asaka was sitting across from the researcher Shiraishi, giving her regular report.

"Well, I've gotten fairly used to the environment. But what should we do next?" She felt it was going relatively well so far, but figured things could stay this way for much longer.

"Fundamentally, we would like you to continue as you are. That being said, there are some doubts about how long we can keep this up. Has he gotten any taller?"

"Has he? I can't really tell." It was hard to notice physical changes in him when they spent every day together.

"While he's a child, the current situation seems acceptable. But what about when he grows up? If he ends up acting on selfish desires, it could be a disaster."

"Yogiri is a good kid. He should have a good sense of discretion." If he used his powers, he could more or less have anything he wanted. No one could harm him, and with his ability to kill anyone at all, no one could resist him, either. He could lead the whole world around by the nose if he wanted to. But whether he could or not was a completely different story from whether he would or not.

"Of course, he has a power that ordinary humans would never have," she continued, "so I don't think we can expect him to have the ethics or morals of an ordinary human."

"You mean like, 'With great power comes great responsibility'?"

"Oh, I hate that saying." Saddling oneself with greater responsibility just because one was born with power was horribly egotistical, Asaka thought. "Isn't that just a way to try and make people use their abilities only for good? It's like using responsibility as a curse to restrain them."

"Well, as far as we're concerned, we'd be more than happy if he didn't do anything at all."

"I'm sure he won't. As long as idiots don't keep coming to mess with him." Anyone who knew of Yogiri's power wouldn't make any foolish moves against him. The problem was those who didn't really understand it and were foolish enough to try and make use of him.

"I've given my report, so can I go back now?"

"Oh, please wait a moment."

"Is there something else?"

"No. Nothing for you, but...we have a visitor. If you go now, there's a chance you might be caught."

"Uhh, I don't have any idea why that matters." Whoever the visitor was seemed irrelevant since Asaka was planning on going straight back underground. She had no intention of interfering with them.

"Well, about that. The one visiting is a king."

"A king? You mean, like, from another country?"

"We don't know what country he's from, but he seems to understand Japanese." If he was a king, he was the representative of some country, so it seemed odd for them not to know what country he was from.

"I'm understanding less and less."

"Well, I don't expect you to believe me, but there are a group of people who say they rule the world, and they call themselves kings."

"Right, you mentioned it before, people who run Japan from behind the scenes or something? I had this thought last time, but do you mind if I go ahead and say it now?"

"Please."

"That's shady as hell! What are you even talking about, a king of the world?!"

"I thought you might say that. Especially since there is more than one."

"What the hell?! If they're ruling the world, shouldn't there only be one?!"

"There are actually five. They call themselves kings of the world, but since they are all pretty evenly matched, they've been reluctantly forced to recognize each other's power."

"Enju was from the Sumeragi family, wasn't she? If they claim to rule the world, why haven't I heard of them before?"

"Well, in their case, it's not like they are particularly interested in governing. It's more that they are so powerful, they can do whatever they want, so they consider themselves noble enough to call themselves kings."

"What do you mean by 'powerful'?"

"I'm not sure how to put it. In simple terms, it's like they have super powers."

"Oh, I see." Any normal person would think that ridiculous, but unfortunately, Asaka had had run-ins with far too many such people already.

"So, in short, just as we were talking about how ＡΩ could do whatever he wanted if he chose to, we have to treat these people in the same way."

"So?"

"So we had all the women who worked here stay home today. If something were to happen, we wouldn't be able to protect them."

"You mean..."

"Oh, don't worry. In your case, you don't seem like the type to attract a lot of men, so you'll probably be fine."

"That's a rude way of trying to make me feel better!"

"There are rumors that he's also into men, but...anyway, we've had a number of women who worked here fall victim to him before."

"What is he, a wild animal?!"

"That's exactly right. Or maybe it would be better to call him a beast that has gone wild. Animals at least have rules they follow. This guy does whatever he likes. The idea of restraint is entirely foreign to him. He acts like following his every whim is his duty as a king."

"Then why did you have me come up and give my regular report like nothing was wrong?!"

"Well, we don't have an easy way of communicating with you down there."

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"My superiors are currently meeting with him, so we'd like you to wait in this room until they finish and he leaves the facility."

Asaka wanted to ask what such a dangerous person could possibly have come here to discuss, but she held her tongue. The less she knew about it, the less likely she was to get caught up in it. If all she had to do was sit around in a room for a while, that was fine. But there was one problem that came to mind.

"Actually, umm...I told Yogiri I would be right back. If I take too long, that could be an issue."

Shiraishi frowned. "That is indeed a problem..."

If Asaka didn't return soon enough, there was a chance that Yogiri would go out looking for her. It had happened once before, and the results had been catastrophic.

"Well, it's not like our visitor is going to be here for days. Let's wait for now. If it takes too long, we'll think about it then."

Luckily, there was a television in the meeting room, so Asaka picked up the remote from the table. It should be enough to kill some time. Some news program was starting, but as expected, the anchors had nothing to say about some stupid story like a king of the world coming to Japan.

"Do you really have the free time to sit around here doing nothing?" she asked Shiraishi, who was watching along with her.

"Not at all. But if I go out and wander around right now, people might question me."

"That's what we call 'not doing your job.'" Asaka said it with a hint of bitterness, but Shiraishi didn't seem to mind.

How long could they just sit here like this? As she was starting to get bored of waiting, Shiraishi's phone rang.

"Oh, has the king left?" Asaka asked.

"No, umm...this is kind of bad." His face was pale as he ended the call. "Apparently, my superiors upset the king, and he killed them."

"What? So what happens now?"

"Well, uhh, we have some guidelines to follow. I'll go see —"

"There is no need," a voice interrupted him. It was that of a third person who wasn't yet in the room. As Asaka turned to look, she found the source: the face of a red-haired man with finely-chiseled features floating in the air.

Asaka wasn't sure how to react. Faced with such a bizarre sight, she struggled to keep her cool. As she stared in shock, the rest of the man's body appeared. He was a large, clearly foreign man. She had seen him pop into existence like he was stepping out of empty space.

"We couldn't make any headway," he said. "I came to speak with someone who works here. Consider yourselves lucky."

Oh, he really is a king, Asaka thought. He wore clothes that spoke of nobility, with an extravagant cape. Although he wasn't wearing a crown, Asaka couldn't help but feel that he looked like royalty.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Asaka is late," Yogiri said to their Shetland Sheepdog Nikori, who replied with a bark.

She had left after breakfast, saying she would be right back. A round trip to the surface took about an hour, so including the time to deliver her report, she should have been gone for two hours at most. That's how it normally went. Also, she hadn't mentioned anything about lunch, so he figured she was planning to be back by then.

But lunchtime had come and gone, and Asaka was nowhere to be found. Yogiri was starting to worry. The last time she had disappeared for an extended period of time, she had been kidnapped.

"What should I do? Should I go find her?"

He felt unsure. It hadn't been all that long yet. Some other work may have come up and kept her from returning right away, so it wasn't a pressing enough issue that heading to the surface would be necessary.

"Let's go take a look at the entrance for now."

Nikori replied with a bark and an excited wag of her tail at the idea of going for a walk. With the dog at his side, he walked out of the forest, through the rice fields, and towards the village.

On his way, he came across the workers, still disassembling the bodies of the Executors. The way they reacted with gasps of fear upon seeing him was a little hurtful, but if they knew about his power, it wasn't surprising.

"Hey," Yogiri called out to a man nearby, who practically jumped to his feet.

"Wh-What is it?!"

"Do you know where Asaka is?" He figured he would ask just in case. It was possible she had some work to do and was around the village.

"Oh, I saw her this morning. She went up to the surface, but I haven't seen her come back!"

"Okay, thank you." Yogiri began to make his way to the exit.

The bodies of the Executors were strewn about the village, creating a somewhat unnerving landscape. Maybe there had been a better way to deal with them, but he didn't know what else he could have done.

Suddenly, Nikori began to growl. Someone was lying on the ground up ahead. In fact, a whole group of people who looked like facility employees seemed to have been strewn about.

"Are you okay?"

There was no reply. That was to be expected, though. Considering the way their arms, legs, and necks were twisted so unnaturally, it would be strange if they were still alive. Although it was unpleasant, Yogiri continued past them.

The entrance had been destroyed. The door looked like it had been blown out of the wall from the inside.

"What happened here?" His unease continued to grow. Something strange was going on. He couldn't help but wonder if Asaka had been involved.

"What are these huge guys lyin' everywhere?"

"Maybe they're angels? Look, they have wings on their backs."

Hearing two new voices, Yogiri turned to look. A man and woman wearing gray clothes were looking over one of the Executors. The man was tall and lanky, with a mean look in his eyes. The woman had long hair and was so beautiful it almost seemed like she was shining.

"They tryin' to dissect them or somethin'? Those huge machines they got look like giant scissors."

"It doesn't seem like they're making much progress. Do you think you could do it?"

They wore similar gray shirts and pants, so it seemed like they were together. Their appearance was totally different from that of the facility employees who were studying the Executors, though.

"What? Who do ya think you're talkin' to? Something like this is nothin'."

The man waved a hand at one of the fallen creatures. As he did, one of the Executor's fingers lifted into the air, still attached to the body. As it floated, it began to spin independently of the hand it belonged to. The man was clearly using some sort of power, but it didn't seem all that easy for him. A sweat broke out on his forehead as he worked. The finger continued to slowly spin until the attachment finally gave out, and it was torn violently off the hand.

"It's nothing, huh?" the woman laughed.

"They're too tough! Look at 'em. I can't even tell what they're made of!" Yogiri observed their exchange without a word. "Oh, hey, there's a kid here watching us."

The strangers exchanged a look.

"Hang on, you don't really plan on killing a child, do you?"

"Of course I do. How long do you think it's been since I had the chance?" The man stepped up to Yogiri. He had an intimidating air about him, walking with a swagger that showed he intended violence. "I wanna hear him cry for his mom. Maybe adults are too ashamed to say it, but I don't get to hear that often. Kids are much more honest. Hurt 'em a little and they cry and shout for their mom right away. I love it."

"Mom means mother, right?" Yogiri cocked his head, confused. "I don't have one." He didn't remember his mother at all, nor did he have any memory of asking her to help him.

"What? What the hell?! I finally run into a kid, and it's an orphan?!"

"Just cut it out already," the woman said, fed up with her companion's attitude. She obviously wasn't a fan of his hobbies.

"Nah, this kid has an obligation to entertain me. Let's start by twisting off his arms and legs so he can't move. Then I can —"

The man suddenly dropped dead. Having sensed killing intent emanating from him, Yogiri had immediately used his power.

"Huh?" The woman stared at the scene, astonished. Feeling something like killing intent coming from her too, Yogiri decided to kill her as well, but before he could, she raised her hands in the air.

"Wait, wait! Are you trying to kill me too?!"

"Yeah. I'm getting a bad feeling from you."

"Seriously, wait! Please!"

The vibe she'd been giving off instantly vanished. At the same time, the glow that surrounded her winked out. Yogiri decided he didn't have to kill her after all.

"I guess it doesn't work against children?"

"What did you do?"

"Both me and that guy have special abilities, I guess you could say. You're the same, right?"

"Probably." Yogiri understood that he was different from other humans.

"His ability is telekinesis." She dropped her hands, pointing at the man. "He's the worst, taking pleasure in killing people by twisting them apart. And my ability is to be the most beautiful person in the world."

"Is that actually a super power?"

"Isn't it? I'm so beautiful that no one would ever attack me...although it doesn't seem to work on you."

Her ability was to charm anyone, regardless of gender, which allowed her to manipulate any situation to her benefit, she added.

"Why are you here?"

"We finally escaped our rooms, so we came down here to try and find a way out."

They didn't seem to understand where they were. They must have thought they had to go down to get out of the facility.

"Did you see Asaka? She should have been up there."

"I don't know who that is, but I didn't see anyone other than people like us. We were just a few floors above this level."

Yogiri learned then that he wasn't the only special person this facility was imprisoning.

◇ ◇ ◇

"What is going on?!" Asaka whispered to Shiraishi, finally regaining some measure of self-control.

"Honestly, I have no idea."

"That guy just appeared out of thin air!"

"Well, that's—"

"It is unpleasant to see you whispering like this. Speak clearly so that I can hear you." The man was the spitting image of the word "arrogance." Taking one of the chairs nearby, he leaned back and put his feet up on the table.

"Umm..." Shiraishi was at a total loss. He must have been wondering if it was okay to keep talking.

"Continue."

The researcher gave a high-pitched cry, his face going pale.

"What's wrong?!"

"S-Something...is in my body..."

"It is my arm."

"What?"

Everything from the man's right elbow down was gone. Asaka struggled to believe what she was seeing. His arm had disappeared, as if he'd stuck it in some hole in space. He pulled his arm back out, a human heart now sitting in his hand.

"Th-That is..." Shiraishi stammered.

"Your heart. But if you know about my power, you shouldn't be too worried about it."

"I have no idea what your power is!" Asaka had given up on trying to figure out what was going on. It didn't seem like the kind of thing she could work out without more facts on hand.

"Going out of my way to show you my power so clearly is merely a threat. Now, do not mind me; continue your conversation."

"This man...can operate in a different dimension from us. Through that dimension, the heart in his hand is still connected to the inside of my body. Haha. That doesn't help me relax, though. So, he suddenly appeared in this room because he can travel through that dimension as well."

"As expected, that makes no sense whatsoever, but he's just showing off his power, right?"

The heart in the man's hand continued to beat. Although the blood vessels leading from it appeared to have been severed, no blood spilled out. They were still connected to Shiraishi's body somehow.

"This is why they call themselves kings. They can travel through alternate dimensions to appear anywhere and kill their enemies by doing things like grabbing their hearts directly. They can also avoid any kind of attack in the same way. As such, no one can stand against them. Thus, kings."

"Hm. Allow me to correct one misunderstanding. I cannot appear anywhere. I can only operate through places where this dimension and that one overlap. Of course, since your people have no way of telling where such places are, the fact that you are helpless against me is no different." This man, calling himself a king, seemed to be the personification of self-centeredness. It appeared he couldn't be satisfied without making everyone else aware of how incredible he was.

"So, how might we help you, sir?" Asaka wasn't sure what the appropriate way to speak to someone like this was, so she aimed to be as polite as possible.

"There are two things. First, I have come to collect those with powers who reside here. They shall become my subordinates."

"'They'?" For a moment, she thought he was talking about Yogiri, but the way he spoke made it sound like there were others.

"Umm, we never told you this, Miss Takatou, but there are a number of individuals with special powers underground here...helping us with our research."

"Huh? Seriously?" Asaka was astonished. She had thought this entire facility was built specially for Yogiri.

"Of course. We can't limit ourselves to studying ＡΩ. This is the Higher-Order Organism Research Facility, after all."

"Yes, Higher-Order Organisms. I thought I would make use of them myself. That is why I have come."

"Umm...perhaps the reason my superiors displeased you was because of that?"

"No, they agreed to my request. They released the subjects in the area known as Risk 4."

"What?! That's ridiculous!"

"Is that any way to talk to me?" The man squeezed the heart in his hand, prompting Shiraishi to swallow another scream.

"No...just...that is incredibly dangerous..."

"Hmm. It seems you don't understand my strength. Well, that is fine. For beings of such diminutive intelligence, comprehending the majesty of my being would be a herculean task."

Asaka couldn't think of how to respond. If she spoke out of turn, she might be killed by a power she didn't understand. But if she didn't say anything, she might offend him as well.

"There is one more order of business. Something like angels recently appeared here, correct?" Asaka and Shiraishi both went stiff at the word. "The facility head refused to say anything about them appearing on the lowest level of the facility. In a way, I found it impressive. Even with all of his internal organs on display in front of him, he refused to speak as I crushed them one by one. So, I have come to ask you: what is on the lowest level that he would go so very far to protect it?"

Asaka and Shiraishi shared a look. Neither of them were sure if they should explain, nor did they want to be the one to do it. But they didn't have much time to think it over.

"How long do you intend to make me wait?" the man sighed. They had barely hesitated, but he had already grown impatient. It didn't seem like he was angry yet, so they might still have had a bit of time left. "Listen, if I want to learn what is on the lowest level, I can head down there and see it for myself. But the silence of your people on the matter has piqued my interest. So, I have decided I want to hear it from you."

"If I tell you, will you let me live?" Shiraishi asked, almost whining.

"Oh? How pathetic of you. The others were far more resolute."

"Umm, by others, you mean..."

As he asked, something fell out of the air. Parts of people showered them, covering the table and spilling across the floor.

"Why do you think I have permitted you to live after displeasing me so? Because you are the last ones alive, of course."

Inside out, fused together, ripped apart, it was hard to call the figures on the table human anymore.

"I'll tell you! I swear I'll tell you! So please, can you put it back? I understand the threat! You can kill us any time, even if you're not holding it in your hand, right?!"

"Hmm. As long as you understand, that is acceptable. I suppose it would be difficult to think clearly while under such mental duress."

The man released the heart in his hand, and the organ instantly vanished. But there was no relaxing. He could easily kill anyone he wanted at any time. The situation hadn't changed.

"The lowest level houses a young boy called ＡΩ. It was designed to keep him hidden." Asaka had intended to explain everything, but Shiraishi spoke first. The researcher would probably be able to provide a more objective explanation anyway, so she decided to leave it to him.

"The name ＡΩ is surely an exaggeration. That is a reference to a certain God, is it not?"

"I don't know the reason for the name, myself..."

Shiraishi explained Yogiri's power and the danger that he posed. It was a summary of everything Asaka already knew, with a special emphasis on avoiding any contact with Yogiri.

"Ha!" The man calling himself a king of the world merely snorted. "So, you are all terrified of something so small. But I rather dislike the idea of your worthless rabble fearing something more than myself." The man had only grown angry at Shiraishi's warning. "It seems there is a need for me to establish my superiority." He stood up and promptly vanished.

"You don't think he's going to..."

"Most likely."

"He can get to the underground from here instantly?!"

"Probably. But the bigger issue is whether ＡΩ can respond to an attack coming from a different dimension. No matter how strong his ability to sense killing intent is..."

"Wait! Isn't there something we can do?! Some way we can contact the underground?!"

"No, there isn't."

She knew she was helpless against this creature, but Asaka couldn't stay there and do nothing. She immediately took off at a sprint, heading back underground.

◇ ◇ ◇

It was, in a literal sense, a world in a different dimension. Call it the Astral Plane, the Spirit World, or the Abyss. It went by any number of names, but to put it into simple terms, it was a world where length, width, and height were supplemented with an additional fourth dimension.

The man could move freely between that dimension and three-dimensional space. It was an incredibly powerful ability. By passing through that dimension, he could go anywhere he wished and avoid any attack. As he had demonstrated, he could even use it to bypass any sort of defense and destroy an opponent from within. On top of that, ordinary humans couldn't perceive this dimension, making it impossible for them to fight back.

There was no one who could stand against such an ability. It wasn't hard to believe that someone with that level of power would come to view the rest of humanity as little more than insects. Rather than "king," it would be hard to argue with them taking the title of "god." He was just too different from ordinary humans.

But he wasn't the only one who held such a power. There were four others who could use it too. They had all called themselves kings. Basking in their gifts, indulging every violent and wicked impulse imaginable, the only restraint they showed was in not fighting amongst themselves. They could see that if they fought, they would only achieve mutual destruction, so they divided the world into five territories, and each had ultimate freedom within their own domain.

That's how things had been for a long time. But the man wasn't satisfied with that, so when he heard about the "angels" appearing, he went in search of them in hopes of gaining more power.

Within this space, things mixed together to create a truly chaotic vision. Multiple locations overlapped, indicating where it was possible for him to interact with three-dimensional space. He searched for the lowest level of the research facility, a feat possible with his senses attuned to this additional dimension. It didn't take much time to find it. Warping space, he approached the appropriate coordinates by drawing his desired destination closer to himself.

He found a young boy there, conversing with a woman.

"Ridiculous. What about that child makes him 'ＡΩ'?"

The man had no interest in such a worthless being. That said, he couldn't ignore him, either. He stretched out a hand towards the boy. By reaching into the child's brain and scrambling it, it would all be over.

But then their eyes met. The boy was looking at him.

That was impossible. There was no way he could see this dimension. No matter where he looked, from within three-dimensional space, it was impossible to see someone in the Abyss. And yet he could tell that the boy was watching him.

"Impossible. Is he also someone who can reach this place?!"

The moment he wondered that, eyes appeared before him. Within this other dimension the man occupied, countless eyes suddenly opened up all around him, as if they had been waiting there closed the entire time. The man instinctively understood that they belonged to the boy, allowing him to see even in this space.

And then he suddenly understood. He had only been letting them run free. This world, this alternate dimension, was all a part of that young boy. If he wished it, they would lose their freedom there. Thanks to the power he held, the man could recognize that in an instant.

"Impossible! Such a power makes no sense!"

But no matter how he raged, the world would not bend. In this world where he should have been able to swim around freely, he had been frozen solid. He couldn't so much as move a finger now.

"No...what do you plan on doing with me?!"

Despite the man's ragged shout, the boy didn't seem interested in doing anything at all. He wasn't paying any attention to him anymore. He was just going to leave him there. The man would be trapped, able to do nothing but watch the world pass him by as he slowly starved to death.

◇ ◇ ◇

Stepping off the elevator, Asaka immediately saw Yogiri, Nikori, and an incredibly beautiful woman standing just outside.

"Yogiri!"

"Oh, welcome back, Asaka," he greeted her like nothing was wrong.

"Are you okay? Didn't some strange guy come down here?"

"Nope."

Asaka looked around. She was still on the middle levels of the facility. It was possible that the man had gone right past them on his way to the lowest level.

"Umm, you are Asaka? I don't know what you're worried about, but the boy is totally fine," the woman commented, sensing her concern.

"Who are you?!"

"Uhh, I think my codename is Estelle?"

The woman was wearing something like gray fatigues. Asaka remembered the man had said something about the "Risk 4 Area" being opened, so this woman might have been one of the research subjects being kept at the facility.

"We don't plan on fighting back. We made everyone else calm down as well, so please go easy on us."

"What are you talking about?"

It seemed the two of them had taken the escaped research subjects back to their original rooms.

"I'm not thinking about running away anymore, either." After saying that, Estelle walked away, disappearing into one of the doors along the hallway, which must have been her room.

Asaka looked around her again. With an enemy that could appear at any time without warning, no amount of vigilance would help them to defend themselves, but she didn't feel right waiting dumbly for him to attack.

"What's wrong?" Yogiri asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

After a brief hesitation, she decided to tell him what was going on.

"Oh, that guy is on the other side. I made it so he can't come back out."

"You can do that?"

Asaka decided to leave it alone and call up to Shiraishi. She told him that the man was trapped in the other dimension and that the escaped research subjects had been returned to their rooms.

"Man, I'm tired," she said with a sigh. "Let's go home."

"Okay!" As Yogiri and Nikori ran off energetically ahead, Asaka followed them at her own pace.

A being like ＡΩ could do whatever he wants if he chose to.

That's also how Shiraishi had described the man who called himself a king of this world. What would Yogiri grow up to be if he could strike down anyone without a second thought? Once he became fully aware of his power, would he wield it to his heart's content? Seeing someone as drunk on their power as that awful man had been made Asaka nervous about the boy's future.

"Asaka! You're too slow!" He waved back at her.

"I told you, I'm tired."

Well, I'm sure it'll be fine. She had no real basis for that feeling, but it was something she truly believed.