She is not an investigator.

Although she still didn't understand everything she had just experienced, she had never really known much about this world.

She wasn't going to delve any further into the truth; at least for now, she was more interested in focusing on what was in front of her.

"Igris—!"

"..."

She turned her head and looked in the direction from which the sound was coming from.

Two figures rushed towards them. Igris could see clearly that they were Vicatina and Constantine.

They all seemed to be in good condition, except for Constantine, who had lost an arm.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Igris got up from the ground and waved to Constantine, who had slowly stopped walking.

Your hand…

"You really are Igris, right?"

"..."

A shadow seemed to have fallen over Constantine's face. His severed arm did not make him look weaker; on the contrary, it made him look more fierce and dangerous compared to when they last met.

"It seems you already know."

"The Igris who led us away was a fake. The real Igris didn't come back... She was delayed for a while because of some things, and when she returned, we had already left with the fake Igris."

"Do not."

Igris shook her head, interrupting Constantine.

“That’s not fake… She is real, and so am I, just different worlds, the same people, even though she doesn’t really belong here.”

"I don't understand any of this, but it doesn't matter anymore."

Constantine sighed and looked at Vicatina beside him.

“She kept insisting on coming to see you, so I brought her here. Now that you're here, I can go about my business without worry.”

"That giant baby?"

He nodded, his gaze firm and pure.

“My God has answered me once again, and in exchange for His slumber, He has given me unprecedented power… Therefore, I should use this power to do more and to fulfill all that He desires.”

"The other me said the same thing."

Igris chuckled and shook her head, then continued.

"But the others haven't returned yet. Felina and Simia—we don't know where they are right now. What if they're in danger..."

zizi.

"Who goes there?!"

A strange electrical sound rang in Igris's ear, and she raised her gun almost without hesitation.

A moment later, a figure slowly emerged from around the corner of the church.

It was a man, a man wearing an old-fashioned combat uniform and a mask.

"...Reporting to the captain, we have arrived at our destination and have made formal contact with the target."

On the other side, Anfer's voice also came out.

"Give her the communication device."

"clear."

The hound paused for a moment, then removed the headset from under the mask and handed it to Igris under her wary gaze.

"...Your phone call."

"...?"

He wasn't very good at communicating and conversing, but luckily, Igris had excellent hearing.

She heard Anfer's voice coming from the earpiece.

"Anfer?"

“Igris, long time no see. I hope you haven’t attacked my teammate yet. His name is Hound, and he’s one of ours. The situation is complicated right now, and I can’t explain it to you directly, but I must say that I’ve discovered two of you.”

“I know… are you very close to that thing? If you can, you'd better stay away from it; it's dangerous.”

“Danger? That’s precisely why we need to approach. And it seems you’re aware of the existence of your other self, so you must know what she’s planning to do. Obviously, letting her go alone isn’t a good idea. We’ll provide support from the sidelines.”

"……Thanks."

"I'm afraid you've forgotten, but this is what we should be doing."

Igris pondered for a moment, looked at the hound standing quietly to one side, and spoke to Anfer again.

"Anfer, ask your team to do me a favor."

"what?"

“Let him stay here. Felina and Simia haven’t met up yet, but I can’t waste any more time here. I need to go and support you.”

"Heh... Of course, I knew you wouldn't be unmoved."

Igris returned the headset to the hound, and Anfer's voice came through to the hound's ears.

"hound!"

"Yes!"

"From now on, protect the church and prevent any danger from approaching. Wait for the others to join us."

"clear."

In this situation, it would actually be safest for Igris to stay here, since it's hard to say what will happen next in this ever-changing city.

But Igris couldn't stay here; she had to get closer to that place, after the other one had successfully swung that sword.

“Vicatina, I’m sorry I can’t continue to protect you, but it’s relatively safe here for now. You can take care of yourself, right?”

“Igris… Of course, I am a six-hundred-year-old witch. There is no danger I haven’t seen.”

Vicatina was clearly reluctant to see Igris leave, but she neither refused nor tried to stop her.

She was a burden; in such a dangerous place, her weak fighting ability was of almost no help.

But she can't always be a burden.

"Besides, I believe he can protect me well."

"Thank you."

Igris took a deep breath, gripped her sword again, and without any hesitation or worry, headed south.

"Wait, have you forgotten about me?"

"...?"

Constantine called out to Igris.

"Even though I look badly injured, aren't you going to ask me if I want to come with you?"

"Do I need to ask, Father?"

Igris put her hands on her hips and said with some dissatisfaction.

"After all, you had already made up your mind, hadn't you?"

"Indeed, you understand me better than anyone else."

The Fools of the Gods—Beyond the World: Chapter Thirty-Eight, Forward, Onward

"Waaah—"

Crying, heart-wrenching cries, endless cries.

The streets, dilapidated streets, lifeless streets.

She gripped her weapon tightly, alone, and walked step by step toward death.

That enormous thing, constantly losing life, is death.

It will die in this city, because of the depletion of life, because of the world's rejection.

But before that, it will destroy everything here, destroy everyone here.

Igris couldn't tolerate all of this, and neither could some of the guys.

So they hit it off and became temporary allies.

In this land without gods.

The only response she could receive, besides death, was the weapon in her hand.

"Whoa—!"

The piercing cry rang out again, its large, dim yellow pupils looking at the figure that made no attempt to conceal itself and walked towards it alone.

Its cries were answered, and countless tiny figures appeared in the air, falling towards the ground.

Most of them are unformed embryos. Compared to the big guy who is rejected by the world, these little guys seem more peaceful and harmonious.

Their appearance was terrifying, their size almost the same as an adult's. They had no reason or wisdom, but blindly obeyed its commands, rushing towards the figure like soldiers going to their deaths.

But she didn't even look, she just gripped the sword in her hand tighter and quickened her pace again.

Those things kept attacking, trying to stop her, but her fragile body and rotting flesh were cut into countless pieces in an instant when faced with the steel blade.

They were not content with this; their numbers were unimaginable; they surged in again and again, one after another.

But they couldn't stop her, not even for a second.

Finally, finally.

Unable to contain its fear, the giant baby rolled over, turning itself to face the onrushing Igris.

"what--!"

The piercing scream even echoed through the air, striking Igris's eardrums with unreserved force.