She is not an investigator.

And they tried to drive him to utter despair and madness.

“You can’t leave here… Igris, outside that dream, on that train, those people who are still alive… you can’t protect them either.”

He pursed his lips and snapped his fingers excitedly.

The next moment, a scene appeared before Igris.

"Look, this is the result I expected, the future of this trip."

In that scene, blood covered the entire carriage, and countless indescribable, bizarre black creatures held aloft everyone's heads, as if celebrating their victory.

The headless corpses were trampled underfoot and torn and dragged like toys.

“Now… Igris, I’ll give you a chance.”

Snapped.

The image faded and shattered. He suddenly grabbed Igris's hair and forcefully made her lift her head.

"Surrender to me, beg for mercy, and I will spare the rest of them; they will not reach that future."

"Now, give your response."

The Gods' Folly - The Northern Train: Chapter Sixty-Three, The Sleeper Buried in Dreams

"My... response?"

"Yes, yes...your response."

His smile grew even more joyful, as if he saw the person in front of him finally making his own choice like an ordinary person, pleading with him, trying to get him to let those people go.

This is what he wanted; he had been planning this for a long time, all to give Igris a chance to truly submit to him.

Without a doubt, it's now.

She had no choice; she had to make a choice.

"...Alright then."

Igris forced a not-so-pleasant smile, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice.

"Though gone, he has not been forgotten; Ktugaya awaits in Fomalhaut..."

"Wait... what are you chanting?"

"I made a promise of death to you..."

"Damn it...!"

Nyar suddenly grabbed Igris by the neck and lifted her off her seat.

"You madman...! Do you know what you're doing?! You're going to kill everyone, including yourself!"

"Cough...cough, descend..."

"Fine...fine! I've had enough of you, you damned, giant matchstick. You really think He'll answer your call? Just because you have a spell?"

“Ktugeya…”

"Shut up!"

boom--!

He abruptly threw Igris to the ground, and seeing Igris clutching her neck and panting heavily, he began to pace anxiously back and forth.

"Damn it... damn it, I actually felt it, but that guy can't find me... and he can't find you either! You damn matchstick!"

He still seemed unsatisfied and kicked Igris, who was lying on the ground, hard again.

But he also knew that he couldn't stay here any longer.

Even if Igris's summoning ritual was incomplete, or even not a ritual at all, that never mattered.

The important question is whether there will actually be someone who responds.

As the sole believer of that name that had vanished from the face of the earth, Igris wielded far more influence than she had imagined.

"Next time... there won't be a next time. Anyway, I've achieved my goal. You already know the whole truth. That's it. I'd like to see what you'll do next..."

He turned his back and snapped his fingers lightly.

Igris's vision was once again swallowed by the darkness before her, until the calling voice rang in her ears again.

She finally opened her eyes and looked around, somewhat confused.

A gust of cold wind crept up her body, invigorating her and instantly restoring her clarity.

The glass beside her had been shattered, and half of her white body hung limply on it, swaying in the wind as the train moved.

Chaos erupted inside the carriage. Everyone was holding weapons, staring intently at Igris with either wariness or worry in their eyes.

Igris didn't know why they were looking at her like that; she had no idea what had just happened.

But as she swallowed unconsciously, a strange sense of satisfaction and energy also appeared in her body.

Igris unconsciously touched her mouth, and an unimaginable fishy smell instantly flooded her nasal cavity, making her unable to help but gag.

A terrible thought made her freeze, and she couldn't help but look at the others in disbelief and ask in a low voice.

"...I just now."

"That thing lunged at the car window, then you smashed the window, bit off its neck, and... drank quite a bit?"

Constantine answered with a strange expression, while touching his neck with lingering fear.

"...I don't remember."

"We'll talk about that later..."

The train conductor cocked his shotgun, gestured for Igris to come over, and continued speaking.

“Those things are fast. They are chasing the car. It won’t be long before they catch up and attack from anywhere they can appear. Be careful, especially around the car windows.”

Igris nodded and turned to look in the direction of the driver's cab.

She seems to have forgotten something.

My memory is a bit hazy.

It seems... to be something very important.

If it's so important, why would she forget it so easily?

A strange feeling…

boom--!

"coming!"

A violent crashing sound came from the other side of the car window, as the white monster began to pound on the window again and again.

Everyone skillfully dealt with the situation using their weapons, but Igris no longer felt that urge.

She didn't want to fight anymore, or rather, subconsciously she still believed that she didn't need to fight.

What's wrong with her...? Has her condition worsened again?

Why is she so anxious? Why does she feel so...sad?

What exactly happened?

"Igris...?"

"...Oh, what's wrong?"

Simia slowly lowered the gun in her hand, staring blankly at Igris's expression.

She hesitated for a long time, but in the end, it was Philina who answered Igris.

She gripped Igris's sleeve and whispered with some concern.

Why are you crying?

…………

"...!"

silence.

The chaos and battle seemed to have vanished from her in an instant, and the images in her memory began to become increasingly fragmented.

More and more irrationalities and anomalies piled up, and more and more gaps began to appear in every moment of the journey.

wow-

The screen disappeared.

Instead, countless white and gray colors appeared.

Her mind couldn't comprehend what was happening around her at that moment, but right now, at this very moment.

The voice calling reached her ears.

“Igris—”

The voice was familiar; she could never forget it.

That was her own voice.

Also...

"Mirror Demon?"

Splash!

A sound like shattering glass rang out, and Igris suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath.

Everything around her was so dark, and beside her, the Mirror Demon's figure remained there, gently pushing her shoulder and softly calling her name.

“Igris, you’ve been sleeping for a long time… are you alright?”

"...Mirror Demon...I slept for a long time..."

Igris looked up at the carriage above her, somewhat bewildered.

At the same time, a dense sound of footsteps came from above her head and lingered back and forth.

She turned around and looked at the source of the sound above her head.