It seemed he wasn't dead yet.
The thought drifted hazily through Takakai's mind.
Unlike Miko's iron rod hallucination in the first loop, Takakai had taken twenty full-force swings from a solid metal pipe—each strike equivalent to, if not stronger than, a full-powered blow from a grown man.
The fact that he wasn't beaten to death on the spot was solely due to his enhanced physique.
But even so, his condition was critical.
The damage to his body had reached a point where death could come at any moment. The only reason he was still breathing was sheer willpower.
Don't pass out…
If I black out now… I'm done for…
Takakai forced himself to keep going.
His mind was foggy, his limbs broken, yet he crawled forward through sheer instinct.
"Hah… hah…"
His ragged breaths were punctuated by a girl's soft laughter.
Was it Miko's voice?
No.
It was [Alice]—the thing possessing Miko.
Takakai could barely see or hear anything anymore.
Yet [Alice]'s voice pierced through the haze, unnaturally clear.
The rescue team badge had been thrown away.
There was no way to survive now.
But Takakai refused to give up.
He kept crawling, kept thinking, searching for one last chance.
[Sensei~ Won't you talk to Alice?]
A playful voice whispered in his ear.
[If you stay silent, you'll run out of time~]
Then—the sound of something approaching.
That familiar presence…
The flesh amalgamation was back.
Why the hell is this thing still chasing me?! Does it have a built-in GPS or something?!
Takakai wanted to curse, but his mouth was filled with blood.
He couldn't speak.
He couldn't think of a way out.
Broken limbs.Shattered organs.A skull fracture?
He needed healing, or he'd die.
But he was underground, and the badge was outside the school. Even if he were unharmed, retrieving it would be impossible—let alone in his current state.
So then…
Takakai's mind calmed.
He felt the flesh horror's approach…
And realized what he had to do.
All that's left… is to gamble.
"Hah…"
A sharp, deep breath.
Then—
His remaining eye flashed crimson.
With his shattered arm, he pushed off the ground—
—and lunged straight into the writhing mass of flesh.
[Aww, sensei~ Why do you keep throwing yourself into danger? Can't you just behave~?]
Alice pouted, sitting cross-legged on the floor as she watched.
Meanwhile, Takakai was swallowed whole.
Agony.
The rotting flesh assimilated him, trying to absorb him into the monstrosity.
Without his blessings, he would've been digested instantly.
But even now, on the brink of death, as long as he had stamina left, he could hold on.
He could fight.
And then—
I can sense them.
Every relic he'd thrown into this thing…
Every horror summoned by those relics…
All of them were trapped inside, sealed away alongside the students and teachers the monstrosity had devoured.
None could escape.
This was his chance.
Blind, bleeding, barely conscious—
Takakai forced his way through the darkness, surged forward—
—and burst out the other side.
The Escape
[Hmm? Is sensei still struggling~? Alice doesn't understand~ Does sensei want to die or not~?]
Alice tilted her head, watching the flesh horror with curiosity.
She stood, stepping onto the monstrosity without fear.
It didn't—couldn't—harm her.
Then—
RIIIP—!
Takakai tore free, rolling across the floor before forcing himself up.
His body was a ruin—
—but his wounds were healing at a visible rate.
Bones knitted back together.
Flesh regenerated.
In seconds, he was standing again.
"Finally… I found a way."
Naked, covered in blood, Takakai stared down the flesh horror—and the girl sitting atop it.
In his hand—a pill bottle.
A relic from Nutty Putty Cave, capable of rapid healing.
Normally, it was high-risk—usable only once per dungeon, with a second dose summoning a horror.
But just now—
He'd swallowed five pills at once.
His near-fatal injuries had vanished.
And the horror that should've attacked him?
Trapped inside the flesh monstrosity, utterly suppressed.
I was an idiot.
Takakai realized his mistake.
Twilight-grade relics were useless in Scarlet Moon dungeons—because they'd summon their horrors uncontrollably.
But the reverse was also true.
Scarlet Moon horrors could suppress Twilight-grade ones.
Meaning—
If I let a Scarlet Moon horror "eat" the relic's curse…
I can use the relicsafely.
Of course, Twilight relics were still weak in a Scarlet Moon dungeon—but for healing items, that didn't matter.
Four pills left.
There were way more when I first got this…
Ah, right. The horror's sealed, so its power's weaker. Less "medicine."
But it doesn't matter. This is enough.
The Standoff
[Clap clap clap~!]
Alice applauded, smiling brightly.
The flesh horror had vanished.
The room was pitch-black again.
Another hallucination.
But this time—
[Alice]'s voice came from behind him.
[Sensei is so clever~ Did you plan this? Or was it just luck~?]
"Luck. I'm not that smart. Just desperate."
Takakai kept his tone even.
[Then… has sensei found a way to survive~?]
Her voice shifted, sometimes close, sometimes distant.
"Maybe. Not sure if it'll work."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
[Tell Alice~ Please~?]
She materialized in front of him, raising her hand like an eager student.
"You can't kill me, Alice."
Takakai met her unnaturally beautiful, monstrous gaze without flinching.
[Why not~? Alice just wants to be friends~]
She blinked, tilting her head.
"Because your friend is with me."
Alice's smile froze.
"You lost two friends. Got one back. The other's still mine."
Takakai's voice was calm, controlled.
"Kill me, and you'll never see her again."
"Torture me, and it won't change a thing."
"Her name's 'Kumami,' right? I saw it on the doll."
"I hid her somewhere only I can find. Somewhere I can only reach if I'm sane, unharmed, and alive."
Alice's expression went blank.
The malice in the air thickened.
For a moment, Takakai felt like he was standing on the edge of an abyss.
One wrong step—eternal damnation.
But he knew—
I won.
His smile widened.
"Alice… you wouldn't want your friend to disappear forever, would you?"