Beyond the Eternity

Chapter 196 Flee or Fight, Death Awaits Either Way [6]

Miyuki blinked, convinced she must have misheard something strange. Tilting her head in confusion, much like a puzzled penguin, she tried to make sense of the words.

She asked the first thing that came to mind, "A sister? Do you mean your sister? Or is it a nun?"

The shadow shook its head.

[No... something worse...]

"Something worse? Do you mean a monster?"

This time, the shadow nodded grimly.

[A... terrible... monster...]

[They... kill... everyone...]

[And... turn... them... into... furniture...]

The shadow trembled and its expression darkened, as though it had unearthed a long-buried, horrifying memory.

Miyuki might not have known the true identity of the Sisters, but it was clear that the mysterious shadow feared them. Or perhaps it wasn't fear, but worry about what might happen if they were caught.

The shadow's next words shocked Miyuki Kuroi.

[Sorry....I'm... leaving...]

"What?"

Before she could fully grasp what it had said, the small shadow slipped past her, retreating in the direction they had come from.

"Wait... Why are you leaving like this?"

[I... can't... Stay...]

[Too... Dangerous...]

[I'm.... Sorry....]

Hearing those cruel words, Miyuki couldn't help but feel something tighten within her chest.

She was being abandoned.

How did it feel to be left behind by someone you thought you could trust? To realize, in a single moment, that you were alone?

That was exactly how Miyuki felt in the moment. But, deep down, she knew it was selfish to think this way. The shadow had stood by her side throughout the entire ordeal, offering its unwavering help. It must have had its reasons for retreating at the last moment.

Perhaps it had something to do with the entities known as the Sisters. Even so, Miyuki couldn't help but feel that it was wrong to abandon her when things became difficult.

She bared her sharp canines and barked mercilessly.

"Seriously? You're just running away like this? When did you get so uncool? We've already come this far, so why are you tucking your tail and running now? Was this the plan all along?"

Miyuki paused for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh.

"Ah, that makes perfect sense. Honestly, I was stupid to expect anything else. You were just deceiving me, pretending to protect me from the traps so you could hand me over to the enemy, right?"

[It's... not... like that...]

"What then? Explain to me."

[....]

The shadow remained silent, perhaps trying to find a response that wouldn't sound suspicious.

Telling the truth would mean revealing everything. But could it really do that, now that its existence had already been noticed? In the worst case, it could be captured and erased from existence.

It had no choice but to retreat. Even if it meant abandoning its only friend.

Finally, without another word, the shadow lowered its gaze, then dissolved into mist, vanishing into the dim recesses of the house.

Miyuki glanced over her shoulder, looking at her shifting shadow, then quickly formed a plan in her mind. She turned to the woman and asked:

"Who are you, anyway? You just appeared out of nowhere and started spouting nonsense."

"Eh? Isn't this surprising? Don't you have a sharp mouth for your age? Your mouth is too loose for my liking. Don't you know a young lady must be well mannered and carry themselves with elegance?"

"Again, enough with the nonsense 'please'. Who are you?"

The unknown woman frowned for a moment before quickly remembering to smile. She shrugged her shoulders and introduced herself with enthusiasm.

"Hmph. If you must know, my name is Luxuria, the Flame of Lust. I'm the Seventh Flame among the Sisters of Darkness. But you can call me by my biometric code, LuxaFyre051."

Her eyes suddenly lit up as though she'd remembered something important.

"Ah, I wasn't supposed to say that. Why did I say that? Oh no.... this is bad. I'm going to get scolded for sure."

Luxuzia bit the tip of her fingers as she began to panic.

Miyuki tilted her head slightly, watching the woman with curiosity.

'This person...'

Was it possible that the woman was supposed to be her opponent?

'... Is she an idiot?'

Luxuzia certainly gave off the impression of being a bit of an airhead. In fact, it seemed like her sisters often scolded her for being clumsy, something that had always led to her misfortune.

'Well, it doesn't matter if she's careless or clumsy. I just need to keep her talking.'

Miyuki asked, "You're not the only one, are you?"

"Ah," Luxuzia stopped biting her fingernails and grinned. "Of course not, silly. I can't be the only sister. This house is tough to manage, even with the seven of us. Big sister Superbia usually handles the main work, while the rest of us pitch in here and there. Sometimes, it gets really lonely, you know."

"So, you sisters are the ones responsible for the teleportation?"

"Yes, that's right," Luxuzia slapped her hands together. "Good job, you figured it out. But it's more about space division than teleportation. We just divided the space into five parts and placed each of you into those spaces."

"Why would you do that?"

"Huh? Why else? The game wouldn't be fair, bruh. How are we supposed to hunt you properly if you worked with the rest of your teammates?"

"Hunting?"

For a fleeting moment, Miyuki didn't understand what the woman meant. Experience new stories on empire

Then, she remembered the contents of the Hidden Story from before.

"No... you don't mean..."

"That's right. Do you get it now?" Luxuzia smiled disinterestedly. "My sisters are already hunting your companions as we speak. To be honest, this has been the most fun we've had in a long time. The other participants usually die before they even discover the first or second clue. It gets rather dull when the story follows the same script. But it seems the fun won't last much longer."

Miyuki frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh? Are you curious about the fate of your companions?" Luxuzia purred, a sly smile curling at the corners of her lips. "I doubt you'd know. Normally, I'm not supposed to reveal such things, but for you, I'll make an exception."

Tap!

Luxuzia lightly tapped the cane on the floor, and then something flickered to life before Miyuki's eyes.

It was a translucent screen.

"This is..."

Her vision trembled.

Miyuki's voice faltered, and her body shook involuntarily as she caught sight of the screen.

Her heart sank as the horrific scene unfolded before her.