She is not an investigator.

"Let's take it down and bury it together."

Igris looked at her ankle, which seemed to have come off due to the loose plank, and the rope that still held her arm to the ceiling, and raised her straight sword again.

She tried to jump up, stretching her arms out as far as she could, attempting to cut the rope and lower her down.

But because her weapon was too short and the ceiling was too far away, she could only turn her head helplessly and look at Wilson, who was silently watching her jump.

"Don't just watch... lend a hand."

"?"

Just like the iron mask on his face, the impression he gave Igris now was that he was like a huge lump of iron, the kind of person who wasn't very bright.

"I meant it... Ah—!"

Before Igris could finish speaking, the girl, who should have been dead, suddenly grabbed Igris's arm, causing Igris, who had already been bombarded with countless grotesque scenes that day, to utter an extremely embarrassing sound.

But you can't blame her. After all, being suddenly grabbed by someone who died so tragically would probably startle most people.

"—"

"Wow, that's incredibly strong...?!"

Even though her wrists and palms were completely separated, the immense force from her hands still managed to lift Igris up.

Perhaps it's because Igris's body is naturally very light?

Clang—!

But Igris reacted quickly, swinging her weapon almost the instant her feet left the ground, trying to cut off the hand holding her.

"..."

She released Igris, not because of the attack, but simply because she seemed to understand what was happening.

She stopped trying to attack anyone who approached her, and instead looked at her mangled body and the ropes binding her.

"……Well!"

As her body rolled violently, the stitches snapped off, and she crashed heavily to the ground with a mournful cry of despair.

Those wounds were healing at an almost unimaginable speed, but this healing process stopped completely after reaching a certain stage.

Her limbs had returned to their original, intact state, with claws like those of a wild beast that were terrifying to look at, but her current condition was definitely not good.

It's roughly like being in a state of being suspended by half a breath.

"…you…"

"They're still alive? That's incredible..."

Igris looked at the girl in front of her who didn't even have the strength to stand up, and frowned slightly.

For a normal person, there is absolutely no chance of survival with such injuries, but judging from her physical structure, she may not be a normal person either.

But if someone could turn such a guy into a state that's practically disabled, then the person responsible for all of this is probably even more terrifying than we imagine.

"..."

The girl suddenly fell silent. Instead of looking at Igris and Wilson, she turned her gaze to another corpse.

"—"

Her eyes were fixed on the corpse of the dog named Wool, and also on the head of the sheriff, which she knew all too well.

How long has she known these people? Probably less than a day, and she hasn't even had a chance to get to know them better, let alone become friends.

The attack came and killed the townspeople right in front of her. She fought back with her proud fighting skills, but that was all she could do in the end.

The guy who kept saying he was the strongest died, almost like a joke, on a dog.

Oh, right, and this dog, wool.

A cute little guy, smart, friendly, man's best friend.

"..."

Perhaps her life would always be like this, wherever she went, destruction would follow her like a shadow. She could never live like a normal human being; she couldn't, and she didn't have the right.

"May I have your name."

Igris crouched down and looked at the girl who had suddenly fallen into depression with some curiosity.

Her intuition told her that the girl in front of her was dangerous. Even though she was extremely weak, all the wounds on her body did not seem to have significantly reduced her fighting ability.

She's alive and injured, so it's only natural that she should feel angry and try to fight back like a raging beast.

But she was not a beast after all.

"…little Red Riding Hood."

This was the name that arrogant guy gave her. She had never had a name before. Perhaps the name was too casual and a little too childish, but it was the only answer she could give.

"Little Red Riding Hood... Okay, I'll take your word for it... So, you must be the only survivor here. Do you have anything to say?"

"……I have no idea."

She struggled to her feet, her body swaying slightly, still looking quite weak, but she still managed to grab the tail that was binding her neck and throw it to the ground, watching as the tail behind her slowly regenerated.

"To be honest... I want revenge."

"Hmm... Revenge, that's a good idea. You could also tell us more information, which would be more helpful for your revenge journey."

Just then, Isabella entered the room, first looking warily at Little Red Riding Hood, then at Igris with some confusion.

She didn't know what was going on, but Wilson just shook his head at her, indicating that she didn't need to worry too much.

"What do you want to know...?"

Little Red Riding Hood's breathing was a little unsteady. It seemed that this extraordinary self-healing ability was also a huge drain on her. If it weren't for the tail supporting her, she would probably have collapsed to the ground by now.

"It's very simple... Who is the guy who turned this place into a living hell? What does he look like? How much do you know about him?"

The most basic information gathering, although their original goal did not include actually finding the real culprit who caused all this, would not do any harm in obtaining more information.

“I don’t know. I don’t know anyone, but the sheriff knows him. He said he was a defeated opponent… a coward who ran away.”

Little Red Riding Hood shook her head and continued to add.

"That was a man... not much older than the sheriff, but very tall and strong, with a disproportionate physique, like a gorilla... He wasn't afraid of bullets, and his skin was dark red... And, and, he had horns on his head, bull horns."

As she spoke, she gestured above her head with a serious expression.

"Um--"

Igris stroked her chin and turned to look at the two people behind her.

"You should know what I'm thinking."

"At least based on this description, it's probably more like..." than a human.

Isabella pursed her lips and said with a strange expression.

"demon."

The Bizarre Stage Play – The Book of Secrets: Chapter Forty-One, Deus Ex: A Mechanical Manifestation

"A...demon?"

This is a chaotic town, and perhaps it still has a name of its own, but that name no longer matters.

In the very center of town, at the intersection of all the streets, among those buildings, stands a gladiatorial arena that belongs only to this place.

Alex arrived here, following some obviously abnormal individuals who were highlighted on the clues.

Perhaps she found the thugs' camp, or perhaps she discovered more clues, but in any case, leaving this place and passing on the information was the most important task.

But what lies before her now is an even more terrifying and difficult-to-cope reality.

Her infiltration failed; she was discovered, not by the people here, but by the more elusive, almost ubiquitous red mist.

They found Alex, who seemed out of place here, surrounded her, and wandered with her through the chaotic town.

She should have reacted sooner, but she didn't realize it, and never did.

She only noticed it when the fog first tried to affect her sanity and appeared before her.

Those men, those cowboys, wearing cowboy hats and holding weapons, were aiming at Alex in the road.

Their expressions were almost identical, as if someone was manipulating their emotions, affecting their reason, and ravaging their souls.

fear.

They held their weapons, their arms trembling slightly, fingers on the triggers, all aiming at the outsiders.

Alex was an outsider, so they were prepared to attack.

But they were unwilling; these free-spirited madmen would never choose to obey anyone's orders or become anyone's subordinate.

Why are they gathered here? Why do they look so afraid? Why can't they make a sound?

Perhaps the question itself is the answer, because fear prevents them from leaving and leaves them with no other choice.

Within this crimson mist, the figure never ceased its approach, its movements as elusive as a ghost, entirely unlike its incredibly robust physique.

He seemed to be the red mist itself, passing through the layers of surrounding crowd, and came to Alex.

A red body, a robust physique, and malicious eyes—a symbol of evil.

He may be the embodiment of the devil, the most fitting representation of the concept of the devil in the hearts of countless people.

Everyone was terrified. They kept backing away, but they dared not move too fast. They could only retreat slightly again and again, trying to make their movements as inconspicuous as possible.

Of course, he wouldn't care about those things now, because the figure standing in front of him was a self-proclaimed powerful and arrogant figure.

"Before the battle begins, I will allow you to say your last words."

He is not a demon crawling out of hell; he is just an ordinary person who has gained endless power. Therefore, he still has his own rationality to communicate and to commit even more heinous acts of violence.

Compared to the demon, the malice he displayed seemed more deliberate and more repulsive.

Alex reached into his pocket, his lips curling into a grin, but he didn't seem to be smiling at all.

“I’m glad you’re willing to answer the questions. So, as you wish, I’m curious about where your power comes from, what your identity is, and whether you understand the origin and meaning of this red mist.”

"There are a lot of questions... but I will answer them, so after this, I hope you can hold on a little longer instead of breaking at the slightest touch."

He arrogantly covered his head, like a comical clown, and everything he did was laughable and exaggerated.