Why Not Form a Band for Life

"This is..." Nijika opened her eyes groggily. She moved her hands and found they were already bandaged. Ryo held her head, "Rest a little longer."

"This is so weird..." Nijika touched the bandage on her left hand, made from strips of cloth from her own clothes. She felt a draft from her sleeve, "Ryo, you actually know how to take care of someone... But using a patient's clothes as bandages, that's so like you."

Starlight surged through Nijika's body, healing her. Through the faint light, she saw Ryo's expression remained indifferent, "It depends."

Since Nijika had woken up, her recovery was very fast. The two set off again. Turning a corner, they saw a distant fire.

Fire?

They quickly quickened their pace. The distant fire gradually turned into fireflies dancing in the air, and then into a girl rushing towards them.

"Senpai--!" Kita threw herself into their arms, sobbing loudly. "It was so boring being alone-- I'm so glad I found you guys--"

Seeing Kita's carefree face, Nijika's mood immediately improved. However, they weren't completely out of danger yet. The joy of reunion was quickly suppressed, and the three discussed their respective situations.

"When I woke up, there was only a skeleton next to me, it scared me to death!" Kita gestured wildly, describing the situation. "Everyone was gone. Although I could feel everyone's condition, I was really scared-- Oh, that skeleton! I saw some letters like Latin characters near it, and!" Kita proudly paused, teasing them.

Ryo looked indifferent, only Nijika cooperatively asked, "And what?"

Kita's next words, however, startled them both: "I found the way out!"

Kita led them to where she woke up. It was similar to where Nijika and Ryo had woken up. The difference was that the exit of the space was located low down, allowing for easy entry and exit. The first thing they saw upon entering was a skeleton lying on the ground. The skeleton had been lying there for who knows how many years. Ryo poked it lightly with her bass, and it turned to dust. Beside it, faint writing could indeed be seen.

"Never mind that, look at this!" Kita waved at them. She pressed a recessed part of the wall, and the wall immediately cracked open, revealing a long flight of stone steps behind it. Faint sunlight streamed into the room.

"This door was open when I woke up. I tried going up, and it really led to the surface. I wanted to find everyone and come back together, but I was afraid that if I left, I wouldn't be able to find this place again, so I put some fires outside the door. As long as someone passed by, they would definitely see them..." Kita hadn't spoken to anyone for a long time and was rambling on, unable to hold back.

Before Nijika could react, Kita screamed, "Senpai, behind you!"

At the open doorway, a giant skeleton had appeared at some point, about to squeeze in!

In the cramped space, there was no time to react!

"I'm sorry, I'm late!" Shackles appeared out of nowhere on the skeleton, and immense pressure pinned it to the ground, immobilizing it!

"...Hmph!" With a weak, reluctant grunt, a torrent of blood-yellow murky water enveloped the skeleton, swallowing it whole.

The three in the room were overjoyed: "(Little) Shiko! (Little) Bocchi!"

"Yes, I am!" Shiko stood dramatically at the doorway, with someone too ashamed to show themselves behind her.

"(Saving people at the perfect moment really is the best entrance!)" Shiko mentally flipped her bangs. She would never admit that the scene just now was entirely staged by her with Hitori's willing cooperation.

Everyone welcomed Shiko and the other person without any reservations. Shiko, however, felt a little embarrassed, "First, I want to apologize for my reckless plan earlier..."

"What plan?" Nijika thought for a moment before reacting, "Oh, that. It's fine, it was a result of me indulging you anyway."

"We wouldn't have found the way out without Wu-san," Kita said, instead thanking Shiko.

"I agreed to it back then anyway," Ryo said nonchalantly.

Regardless, the five-person team was finally reunited. Although it hadn't been that long, everyone felt as if ages had passed.

"There's an exit here too?" Shiko saw the door next to Kita. "Actually, we found one too, so we came to find you guys..."

"You guys too?" Nijika looked at Kita, then at Shiko. Originally, they could have escaped on their own, leaving Nijika and the others behind. But they had all chosen to wait for the others.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say thank you. But in the end, she replaced it with a brilliant smile, "Then let's go! Back to CiRCLE!"

"(If it were me, I would definitely wait to leave with everyone else!)"

Marina stood at the entrance of CiRCLE. She was waiting for the girls to return. A banner reading "Welcome Back Victorious" was hung at the entrance, and food and six sets of bowls and chopsticks were already prepared on the table. However, before the Kessoku Band girls appeared on the horizon, another familiar figure did.

Chapter 17 Dungeon Settlement

Seven people—if you count the one on Shiko's back and the bag of ashes Kita was carrying—climbed upwards, panting. Along the way, their footsteps echoed in the narrow passage. The senior's ashes rattled in the urn, but it didn't affect the mood of the five at all.

"Oh! My sun!" As the five stood in the sunlight again, Kita spread her arms towards the sun.

"I actually kind of miss the underground environment..." In complete contrast to Kita's excitement, Hitori curled into a ball, refusing the sunlight, like a creature accustomed to the darkness of the underground.

This was not the entrance they had used before, but they hadn't strayed too far and could still find their way back. With a final glance at the hole behind them, Shiko shook the canvas bag on her back and was about to leave, comparing it to the surrounding environment.

The canvas bag twitched at this moment.

Shiko froze. The canvas bag moved again.

"Waaaaah--" Kita threw the urn she was holding away. Her urn was also vibrating on its own.

Nijika's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly threw the bag on her back far away. The two bags tumbled on the ground, like fish jumping out of water.

"I-is it haunted--" Nijika was already hugging Kita, shrinking behind the other three. Shiko also felt a bit traumatized, shamefully hiding behind Hitori.

The commotion from the two bags grew louder. Shiko's compatriot's skull jumped out first, then the entire skeleton. As soon as it was exposed to the sun, it turned into stardust, swirling in the air. Before the group could stop it, it drilled into Hitori's... Shiko's body behind her! Shiko's eyes lost their luster, and she immediately collapsed to the ground.

Kita, behind Shiko, rushed to help her up. At this moment, specks of starlight flew out of that urn and drilled into Kita's head. This shock made Kita unable to stand either, and she fell straight onto Shiko.

Shiko seemed to see a figure. It was a woman in ancient clothing, who nodded slightly at her, dropped a jade slip, and slowly dissipated.

"Wait!" Shiko ran towards the woman, but her hand passed through the woman's body, only grasping the jade slip.

The jade slip still seemed to retain the woman's body temperature, delicate and warm.

The three helped Shiko and Kita lie flat on the ground. Nijika was trying her best to rescue them.

Shiko opened her eyes. The three helped her up. She didn't notice, murmuring something. "What?" Nijika tried to hear clearly. Shiko then reacted. In the blink of an eye, the woman had vanished like foam, and her three teammates were still in front of her.

Shiko pressed her forehead, slowly processing the memories that had suddenly appeared in her mind. "I... I know some things." Just as Shiko was about to explain, she noticed Kita still lying beside her. "Let's wait until she wakes up."

A thousand years ago, in the place where the six girls now resided, there lived another group of young women. They too were sent from reality, gaining immense power from the radiance within their hearts, searching for a way home in a dangerous wilderness. During their adventures, they encountered girls from other civilizations, becoming companions, exploring together, and forging strong friendships. In endless battles, some sacrificed themselves, and the remaining ones moved forward with their companions' dying wishes, eventually standing before the sky-piercing tower at the heart of the wilderness. If they could defeat the lone wolf at the tower's summit—the being that sent them here—they could leave. However, they failed. The girls' blood stained the tower's body, and laments echoed through the wilderness. Knowing they were outmatched, the survivors chose to sacrifice themselves, leaving their radiance to those who came after.

The rock cave they escaped from was one of the predecessors' final works—Changyang Earth · Xingtian. It fused the radiance of many girls and devoured countless monsters, accumulating power. When the day of its preparation is complete, the headless giant will emerge from the earth, brandishing its shield and axe to dance, becoming a great aid to those who come after.

The two sets of bones they brought out were left behind by two predecessors. They had exhausted their radiance, leaving a sliver of their remaining spiritual light to the two before completely vanishing.

"Predecessors..." After hearing Shiko and Kita's descriptions, Nijika looked towards the exit they had escaped from with a sigh. A small opening, now appearing so profound.

"The predecessors sacrificed themselves so we could succeed. As long as we can defeat that wolf later, we'll have honored them," Kita comforted Nijika instead. "Let's see what the predecessors gave us first."

None of the monsters killed in the cave left behind orbs. This was a declaration of failure for one of their original objectives: finding prey. They could only hope that after an unknown amount of time, the monsters scared away by that black shadow earlier would return.

"In the status panel... something seems to have been added..." Ichiri cautiously reminded everyone. They all looked and saw a new line of text in the panel's [Additional] section:

Latercomers: Actions within [Changyang Earth · Xingtian] are unaffected by special environmental conditions.

"Is this a gift from the two predecessors? Does it mean that even if we go back into the cave now, we won't be affected by those strange influences anymore?"

However, since there was no treasure or anything inside, they probably didn't need to go back.

"There are no other changes besides this," Nijika looked at Shiko and Kita. "You two should have something else, right?"

The jade slip Shiko obtained in the illusion had appeared in her status panel.

[Tianhe Tongxuan Fumo Baolu]: Replicates seen skills. Can be used once after replication.

This was originally the ability of that predecessor, now materialized. Shiko didn't need to understand the jade slip's structure; she could directly manifest it. Of course, her current abilities were limited; maintaining the existence of five jade slips at the same time was her absolute limit.

After hearing Shiko's explanation, Nijika clearly showed envy. Especially when Shiko produced a jade slip: "When you healed me earlier, I already recorded that kind of starlight. Look—" Shiko broke it, and starlight, just like before, rained down. Nijika bathed in her own starlight, a rather peculiar sensation.

(If only I had a similar item before... Never mind, I have my own role. I can't be envious of others.) Nijika put away her dejection.

Ryo also took a similar jade slip: "Let me try too—why won't it break?" She initially applied slight force, then used her full strength. However, no matter how hard Ryo tried, the jade slip didn't change at all. The others also tried, eventually discovering that only Shiko herself could use this item.

"This is the downside of not understanding the structure; there's a limit to the maximum holding capacity, and various other restrictions..."

"Okay, then what about Little Kita?" Before Shiko could finish complaining, Nijika abruptly changed the subject.

Kita proudly displayed her status panel:

Kita Kita

Skills: SNS Account Operation Lv10, Electric Guitar Technique Lv2, Vocal Technique Lv6, [Dawn of Atonement] Lv10

Nijika's first concern wasn't her skills: "You can change that name back now, we all know your real name."

"This is a maiden's stubbornness~ Anyway, look at the skill I gained!"

"The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is very grave, and their sin is exceedingly heavy, and their cry has come up to me.—Genesis 18:20"

"Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven.—Genesis 19:24"

Inspired by the destruction of Sodom, the skill created by that nameless predecessor adapted to Kita's abilities, causing God's wrath to descend from heaven, and all sinners on earth would suffer eternal fire.

"Cool," Shiko instantly forgot about her own skill. "So how strong is it?"

It was a large-area AOE, but they couldn't find a place to test it. Even Kita herself didn't know how powerful it truly was.

A slight noise came from the distance. Judging by the sound, a monster was approaching.

The gazes of several people focused on Kita.

"Should I chant some incantation or something?" Facing the monster in front of her, which looked like a pile of kneaded clay, Kita rubbed her hands excitedly.

"Use this!" Shiko's eyes lit up, and she pulled out a piece of paper.

Kita blinked. The paper in front of her was filled with chuunibyou-level incantations, but since a request had been made, then...

"Explode, reality!"

"Shatter, spirit!"

"My name is Hii... Kita, the foremost genius of the Crimson Demon Clan(?), a user of explosive magic."

"Vast night, end here!"

"The star of the separation of heaven and earth!!!"

The world turned red.

Fire rained down from heaven; judgment had come.

The ugly, the beautiful, the strong, the weak, all monsters that walked upon the land would be destroyed along with the land that bore them.

Before Kita could see the results of her actions, she fainted.

"How... was it?" After Nijika's efforts, she woke up. (I didn't expect this skill to consume so much energy. I can't use it carelessly.)

"You can see for yourself." Everyone else had a strange "I don't know how to say it" expression. Kita looked in the direction she had cast her spell.

"Huh?"

The earth was burning. Her vision was filled with scorched red, and lava was flowing. Where were the monsters? Even the orbs that should have been there had turned to ash. It was a miniature hell, the size of CiRCLE.

"This... I did this?" Kita raised her hands, still not believing she now possessed such immense power.

Ryo clapped Kita on the shoulder: "I'll leave hunting to you from now on. I'm not going out anymore."

"No," Nijika immediately put her hand on Ryo's shoulder. "Kita, consider this skill your ultimate move. It's best to use it when I've given you enough buffs."

"Since Nijika's here, you can use it freely. Why do you need me to go out?"

"In short, no!"

Kita looked at the two bickering. Even though she had gained a powerful ability, she wasn't very happy. Because...

All the way here, whether it was the two upperclassmen, Wu-san, or Gotou-san, their relationships seemed to have improved compared to before...

Was she the only one being excluded?

Without noticing someone's little thoughts, Shiko put away a jade slip that had turned crimson. She had just successfully copied this skill. Compared to creating jade slips, the cost of copying was negligible.

"(Let's call it [Ten Directions Illumination Sun Purification True Talisman]... pretty cool.)"

On the way back, Nijika noticed Ichiri hesitating to speak multiple times.

"What's wrong, Bocchi?"

Ichiri turned her head away and finally spoke, "Actually... I also obtained some things..."

"Eh?" Shiko didn't even know about this.

"After assimilating a slime-like monster, my abilities changed..." Ichiri said, holding a ball of water in her palm. As she willed it, the water gradually turned blood-yellow. Ichiri sprinkled it on the ground, and the turbid water instantly corroded the soil and rocks, while also consuming her. By the time the turbid water had completely dissipated, a large pit had appeared on the ground.

Hitori Goto

Skills: Electric Guitar Technique Lv10, [Yomi Ferry] Lv1

[Yomi Ferry]: Transforms water into corrosive water from the underworld, with a special attack against living beings.

In terms of destructive power, it's not as good as Kita's. In terms of versatility, it's not as good as Shiko's. However, this buff has no consumption at all and enhances Ichiri's originally lacking direct attack power.