Strike first to win—I closed the distance in an instant with a skill and slashed at the legs of the horse Buta Buta kun was riding.

But its rock-hard body repelled my dagger.

Even though it broke free from the merry-go-round and could move, its body material seemed to have stayed the same.

Even so, it’s way too sturdy.

Then, Buta Buta kun, riding on top, pulled out a giant butcher knife and swung it down aiming right at my head.

"What the, isn't that self-harm!"

I dodged while doing a backflip.

The blade passed by, barely grazing my body.

Then, while upside down in mid-air, I threw a Spiral Dagger at the base of the horse's legs.

With this drill-like rotating blade, it should be able to pierce that hard body.

My calculation was spot on.

Almost at the exact same time I landed, the horse lost its balance, and Buta Buta kun fell off.

But he regained his posture while rolling on the ground and immediately slashed at me from a low stance.

It was a movement like an action star, completely unbefitting of a mascot.

The butcher knife was swung down again.

When I dodged to the side, that heavy blade shattered the ground, opening a hole.

He didn't use any troublesome magic or skills, but he had more than enough power to kill me instantly.

This time, Buta Buta kun swung the knife horizontally.

I ducked to avoid it and stepped into my knife's range from a low stance.

Full Moon—with a high-speed barrage of slashes, the mascot costume monster was torn to shreds.

Spewing blood from his entire body, Buta Buta kun fell apart and collapsed.

Looking at the cross-section, you could see that the inside of the costume was packed tightly with rotting meat, revealing that it was an "independent creature."

"O-Ooh? Something echoed in my head."

"Nemusia's level went up because I defeated the enemy. It's name is Cast, huh?"

They mentioned something like that in the broadcast earlier.

Amusement park staff are sometimes called casts, but I never expected that to be the name of the monsters.

Well, I managed to defeat Buta Buta kun, and it looks like I could defeat Rabi Rabi chan and Kuma Kuma kun as well.

They look more troublesome than the hole-humans, so should I defeat them and run?

For now, I think about our future course of action while running alongside Nemusia.

And when I looked back to check the distance between us and the enemy—there stood a completely unharmed Buta Buta kun.

"I thought I just defeated him..."

Then, from behind him, the horse whose legs I was supposed to have crushed ran up.

Buta Buta kun jumped onto the horse while running alongside it and approached us again.

"He revived!?"

"If we don't at least stop the horse, they'll catch up!"

Facing the approaching enemy, I readied my knives.

Then, a woman's voice echoed from out of nowhere.

"It's useless to fight them, don't stop running!"

Then, a series of popping sounds rang out, rat-tat-tat!.

Something like bullets rained down at the horse's feet, shattering the ground and breaking the opponent's balance.

The person responsible for the gunfire landed in front of us and beckoned us over.

Nemusia and I exchanged bewildered glances but decided to follow her.

The woman, with short hair and boyish clothing, was holding tonfas in both hands.

Seeing smoke rising from the tips, I wondered if she fired the bullets from there.

If so, she must have an Ability similar to mine—which is likely how she managed to survive on this floor.

When we caught up to her, I called out.

"Thanks."

"It's my duty to help citizens, don't worry about it. By the way, I haven't seen your face before, have you been hiding somewhere until today?"

"We escaped from the first floor. Along with this girl—Nemusia."

"I am Nemusia Adrak, Queen of the Adrasia Kingdom."

"R-Right..."

Well, that's the natural reaction.

"What do you mean, the first floor? You make it sound like this is the second floor."

"That's right, the second floor of Hikarinomiya Academy. It's mixed together with this amusement park."

"It seems I need to sit down and listen to your story—whoops, they're coming from the front too!"

"What are those bizarre vehicles!?"

"To turn even go-karts into lethal weapons, as expected of Fantasy Land."

Approaching from the front was a group of mascots riding go-karts.

If this were a normal amusement park, I'd laugh at what a cute attraction it was, but both the go-karts and the mascots were stained with blood without exception.

I wonder just how many humans they've run over and killed.

"For that type of Cast, it's faster to aim at the ground to stop them in their tracks rather than aiming at the main body."

"Thanks for the advice, I'll do that then."

"Napalm Shot!"

"Full Burst!"

Due to the nature of my weapons being knives, destroying terrain isn't my strong suit, but it's not impossible.

I fired countless throwing knives into the ground, making it uneven to stop the go-karts in their tracks.

On the other hand, the fireballs shot from the tips of the tonfas the woman held in both hands caused explosions upon hitting the ground, blowing large holes in it.

What on earth is a tonfa anyways...

However, it seemed we couldn't stop all of them. Tearing through the explosive flames, a parrot, Bado Bado chan, revealed itself from the other side.

"We'll ignore that one and keep moving, there's a safe zone nearby!"

I grabbed Nemusia and jumped to dodge the go-kart's charge.

Despite completely dodging it, the raging wind ripped through my legs and body.

However, if it only happens once, it's just a scratch.

With skillful steering, Bado Bado chan pulled off a magnificent drift, tires squealing and smoking.

And then it tried to head towards us once again.

Ahead of us was a restaurant building inside Fantasy Land.

"We're diving in just like this!"

Still carrying Nemusia, I ran with all my might following the woman.

"Hey Erika, put me down. I can run on my own!"

"This is faster than matching your speed!"

"Do you think I am slow!?"

"It's a matter of stats, so stop complaining!"

As we approached the restaurant, the survivors inside opened the doors for us.

She called it a safe zone, but it looks like they've basically set up a barrier using Sanctuary Deployment.

The woman arrived inside the barrier a step ahead.

We were almost there too, but the go-kart was closing in from behind.

I tossed Nemusia's body to the woman.

Then I turned around and unleashed a Power Stab at Bado Bado chan.

"Guh... oooooooooh!"

The go-kart's power was incredibly intense; clashing head-on, I was pushed back, the muscles in my arm tearing and causing internal bleeding.

To top it off, my bones bent in a weird direction and broke—and the impact of being blown away safely launched me right into the safe zone.

The car Bado Bado chan was riding crashed into the barrier, scattering violent sparks with a bzzzt!.

But there's no way it could force its way inside.

Eventually, the go-kart's engine started smoking, overheated, and exploded, taking Bado Bado chan with it.

...Normally, an explosion like that shouldn't happen.

That power, and that speed—they must have undergone some ridiculous modifications when this place turned into an alternate world.

Caught in the explosion, Bado Bado chan was blown to pieces, scattering its insides everywhere.

However, its body immediately returned to its original shape. It stared at us with a glare for a while, then turned its back and left.

While healing my arm with Healing, I thanked the woman once again.

"Thank you so mu—"

But before I could finish, a cold sensation was pressed against my temple.

"What are Hikarinomiya Academy students doing here?"

A man in his late thirties was pointing a handgun at me.

It didn't look like a gun created by an Ability; it looked like a real handgun.

Seeing how the man's hands were shaking and his movements were stiff, it was undoubtedly the real deal.

I understand why someone would harbor hatred towards Hikarinomiya Academy.

So I raised both hands to show I had no intention of being hostile.

"Hey you, what is the meaning of this? Did you deceive us!?"

Nemusia snapped at the woman, but the woman herself looked troubled.

"Bringing something like that out—please stop, Akabane san. She was fighting the Casts and Hole-Men; she shouldn't be their ally!"

"Because you let your guard down like that, my daughter was taken! Inoue san, if you say you're a police officer, shouldn't you be more cautious!"

"What do you mean, taken?"

"Shut up!"

Just from speaking a little, the man named Akabane pressed the muzzle against me even harder.

"Akabane san."

"I said shut up."

"If I felt like it, I could move faster than you can pull the trigger. Right now, I'm just holding this pose so we can have a dialogue."

"Do you think this gun is just a threat?"

The blood had rushed to his head—it didn't seem like we could reason with him.

I quickly slipped behind him and pressed a knife against his neck.

"What—!?"

"Mine isn't just a threat, either."

Cold sweat beaded on Akabane san's neck.

Assuming his will to fight had withered, I immediately lowered my knife.

"Let's talk. We haven't even introduced ourselves yet. Look, the other people are troubled too."

The other survivors had gathered in the corner of the restaurant, huddling together.

Well, it's obviously scary when someone who suddenly appears starts brandishing a knife.

It seems students from our school did something to them.

"I agree with that. Akabane san, put the gun down."

"A-Alright..."

With a pale face, Akabane san placed the gun on the table.

Where did he even get something like that?

This woman—Inoue san seems to be a police officer, so maybe she had it?

"I'm sorry things suddenly turned out like this."

"That is right. What were you planning to do if Erika had gotten hurt!"

"There, there, Nemusia."

"You should be angrier too!"

"You're being angry enough for the both of us, Nemusia. Besides, for you to suddenly target me in such a desperate situation while being attacked by monsters—you must have a very strong grudge against Hikarinomiya students, right?"

"That's right... We were attacked by male students wearing Hikarinomiya Academy uniforms, and about half of the survivors were taken away."

Male students... that must be Suguro and Shiromachi's group, but kidnappers, huh.

How many times do they plan on repeating this? They never learn.

"My daughter was among them. What kind of terrible things is she going through right now...!"

"Honestly, I have no idea what they're trying to do. We were just at the amusement park, suddenly got dragged into this place, and really, we should all be working together to survive."

"Those guys are a bunch of broken personalities who are incapable of doing that."

"Do you know the people who took them!?"

"I do. But before that, let's calm down and start with introductions."

"S-Sorry... I'm Akabane Takashi. I work as a clerk at this Hikarinomiya Fantasy Land."

So he's a staff member.

Then he must be familiar with the facilities here.

"I'm Inoue Yoshino. I'm a police officer in Hikarinomiya City. Though, I was just here on my day off to play at the amusement park with my little sister."

A police officer in this city—I wonder if she's ever been involved in covering up crimes.

From what I can see, she seems like a very good person, though.

"I'm Kuragane Erika. A second-year at Hikarinomiya Academy. I just escaped from the first floor and arrived on the second floor."

"I am Nemusia Adrak! Queen of the Adrasia Kingdom. I was blown here from my kingdom, and am currently searching for a way back."

"You mentioned it earlier too, but... what is this Adrasia Kingdom?"

"The great homeland that achieved the unification of the continent—"

Nemusia explaining it would probably just cause more confusion, so it's better if I interrupt and explain it myself.

"Are you aware that this amusement park is mixed together with the second floor of Hikarinomiya Academy?"

"...Hey Erika, I am still in the middle of my introduction."

"My daughter told me. During class, the school suddenly became strange, and before they knew it, it had turned into a maze-like, complicated place. And when she realized it, she was apparently in this amusement park."

So Akabane san was working at Fantasy Land, and his daughter was taking classes at Hikarinomiya Academy.

Their reunion was a coincidence, then.

"No one is listening to my story..."

I patted the teary-eyed Nemusia to comfort her while continuing the conversation.

"After hearing that news, I wrapped up my work and was about to head to Hikarinomiya Academy."

"Oh, so there was a time difference."

"The state of this park should have become strange about thirty minutes after the news broke."

He must have been working and noticed when he saw the guests panicking—something like that.

But before Akabane san could leave the amusement park, this place was swallowed up too.

"So that's how it happened. I didn't even notice the news at all."

"However, on this floor, only the amusement park and classrooms are mixed together, correct?"

"Was the first floor different?"

"Various 'alternate worlds' were mixed together."

"Alternate worlds? Such things exist!?"

"Nemusia is the living proof."

"Umu. The Adrasia Kingdom is in a different world from this one."

"I've also seen several landscapes with my own eyes that couldn't possibly exist on Earth."

"That's a hard story to believe..."

Once you've come this far, it's no longer a matter of believing or not believing.

I'm just telling them what I saw, so if they still can't trust it, I have no choice but to leave them behind.

"We fought monsters, including zombies, and managed to defeat the boss of the first floor. But when we tried to head to the second floor—we were ambushed by hostile students and a teacher, and our companions other than me and Nemusia were taken away."

"Those men... to think they even kidnapped your companions."

"Ooki, a nasty-looking teacher. Suguro, a large male student. Shiromachi, a frivolous-looking male student, and Nakami, a quiet-looking female student. Those are the 'enemies' I have a grasp on. I'm moving to kill them and get my companions back."

"So there are different factions within Hikarinomiya Academy..."

"Hostility between students, and even incomprehensible words like 'alternate worlds' are coming up. Just what on earth are we caught up in!?"

As far as I know, the center of the ritual is the underground of the academy where Yumemi chan was.

From there to Hikarinomiya Fantasy Land is several kilometers away.

Honestly, I didn't really understand why this place got dragged into it.

Were they pulled in pinpoint, or was the entire city pulled in—

For now, I told Inoue san and Akabane san the information I knew.

Learning the hidden face of Hikarinomiya Academy, Akabane san was shocked, his expression clouding over with regret for sending his daughter to such a place.

On the other hand, Inoue san's expression grew increasingly grim, perhaps having her own thoughts on the matter.

"Are you telling me the school my daughter attended exists to create sacrifices... and summon an evil god...?"

"Kaisei kyou... I knew they had infiltrated the core of Hikarinomiya City, but to think it was to this extent."

"Inoue, it seems you know about Kaisei kyou."

"I'm a police officer, after all. I knew there were several incidents that had been covered up. That's why I was pursuing it personally. Though, there was a limit to what I could do alone."

It was a statement that reminded me of Meiji sensei.

As expected, humans who learned the hidden face of this city would harbor such a sense of crisis to some extent.

But most of them are trampled by power and have their spirits broken.

"But... I fully intended to keep that child out of it..."

"That child, you mean your little sister?"

"Yes, her name is Hiiro. We got separated while running away... I don't even know if she's safe."

Hiiro—didn't Ushizawa san say she was looking for someone by that name?

"Is your sister a high school student?"

"Eh? No, she's still a 10-year-old elementary school student. Since we're 16 years apart, I'm practically like a surrogate parent to her."

Then it's a different person.

It's an unusual name, so it doesn't seem like many people would have it.

However, a police officer taking her little sister to the amusement park on a weekday... huh.

This feels like an unusual situation in its own right.

"Inoue san, if you were here to play, that means it's your day off, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Then what about that gun? Do police officers normally carry those around even off duty?"

"Ah, that—I found it when I was exploring the amusement park. Um, inside a school classroom."

"...So our school even had things like that prepared."

"It seems... so."

Inoue san's cheek twitched.

I also instinctively held my head.

What were they planning to use guns for?

They're no longer a religious group; they're a terrorist organization.

So, does that mean Shiromachi kun's weapon was a gun because it was available inside the school?

Ah—come to think of it, there was a shooting incident in the city a few years ago.

I feel like it became pretty big news because it happened inside Fantasy Land.

In the end, the culprit was never found, though.

"Well, after talking this much, you understand I'm not an enemy, right?"

"What do you say, Akabane."

"Ah... Yeah. I apologize for suspecting you just because you're a Hikarinomiya Academy student."

"We welcome you as an ally. We share the same desire to save those who were taken, so let's do our best together."

"Umu, I look forward to working with you!"

"Same here."

Nemusia grabbed the offered hand with both of hers first.

A little delayed, I also exchanged a handshake with Inoue san.

"The more people who can fight, the wider our search range will be. We need to find the enemy's base as soon as possible."

"Ah, if that's the case, I know the general area."

"You do?"

"That is the first I have heard of it too."

"I explained it to you, Nemusia. That a girl named Gii slipped in there as a spy. Because Gii and I are in a party, I know exactly where she is."

I operated my smartphone and opened the map screen.

The point of light indicating Gii's location was displayed in an empty area.

Since it's a place we haven't reached yet, the map hasn't been drawn.

But we can at least tell which direction it is.

Akabane san looked at the screen and spoke.

"A place in that direction that could be used as a base would be the hotel on the premises."

"That castle-like place, huh."

"A castle that is a hotel? Are you saying there is a castle prepared for commoners, not royalty!?"

Setting aside Nemusia, who was surprised in a slightly off-key way.

That's a place Yumemi chan and I had stayed at before.

To think Ooki and the others are in such a wonderful place feels like they're trampling on my memories, and it's extremely unpleasant.

"I want to head there right this instant. What about you, Inoue san?"

"You don't plan on attacking right away, do you?"

"I'm not that reckless. I want to grasp the enemy's base and fighting strength."

"Then I agree."

"Let us head there immediately, then. We shall lay their castle bare through reconnaissance!"

The three of us left the restaurant and headed for the hotel.

I wonder how the kidnapped Rea and the others are doing right now.

We have to massacre Ooki and the rest as soon as possible.

Before their malice defiles anything more that's important to me.

Hurry. Hurry