The Vanished Him

The tunnel was pitch black, but fortunately, Senju Kyogawa's flames were bright enough that the three of them didn't have to explore while completely blind.

"The smell of blood is very heavy here..." said Senju Chenghe, the only one currently able to ignore the strange fragrance and pick up on other scents.

When Senju Chenghe first entered the tunnel, the smell he caught was the thick, musty odor of dust and decay that comes from long-term lack of ventilation. As they ventured deeper, he could clearly smell a faint, lingering scent of blood, mixed with the stench of something burnt and even the rot of corpses.

Furthermore, the further down they went, the more Senju Chenghe felt a sense of unease—a very intense unease. His heart began to beat faster against his will, and cold sweat beaded on his temples.

"This tunnel is too long," Madara said.

They had been walking for several minutes, yet there was no sign of the end. When they shone the flames forward, they could only see a pitch-black, bottomless void that looked like an abyss.

Madara's muscles were taut, clearly prepared for battle at any moment. His eyes, bright and sharp as a hawk's, stared fixedly into the darkness ahead. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his teeth were clenched tight.

Even Senju Kyogawa, who had been relatively relaxed, began to feel tense as he was infected by the atmosphere.

System, have you detected anything? Senju Kyogawa asked the system quietly in his heart, hoping it could provide some assistance.

A few seconds later, the system replied:

[Host, I sense a strong causal law here. Perhaps the reason for the world intersection appears right here.]

"Master, I sense the aura of a space-time rift here. Perhaps I can use my space-time abilities to help you deal with the enemy," the Ugly Monster, who had been sitting obediently on Senju Kyogawa's shoulder, suddenly spoke up.

"Sss-ha~ sss-ha~ sss-ha~" The sound echoed through the hollow, silent tunnel. Upon hearing this eerie noise, Senju Chenghe and Madara whipped their heads around to glare at the source—the Ugly Monster.

"Master, why are they all staring at me?" The Ugly Monster was startled by their gazes, and its tail struck Senju Kyogawa's cheek with a "pia!" sound.

A red mark bloomed on Senju Kyogawa's cheek from the slap of the tail. He rubbed his face and explained to the Ugly Monster in his mind:

They can't understand you.

Although the Ugly Monster's strange voice had tightened the nerves of Madara and Senju Chenghe, the realization that it was a misunderstanding helped ease the frigid atmosphere.

The three continued to explore downward.

They finally reached the bottom of the tunnel. A few lamps were lit here, so it wasn't as dark anymore, and Senju Kyogawa extinguished his flames.

However...

To their surprise...

It was a three-way fork.

Senju Kyogawa asked the system and the Ugly Monster, but neither could give him a definitive answer.

Moreover, once they reached this point, although the strange fragrance became exceptionally strong, it was impossible to distinguish which path held the most potent scent.

"What should we do?" Senju Kyogawa asked. "Should we split into three groups?"

Senju Chenghe fell silent, not knowing what to do either. "My chakra seems to be blocked by something here. I can't sense the specific situation of the three paths; I can only sense that there is danger ahead."

Madara frowned and pondered for a moment before suggesting:

"Let's stick together. It's too dangerous here, and there's too much uncertainty. It's better if the three of us look out for one another."

"Right! I agree with Madara! If the three of us are together, at least we'll have company if we die," Senju Kyogawa chimed in, joking.

Without hesitation, Madara raised his hand and gave Senju Kyogawa a "knuckle sandwich," rapping him lightly on the forehead to warn him against saying such unlucky things.

Senju Kyogawa, who hadn't enabled his pain-dampening settings, unfortunately took the hit.

He let out a cry of pain, glared at Madara indignantly, and hid behind Senju Chenghe while clutching his head.

Madara sneered. He hadn't used any real force, and Senju Kyogawa was putting on quite the act. If Madara didn't know exactly how much strength he'd used, he might have actually been fooled.

Hearing Madara's sneer, Senju Kyogawa rubbed his nose, feeling a bit guilty.

"Ahem!" Senju Kyogawa cleared his throat.

He stood between the two, grabbed one of their hands in each of his, and shouted loudly:

"My minions! Charge with me! Your Great King promises to protect you!"

Hearing these ridiculous words and seeing the comical expression on Senju Kyogawa's delicate, youthful face, Senju Chenghe couldn't help but want to laugh. However, not wanting to ruin Kyogawa's mood, he struggled to hold it in.

"But Great King, you aren't even as tall as my waist~" Madara suddenly delivered a finishing blow.

Madara's remark made Senju Chenghe lose his battle with himself, and he burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Madara joined in, not forgetting to take a jab while he was at it:

"Where have you ever seen such a short Great King? Hahahaha!"

"Don't laugh!" Senju Kyogawa watched them mock him, his face turning bright red with anger.

"Ahhh! Stop laughing! What's so funny!"

After a long while, Madara and Senju Chenghe finally finished laughing.

The laughter had actually been useful; it purged the pent-up frustration the two had been carrying for the past two days. Both felt refreshed and lighthearted.

When it came down to it, this was all thanks to Senju Kyogawa.

However, while they were happy, Senju Kyogawa was still fuming.

And so, a world where only Senju Kyogawa was hurt had been achieved!

Senju Kyogawa knew the situation was critical and that this was no time for jokes or petty squabbles. A brief laugh to ease the tension had been enough; the primary task now was to uncover the secret of the Evil Demon Virus.

The three of them deliberated carefully and decided to move as a group. After all, the strength of a team was always far greater than that of a lone wolf.

However, even after pondering for a long time, the three of them could not decide which path to take first.

"Forget it, let's just pick one! Since they're all unknown anyway, we might as well leave it to luck!" Senju Kyogawa shrugged helplessly and asked for the others' opinions.

Madara and Senju Chenghe remained noncommittal, which was as good as agreeing to Senju Kyogawa's proposal.

"Alright! Since you've both defaulted to it, then... eeny, meeny, miny, moe..."

"Great! It's decided! The middle path!" Senju Kyogawa pointed to the passage directly in front of him.

Senju Kyogawa still held onto both of them, one in each hand. He narrowed his eyes, pressed his lips into a thin line, and asked the other two, "Are you ready?"

After hearing their firm replies, Senju Kyogawa pulled them forward.

"Hiss!"

"Hm?"

As soon as Senju Kyogawa stepped one foot into the passage, he suddenly realized that the two people he had been holding had vanished.

He whipped his head around to look behind him, only to find that the space had turned into a solid wall.