"Hah...haah...hah..."
Chika lay sprawled across a rocky outcrop on the [Great Slide], utterly spent. Beside her, Takakai wasn't faring much better, though he'd mustered enough energy to pick debris from his wounds—his lost backpack leaving proper treatment impossible.
His eyes burned from fighting in silt-filled waters. Eventually, he summoned the [Rescue Team Badge] just enough to accelerate their healing, passing it briefly to Chika before storing it again.
Boom—
The floods showed no sign of relenting.
The [Red Cave]'s upper regions were drowning.
"Thanks for earlier."
Takakai turned to their savior.
"Don't mention it."
Susan's expression remained neutral.
This woman—who'd vanished through the security guard's uniform at the fire station—now reappeared here. How had she and Rick survived entering that rule-breaking [Two Guards] scenario?
"Where's your teammate?"
After confirming her benign intent via his blessing, Takakai shifted to a more relaxed posture.
"Rick went ahead. He's stronger—wanted to scout the upper areas. Left me this pistol."
Susan displayed no hesitation in answering.
"That bullet was special. Drove back a near-full transformation. Not standard issue?"
Takakai pressed.
"[Black Blood Rounds]," Susan explained. "Stops entities temporarily. Only works once per target."
Black Blood Rounds? Why not call them quicksilver bullets? The concept felt lifted straight from Bloodborne. Such consumables—like [Bone Ash] and [Purple Talismans]—were player-craftable, but their recipes were closely guarded by American and European veterans, making them prohibitively expensive in Japan.
Would a veteran like Rick really entrust such assets to a rookie?
Something felt off, but with Susan showing no hostility—and having just saved them—Takakai held his tongue.
"Time to move."
Though Chika remained motionless as a spent candle, Takakai's S-rank physique had mostly recovered. He stood, eyeing the still-rising floodwaters.
"You're not recovered yet. I'll carry you—consider it thanks for earlier."
Before Chika could process this, Takakai had her piggybacking, her arms instinctively looping around his neck.
"Eh? Ah...th-thank you, Takakai-san..."
Her mind short-circuited briefly—the cliffside ordeal still replaying behind her eyes—before settling into the rhythm of his movements.
Well...I really can't move on my own...
Her heartbeat quickened slightly as she nestled against his back.
"Going up now? The safety rope's there."
Susan pointed toward a thick yellow line nearly invisible in the raging waters.
Traversing this 100-meter slope against the current without it would be impossible. Takakai recalled the rule: Never hold the rope while it shakes—wait until stillness returns.
Ironically, despite the maelstrom, the rope remained eerily motionless—untouched by the chaos around it, like some indestructible video game prop.
Jump. Grab. Steady.
Takakai anchored himself against the torrent.
Chika locked her hands behind his neck, freeing his to grip the line. Susan followed in his wake, using his bulk as a shield against the current.
"Rope's stable. Let's move."
Testing the line's supernatural rigidity, Takakai began their arduous ascent.
The muddy deluge hammered them relentlessly.
Takakai pressed forward against the raging current, his peripheral vision catching movement.
Firefighters?
Figures in rescue gear marched steadily deeper into the [Great Slide], completely unaffected by the violent waters or steep incline before vanishing from view.
Did rescue teams actually enter here during the flood?
The [Rescue Team Rules] explicitly stated no one returning from the [Great Slide] could be trusted—meaning none had survived. Which entity had claimed them?
He considered questioning Susan behind him, but survival took absolute priority. First reach the [Plain], then gather intelligence.
Boom—
The floodwaters intensified.
Ten meters. Twenty. Thirty...
Then—
An almost imperceptible tremor in the safety line.
Nearly undetectable amid the chaos, but Takakai's enhanced reflexes caught it instantly.
"LET GO! THE ROPE'S SHAKING!"
Releasing his grip, he hammered the iron spike into rock to anchor them. Whether Susan followed suit was irrelevant now.
At first, the rope swayed gently—
—then violently, as if bearing the weight of invisible climbers.
A bloated, waterlogged hand materialized, gripping the line.
Then another.
And another.
Drowned tourists in rotting vacation attire.
Firefighters leading the spectral procession.
Creak—
The line groaned under their ghostly burden.
From above—a shout.
Snap!
The rope severed cleanly.
Both living climbers and dead plummeted into the abyss.
Yet these were mere phantoms. They passed through Takakai without contact, leaving only bone-chilling whispers in their wake.
Only those holding the rope during its tremor can interact with them...
His enhanced vision had caught the truth—the rope had been deliberately cut.
Then—
In a blink.
The rope reappeared, pristine and immovable as though untouched.
"Ta-Takakai-san...those were..."
Chika trembled against his back.
"Keep moving."
Gritting his teeth, Takakai reclaimed the line.