The Grand Temple. Dead ahead.
Looking at it straight on like this, even half-destroyed as it was...
Its majesty and presence were overwhelming.
"...It's like a giant's temple."
Mineha said, almost groaning.
In terms of size, I figured everything would look like a giant's construction to her.
"So this really is the dungeon's deepest part."
"Hey, I've been thinking about this for a while."
"What is it?"
"That land catfish said the anomaly's earthquakes caused the dungeon to form and break apart, and then another earthquake put it all back together, right?"
"Right."
"And the anomaly was a botched Dungeon Lord."
"Right."
"So this place is the dungeon's deepest part. That's what the land catfish said. The 'deepest part,' not the 'lowest level.'"
"Right. At this scale, 'deepest part' seems to be accurate."
You could certainly say this wasn't the "lowest level" of some small-time dungeon.
Everything here was that overwhelmingly grand.
"Then where's the Dungeon Lord here?"
"Huh? Now that you mention it..."
"The anomaly in this dungeon. It's the Dungeon Lord of this dungeon, isn't it?"
"............No way."
But when I thought about the connection, it made sense.
It was convincing, actually. More than that — it was what made everything click into place.
"Well, it's just a thought. We're here... hmm... hmph?"
"Mineha?"
Mineha swayed, as if struck by a sudden wave of dizziness.
"...It's nothing. Let's go."
"O-okay."
We stepped inside.
There was an enormous door, so massive you'd think a giant could walk through it.
It was wide open.
Beyond it, I could make out the shape of a statue, but—
"Th-this is..."
"...It's incredible..."
When we entered, we both gasped in awe.
The ceiling and skylights were entirely stained glass.
Light poured through, casting an ethereal radiance over everything.
Mineha and I stood there completely captivated.
Anyone would have reacted the same way. The sense of wonder it inspired was that overwhelming.
"Still, this place is enormous."
"……Yeah."
I guessed that was because it was a prayer hall. The space had been made circular, big enough to fit several hundred people.
Stained glass lined the interior, and at the very back of the prayer hall stood a stone statue.
It sat atop a stone pedestal carved with a peculiar three-dimensional pattern that surged upward in undulating waves.
Golden characters of some sort were densely engraved across the pedestal, but I couldn't read a single one.
It was a statue of a girl in white, clad in simple cloth.
What made it slightly unusual was that splashes of color were dotted across it in places.
First, the hair was purple. A vivid, striking shade of purple.
That tracked.
"Th-this is Generous...?"
"……"
Not six eyes—just two, but they were purple all the same.
Though... they almost looked blue. A blue-purple, maybe.
The raised right arm was that of the cosmos itself. That was the [
Arm
of the
Universe
].
Countless translucent orbs that appeared to float around the stone statue.
"Phantasmagoria," huh.
"Hm? My left hand...?"
My left hand was gripping something. That was—what?! The Relic [Still One] had activated on its own.
(---... Restriction [▢■■◇■■■■◇▢] ...---)
What was that voice in my head... A restriction...? What just happened? What was that?
"I... I can't anymore..."
Mineha, who had been perched on my shoulder, wobbled and fell.
"!"
I caught her in a panic, grabbing her with one hand.
"Hah... hah... hah... hah..."
"A-are you okay?"
Mineha's cheeks were damp with sweat, her breathing ragged.
Was this the mysterious oppressive pressure Axe had mentioned?
Either way, we had to get out of here. I carefully scooped Mineha up with both hands and moved away from the stone statue.
"Wh-why are you... fine..."
Mineha murmured, barely conscious.
Come to think of it, I was completely unaffected. I wondered why.
No, no—that didn't matter right now.
I needed to get Mineha outside. Fast.
The moment we passed through the massive door, the air changed.
"Ngh...!?"
A slow tremor began.
Immediately after, tremendous impact and vibration struck everything.
"Wha—!?"
Sounds of shattering, collapse, and falling debris echoed from all directions.
Then, without warning, it fell unnaturally silent.
"...What... on earth...?"
I stepped forward in utter confusion and left the great temple.
"Huh."
What I saw from the great temple was a scene of unbelievable despair.
Six of those massive mimic boxes had appeared, and puppets and monsters were wandering about.
What on earth had happened.