Chapter Thirty-Eight: Eden (Happy Birthday, Banana Brother~) / Chapter Thirty-Nine: My Favorite Has Become Two

PAREO gave an awkward military salute. "Yes, PAREO!" She scampered away.

CHU? looked at her. "What are you going to do?"

Something flashed in Shiko's hand, and a miniature airship appeared. "I'll make a small unmanned airship and send it ahead to scout the way."

"..." Yukina said nothing. As they continued forward, she could see the coastline more clearly.

Scorched earth.

That was her only impression of the land.

The charred coastline, charred mountains, charred trees—and a crimson river flowing into this inland sea. It was as if the entire continent had burned in a raging inferno, and when the flames finally died out, only ashes remained.

That place is hell itself, she thought.

At the river mouth, there was a clear dividing line between the river and the sea. It seemed the anomaly there had not affected this side, which eased Yukina's mind somewhat. Without needing to be told, the airship had already come to a hover.

Ako ran over with PAREO, and she and Shiko quickly finished their work.

The model was released. Several pairs of eyes followed it as it slowly moved into the distance.

Gradually, the small airship shrank into a white dot in their field of vision. Now, only CHU? could still track it. CHU? watched as the model continued forward, drawing closer and closer to that layer of darkness.

The model disappeared into the black smoke.

At that instant, CHU?'s eyes jolted.

A brilliant light flashed out, briefly cleaving through the black smoke. It enveloped the tiny intruder and burned it into nothingness in an instant.

Shiko grunted. Her jade slip had been damaged by an external force for the first time.

Yukina narrowed her eyes. To her, that light had been so bright that it had briefly usurped the sun's place.

It