Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

In my memory, she was initially a tiny little girl, always running around with boundless energy. She would also pounce on me, hug my legs, and say things like, "Brother, carry me on your back!"

Later, as she grew older, she grew her hair long and her personality became gentler. At that time, she liked to read horror stories. After being scared, she would sneak into his bedroom in the middle of the night, stand in front of him, and hesitate, wanting to sleep together. However, she was also troubled because her teacher had just taught her not to get too close to the opposite sex. As a result, she was half asleep when she saw a little girl with disheveled hair standing in front of her and was so frightened that she screamed and made him cry.

Gradually, he learned to braid hair because she would deliberately dawdle after getting up, and then hand him the comb when he started nagging about being late for school, laughing and calling out, "Brother, comb my hair for me."

The first time I took her to the aquarium, the beluga whale deliberately made a face at her. She was not to be outdone and made a face back. Because it took too long, her face started to cramp and she lost. She puffed up her cheeks and, amidst the beluga whale's mocking expression, took his hand and left.

During the school trip, she went to the mountains, and I couldn't bear to leave her, so I went along. Halfway through, she discovered me and pulled me out, leaving me to play with a group of teenagers for quite a while. That day, she laughed happily, constantly bragging to the other children about being his older brother, even though he never felt he had anything to brag about. He didn't actually have much money, nor any particularly outstanding skills.

"Well, thank you."

Akira Toyama took the cup and took a small sip of water.

"...Excuse me, do I know you?"

Nao Toyama naturally took the cup, hesitated for a moment, and then asked Akira Toyama in a low voice.

"You might have mistaken me for someone else."

Yuanshan Ming replied in a flat tone, turned away and ignored her, not looking at the somewhat disappointed look in the girl's eyes.

The other person's memory is also somewhat incomplete, but due to the power of the curse, she is clearly gradually recalling it. If this continues, it probably won't be long before she remembers me, her brother, and all the experiences we had together.

This is not a good thing.

Although the rules of the curse are incomplete, as more memories come back, Akira Toyama realizes that the more he gets caught up in these memories, the harder it will be to leave this place. In this unknown space constructed of cursed power, memories and emotions can be easily stirred up, but they can also become a prison for the victims.

You must stay conscious to have any chance of being rescued.

"Let's get ready to go, it's time. Everyone, just hold on a little longer, and we'll find the exit. Also, remember, you must stay clear-headed. Only then can we possibly get out of this place safely."

As he spoke, Akira Toyama turned to look at the people behind him.

"Don't worry, buddy, we'll listen to you."

Yuanshan Hao was the first to speak with a smile, and for some reason, Yuanshan Ming felt that he could see a hint of encouragement in his expression.

Is it because he used to look at me with that expression a long time ago?

From a very young age, I've always been quiet and reserved, keeping everything bottled up inside. Even when I wanted to express myself, to confide in someone, I ended up saying nothing, simply remaining silent and hiding all my grievances deep inside.

When his father realized this, he would earnestly encourage himself, look into his eyes and smile, telling him again and again that it was okay, so that he could slowly express his innermost thoughts and express the things that were kept in his heart.

Later, he gradually stopped doing that. As his mother's illness worsened and his pressure increased, he stopped talking to himself as much as he did at some point. Sometimes, even when he clearly wanted to communicate and say something, they would both be speechless after he opened his mouth, leaving only a silent stare before he would turn and leave.

He doesn't blame his father for the change; for a man who has to support his family, such a change under immense pressure is unavoidable.

...But he knew that he was still blaming his father, blaming this man who was gradually becoming indifferent, blaming him for becoming less caring and protective of him during his childhood, and for gradually becoming a man who couldn't even take care of himself and needed him to be considerate of him.

But such blame is meaningless.

Even as a child, he understood that some things are beyond one's control. In that kind of family environment, under that kind of pressure, the real difficulty was not being changed. He lamented his own unwarm childhood. Was his father's difficult and ascetic youth, which he considered his prime, really that easy? So even if it was painful, he had to endure it. Even if he harbored resentment, he had to learn to understand, to accept, and to persuade the unhappy part of himself.

"My brother always likes to preach big principles."

"But I'm just unhappy, I just don't want to understand. Why should I be considerate of others when they bully me?"

"And brother, when you were talking about these things, you were clearly frowning, and you were very unhappy. Why would you do things that make you unhappy when you were already unhappy?"

I remembered that childish voice.

Without her noticing, a voice emanated from Nao Toyama's small face and her mouth, a voice that rendered her speechless.

When did it start to become like this?

Even though I'm very unhappy, I still force myself to do things that make me unhappy, trying to convince myself that these unhappy things are justified, that my choices are correct, and that I shouldn't question or deny them. When did this start happening?

I really don't understand. When did I become the one being lectured by the child I'm taking care of? What have young people become these days?

"call……"

He reached out and gently wiped the blood from his forehead.

"I'm fine. The exit must be nearby. Hang in there, everyone. We'll be leaving here soon."

Akira Toyama turned around and spoke earnestly to the people following behind him.

Those strange creatures eventually revealed their inhuman side.

Akira Toyama rescued the boy who was reunited with his deceased mother by defeating the strange creature that had mutated. However, the woman who was with her fake husband and son went insane after discovering that her closest family members were fake, and then vanished from the spot due to some unknown force. Akira Toyama simply couldn't save her.

Therefore, there are now seven survivors who are still following Akira Toyama.

Having traveled such a long distance and only losing one person is honestly nothing short of a miracle. Although, in Akira Toyama's view, not being able to save everyone was already a great regret, he simply couldn't console himself with that.

"Um, is it really... okay?"

Nao Toyama came to Akira Toyama again, looking at him with great concern. She wanted to reach out to help him, but hesitated and did not actually touch him.

"Let's rest a little longer, we'll be fine."

Toyama Gou also spoke with a worried expression, looking at Toyama Akira, who had many wounds on his body, with a pained expression.

At this moment, some people had arrived at an area that was hard to define, where both the walls and the ground were in a state of decay.

The ceiling had vanished, and looking up revealed only endless darkness. As they continued forward, cracks of varying sizes began to appear in the surrounding walls and floor, revealing darkness beyond which seemed utterly empty.

Faintly, Akira Toyama sensed that when everything around them completely disappeared, leaving only absolute darkness, they would be truly close to the exit. Therefore, he quickened his pace, which led to even more attacks. Although Akira Toyama stubbornly held on thanks to his strength and experience, he suffered many injuries. Half of his clothes were soaked in blood, and he swayed unsteadily, as if he might collapse at any moment.

"I'm fine. These injuries just look scary, but they're not actually that serious. Don't worry about me too much."

As he said this, Akira Toyama wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and continued walking forward.

"But……"

Nao Toyama, standing beside him, reached out her small hand and unconsciously tugged at Akira Toyama's clothes before quickly letting go.

She opened her mouth, and Akira could sense the name she wanted to utter. How much of what she remembered now? Had she fully recalled all the experiences of that past period? Facing this version of herself that refused to acknowledge it, what were her true feelings?

It's really hard to guess, after all, she's quite good at lying these days.

For example, she is actually not sixteen or seventeen years old now, but nineteen years old, and she graduated from high school last year.

For example, she clearly promised herself that she would go to university and study hard, but she didn't apply to any schools at all. Instead, she went to work and did some self-media that he couldn't understand, which made him so angry that he almost wanted to hit his sister, whom he had never hit in more than ten years.

But perhaps she turned out this way because of his upbringing? After all, the real father has now become a hands-off father, hardly ever taking charge. I basically raised this little one; she's like both a sister and a daughter to me. Her rebellious behavior might also be due to me projecting some of my own inner desires onto her.

"Stay alert, we're getting close. Don't wander around; in this environment, if you go astray, you could get lost and never find your way back."

Akira Toyama's voice became serious.

The previous buildings no longer exist here.

The place where they stood was pure darkness, an endless void that stretched out no matter where they looked.

As for why everyone could still see each other in such an environment and continue moving forward while standing on some unseen solid surface, that remains inexplicable. Perhaps only a future scientist could analyze and experiment to understand the underlying principles, assuming such places still exist by then.

Export is imminent.

Although he couldn't see it, Akira Toyama could sense that they were now truly close to the exit of this place.

Three more members of the group behind him had disappeared without a sound. Even with Toyama Akira's powerful senses, he couldn't detect them in time. So now, only Toyama Nao, Toyama Go, and two other people were still with him.

The connection with Gao Hai has changed from being completely severed to being in a vague state that can be vaguely sensed.

Touyama Akira wasn't sure if Takahashi would be aware of their situation and able to provide support under these circumstances, but he was certain that the hospital would discover them—a group resisting the curse's power and potentially capable of breaking free. Therefore, the enemy would definitely launch at least one more attack in the vicinity of the exit. This attack would undoubtedly be the most intense, fiercest, and most difficult to resist. Now fighting alone and already so wounded, Touyama Akira honestly wasn't sure he could survive.

But there's no time for wild thoughts now; let's just hold on for as long as we can.

While struggling to maintain his consciousness and avoid getting completely trapped in the recurring memories of the past, Akira Toyama continued to move slowly forward, approaching the darkness ahead.

Closer, closer.

Even though we can't see anything yet, we can already sense the existence of the exit.

Are you leaving us?

Then, I heard someone's voice echoing in my heart, and felt a corrupt and twisted power spreading within me.

The danger arrived without warning, bypassing the ordinary people behind it who had no fighting ability, and went straight for Akira Toyama, unleashing its power in the most cruel and insane way from the start.

Without a moment's hesitation, Akira Toyama mobilized all his power, using blessings and obsessions to fight against his opponent's offensive. He struggled to protect himself and the ordinary people around him amidst the tearing mental pollution and blood curse, barely managing to resist and eliminate the damage caused by the ghostly power.

hum-

A golden glimmer suddenly appeared, shining brightly in the dark world for an instant.

That was support from Gao Hai.

After finally confirming Akira Toyama's signal, even though the signal itself was still very unclear and could not be used to deploy a large amount of power, Takami did his best to provide support for Akira Toyama, forcibly opening a small passage and investing his own power into the area.

[Yuanshan, hang in there! You're very close to the exit!]

The golden light transformed into the likeness of Masaaki Ishido, the captain of the Crimson Society. With the help of Takami, he remotely controlled this golden-red power, assisting Akira Toyama in fighting against the twisted monsters and curses that attacked from the surrounding area, and fiercely repelling the power mobilized by the Hospital.

Rumbling--

Amidst the violent tremors, distorted light and shadow flickered incessantly in the darkness, creating a scene reminiscent of a light pollution battle between gods in an animation. This left the four ordinary people, who could only watch from the sidelines, dazzled and unable to discern which side had the upper hand.

However, the answer to this question was soon revealed. As the light faded, Akira Toyama, now bearing several new wounds, reappeared and said to everyone, "The exit is almost here. Follow me," before continuing to lead the way. Go Toyama and Nao Toyama breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Akira's appearance, but they couldn't help feeling heartache for the increasing number of wounds on his body. They silently followed behind him, praying that things would proceed smoothly.

time is limited.

"Huh...huh..."

Yuanshan Ming continued walking forward, panting softly.

He could clearly sense that neither Gao Hai nor the hospital had committed much of their strength. Although they had engaged in a brief skirmish using Touyama Akira's side as a pretext, the struggle was short-lived, and the hospital was the first to retreat. This made Touyama Akira realize that Gao Hai was likely doing something important on another battlefield, leaving the hospital unable to focus its efforts on the cursed domain. This was probably the key reason why Touyama Akira's side had encountered fewer obstacles and was able to safely lead so many ordinary people to the vicinity of the exit.

The question is, how long is this safe window? Gao Hai is still fighting against the hospital outside, keeping them temporarily distracted. But a confrontation of their caliber could change drastically in less than a second. Therefore, the situation could change at any moment, and he must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get these people out alive.

"Let's go, let's go, hurry up!"

In desperation, Akira Toyama couldn't help but shout.

Once we successfully leave this place, things will be much easier.

Mr. Gao is already able to provide support here. With his strength, he must have already found the key to this curse and is able to break it. And even if he can't completely break it yet, it doesn't matter. With me, and the several people behind me who were cursed but escaped safely, Mr. Gao can also find a way to break the curse from us and use us survivors to devise a method to counter the curse.

After I leave here, I will be able to reunite with my sister, and perhaps then I will understand why I chose to leave Nao's side and erase her memories.

And then there's my father. Perhaps I also need to have a serious talk with him about our past. My father… Yuanshan… Yuanshan… His name is…

When I realized it, I couldn't help but stop moving forward.

At that moment, Akira Toyama staggered and almost fell, his eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.

Memories are fading.