Fujimaru Ritsuka did not know why, but she felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had been here before.
Of course, the feeling was not from the "Black River Mountain" she had once visited with her father and mother, but from the one before her—
Where torrential rain poured down, surrounded by a sea of fire.
Black River Mountain.
She pursed her lips, licked the raindrops that had fallen onto them into her mouth, then started forward. Avoiding the flames burning for some unknown reason, she made her way down the steep slope along the ridge.
There was a figure in the middle of the lake. Who was that? The culprit behind this Singularity and the disappearances? Or was it the Mountain God?
Or perhaps it was both?
Gripping the simplified Divine Authority Seal with both hands, Fujimaru Ritsuka cautiously approached the lakeshore.
The drifting downpour obscured her vision, while the heat of the flames roasted her until her head spun.
"Who are you—?"
For some reason, she felt that something was wrong with her mind, but she still forced herself to call out.
She could see that, upon hearing her call, that shadow-like being turned around, as though looking at her.
"Compared to the last time you left this place, you seem even more lost now."
That voice rang beside her ear.
At the sudden sound, Fujimaru Ritsuka's body stiffened violently.
"Understandable. When you left, it was inevitably rather hurried."
"So who exactly are you?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka's rigid body began to tremble involuntarily.
".You will know the answer, but not now."
After a moment of silence, the person shook their head and spoke to Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"Then—did you create this Singularity?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka asked again.
The figure raised its head and met Fujimaru Ritsuka's gaze.
Whoosh—
BOOM!!!
A