At the other end of the abyssal passage lay endless distortion and chaos.
A huge, pitch-black vortex that defied description was slowly turning.
Despair, sorrow, hatred, deathly silence...
Countless negative emotions surged from the vortex's center, contaminating everything around it.
"Eternal Night, if you've come, then come. Why shake the passage?"
Layer upon layer of voices rang out, carrying a hint of displeasure.
"Look, this humble monk still has to find a reasonable pretext to lend humanity a hand."
Directly above the vortex, a woman dressed in a black gown reclined sideways in the void.
Her bearing was languid, as though she had long since fallen asleep.
Her height was clearly no different from that of an ordinary human woman, yet as she lay there, her presence was no less overwhelming than the boundless vortex below.
In response to Beiku's complaint, the woman took a long time before finally speaking in a slow voice.
"Beiku, it's nothing more than... a few more... ants dying."
Her voice was soft and soothing, as though she were chanting an ancient lullaby.
Yet the powers of annihilation and eternal sleep contained within it made Ghost Mother and the Great Dream, who had hidden in the depths of the endless chaos, shudder together and retreat farther away.
"Haah—!"
A long sigh drifted over.
The enormous vortex twisted and collapsed, finally transforming into a humanoid figure seemingly made of black tar. It stood beside Eternal Night.
"Eternal Night, how many times have I told you? Humanity is still useful. Why can't you ever listen?"
"Sleep less in ordinary times and use your brain more. First figure out who's a friend and who's an enemy."
"You're still... so... hypocritical..."
Eternal Night's voice was exceedingly slow, like someone murmuring in a dream.
"So... noisy..."
Beiku pressed his palms