(Protagonist Name):
“...nngh..”
Opening my eyes, I awoke
on an unfamiliar bed.
(Protagonist Name):
“Where...
just what happened?”
Man:
“Oh, you’ve woken up?
I thought you were a goner,
but I suppose that’s youth for you.”
A young man stood there,
clad in white robes and the stench of medicine. The bed I was placed on
seemed to be the sort you’d find at a doctor’s office.
(Protagonist Name):
“Just what...?
right...
something blew up, and then...”
Man:
“For now, calm down.
You were one of the few
to narrowly survive that tragedy.
Same as us.
By fluke,
we happened to be in the building,
and hence, managed to survive.
Those who remain
are huddled up in this camp.”
My memories were slow to stir.
Right. While aimlessly wandering
god knows where, eventually,
I collapsed.
(Protagonist Name):
“You saved me?”
Man:
“Of course.
Couldn’t just leave you, could I?”
(Protagonist Name):
“My girlfriend...”
Man:
“Who?”
(Protagonist Name):
“There was a girl who
came here with me...... ”
Man:
“Sorry, we found you alone...
you were together with someone?
What was her name?”
(Protagonist Name):
“Her name was...”
Register Name: HEROINE
(Enter Heroine Name)
Man:
“(Heroine Name), is it?
Well, hopefully she’s found...”
(Protagonist Name):
“Right...”
I couldn’t say anything more
towards that worried face.
She was undoubtedly dead.
Like a flashback, I recalled
her bloody figure.
(Protagonist Name):
“(Heroine Name)...”
The man bumped my shoulder.
Man:
“This probably isn’t much of a consolation, but
everyone is more or less
in the same boat.
Rest, for now. It’s... probably best
not to think about her too much.”
(Protagonist Name):
“... Right...
......
... thanks...”
He left the office.
I lay face up on the bed and closed my eyes
as various things circled around in my mind.
Her face.
That flash of light.
The reason that
all of this happened.
But I had no way of knowing more.
Moreover,
it seemed my body hadn’t fully healed yet.
Before I knew it,
I had begun drifting off to sleep...
Voice:
“(Protagonist Name)... (Protagonist Name)...”
I thought I heard a voice calling out.
One I had heard before.
It was someone I was intimately familiar with...
Voice:
“(Protagonist Name)... (Protagonist Name)...”
(Protagonist Name):
“...!”
With a gasp, I was startled awake.
(Protagonist Name):
“(Heroine Name).”
There she was,
standing in the corner of that dark room,
a muffled giggle slipping past her lips.
(Protagonist Name):
“No, wait...
... who are you?”
What stood there was not (Heroine Name).
She was gone now.
As a sense of loss began filling my chest once more,
with a heavy heart,
I laid my eyes upon the woman in front of me.
She was undeniably beautiful.
I couldn’t tell her age, exactly.
At a glance, she seemed to be around my age,
but she was tinged with a mature charm.
Woman:
“My name is Lilith.”
Her voice, in the end,
somehow gave me a sense of longing.
Just what was this feeling?
(Protagonist Name):
“Are you also... with the camp?”
Lilith:
“No, not quite.”
(Protagonist Name):
“......? Then...?”
Lilith:
“Rather than me,
let’s talk about you.”
Lilith laughed, then
quickly made her way down to the bed.
Whether from those graceful limbs or supple movements,
she gave off the air of a fickle tabby.
Lilith:
“Don’t you wanna leave?”
(Protagonist Name):
“From this camp?”
Lilith:
“From this building.
Since you don’t know, I’ll tell you.
Right now, this entire building is
a demon’s nest.”
(Protagonist Name):
“D-Demon?!”
Lilith:
“Yup.
That’s why no one
can get out of here.”
(Protagonist Name):
“That’s...”
It was hard to take her at face value. But after what just happened,
it seemed that
anything was possible.
(Protagonist Name):
“So that’s it.
But...
what does it matter?”
Lilith:
“Eh?”
(Protagonist Name):
“It’s fine even if I don’t go,
isn’t it?
Those guys told me it was
okay to stay, too.”
Right.
There was no reason to go out of my way
to step into a demon’s lair.
Lilith:
“Are you really fine with that?”
Suddenly, her hand touched me.
In that instant, I was overcome with a mysterious sensation.
What in the world?
I felt like she knew something
about my girlfriend, after all...”
Lilith:
“Are you just going to stay here,
waiting for it all to pass?
Don’t you have
somewhere to be?”
Ridiculous.
By that point,
I had lost everything.
My theretofore peaceful lifestyle,
my mundane daily life, my hopes for the future,
and my ties from the past.
Everything was blasted away in an instant.
Only emptiness remained.
Lilith:
“You haven’t lost anything yet.”
She spoke like
she had seen through me.
Lilith:
“But you just may,
if you continue hesitating.
You can have it all back, if you so desire.”
(Protagonist Name):
“Hold on...
are you talking about (Heroine Name)?
No way...
She’s alive...?!”
Lilith:
“......”
(Protagonist Name):
“What?
Say something.
What do you know?
Just who the hell are you?”
Lilith:
“You, yourself,
must find the answers you seek.”
She spoke as if posing a riddle.
Those eyes,
which seemed to look towards me with care,
lit up with an ominous glint.
Her crimson lips broke out in a smile.
Lilith:
“Hey...
don’t you want to know how?”
Lilith brought her body so close
I could feel her temperature,
her breath whispering by my ears.
Lilith:
“I, at least,
can teach you.” She giggled.
(Protagonist Name):
“Then teach me.
What are you telling me to do?”
Lilith:
“Escape from this building.”
(Protagonist Name):
“But isn’t it supposed to be crawling with demons out there?”
Lilith:
“That’s right.
I wouldn’t worry too much, though, with what you’re holding.”
She talked in a hum,
seemingly in trance.
Lilith:
“That is to say,
that Demon Summoning Program you received.”
(Protagonist Name):
“Eh?”
Oh right,
that thing that got sent to my phone...!”
Lilith:
“Yup.
So long as you have that application,
you can take demons along as allies.
Allied demons will
fight your enemies alongside you.
With their power,
you may be able to break out of here.
... Now, open the app.
Choose your first demon...”
Demon Selection
Please choose the first demon
you’d like to ally with.
Pixie / Fairy / Lv 2 / NEUTRAL
Knocker / Jirae / Lv 4 / LAW
War Dog / Beastman / Lv 5 / NEUTRAL
(Protagonist Name):
“This...
allied demons, huh...
I should be able to get out of here with this.”
Lilith:
“If you use it well.
Regardless, there’s no point in charging out all of a sudden.
There are some rather strong demons out there...
Plus, you don’t know anything about this building,
do you?
First thing’s first:
go around camp and gather more information.
Also,
this is Magnetite (MAG).
Demons need this to maintain
their forms in the human world.”
(You obtained 3000 MAG)
(Protagonist Name):
“Alright...
understood.”
I obediently nodded my head,
prompting Lilith to give me a satisfied smile.
(Protagonist Name):
“...... I’ll ask once again, but
just who are you?
Why’d you show me how to use this app?”
Lilith:
“Hmm, I wonder why. “
(Protagonist Name):
“......
Whatever.
For now, you have my thanks.
What are you going to do now?”
Lilith:
“I can’t go with you.
But...
we will surely meet again.”
(Protagonist Name):
“What do you mean...?”
Lilith:
“You’ll understand eventually...
eventually...”
Leaving only the sound of laughter,
Lilith appeared to
melt into the dark.
It was like I’d been dreaming.
Nevertheless, the Demon Summoning Program was
definitely working.
Though I didn’t understand her objective, at the very least,
she had certainly given me the impetus I needed
to act.
“First, I should try
walking around camp, like she said.”
-35F-
Bartender:
Before defeating the Furies:
“If you’re really going to go downstairs,
you should stock up on equipment.”
After defeating the Furies:
“What?!
You really made it downstairs?!
Y-You’re amazing!”
-31F-
Voice:
“(Protagonist Name).”
All of a sudden, I heard my name, so I stopped.
From the shadows came none other than...
(Protagonist Name):
“Lilith!”
Lilith:
“Hello again.
Why so shocked?
I said it, didn’t I?
That we’d meet again.”
She laughed.
Just like last time,
it was flush with a feline charm.
Lilith:
“You did well in getting here.
Have you gotten used to dealing with demons?”
(Protagonist Name):
“Yeah. Honestly, it feels pretty good.
I managed to come this far with their help.
Or...
maybe it’s all been thanks to you.”
Lilith:
“Really?
Ultimately, you were the one to act.”
Having said that, Lilith suddenly stared
at me with a serious expression.
Lilith:
“There’s a sentry up ahead.
The demons have placed guards on each floor,
preventing any escape.”
(Protagonist Name):
“Looks that way.”
Lilith:
“Are you going to go?”
(Protagonist Name):
“Hey, hey,
weren’t you the one to tell me to
break out of here?”
Lilith:
“No,
I’m confident I said it was your decision to make.”
(Protagonist Name):
“......
If there’s nothing else, could you move over?
I’m gonna beat this guard and move on.”
Lilith:
“Be careful.
You’re about to face the Furies.
Their brass wings can strike up a gale wind,
and their claws are poisonous to boot.”
(Protagonist Name):
“You came here to tell me that?”
Lilith offered no response, instead touching my hand
as if unwilling to part.
Lilith:
“That’s all I can tell you.
The rest is up to you.”
(Protagonist Name):
“You don’t have to tell me twice.
As for you...”
She quietly shook her head.
(Protagonist Name):
“We’ll meet again, right...?”
Lilith:
“Probably...
No, we’ll definitely meet again...
when it’s needed...”
(Protagonist Name):
“I thought about it when we first met, but...
you knew about me
from the very beginning, didn’t you?
We...
Have we met somewhere...?”
It seemed Lilith had no intention
of speaking any further.
I couldn’t tell what was going on inside her head.
Lilith:
“Please do be careful...
These birds have made quite a mess of things.”
Then,
her figure melted into the dark once more,
leaving behind only a gate.
On the other side, the enemy
lay waiting.
The room was stuffy
and dimly lit.
An inexplicable smell of incense
wafted through the soured air.
Voice:
“Oh?”
Suddenly, a loud voice came flying down,
along with the beating of wings.
Voice:
“A human?”
Voice:
“Did you say human?”
Voice:
“It’s a human! We got a human here!”
Voices echoed about,
followed by screeching laughter.
Soon, grotesque creatures appeared,
mixtures of avian and man.
Stiff plumes lined their wings,
shining with a metallic luster. Their torsos were statuesque,
cold, yet beautiful.
Lilith’s words came floating back up.
‘You’re about to face the Furies.’
Those sharp talons
certainly seemed furious.
With cruel eyes, the crones shot towards me,
leaving shrill laughter
and inauspicious mutterings in their wake.
Furiae 1:
“Human!
Just where do you think you are?
If you waltzed in here by accident...”
Furiae 2:
“In that case, we can let you off the hook,
after you leave behind an arm or two.”
Furiae 3:
“He only really needs his legs, right?”
The Furies:
“Hahahahahahaha!”
(Protagonist Name):
“Too bad, but I’m coming through.”
Furiae 1:
“Did you hear that, sisters?”
Furiae 2:
“Oh, I heard.
This human thinks he can just pass through here.”
Furiae 3:
“Kid,
if you’re saying you stepped in here,
knowing that it was the lair of us Furies, then...”
Furiae 1:
“You’re not getting out of here alive!”
With raucous laughter, the Furies launched towards me,
their metal wings dancing through the air.
Furiae 2:
“I never thought I’d get to meet
a human quite like this...!”
Furiae 3:
“Punk!
Looks like you’re not afraid of demons, huh?”
Furiae 1:
“Your body’s about to be
taught a sharp lesson!”
Furiae 2:
“Rip his entrails out!”
Furiae 3:
“We’re eating meat tonight!”
The Furies:
“Hahahahahahaha!”
Three Furiae appeared.
The last Furiae collapsed.
Across fluttering feathers,
I could see a gaping doorway.
One way or another, it seemed like I could
get down to the next floor.
Yet, I was still high up in the building.
Further down, there would surely be
stronger foes lying in wait...
-30F-
Bartender:
Before defeating Lilith:
“We can hardly do a thing about
the demon guarding the 26th floor...
Hell.. no matter which floor you look in,
they’re all crawling with demons.”
After defeating Lilith:
“You beat the guard?!
Looks like we can start heading down... Go on and drink up,
it’s on the house!”
-26F-
Lilith:
“How are you feeling?”
Suddenly, Lilith appeared.
Her visits were always abrupt.
(Protagonist Name):
“Lilith, huh....
you’re all over the place.”
Lilith:
“Hehe.
I’ll go anywhere,
if you’re there.”
(Protagonist Name):
“So, you’re free to
move about this building, then.
Can you also go outside?”
Lilith:
“Oh? Why do you wanna know?”
(Protagonist Name):
“I just...
wanted to know what was happening out there.”
Lilith:
“That’s something
you should find out by yourself.”
(Protagonist Name):
“I thought you’d say that.”
Lilith:
“Hehe.”
Lilith’s manner,
capricious as it was,
seemed also tinged
with something of a caring aura.
Like she was protecting me,
guiding me...
(Protagonist Name):
“So?
Since you’re here,
you have something to say, right?”
Lilith:
“That’s right.
You’d better be careful
if you’re gonna go down this path.”
(Protagonist Name):
“!?
You mean...”
Lilith:
“Yup.
There’s a guard up ahead.
A group of Yoma Lilim
is eagerly awaiting your arrival.
Creatures of the night, they chant songs of darkness –
be careful of their voices.
I pray for your success.
Until we meet again.”
She left the way she came,
disappearing into the air.
The room was pitch-black.
Yet,
seemingly with my one-step intrusion as a signal,
in the darkness, flames roared to life.
Candle flames.
One by one, any number of candles lit up,
throwing off an eerie glow.
I hazily began to sense a presence within...
The sound of giggling
filled the air.
By the time I realized it,
a group of Yoma, in the forms of innocent young girls,
had surrounded me!
Three Yoma Lilim appeared.
-25F-
Bartender:
“You came from upstairs?
Impressive.
Do you think you could also
take care of a monster on the 21st floor for me?”
-23F-
A thick screen of tobacco smoke
hung widely in the air.
For the first time in a while,
I thought I heard the boisterous sounds
of catcalls and laughter.
But,
rather than from happiness,
that empty noise came from a need
to drown out the fear and despair
that lay in front of them.
Man:
“Hey dude!
You wanna join in?
We don’t have enough players.”
The guys who called out to me
seemed to be trying to play some sort of card game.
Littered around me were
shady gambling tables, roulettes,
and the like.
With screams of joy and sorrow as the background,
the masses drank and smoked themselves
into pandemonium.
(Protagonist Name):
“Oh boy. I don’t think I’ll manage to get any real info,
at this rate.”
As I turned to leave,
I heard a nearby drunkard
mumble something out
in a slur.
Drunkard:
“Hey!
I saw it!
... a horse...
no, something more... mystical...
the sentry...
that...
that was....”
After muttering one last time, the man drifted off to sleep,
and started snoring.
Oh boy.
-21F-
Man in White:
“Hey, you!”
A young man dressed in white
came calling, neatly groomed,
his eyes carrying a
strong will.
Though I felt
a sort of oppressive dignity from him,
at the same time,
he seemed honest and straightfoward.
Man in White:
“You’re (Protagonist Name), right?”
(Protagonist Name):
“Do you know me?
Who are you?”
Man in White:
“I came to give you some advice.”
(Protagonist Name):
“Advice?”
Man in White:
“Well,
maybe I should call it a warning instead.
It’s about Lilith.”
(Protagonist Name):
“You know her?!”
Man in White:
“She is a trap of fate, if you will,
meant to determine who you truly are.”
(Protagonist Name):
“... Huh?”
Man in White:
“Put simply,
Lilith is a
temptress.”
(Protagonist Name):
“So you’re saying she’s supposed to tempt me?
... Just who is she?”
Man in White:
“You already know, don’t you?
It’s (Heroine Name), after all.”
(Protagonist Name):
“...... Huh...?”
Man in White:
“As you know,
(Heroine Name) died.”
(Protagonist Name):
“In the explosion...”
Man in White:
“Precisely.
But just in that moment of death,
she made a wish.
She didn’t want to leave you behind.
Such a powerful, yet transient plea
could not escape demonic eyes.
Before long, between life and death,
a certain being murmured towards her.
‘I don’t mind letting you live,
as a demon, that is.’”
(Protagonist Name):
“That’s!
... Then...
you’re saying Lilith is...”
Man in White:
“(Heroine Name) sold her soul to demons,
and in doing so, was reborn as one.”
(Protagonist Name):
“No!
There’s no way she’s a demon!”
Man in White:
“What makes you so certain?”
(Protagonist Name):
“Because......
she’s...
really nice, and...”
Man in White:
“It is precisely her kindness
that made her deal with the devil.
That, and her desire to be by your side,
even at the pain of becoming a demon.”
(Protagonist Name):
“That’s...
... Then... she did all that... for me?”
Man in White:
“Yet her choice was mistaken.
I’ll say it again.
She serves no purpose
other than to be an alluring trap.
Fate is ever-changing -
everything depends on your decisions.
You must walk the path of light.
Henceforth,
heed not the words
of that woman.”
(Protagonist Name):
“Hold on, wait!”
Having said his part, he made to leave.
I tried to chase after him,
but soon lost vision of him.
It was a strange meeting,
and an unbelievable story.
Come to think of it,
she and Lilith shared some commonalities.
There was also that
familiar feeling back in the beginning...
But,
why did he want me to ignore Lilith?
Up until now,
she’d been giving me information about the enemy,
and that info had been correct.
Even so, did he mean to imply that
there was no guarantee I could trust
what she said from now on?
It didn’t look like I’d get an answer
just standing there.
I wanted to see Lilith and figure it out myself.
Maybe we could meet again
if I aimed to challenge the next sentry...
(Protagonist Name):
“Lilith!”
Lilith:
“Looks like you’re moving along rather well.”
(Protagonist Name):
“This is the guard room, huh.”
Lilith:
“Precisely.
Ahead lies the sacred beast – “
(Protagonist Name):
“Before that, I’ve got something to ask you.”
Lilith:
“What’s that?”
(Protagonist Name):
“Are you really (Heroine Name)?”
Lilith:
“...!”
Her expression paled,
in sharp contrast to the teasing manner
she had kept until then.
(Protagonist Name):
“Well?”
Lilith:
“......”
(Protagonist Name):
“Why won’t you talk?”
Lilith:
“I...
... I...”
Face pallid,
she averted her eyes.
(Protagonist Name):
“So it’s true?
I can’t believe it...
You’re... (Heroine Name)...”
Lilith:
“No!
I’m...
I’m...!”
Her lips trembled,
like she wanted to cry out her gushing thoughts,
but couldn’t do so.
And so,
(Protagonist Name):
“H-Hey!”
As if running away,
she disappeared.
(Protagonist Name):
“Lilith...”
That moment,
a ghastly, otherwordly voice
came haunting from across the passageway.
It seemed the guard
had gotten tired of waiting.
The sound of hooves crashing through the ground filled the air.
Situated there
was a horde of fantastical creatures.
They seemed spirited, like stallions,
heroic, like lions,
and graceful, like deer.
And atop their heads lay a unicorn’s horn.
They brandished their horned heads,
and charged towards me.
I hesistated at the thought of fighting
such seemingly holy beings.
But, the herd had no intention of waiting for me to decide!
Three Holy Beast Kirin appeared.
“Gyyaaaaa--!!”
The death throes of the last Holy Beast echoed about...
It seemed I had gotten out of it safely.
(Protagonist Name):
“...hm?”
As I looked around me,
I spotted a man’s corpse.
This body, torn apart by the beasts,
was damaged beyond recognition.
One wrong move and this might have been me...
I felt my back grow cold with sweat.
Looking closer,
I saw his hand holding a blade.
(Protagonist Name):
“This... seems like a rather impressive sword.”
As I took the blade,
its honed edge reflecting a dazzling light,
I realized that this was a masterwork.
Thank you...
At that moment, for reasons unknown to me,
the blade itself seemed to rejoice.
Though I had just stolen from a dead man,
I felt as if the sword had wanted me to do it.
Was this the so-called will these famed swords possessed?
(You obtained Famed Sword Kotetsu!)
Graciously accepting this gift,
I departed, sword in hand.