She is not an investigator.

A blazing flame rose out of nowhere.

It separates death from others, binds it within a circle of flames, and exposes all its actions to the scorching heat of the fire.

That is the flame that symbolizes life.

That is the opposite of death.

“I…cannot agree with her desire to wield the sword with death.”

A familiar and melodious sound appeared in everyone's ears. Stepping on the increasingly passionate piano music and the blazing flames of life, she came to the face of death.

"But she brought life, and she brought victory itself."

Igris took a deep breath, feeling the intense heat of the flames around her, and slowly raised the gun in her hand.

“But Anfer is right.”

"—"

"Your sun has set."

"—!"

Clang—!

The scythe, a symbol of death, swung down fiercely, but the sword in her hand, wreathed in flames, stopped just as it fell.

It bounced away.

"—!"

“Someone once taught me this move. He was my swordsmanship mentor. Although he didn’t seem to specialize in this, he did teach me a lot and I benefited greatly from it.”

"—!"

Undeterred, it swung its scythe down again, only to be met with another deflected attack.

“He was caught up with death, and no one there escaped its shadow, so it was a graveyard, not their retirement home… But does death really mean the end of everything?”

"—!"

Time and again, its scythe fell, only to be bounced off again and again.

again and again.

"In this world, in this chaotic and cruel world, in this world full of incomprehensible and bizarre beings, death cannot separate us forever."

"——!!!"

It began to retreat, its sickle falling again and again, only to be deflected each time.

It began to feel fear—fear of death, fear of itself.

"The dead have reappeared in the world more than once. They bring with them the regrets of their lives, the long-cherished wishes they could not let go of, and their love for this world. They have reappeared in this incredible world."

"—"

It stopped in its tracks; behind it were raging flames, and it had nowhere to escape.

"So, I stopped fearing death, I stopped fearing loss. This world has never truly ended. Your sun may have set, but tomorrow it will rise again."

Igris raised the gun in her hand, and a ghostly figure appeared beside her at some unknown time.

It was the lingering affection of the dead, her unfulfilled wish, and the only close relative Igris remembered.

She took Igris's hand, while Igris gripped the gun in her hand.

"Therefore, you will never be able to take anyone with you except yourself."

boom--!

The sound of gears grinding and gunfire rang out together, and the bullets that flew out hit the shadow of death with pinpoint accuracy.

It fell, fell into the flames, fell into rebirth.

And so it disappeared.

The Gods' Fool's Play - Beyond the World: Chapter Forty-Three, That's it.

The sky shattered, and the blood-red world gradually perished at that moment.

Both the raging flames and the scattered remains of angels were dissipating and fading away at an extremely rapid pace.

Soon, everything that had vanished fell from the sky to the earth.

The city was overturned, overturned, and the world spun around.

A feeling of dizziness washed over everyone, and their feet lost their footing in an instant, causing them to plummet downwards.

But at this moment, countless vines spread out, enveloping everyone within them.

Soon, the changes in the world stopped.

The broken streets and dilapidated city turned blood red once again.

But the color gave people such a sense of peace.

That was the sunset about to sink below the horizon, leaving behind a trail of afterglow in the sky.

They returned to the world they were meant to return to, and the city that stood atop the city collapsed and perished at that moment.

That being that doesn't belong to this world, and that voice that doesn't belong to this world.

They succeeded. They left all the danger in that world, and they nipped all the disaster in the bud. They are true heroes and the saviors of Frostville.

Everyone here should cheer for them, and everyone should offer a salute to their efforts and struggles.

They need to build a monument for those who sacrificed their lives, and they will come to the monument to sweep the graves every time it rains.

They need to inform the world about all the disasters here, so that even others in other areas will admire their heroic deeds.

Heroes should be revered.

"..."

Igris put away her weapon and slowly let out a sigh of relief.

She looked at the people around her, seeing their exhausted faces, yet still unable to suppress their smiles.

Seeing that they were all doing well and everything was going smoothly.

Her mission was accomplished, once again.

【■■■■■。】

The cold, hollow mechanical voice echoed in her mind again, but this time, she couldn't understand it.

An unprecedentedly loud noise slammed into the depths of her mind, causing her to bend over and hug her head.

Pain, sadness, anger, confusion.

The piano music returned, though it was outside the city, it lingered in her mind.

Those sounds constantly influenced Igris's emotions, lingering deep within her consciousness.

Dig, tear, cut, dissect.

Her fears, her past, her wounds, her imprints.

Everything was brought to the surface by those voices.

It seemed like she was about to explode; it seemed like she was about to descend into madness once again.

But this time, as a reward, time stopped again.

The joyful expressions on the faces of those around her froze at that moment, as a dark, twisted, writhing entity appeared behind her.

And once again, she transformed into that familiar figure.

"Returning in triumph, my warriors."

“...Nyarlathotep”.

"I know what you want to say. As payment, I promise to grant you one wish. Also, because you have indeed done something extraordinary, I will not charge you for the power I gave you before."

He slowly walked up to Igris and gave her a smile that was hard to like.

"Just as everyone has prayed countless times, make your wish, and I will grant it."

"...Do you know what's happening to my body?"

Instead of making a wish, Igris raised a question, a challenge.

She could feel everything changing about her, and... her body seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

It is not consciousness, but the body.

Her life seemed to be nearing its end, and she was gradually worn down to death without anyone noticing.

It seems that everything was brought about by that powerful force, or perhaps it was revenge she received after destroying death.

But whatever it may be, the facts are right in front of her.

Her body is gradually dying, like that of an infant born only to die.

She would lose herself in nothingness, watching her own body rot, decay, and become infested with maggots.

She will not be able to reach the reality of death, but she will find it even harder to be reborn.

He knew all this would happen; it was the price she had to pay, and it was also the reason He was willing to back down for it.

"You are about to die, but you have one chance to make a wish. Do you remember... You can ask me for an eternal body, or you can wish to abandon your frail human flesh and blood and go to the ultimate end of all things. But this is your wish. Choose."

He had foreseen everything from the very beginning.

Igris had no choice; her only wish was to heal herself.

Otherwise, she would die and never find true peace.

"Doing business with you is a truly...pleasant experience."

Igris's sarcasm wasn't sharp enough, because her time was indeed running out, even though time had never flowed at this moment.

"Choose, my great hero: abandon everything you have now and become like me, or continue to carry that fragile body, lost and trapped in the labyrinth of humanity day after day."

Snapped.

He snapped his fingers, and at that moment, Igris made her own answer.