The cracks that appeared during the last retreat from the nightmare world have long since healed themselves, and the grass has regained its usual lush green and softness.
But everyone remembers what's hidden beneath this meadow.
The Chaldea Savior Team is now fully assembled.
Four people in the front row.
Metatron stood at the very front.
Heracles stood to her left.
Karna is on the right.
Mash a deep breath, held the Round Table Shield horizontally in front of her chest, and stood in the gap between the three people.
Four people in the back row.
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada stood casually with his arms crossed over his chest, as if he were about to go for a walk.
Semiramis stood beside him, her black hair and skirt fluttering gently in the still air, her fingertips shrouded in a purplish-black poisonous mist.
Astolfo had already mounted his Hippogriff, his long pink braids swaying behind him, a slender lance clutched in his hand, and an excited smile on his face.
Atalanta stood at the far side, her ears perked up, catching every subtle sound around her.
Lastly.
Ritsuka Fujimaru and Merlin.
Merlin had already put away her lace parasol, and held her Magecraft wand in her right hand with the tip pointing downwards.
Her usual languid and dreamy eyes had shed their usual allure, replaced by a sharp focus that belonged to the very essence of a dream demon.
"Are you ready?" Ritsuka Fujimaru asked.
No one answered.
Because no answer is needed.
" Merlin."
"Um."
Merlin raised her long staff and plunged the tip into the grass at her feet.
A pale golden light spread from the tip of the staff, drawing a circular spell array about ten meters in diameter on the ground.
The emerald green grass cracked open like glass, fragments flying upwards to reveal the breathtaking dark red sky below.
The entrance to the nightmare world has been torn open once again.
The stench of decay, the stagnant air, and the sickly red light all rushed out from the crack.
"Jump."
Metatron was the first to step into the crack.
Heracles followed closely behind, his heavy body plummeting to the ground.
Karna, Mash, Amakusa, Semiramis, Atalanta followed in that order.
Astolfo, riding his Hippogriff, swooped down and charged in, shouting, "Charge!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru and Merlin were the last to land.
The moment their feet touched the scorched, cracked ground of the nightmare world, everyone's senses were forcibly distorted.
The sky was dark red, and the clouds had congealed into blood-clot-like clumps.
The air was thick and stuffy; every breath felt like inhaling diluted mud.
The distant horizon was distorted and warped, like a piece of paper crumpled by an unseen hand.
Then it came.
The ground began to shake.
The footsteps coming from afar sounded like the earth itself resonating with fear.
At the edge of the horizon, a black silhouette slowly rises.
A height exceeding 100 meters.
Dark black muscles.
Huge goat horns.
Dark purple bat wings.
Chains wrapped around the entire body.
Green Hellfire coiled around the claws.
Belphegor's Rage Mode is a phantom.
It spotted the intruder.
The roar tore through the sky of the nightmare world.
"Front line, engage the enemy! Back line, spread out!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru's instructions were clear and decisive.
Metatron rose from the ground, wings fully spread, and holy flames condensed into two lightsabers in his hands, shooting straight at the phantom's face.
Heracles didn't jump at all; he simply stomped a deep hole in the ground beneath his feet and shot towards Phantom's calf like a cannonball.
The blade of the axe-sword, carrying a violent burst of energy, struck the phantom's dark shinbone.
boom.
The shockwave overturned the ground within a radius of fifty meters.
Karna followed closely behind.
The spear spun in his hand, the red flames gathering at its tip like a miniature sun, aimed straight at the phantom's knee joint.
Mash didn't charge forward; instead, she positioned herself between the front and rear lines, her shield raised, ready to provide cover for anyone who needed it.
The phantom's right claw slammed down from above.
Metatron dodged to the side, the Holy Flame Light Sword slicing through his claws and severing several finger-sized fragments. The fragments regenerated within two seconds of hitting the ground.
Just like last time.
But this time their goal wasn't to defeat the phantom, but to stall it.
Semiramis!
Amakusa Shirou's voice came from behind.
"Knew."
Semiramis flicked dozens of purplish-black poison mist arrows from his fingertips, aiming precisely at the phantom's eyes.
The poisonous mist arrow struck the phantom's face, causing no real damage, but the dense poisonous mist obscured its vision.
The phantom roared and swung its claws to disperse the poisonous mist. Those two seconds of visual obstruction were enough for Metatron to reposition himself and launch a " The Flame Is Here " attack from a blind spot.
The holy flame laser pierced through the phantom's shoulder.
The wound heals within half a second.
With the support of the back row, the pressure on the front row is indeed much less than last time.
Atalanta stood on a raised rock, her bowstring taut, arrow released from the bow.
One arrow. Two arrows. Three arrows.
The three arrows were shot at the phantom's left eye, right knee, and the joint of the chain on his waist.
The arrow wasn't powerful enough to harm the phantom, but its precise placement successfully distracted it, forcing it to use one hand to block.
Astolfo rode his Hippogriff, circling high above the Mirage, occasionally swooping down to tap its horn with his lance before immediately pulling back up.
Pure harassment.
The phantom was attacked from both sides, disrupting its attack rhythm.
Meanwhile, at the very back, Merlin had already begun her real work.
She knelt on one knee, the tip of her Magecraft wand piercing the ground of the nightmare world.
A pale golden light seeped from the tip of the staff into the depths of the earth, extending deeper like roots.
Merlin closed her eyes.
She was searching for the third layer, the entrance to the deepest part of the dream.
This will take time.
The phantom clearly sensed what she was doing.
Its attack frequency suddenly increased.
The giant claw slammed down repeatedly, and Metatron and Heracles each took a hit, both being knocked back dozens of meters.
Karna came to his aid from the side, his spear blocking the third claw strike, but the immense difference in strength slammed him into the ground.
Mash forward, her shield held above Karna.
" Shield of Human Order That Builds Hope."
The conceptual barrier deployed, blocking the claw force that continued to press down.
Mash's arms were trembling, and her teeth were clenched so tightly they were grinding.
" Amakusa! Share the firepower!" Ritsuka Fujimaru shouted.
Amakusa Shirou spread his arms, and two orbs of light, one blue and one black, appeared from his palms.
Instead of attacking the phantom directly, he created a series of explosions at the phantom's feet, shattering and churning the ground, forcing the phantom to adjust its center of gravity.
Semiramis seized the opportunity to release a large veil of poisonous mist, which enveloped the phantom's entire lower body.
A brief respite.
Ritsuka Fujimaru's eyes swept quickly across the battlefield.
He was observing.
Then he saw something strange.
The phantom's right claw swept out, carrying green Hellfire, across the entire right side of the battlefield.
Karna was forced to jump and dodge.
Amakusa Shirou rolled backward to dodge.
Semiramis was scrambled.
But Astolfo, also in the right-hand area, was riding his Hippogriff right in the path of the sweeping attack when the claw suddenly veered away from him less than three meters away.
It felt like being pushed by some unseen force.
The claws grazed Astolfo's side without touching a single hair on his head.
Ritsuka Fujimaru's pupils contracted slightly.
He continued to observe.
The phantom swept its other arm across the ground, kicking up a large amount of gravel and dust.
Heracles took the blow head-on, and a deep groove was smashed into his body.
Mash raised her shield to block, but was pushed back more than twenty meters.
But Atalanta, who was also within the range of the arm's sweep, did not see the ground beneath her feet move at all.
The force noticeably weakened as it approached her, eventually creating only a barely noticeable gust of wind.
Atalanta herself was stunned for a moment, looking down at her feet, then at Heracles who had been smashed away in the distance, her ears twitching in confusion.
This is no coincidence.
Ritsuka Fujimaru has confirmed it.
During the battle, Belphegor's Wrath phantoms will consciously avoid attacking Astolfo and Atalanta.
They attacked Heracles, Karna, Metatron, Mash, Amakusa, and Semiramis without hesitation.
Only against those two people, every attack would be deflected, weakened, or even completely bypassed as it approached.
This is strange.
The phantom is a shadow unconsciously projected by Belphegor while he is asleep.
Unconscious projection.
However, even unconscious behavior is influenced by some underlying logic.
The source of that underlying logic can only be one possibility.
Mukuro Hoshimiya.
Belphegor's true form originated from the Spirit Origin of Mukuro Hoshimiya. Even in his Demon Lord form, at the very core, Mukuro Hoshimiya's will and memories still influence Belphegor's actions.
This includes the degree of hostility towards a specific target.
" Astolfo!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru shouted towards the sky.
The Hippogriff swooped down from the height with Astolfo on its back, pulling him up in front of Ritsuka Fujimaru. Astolfo leaned halfway out to look down.
"What's the matter?"
Come down here for a moment! I need to ask you something!
Astolfo flipped off the Hippogriff and landed lightly next to Ritsuka Fujimaru.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?"
What's your relationship with Mukuro Hoshimiya like?
Astolfo tilted his head.
"Me and Mukuro?"
He thought about it.
"Of course we're friends!"
The tone was as matter-of-fact as if it were the sun rising in the east.
"We even rescued a cyborg together before."
"Later, Mukuro would share treats with me and him, like candy and bagels."
Astolfo patted his pocket.
"Ah, I've already eaten all the candy in my pocket. What a pity."
Ritsuka Fujimaru's mind was racing.
friend.
Mukuro Hoshimiya considers Astolfo a friend.
Therefore, Belphegor's phantom will not attack him.
What about Atalanta?
Ritsuka Fujimaru recalled the memories Atalanta had previously regained.
The Trifas, Hoshimiya Atalanta ate with Mukuro Hoshimiya and Achilles, who called her " Atalanta-nyan " and told her the truth about the Holy Grail.
Although they are on opposing sides, Mukuro Hoshimiya clearly harbors no ill will towards Atalanta.
One could even say that she harbored some degree of affection for Atalanta.
Therefore, the phantom will not attack Atalanta.
Looking at it from the other side.
The phantom's attacks on Heracles were the most ferocious.
Because Heracles was the one who wielded that golden sword and sealed her angelic side Spirit Origin.
Show no mercy to Karna.
Needless to say, this also applies to Metatron.
Angels and demons are natural opposites.
The distribution of hostility in Belphegor's phantoms perfectly corresponds to Mukuro Hoshimiya's own emotional attitude towards each person.
This illustrates something very important.
Even after the Spirit Origin Inversion, Mukuro Hoshimiya's will still linger at the core of Belphegor's behavior.
She's still here.
She hasn't completely disappeared.
Ritsuka Fujimaru looked at the people still fighting on the battlefield in the distance, then turned to look at Astolfo beside her.
" Astolfo, after Merlin opens the entrance to the deepest part of the dream, I need you and Atalanta to come with me."
"Huh? Why is it just the two of us?"
"Because that phantom won't attack you. You are recognized as people in Mukuro Hoshimiya's consciousness."
"If the two of you accompany me to see her, it will be much easier to persuade her to end the dream."
Astolfo blinked.
Then he laughed.
"You mean Mukuro still considers me a friend?"
Even after turning into a demon, you still can't bear to hit me?
His smile grew even brighter.
"Of course I'll go! How can I not help a friend in need!"
He gripped his lance tightly and gave Ritsuka Fujimaru a thumbs-up.
"Leave it to me!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru nodded and turned to look at Merlin.
Merlin remained kneeling on the ground, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead, the tip of her cane deeply embedded in the earth.
The pale golden light spread wider and wider around her, and fine cracks began to appear on the ground, emanating a light that was deeper and darker than that of the nightmare world.
That's the entrance to the third floor.
It's being pried open little by little.