The trial performance conducted by the players continued its acting process.
However, every participating player had more or less realized that this approach was ineffective. They all sensed that the dungeon itself had not undergone any changes due to their actions.
Was a condition missing?
Or was the fundamental direction already wrong from the start?
The players did not voice their thoughts aloud or interrupt the ongoing trial. Even though they had realized this was futile, rituals were best carried out to completion unless something abnormal occurred—stopping halfway might lead to undesirable consequences.
The actors continued their performance, meticulously bringing the trial scene to its conclusion.
And the phantom onlookers—the victims—dispersed soon after the trial ended, vanishing without a trace as if they had never been there.
[The situation isn't right. Are we missing some information? We did summon the victims' phantoms, but they didn't react at all. We performed so earnestly, and not even a round of applause? How rude of a Crimson Moon-level anomaly!]
[Could the entire line of thinking be incorrect? While these victims do seem to form a crucial part of the dungeon's structure, it's not like a random trial would just make these supernatural entities rest in peace. This is a Crimson Moon dungeon—even if it's nominally downgraded to Midnight, these things are still Crimson Moon in essence. Entities of that level aren't so easily pacified.]
[Regardless, we can at least confirm that our current approach is flawed. If we can't identify the exact problem, this joint operation might end up being completely pointless.]
After Kumami provided information about [Takamagahara], the players outwardly pretended to scratch their heads in confusion while secretly communicating through their mental link. It had to be said—these players were all masters of acting. If not for being able to hear their mental chatter, Takakai doubted he could have guessed what they were truly thinking just by observing their expressions and movements.
Perhaps one of the prerequisites for becoming an outstanding player was possessing superb acting skills?
However, despite the players' lively discussions, Takakai already knew the answer to the problem they were trying to solve.
[Only by putting "Alice" on trial can this truly be brought to an end.]
Takakai directly relayed this to Kumami through the mental link.
[Are you sure? If that's the case, then this is practically no different from a death trap.]
Kumami's tone didn't sound too surprised. Clearly, she had already considered all possible scenarios and prepared accordingly. What Takakai had just proposed fell within her expectations—though it was the worst-case scenario, the one she least wanted to face.
Alice.
A monster that was neither fully a supernatural entity nor entirely human—something caught between the two.
Since entering [Fujika Academy], this creature had become an inescapable nightmare for all players. Even now, locked away and unable to harm anyone, she still tormented them, creating endless trouble.
To end this dungeon, they would have to release Alice from her prison.
And considering that Alice had been split into four separate Obsession, they might even need to reassemble them, restoring Alice to her "complete" form before the trial could proceed.
But releasing Alice was, frankly, no different from suicide.
Her illusionary abilities were nearly impossible for players to resist. Moreover, if Alice reappeared in this dungeon, the [Surface Layer] would likely manifest again, undoing all their previous efforts and resetting everything to the beginning.
"Hah…"
Takakai took a deep breath.
Alice had to be restrained.
They had to ensure that the moment she was released, she would immediately be under control.
And the only method Takakai could think of was—
Sealing Alice inside his own body.
Only his willpower could withstand Alice's direct assault. Only he could serve as her container and suppress her.
But if he did that, there was no doubt that Hirano Sousuke, the dungeon's core Remnant, would immediately appear and kill him on the spot.
A Remnant was, after all, just the lingering traces of the living. No matter how human-like a supernatural entity behaved, its nature dictated that it would rigidly follow its own rules. Thus, the moment Takakai sealed Alice within himself and emitted her presence, Hirano would gun him down without hesitation. No communication, no negotiation—no amount of reasoning would work.
Moreover, one of Hirano's rules was extremely strict: [No Hostile Intent Permitted.]
This restriction was so severe that even Takakai's attempt to sprinkle blood on Hirano's gun had been interpreted as an attack, provoking immediate retaliation. Any action with even the slightest hint of aggression would trigger Hirano's lethal response, making it impossible for Takakai to even approach him.
If they didn't release Alice, the ritual would never succeed.
If they released Alice, the Surface Layer of Fujika Academy would return, making the ritual impossible.
If they released Alice and successfully captured her, Hirano would appear and fire three shots, collapsing the entire operation.
If they released Alice, captured her, and tried to forcibly conduct the ritual, Hirano would transform into a supernatural killing machine, his power skyrocketing in a frenzy of unstoppable violence, slaughtering every player who stood in his way with his now-monstrously enhanced pistol, reducing them all to minced meat.
Goddammit.
They had finally found the correct path—only to hit an insurmountable obstacle at the final step.
What should they do?
Takakai's brow furrowed deeply.
In this situation, what was the right course of action?
What method could they use to restrain Alice while simultaneously placating Hirano, resolving both problems at once?
"Use Obsessions?"
Since there were so many Crimson Moon-level players present, perhaps their Obsessions could be effective?
[I'm afraid not. Against a Crimson Moon core Remnant, the Obsessions we players can muster are at best on par with it—and this thing has home-field advantage. Combined with its preemptive strike rule, recklessly using Obsessions would only cause the dungeon's core Remnant to extend its influence beyond the dungeon. We might end up wiping out an entire district, or even half a city.]
Kumami quickly responded to this question, her expression complicated as she spoke. It seemed something similar had happened before—perhaps a player had tried to forcibly oppose a Remnant with a Crimson Moon Obsession, resulting in catastrophic, unnecessary casualties.
Tch. The idea of relying on high-level players to brute-force their way through was a dead end here.
Then what other options were there?
What method could break this deadlock?
Takakai had to admit—he was feeling a little anxious.
Even though he knew the emotion was pointless and could suppress it, hitting a roadblock after seeing the light of victory, all because of some overlooked detail, was intensely frustrating.
[Don't rush, Kai-kun. Now isn't the time for haste. Go slowly, think carefully about what might work. We can start by breaking the big problem into smaller ones, solving them one by one.]
Maki's voice chimed in at that moment, gentle and steady, transmitted through their private mental link. Even though Takakai hadn't revealed any emotional fluctuations in the shared channel, Maki—who knew him well—had already sensed his irritation and immediately reached out to him alone.
[The first problem is how to capture that monster Alice after releasing the four Obsessions, right?]
She didn't wait for his response before continuing.
[This one… isn't too difficult. Kumami has an Obsession that can see through illusions. As long as she observes the entire process of me retrieving the Obsessions, I can ensure they don't escape my grasp. Alice won't be able to slip away.]
After a brief silence, Takakai answered with certainty.
Pfft—
The illusory Alice sitting behind him giggled softly, as if amused by his overconfidence.
[Then comes the second problem. After ensuring the Obsessions can't escape, how will you merge them, Kai-kun? How do you guarantee they'll unite as a complete "Alice" for the trial?]
Maki pressed on.
[For that… I obtained an Obsession with fusion properties in Fujika Academy's Surface Layer. I can try using it to merge the fragments. Even though these four Obsessions have supernatural traits, they're still fundamentally "human body parts" in nature. The fusion Obsession should be able to alter them.]
This time, Takakai took longer to think before responding.
He didn't mention his backup plan—using himself as fusion material. That was a last resort, only if no other method worked. After all, doing so might mean his own demise post-trial, and if everything reset again after that, it'd be beyond infuriating.
[Then the final problem is the core Remnant, "Hirano Sousuke." You need to ensure it doesn't interrupt the ritual—meaning you must disrupt its rule's activation conditions. Kai-kun, where do you think this rule's condition can be altered?]
Maki guided him step by step, leading him toward the solution.
Disrupt the rule's activation conditions.
Supernatural entities operated through rules. As long as the conditions weren't met, their power couldn't manifest.
Hirano Sousuke's rule… reacted to things carrying Alice's presence, to living flesh, and to living humans who idolized or obsessed over Alice.
To disrupt this, they had to prevent him from sensing Alice's presence.
Using an Obsession to block her aura? No—this was his domain. An Obsession capable of blocking a Crimson Moon core Remnant's perception practically didn't exist. Even if one did, it'd last a minute or two at most. The trial procedure, no matter how streamlined, would take at least an hour. Nothing could sustain a blockade that long.
If blocking Alice's presence wasn't feasible…
Takakai frowned, lowering his gaze to his black wristwatch, scanning the Obsessions stored within.
Then his eyes settled on them—
The white flowers.
The red candles.
Hirano Sousuke had been mourning the lost students all this time. He wanted to remember the dead. He'd never moved on from that place. To him, he was still part of that school, one of the tormented, pitiful [bad students] who had suffered so cruelly.
Which meant…
Takakai's gaze halted.
It landed on the lump of red flesh—the fused, unresting remains of countless murdered "bad students" from Fujika Academy's Class 3-24.