Barghest and Kurai made their way up to the stairs to the next floor. Barghest stretched and sighed looking around.
They were in a rather normal room, one that had far smaller dimensions than the rest of the floors beneath. It was decorated as if it was a normal room. A couch, a lamp, chairs, even a television rested on a small stand that sat in the front of the room.
"A modern human house…I don't even know what the hell this could be…"
"What? Did we take a wrong turn? This just looks like something normal."
"This is the next floor. However tne only mana I sense is in the objects here. Theres no creatures like last time."
Matsumi walked over and sat on one of the chairs, throwing his head back.
"This one is pretty comfy. But what's this place doing here? Maybe it's a place to rest!"
Barghest turned to Kurai.
"We should just keep the tape on his mouth until we scale all one hundred floors. It's not like hes going to say anything of value."
"Don't even think about it! I'm always thinking of smart stuff."
"No you're not! You're retarded!"
Barghest sighed and floated around searching for clues.
"Maybe we can find something.."
"What are we looking for?"
He was getting very comfortable in this seat.
"Like a lever?"
"It depends, This floor could be anything."
Matsumi stood up and started to look around the room, glancing over the various furniture. His eyes scanning the room for anything of interest to be found.
The furniture near Matsumi would move slightly, but nobody touched it. It would shuffle around a bit, only for him to see. He raised his eyebrow at this, walking over to it and putting his hand right on it. Matsumi slightly pushed it, he wanted to see if it was unstable or if something else had happened.
The furniture would twitch, almost like a small bird that you could hold in the palm of your hands. The furniture continued to to twitch and move as Matsumi continued to stay near it.
"This thing is weird! It's moving like it's not supposed to!"
"…It may be the Kagu. I would be careful sir…"
Kurai looked to the furniture with a worried expression.
"Sir? Who are you calling sir?!"
Matsumi lowered his head to get a closer look.
"What's a Kagu anyway?"
His hands started shaking it more roughly, if it was an animal he could scare it out.
"Kagu are ancient small bug like monsters that existed hundreds of years ago with the first humanity. They are monsters that have the appearance of normal furniture. They only grow as agriculture and architecture grow more contemporary. I say be careful because if they bite you..there is a chance you can be turned into one."
"No way! I don't wanna be a weird bug thing!"
He took his hands off of it.
"I suggest that Matsumi is right. There must be some kind of switch, and we must find it without moving or touching any of the Kagu. Otherwise we'll be turned into them..and we'll join them here for the rest of eternity."
"I got this side of the room! I'll have my eyes super open for anything!"
His search began, quickly looking through every nook and cranny of the room.
There was a switch right next to Matsumi's hand. Barghest flew over and pointed to it.
"Look right there."
"That was easy!"
He flipped it without a second thought.
A small door opened, and the Kagu started to go crazy as more furniture flooded the room. It was to the point where the room was being flooded and filled as if it were water, but instead it was huge chunks of novelties. The furniture hit the three as it continued to flood in, covering the light and darkening the area entirely. A piece of furniture smacked against Matsumi's head.
"You jerks!"
Before he could turn to face them, the room was too full for him to even try anything now.
"We gotta get outta here!"
Matsumi dashed toward the door, diving head first ahead of the other two.
The door was barricaded by chairs and seats of all kind, blocking off the exit. The furniture continued to rush in attacking the three now, the mouths of the Kagu showed and bared fangs.
Crashing his head against the chairs blocking their way, he held it in a bit of pain.
"Move outta the way! Damn bugs!"
He turned as his eyes widened.
"They're getting closer! Barghest what do we do?!"
"We have no choice! We're going to have to destroy them and force our way out!"
"Oh man! Wait a minute! We can bust through!"
He looked at Barghest, starting to warm up as he did so.
"Just like the first time!"
He said as he referred to his explosive fail with his first flash step.
He started to jump around the area, mimicking his first try. Only that this time, he did so while avoiding the Kagu.
"Matsumi. What are you doing? You're getting in the way here."
Kurai moved as she striked at the Kagu, destroying them one by one. However, the effort was rather redundant. More and more Kagu flooded the room.
"I'm doing…this!"
Matsumi's started to rise in intensity, its pattern becoming stronger every time that he touched the ground. With a wide smile on his face, the very second his foot tapped the floor, Matsumi disappeared in a wave of force. He headed right toward the Kagu, being thrown all the way to the other side of the room before planting his feet on the wall. The flash step is a technique that doesn't cause any noise or destruction, it's focused and quick. But if you mess it up…it can become a-
"Super Boost!!"
He jumped off the wall on the other side, the wall cracking with the intensity of the blast. He crashed through the majority of the Kagu, shards of furniture flying everywhere along with the strong winds his movement made. Before he knew it, he had destroyed the tables and chairs that were barricading the exit. He flew into the door, grabbing Kurai and Barghest in the process to take them with him.
Barghest and Kurai moved as they flew through the door, It shut behind them as the three landed on their stomachs. They had found themselves in another room, one that was far more old with no furniture. Only the walls and the three on the ground.
"It worked! That was awesome!"
He stood up, bruised but alright. Patting his shirt from any small pieces of furniture, he looked around the new area.
"What's this? Floor four?"
A small woman slowly appeared in front of them. She floated off the ground, similar to Barghest as she stared the group down silently, for a good few seconds. Her eyes panned to Matsumi.
"Ah…You're another one. How interesting.."
"Hm? Who are you?"
"I am Urieru. Governor of fate and time in this world. Existence itself flows through me. I am a being that exists and does not exist simultaneously. I am everything and nothing all at once."
"Hmm."
Grasping something like that would be pretty difficult for Matsumi.
"So...are you another player? I'm Matsumi!"
"I am no player. I am a being that exists above the rules of this tower. Ive come to speak to you Matsumi Ryokō..and ive come to have a conversation."
"You...know my name?"
He stood up straight, he'd never seen her before, yet she knows his name?
"What do you wanna talk about?"
Urieru showed him a vision, swiping her hands across the air as a small digital version of the earth appeared y between the two.
"35 years ago the world had suffered from something that the gods hadn't seen in many years…A cataclysmic being was born…and with it..his influence over the world both from the perspectives of politics, physical power and magic. This world as we know it now is not the real one Matsumi. The world you live in now is not the real one. This and everyone and everything you know in this world has been manipulated…and you are one of the only people that are immune to this power…Matsumi Ryōko. You are the wicked witches last hope..and you are one of the most important people that currently lives in this world."
Matsumi walked closer to the small planet. He admired it with wide eyes, fascinated by this magic of sorts.
"What are you talking about? Last hope?"
He crossed his arms in confusion.
"Oh! This must be the next floor trial! I'm not very good at puzzles..."
He turned his head to the other two.
"What do you think, Barghest?"
He assumed it must be some test, a riddle, because who would say that the world wasn't real?
"…Urieru is a legitimate god. I've ran into her a few times. It's likely that this isn't apart of the trials…She seems to be telling you the truth."
"What?!"
Matsumi would, of course, believe Barghest immediately. He turned back to Urieru.
"How could the world be fake? That makes no sense."
"She's probably speaking about the Deruta Nōha, I've heard rumors but I haven't given it any thought until now."
Kurai sat in silence, listening to the conversation at hand. To her something along those lines had been a foreign concept..but the Hatake had read about it partially before Daisuke's Dissapearance.
"Deruta Nōha? What's that? The cataclysm?"
"A group..not in this world but in this universe..Somewhere in space. They exist to cast the Deruta Nōha. It is a spell that can affect the entire universe at once. It casts a false world over it..whatever the caster wishes to penetrate on this world…then it becomes reality. Thirty Five years ago a man on this earth was born..and the moment he took his first few breaths..this world was cast under it..Matsumi..You will face many battles…but rest assured this is your most important by far and large..You must stop The Deruta Nōha from corrupting this universe..and you must save the Wicked Witch known as Vermelha…You are their only hope..You are one of the five most important figures in this Universe."
This was…a lot, sudden and unexpected. Matsumi listened, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was a mistake. But Barghest wouldn't lie too, right? Even still he had trouble wrapping his head around all of this.
"Who is it? The one who put the spell."
"His name is Yufūkuna Nayvadius III. The richest and most powerful man on this planet. "
"...Never heard of him. I don't really get it...fake world and fake people...but I was gonna get Vermelha back anyway! She's my friend! So, if that Yufu-whatever is tricking people just like the blue hair guy is...
"I'll kick his ass too!"
He gave a naive smile when he said this, barely undertsnaidng the true weight of what was being told to him. But he understood enough, he already set his sights on a similar goal.
"Yes…but there is a conditional to defeating him that you will need…Something must happen in order for you to emerge victorious."
"What? I just have to win, right? That's how fights go."
"This fight is different. The only way you'll be able to win is if Barghest gets her prime strength back..and you merge with her for eternity."
His eyes widened, his mouth gaping.
"What?! Merge with her?! Forever?! No way!"
"There is no other option. I can see all realities. There are an infinite amount of timelines..and the only ones where you win is the ones where you unlock the form you will develop over time as you and Barghest's bond grows."
"But I don't want her in my body! It gives me the creeps! I bet she doesn't either!"
His imagination ran wild thinking of a potential monster with Barghest's and his head at the top. An unrealistic expectation but he didn't know any better.
"Fusion with familiars is different than a regular fusion between two creatures. Barghest would only exist in your soul. She would be gone and you'd never be able to see or speak to her again. You could only summon her mana and tokubetsu and techniques. You would still look like yourself. She'd be the one gone."
"She'd be gone..? I don't want that either."
He crossed his arms in dissatisfaction.
"…I'll do it. I'll fuse with Matsumi and give him my powers to save the world."
"Wha-..Why would you do that?!"
"If I have to choose myself or the world i'd choose the world everytime. What's the point of living if it may come to an end anyways?…On top of that it would give you what you want…You want to see this world for what it truly is?…Then you must go on this journey to save it."
"I thought you wanted to conquer the world or something! What about that?"
"This seems far more important. If there's a being who can manipulate the fabric of reality itself that could be the end of our known universe if he grows in power."
"You wouldn't be able to see Vermelha or my tricks again, so no way! Hey, Urieru. If you're a god can't you just stop this guy on your own?"
"I am not allowed to intervene for two reasons. I serve a higher god who simply gives me orders. The reason I am here is because she has sent me here. The second is that Gods, unless given permission otherwise, are not allowed to change fate..I apologize but I can not stop him."
"You were sent here to warn us? By who?"
"Just like how Barghest is your familiar. I am the familiar of Kei Akasaki along with my twin sister. She is the fourth person I mentioned who is immune to Yufūkuna'sSpell."
"Hmm…Well! We'll worry about that merge stuff later. Right now, we have to get to the top floor still!"
"By the time Barghest reaches the top floor she'll have recovered her full power. If you remember correctly she absorbed thay beasts power on the second floor. She will continue to devour this tower until there is nothing left."
"When we get to the top…? But..that's so soon!"
"The only reason I came here is because if I gain access to all the treasures and energy in this tower I would regain my full strength. I didn't know i'd have to fuse with you..but I wouldn't have came here if not for the first reason."
"If we make it to the top and you…disappear. How am I supposed to figure out what to do next?!"
"I can't answer that question..only you can Matsumi..I will guide you wherever you need to go."
"No, I'm not doing it. I'm not fusing. I'll do it my own way."
"It is up to you. All humans on this earth including you will die from your own selfishness."
Matsumi, now annoyed by the situation, snapped back.
"Shut it."
He walked a little away from the group.
"I won't do what you say."
He briefly glanced down to the ring he wore.
"I'll clear this tower, Matsumi style!"
He turned to all three of them.
"The only timelines where we win is if Barghest disappears and fuses with me? Well, you better keep your eyes open, because I'm about to make a new one, right now."
He opened his arms.
"And if I don't…Urieru, Barghest, Kurai…you all have my permission to kill me."
Matsumi's voice boomed through the room, almost as if he made a deal with all of them. His head was angled slightly down.
"I'm feeling…hyped up."
Matsumi was naive, rash, and blunt. But even with this claim he had made, one could tell that he was anything but ordinary.
In this moment, he resembled Desmunê more than ever.
"You will see fate for itself unfold in front of your eyes…I am simply an observer of your timeline. A great tragedy awaits your naive and rash personality..the future I see now. It is not a great one whatsoever..Not one that is favorable in the face of humanity or yourself Matsumi Ryokō."
Kurai was deep in thought before she finally spoke.
"I would reconsider your decision…but it seems that this is out of my hands..It is a fate that exists above the one I follow. However, as you are my classmate and teammate..I'll follow you into the flames Matsumi. Whatever fate that this woman speaks of..We will do our best to go against it."
"Keep a close eye on me then, Urieru. I don't disappoint. Trust me."
He looked over to Kurai.
"Let's go then, all the way to the top."
Urieru dissapeared as the stairs opened, leading to the next floor.