It was about a month ago that the people on the third floor of Hikarinomiya Academy were sent flying into the Adrasia Kingdom.

This happened some time after the school building turned into an Otherworld, similar to how the second floor merged with Hikarinomiya Fantasy Land.

The timing, however, was later than the second floor's.

It was a desperate measure taken by Ikuna Yumemi, who was unable to fully control the power of the Kaigyo and couldn't stop the fusion with the amusement park.

Normally, it should be impossible to connect the world Yumemi was in with an Otherworld being devoured by a completely different "Fang."

However, in her case, the irregularity of Nemusia using her body had occurred, creating a "connection" to the Adrasia Kingdom.

Even so, fusing with an Otherworld was a highly forceful method.

Furthermore, the Adrasia Kingdom was already a dead world.

Connecting the two caused a distortion in space-time.

Because of that, the flow of time fell out of sync with the first and second floors.

Naturally, the students were bewildered to find themselves sent to an unknown world.

The teachers, however, were relatively calm.

Because they knew that a ritual to summon Giraiguu sama was supposed to take place that day.

And upon seeing the grassy plains overflowing with nature, everyone thought the same thing: 'We have finally reached the True World.'

That day, the principal of Hikarinomiya Academy, Ishigure Daisuke, was also on the third floor.

Being the principal meant he also held a significant position within the Kaisei kyou.

Therefore, he naturally assumed the position of organizing the survivors.

And he declared to everyone:

『This is the True World. Everyone who has arrived here has been saved.』

『There is nothing to fear. Simply being here will liberate you from all suffering. We can live feeling nothing but happiness. We are the chosen ones.』

Of course, the only ones who believed such things were the members of the Kaisei kyou.

 Voices of protest rose from the students.

At this, the teachers became enraged.

『What blasphemous children.』

『To reach the True World and still not believe in Giraiguu sama.』

『It is unforgivable; such people must not be allowed to exist.』

The teachers surrounded the defiant students and began a lynching.

Naturally, the students fought back, and the two sides clashed.

In that conflict, a significant number of people were killed or injured.

As the fighting continued, the teachers barricaded themselves in the castle, while the students used the classrooms scattered across the Adrasia Kingdom as their strongholds.

After a few hours, people realized the fatal flaw of this world.

There was no food here.

Also, because there were no zombies, they couldn't awaken to abilities by defeating Gangrene like on the other floors.

In less than a day, hunger attacked them.

Meanwhile, the teachers discovered a giant girl in the basement of the castle, along with a black, slime-like lifeform writhing in agony as it was torn apart by her.

Seeing that nightmarish figure, they realized, 『This is Giraiguu,』and worshipped it.

For Yumemi, however, she couldn't care less.

Or rather, having become the core of the Kaigyo, she existed on a different plane than humans.

She wouldn't even see them unless she tried to look, so she didn't even notice they were there.

She was simply spending every available moment tormenting the hateful Giraiguu.

The teachers reached out and grabbed the pieces that had been casually torn off.

Then, the rotting fragments of Giraiguu demonstrated their properties as an Gangrene, clinging to their bodies and altering their very nature.

Namely, the power to kill humans and feed them to the Kaigyo.

Tough physical abilities.

And the power to manipulate light, derived from Giraiguu.

The teachers rejoiced, calling these two things『Blessings from God.』

We are being welcomed by Giraiguu sama—they selfishly convinced themselves.

Empowered, the teachers immediately assaulted the students' strongholds.

What followed was trampling and massacre.

『Those who do not believe in the True World have tainted souls.』

『Tainted souls must not exist in this sacred place.』

『This is the hammer of justice. We are doing the right thing.』

Their fanatical faith even robbed them of their sense of guilt.

As homeroom teachers, they must have interacted with those students with at least some level of affection.

Yet, the expressions floating on the faces of the teachers as they unilaterally butchered the children were uniformly smiles. Smiles. Smiles.

To the teachers, whose sense of values had completely shattered, even that agonizing hellscape must have looked like a beautiful landscape blooming with flowers.

Thus, the teachers obtained peace.

The True World was perfected.

However—no matter how much their bodies were strengthened, they still got hungry.

The lack of food applied to them just as much.

The inability to create food applied to them as well.

Then, what should they eat?

Grass?

No, this grass couldn't be eaten; because it was rotting, it crumbled away before it even entered their mouths.

Trees?

No, they couldn't eat the trees either.

Even dirt, or rocks for that matter—once rotten, their existence lost all value, unable to even fulfill the role of filling a stomach.

Then, meat?

Thus, the teachers obtained peace and food.

The True World was complete.

There were no problems at all.

Not believing in the True World meant being a heretic.

Heretics required salvation.

Salvation meant assimilation.

If it was for the sake of assimilation, there was no problem in eating them.

And look, if you cut off the head, hang it from the ceiling to drain the blood, cut open the belly, and process the organs, it looks just like livestock meat no matter how you look at it, right?

That meant the heathen wished for this to happen to them, too.

There were no problems at all.

Nothing, at all.

There is food.

There is power.

God is here.

Freed from all responsibilities, they could spend their days playing happily.

Frolicking like children, running around.

The teachers were happy.

◆◆◆ 

Right now, they seemed to be playing dodgeball.

It was an extravagant game, using the wide and gorgeously decorated room.

The ball was made from a processed student's head.

If you removed the brain and wrapped it tightly in cloth, it was just the right weight.

A male teacher in his forties threw the ball.

Directly in front of him was the principal, Ishigure.

The white-haired man tried to catch the ball, but couldn't quite hold onto it, and it spilled from his grasp.

"Okay, Daisuke kun is out!"

"Hahaha, you're really strong. But I'm definitely going to hit you from the outfield!"

The sight of him acting like an innocent child was quite painful to watch.

However, since the other teachers were acting exactly the same, he didn't particularly stand out.

Ishigure moved to the outfield.

Setaguchi, who had just entered the room, approached him.

"Principal Ishigure, do you have a moment?"

"..."

"Principal?"

Setaguchi called out several times, but Ishigure didn't react.

His expression was displeased, his cheeks puffed out.

"I'm not the principal. I don't know any Ataru kun who calls me principal!"

"...Ishigure san."

"Hmph."

"Daisuke kun, can we talk for a moment?"

When Setaguchi gave up and called him that, Ishigure finally turned his way.

"You finally called me that. What is it, Ataru kun?"

"It's about Marin and Hiyami. The people who went to track them have returned, but it seems they lost sight of them when they got caught in an intentional cave-in."

"I see, that's terrible!"

"Given how they looked, they'll likely launch another attack in the near future."

"But we won't lose. Because Giraiguu sama is with us!"

"One person has already been killed."

"That couldn't be helped. Their faith was lacking."

"..."

"Is there a problem? If we all work together, I think there's absolutely no way we'll lose!"

Setaguchi furrowed his brow.

He, too, was an executive of the Kaisei kyou and one of those who worshipped Giraiguu—but honestly, he felt he couldn't keep humoring Principal Ishigure and the others in their "make-believe."

This was the True World, a beautiful place where everything was purified.

Therefore, human souls must also be purified—based on that logic, they had apparently reverted back to their childhoods.

Setaguchi thought to himself:

Is this place truly the True World?

(Thinking about it, it was strange from the beginning. Why did people completely unrelated to the Kaisei kyou end up here? Contact with Ooki ceased, and right after that, Marin and Hiyami appeared—and according to the reports, there's even ridiculous talk that Kuragane Erika and Ikuna Yumemi were working together.)

Furthermore, Marin and the others had been talking about the Kaigyo this and that.

Setaguchi couldn't help but suspect that they might know more deeply about the truth of this world than they did.

On top of that, there was an even bigger problem.

"Hey, Ataru kun, are we done? I'm busy with dodgeball!"

"There's one more thing I want to ask you. It's about our remaining food supply—"

"Did something happen to the food?"

"I believe we should start thinking about restocking soon. In the not-so-distant future, our meat will run out."

Human meat is finite.

There are about ten teachers surviving on this floor, but because they act like children, they don't know restraint.

If things keep going the way they are, securing food will become critically difficult in about two weeks.

"Then just go catch some heathen."

Ishigure stated it plainly and simply.

Setaguchi's cheek twitched.

"But our opponents are—"

"We have Giraiguu sama's divine protection, so it'll be fine. Also, I wish you wouldn't just complain to me about everything."

"Principal Ishigu—No, Daisuke kun, I believe you were supposed to be the leader."

"But you're a Bishop, right, Ataru kun? Your rank is higher than mine, right? Plus, your father is the Archbishop."

"...That is strictly within the Kaisei kyou."

"If you're so worried, you think about it, Ataru kun. I'm really busy. I actually don't have time to be entertaining you. Can I go back now? I can, right?"

Dodgeball is much more important than that, Ishigure rushed him.

Setaguchi let out a massive sigh and replied dismissively, "Go ahead."

Then, he left the room and leaned his back against the wall.

In the empty hallway, only the innocent and painful-to-hear voices of the adults drifting from inside the room echoed.

"They're too damn complacent, that stupid old fart. One of us is dead. Does he not understand what it means that people capable of fighting us on equal footing have appeared...?!"

The "absolute" had wavered.

At least, that was how Setaguchi perceived it.

"If this 'thing' we obtained really is Giraiguu sama's, God's power, then why did we lose? Where did those guys come from? How are they able to fight like that? Same goes for when Marin was running away; she was awfully used to fighting. Have they experienced combat somewhere else? Where? What is the True World connected to? No, the very fact that it's connected to somewhere else means this world isn't perfect. Which means it isn't the True World!"

He was shaken.

And he couldn't "share" that agitation with anyone.

That situation only made him more impatient.

Then, a female teacher came walking down the hallway from the other direction.

"That's weird, that's weird."

Walking with her index finger in her mouth and her head tilted, she passed right in front of Setaguchi.

"I wonder why no one's there. I wonder how they picked the lock. That's weird, that's weird."

Hearing that, the color completely drained from his face.

He grabbed the shoulder of the woman trying to pass by and fiercely interrogated her.

"Who isn't there?! What lock was picked?! Answer me!"

"You surprised me. You're scary, Ataru kun."

"I'm telling you to answer me!"

"U, waah... Waaaaaaaah!"

"This is no time to be playing children's games, you stupid bitch!"

Setaguchi struck the woman across the cheek while screaming at her.

Collapsing to the floor, she put a hand to where she was hit and stared up at him in a daze.

"Eh... ah, eh...?"

He's not joking. Seeming to finally understand that, the woman at last dropped the "playing child" act.

"Hurry up and tell me, what happened?"

"U-Um, the dungeon... the lock was open. The students we had locked up in there were gone."

"When did that happen?!"

"I don't know... I just saw it a little while ago, and it was like that..."

"Tch!"

Setaguchi clicked his tongue and sprinted straight toward the dungeon.

There, indeed, were no survivors to be found.

Meat will rot eventually once it's cut open.

That's why they had kept the students they didn't have the stomach space to eat yet alive here—but the lock on the cell had been destroyed by brute force.

"That's why I told you... I, I...!"

He rushed back above ground and practically dove into the throne room.

Then, he grabbed Ishigure, who was frolicking with the ball.

"Principal! This is no time to be doing this!"

"Whoa, you surprised me. Don't interrupt me, Ataru kun, it's getting to the good part."

"Issue orders to take a battle formation, right now! Marin and the others are coming to attack!"

"But dodgeball is..."

"Stop with this ridiculous—"

At that moment, Setaguchi felt the presence of something approaching from above his head.

He instinctively crouched down on the spot, just as pale blue lasers pierced through the ceiling and rained down.

"Ah."

One of the teachers had their head vaporized, burned away by the light.

The other teachers screamed, running around the room yelling things like, "Mooooommy, heeeelp meee!"

As countless lasers continued to pour down, Setaguchi rushed out of the room and looked outside through a window.

What reflected in his eyes was the figure of a young girl standing in front of the castle, and projectiles flying straight toward them.

"Missiles...?!"

He scrambled away from the window.

A missile impacted right nearby, causing a massive explosion.

The castle walls and the floor crumbled.

Caught in the collapse, Setaguchi fell to the floor below.

He covered his body in a black liquid to avoid injury, but massive explosions were still going off all over the castle, lasers rained down from the sky, and "something" flying at a speed impossible to track by eye tore past, blowing a giant hole in the castle with its shockwave alone.

Beyond imagination.

No, it far exceeded anything he could imagine.

He had thought no power exceeding God's could possibly exist in this world—

"Are those guys planning to kill us along with the whole damn castleeeeeeee!"

Setaguchi's wailing voice echoed out.

From the outside, the relentless attacks from Erika and the others continued, and Adrasia Castle was on the verge of being completely and utterly annihilated without a trace.