"If you aren't the beacon, then how are they manifesting into this world?" Elena challenged, her voice trembling as she faced the goddess.
The deity offered a look of weary disappointment, her expression cool and detached.
"You humans are such shortsighted creatures. Just because you fail to grasp the mechanics of these calamities, you choose to cast blame on the one who helped you."
"If it were my past self, I would have already abandoned this world to its doom. But since I've decided to play the 'good guy,' I'll give you some hint. So, listen carefully, okay, Elena-san?"
The goddess tilted her head, her demeanor shifting in an instant. The distant, holy aura vanished, replaced by the playful, intimate warmth of a little sister. She winked, a gesture so sharp and jarring against the cosmic weight of her words that Elena felt the floor beneath her sway.
Elena gazed at the goddess, her brow furrowed in genuine shock. This girl? she thought, incredulity at the situation gnawing at her. Is she really the one who's going to save us?
She took a deep breath, struggling to keep her voice steady despite the overwhelming aura that radiated from the entity. "Then tell us, what are these creatures? Why are they killing human beings, and from where are they even coming?"
"Oh, these? They're called Collectors, Elena-san! Think of them as little biological harvesters," she said, her tone bright and airy, as if she were describing a pet.
"They come from a super-advanced civilization that exists between dimensions. Their whole physiology is basically one big organic machine, perfectly evolved to hunt and process the soul-essence of people like us. It's their favorite snack! Their outer 'chassis' is actually a super-hardened, chitinous exoskeleton—it's what lets them phase-shift through reality membranes like they're walking through a door."
She giggled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "And don't be fooled if they look like they're glitching when they show up. They don't malfunction like broken toys; they're just going through a bit of 'dimensional shock' while they stabilize their biology in our world. It's just a little growing pain!"
She leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling with mock sweetness. "They also have these darling little appendages—sharp, bone-like things—specifically designed to pierce your physical vessel and siphon your soul-essence straight into their digestive organs. It's quite efficient, really."
While Elizabeth explained, Kuroshi was currently locked in battle with the Collector that had broken through the cafe's roof.
With his pistols jammed, Kuroshi had no choice but to rely on the hidden blade he kept for such emergencies. As the Collector lunged to seize him, he sidestepped with surgical precision, his movements minimal and ruthlessly efficient.
He weathered the creature's relentless assault, waiting for the split second he needed. Ducking beneath a wide, desperate swing, he kicked the Collector's limb aside and used the momentum to drive his knife deep into the vulnerable nape of its neck, killing it instantly.
Dusting the debris from his coat, he walked toward Elena and Elizabeth. He fixed his gaze on the goddess and demanded, "If you truly have an interest in saving this world—and the power to back it up—why are you letting these creatures roam free?
Elizabeth shifted her weight, the playful, sisterly spark in her eyes momentarily cooling into something ancient and terrifying. She didn't look at Kuroshi; instead, she traced the jagged edge of the hole in the ceiling, as if examining a minor architectural flaw.
"Oh, Kuroshi-kun, you think this is a game of extermination, don't you? You think if you just kill enough of these 'Collectors,' the threat will vanish, and the world will be 'saved'—as if safety were just a matter of numbers."
She let out a soft, melodic laugh that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You see, a garden isn't healthy just because you pull the weeds. If you don't understand the soil, the roots, and the very reason the weeds are growing in the first place, you're just wasting your sweat. These creatures? They aren't just 'roaming free.' They are a necessary pressure valve for a reality that has become far too stagnant.
"Unlike those saviors that create a cage of comfort, I am someone that tests the limits of what this world can endure before it breaks. If I simply snapped my fingers and erased these beasts, do you have any idea what would happen to the structural integrity of this dimension? It would shatter like cheap glass because it has forgotten how to be resilient. I don't keep them here to be cruel; I keep them here to force you all to evolve. You want me to be a savior? A savior is a warden of a cage. I am a curator. And frankly, watching you scramble in the dirt, trying to stop the tide with a rusty blade and empty bullets? That is the most interesting thing to happen to this reality in centuries. So, no, I won't stop them. Not yet. I want to see just how much you're willing to lose before you finally become something worth saving."
Kuroshi stood frozen, his knuckles white as he gripped the blood-stained dagger. The cold, analytical nature of her words—the way she dismissed their agony as a necessary trial—sent a spike of fury through him.
He didn't shout; instead, he simply tightened his stance, his eyes locking onto hers with a predatory, defiant intensity that disregarded her divinity.
Beside him, Elena felt the color drain from her face. She had expected a benevolent guide, a promise of salvation; hearing that their suffering was a curated necessity shattered the remnants of her hope. She took a half-step back, her breath hitching as she looked from the ruined ceiling of the café to the serene, smiling face of the woman before her. To Elizabeth, this wasn't a game of cruelty, but a ruthless form of love—a conviction that only by forging them through the fires of the Collectors could she ensure their survival against the greater threats looming in the dark.
Elena realized then that the goddess wasn't playing a game with their lives; she was acting as the harshest, most demanding mother imaginable, convinced that their destruction was the only path to their ultimate strength.
Elizabeth's expression shifted in a heartbeat. The heavy, suffocating atmosphere she had cast over the room evaporated, instantly replaced by a bubbly, conspiratorial grin as she swayed on her heels. She clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her head with a look of pure, sisterly enthusiasm.
"Now that we've cleared that up, Kuroshi-oniichan, can you mentor Elena-san and teach her how to fight?"
Kuroshi stared at her, his eyes cold and disbelieving. "You just said this entire ordeal is a test of our survival. Why does it matter to you if she lives or dies? Why pick me to train her?"
Elizabeth's smile didn't falter, but her gaze sharpened, turning intensely possessive as she stepped toward them."Oh, it seems you've misunderstood, Oniichan. I said I don't care if you—or anybody else—happens to perish. If you break, it just means you weren't strong enough for the reality I'm curating."
She reached out, gently cupping Elena's chin with a touch that felt both tender and terrifying. "But I do care about Elena-san. She is my little project, my favorite star in this boring, gray sky. Watching her evolve is the highlight of my eternity, so it would be a shame if she were to be discarded before I've finished crafting her into something truly magnificent."
She pulled back, giving them a playful, expectant blink. "So, think of it as a special honor! I'm letting you, of all people, be the one to sharpen her edges. Isn't that a wonderful opportunity?"
Elena stood frozen, feeling the weight of the goddess's twisted, singular affection, while Kuroshi gripped his bloodied dagger, the silence between them stretching thin and dangerous.