"What is this...?"
Octopus Lady stared at the little golden cicada that had suddenly appeared in her hand and fell into thought.
After briefly examining it, she had roughly grasped the item's function.
If she were in the real world, possessing such an item would be an immensely powerful advantage.
But she was currently in the God Realm, standing upon the Final Stage.
The trials consisted of real memories that had occurred in the past.
As someone who had lived through them—and repeated them in countless cycles—
it was simply impossible for her to place herself in a certain-death predicament.
Could it be meant to let her survive after failing the trial and escape the God Realm?
A single epic-quality item was nowhere near enough to accomplish that.
Unless...
The person who had sent this item wanted her to change her way of thinking and put herself in a certain-death situation?
At that thought, a trace of suspicion suddenly appeared on Octopus Lady's numb, despairing face.
It was this suspicion that made her reconsider the entire trial and ponder which scenes might require this epic-quality item, [Undying Cicada Shell].
"Put myself in a certain-death situation... and rise anew through destruction?"
Octopus Lady murmured to herself.
Black Whale's familiar voice sounded beside her ear:
"My dear Matilda, once the war is over..."
Octopus Lady's thoughts stalled, and she could not help raising her head to look at Black Whale again.
Another cycle had begun.
Though she knew the ending would be tragic, being able to enjoy the present and savor a moment of happiness was still a good thing.
With that in mind, Octopus Lady intended to put away the [Undying Cicada Shell] for now and listen earnestly once more.
Yet, to her surprise, Black Whale suddenly stopped his affectionate confession.