Monika: ...I'm not sure I'm ready. I've never fought like this before.

The words coming from the girl with a ponytail caused Yuri to sweat while averting her gaze to the side. She held the appearance of the chef from Pierre's Bistro, claiming that she felt more at ease using a small blade. The 'Why?' was never answered whenever it was brought up.

Monika, unlike her, wore a more casual outfit, Dalloc's more exactly.

When she was first told what the Library and its occupants were doing, the expression plastered on her was an almost perfect copy of Yuri's when she was informed. Her attempts to not partake in the receptions, unfortunately, were immediately ignored by the Director, who did not take the request kindly.

In the end, the girl was forced to accept her role alongside her old classmate and confront their opponent.

Yuri tried her best to reassure her but even she couldn't help but feel a wave of pressure against her shoulders, despite having an encounter with the Red Shoes before this battle. Both of them were clearly out of their expertise and their faces did not hide that fact in the slightest.

Next to them, Hod was standing her grounds as she wielded Salvador's blade. Finally, acting as a wall for the trio behind him, Angela's assistant held his sword with both hands.

Hod: I know this is a lot but let's do our best.

The Sephirah's words were trying to calm down her assistant librarians but were quickly tossed aside and left to vanish once both of them looked ahead. The former captain was the first to see it, followed by them and lastly the Patron librarian.

Standing opposite to them was a lone figure hunched over slightly. Their body was covered with dark webs. Their face was covered by the shadows of the barely illuminated world they were currently in, only revealing 2 pair of red eyes alongside a singular one where the forehead should be.

With the help of the brief light showing the librarians the many webs they were standing on, they could see spiders all gathered on the body of the unknown person.

The only part of them that stood out from the darkness was the short, pink hair filled with cobwebs.

To both the Patron librarian and the director's assistant, there was no doubt about it: it was the trapped employee, fully entranced by the Abnormality living inside the book. It wasn't the first time they faced something like this so it didn't shock them as much as it did for the remaining duo.

To them... the sight was an entirely different matter. Seeing the trapped librarian covered with eight-legged arachnids left them with clashing thoughts until one of them spoke out.

Monika: Natsuki?

Hod: ?

Y/N: ...I'm starting to see a pattern.

The faint mumbles of the ex-captain reached no one's ears as he maintained a combat pose. Behind him, the voice of the Sephirah who once worked for the Training team halted both girls in their track.

Hod: Please be careful, we should face her like we should with an Abnormality.

Her words seemed to be enough to make Yuri remember what she had to confront in order to rescue Monika. Her hands tightened around the knife she held.

The latter, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt built up inside her. Sadly, thinking about it would not solve the issue they were in and so, with a sigh of resignation, she looked at the man standing in front of her.

Monika: You'll save her, right?

Y/N: That's the intention.

Without looking back, he replied before raising his sword in the air. The many eyes of the girl named 'Natsuki' by the assistant librarians immediately locked onto the weapon in her sight.

Following that abrupt movement, spiders crawled down onto the platform made of webs and ran ahead. There was one for each librarian present, all eyeing them with hunger in their gazes.

The pink haired girl tilted her head slightly and her body leaned in an awkward position, observing them in complete silence.

Y/N: ...It still remains unnerving to look at.

Hod: We won't be able to save her until we defeat the spiders.

Yuri: Monika, I know this is a lot to take in. B-Believe me, even I have some difficulties accepting everything that has happened but we have to try our best, for Natsuki's sake.

Monika: ...I'll try.

The girl with a ponytail nodded as she let out with a faint voice her answer. This weakness of hers was the perfect bait for the spiders looking for a meal. All of them swiftly moved across the floor.

The first to retaliated against the incoming wave was Angela's unwilling helper. The sword in his grasp changed into a crimson axe as he swung against one of the many arachnids, swiftly cutting off one of its legs.

Unaffected by their wounded ally, the trio slipped past the ex-captain and charged at the girl standing in the back.

Yuri soon tried to copy the ex-employee's movements and slashed the nearest enemy reaching for her. The sudden gesture sent a trail of web behind as the spider recoiled. The uncertain look plastered on her face began to fade as she ran to her target and went for a stab.

Unlike her, the one saved from the Red Shoes' book remained on edge as she watched the unnaturally large creature crawl towards her. In spite of that though, she swung an arm at it and watched a burst of electricity paralyze her attacker.

...

Monika: ...So this is the type of world you prefer.

She quietly spoke to nobody in particular, soon interrupted by the director's assistant who performed a downward stab into the spider's abdomen. Pinned against the ground, it could do nothing except struggle, widening the wound on its body.

Y/N: Hey, don't stand there, help me-!

Upon noticing the girl in front of him staying completely still, he tried to snap her back to reality but was forced to shift his attention after a sudden weight climbed on his back. The sensation of mutliple legs pressing against him unconsciously made him panic, leading to him swinging his weapon behind him in an attempt to make the arachnid fall down.

Monika: !

However, by doing so, the pinned spider became free to move again and immediately charged at its initial target, who was stuck in a clash with it.

Y/N: Get... off!

His attempts to get rid of his unexpected assailant were only met with the air around him until the Abnormality's minion burrowed into his outfit with its legs, tearing the skin open. It wasn't planning to let him go.

In desperation, the wounded librarian let the strength in his legs go and allowed gravity to take hold of him, sending him backward against the floor and crushing the thing on his back.

The legs stabbed in his body became crooked from the weight applied against them, giving the chance for the former captain to roll away.

As this occured, the girl with long purple hair called Yuri was also trapped in her own share of struggles. The floor they stood on stuck to her legs and made it difficult to dodge incoming attacks.

She covered her face with her arms and let out a few stifled cries with each hit she took. The already bloodstained white uniform became dirtier with her own blood this time, a sensation she wasn't unfamiliar with due to her past.

...Yet, in this situation, she did not feel an ounce of positive emotions. There was no excitement upon being confronted with something that was both new but also slightly not. What she felt was fright.

She could die, that single difference made her fearful and lose her composure.

Understanding that, her body blindly counterattacked the spider attacking her. She could feel the colors in her face slowly drain with each missed swing.

From behind, she could hear the voices of her... 'friends' also facing their own issues, forcing her to acknowledge that nobody would come to save her.

Nobody?

"There!"

Her thoughts, her stress, made the girl almost miss the sudden object obstructing her vision. She blinked in stupor and lowered her gaze just in time to see her opponent burn, caused by a sword stabbed in its body.

She looked to her left and saw her Patron librarian finish off the arachnid before giving her a concerned look.

Hod: Are you alright? Can you still fight?

Yuri: A-Ah, I think... T-Thank you.

Hod: It's fine. I can finally protect my employee from harm for once.

The smile of the Sephirah who came to her rescue was immediately halted by a loud screech coming from the librarian with pink hair. The multiple eyes present on her face were locked onto Hod with burning hatred.

She stepped closer and as she did, she pulled out what looked like a baton made of webs from the darkness surrounding them.

Hod: She's preparing to attack, be careful!

Yuri: ...

Yuri swiftly removed the cobwebs stuck around her legs and readied her knife. Her gaze met Natsuki's right as she lunged at them, avenging her fallen minion. The distance between them quickly shortened until yet another intervention put a brake to her tremendous speed.

It was a second spider, thrown perfectly at her face. She staggered from the sudden impact, allowing the duo to glance behind them.

When they did, they saw the director's helper trying to pry off the remaining arachnids from Monika.

Hod: ...We have to use this chance, let's do our best.

Now was their chance to strike. Hod turned towards her assistant librarian and held a smile as she tried to instruct her to help her.

In response, she was met with a silent nod.

There was nothing else to say. Both of them ran at the pink haired girl and began attacking her. The Patron librarian opened the assault with a grand slash while Yuri tried her best to ignore what she was about to do, just like she did when fighting Monika.

It was for her own sanity, or else she would never be able to see her old friends in the eyes without feeling guilt.

Her body moved on its own, pushed along by the knowledge the Key Page she wore held. She knew exactly where to strike to immediately disarm a human opponent, a knowledge that made her slightly unnerved.

As she did so, Natsuki glared back at her and retaliated with a swing of the weapon she held, pushing the assistant librarian away.

She landed into the web below and raised her eyes to meet her old friend's. She was soon joined by Hod, who protected her until she could stand back on her feet.

Y/N: Tch-!

Meanwhile, during this confrontation, both Monika and Angela's assistant were still forced to deal with the remaining spiders present, serving as bait to let the others go on the offensive.

The bright axe he held in his hand opened a new wound in the nearest target right before sending the back of it against the arachnid's face. His action was soon met with a bite in his left leg from another enemy, who was slammed into the ground by Monika.

The girl wearing Dalloc's clothes was quickly adjusting to both the sensation of wearing someone else's Key Page and the fighting, much to her dismay. She understood that she didn't have a choice in the matter but it still left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Y/N: They're a pain to deal with.

Monika: You're bleeding, we should-

Y/N: It's fine, Angela will take care of it. Stay focused, they're coming back for more.

He solemnly shut down her worries and pointed at the spiders crawling closer. Both sides showed signs of injuries but none of them was backing down.

The girl with a ponytail could feel the sweat on her face start to stick to her skin after everything she did until now. The adrenaline inside her body made the sensation extremely uncomfortable.

She hurriedly wiped them away and stepped closer to the man next to her, readying herself for a next attack.

Monika: They're persistent...

Y/N: ...But we'll win, as long as we keep the advantage.

He spoke with certainty, or maybe he simply held a convincing bravado, nobody but him would be able to tell from his expression either way.

Monika: ...Haha, you look more confident than me. I guess you weren't lying when you talked about being a captain.

Y/N: ...I guess it comes with experience.

Monika: If you believe we can win then I'll try my hardest MC- I-I mean, Y/N.

The former captain ignored the last part of her sentence and remained focused on their targets. The last thing he needed was to pay attention to someone's stutter.

With swift movements, the librarian dodged out of the way from an incoming charge and retaliated with the weapon he carried, which returned to a standard sword.

In an attempt to follow his actions, the girl standing next to him tried to imitate his movements but was soon forced to block an attack aimed at her, which in turn forced her ally to assist her with a stab directly into the spider's body.

Both of them stepped away from the battle in order to catch their breath, even if only briefly. As they did, their eyes did not left their enemies' for a second.

However, unlike the duo, the Abnormality's byproducts lacked the ability for exhaustion and charged yet again in their direction, putting an end to their rest.

Seeing this, Angela's assistant warned his coworker, allowing the both of them to jump out of the way in time. Everything seemed to unfold smoothly... for now.

The pain the ex-agent felt in his leg did not help him in terms of mobility and with his exhaustion, it was a matter of time before he would start losing steam and fail his evades.

For now though, they still held the advantage in number and before they could even begin to lose it, he was determined to widen the gap until they had a chance to win.

With this in mind, he retaliated once the opportunity revealed itself. He lunged at the closest arachnid they were fighting and focused his thoughts yet again to modify the shape of his blade. As he performed a downward slash, what he held in his hands was the bright red axe seen before.

The sharp edge of the axe cleany cut the right legs of the targeted spider, leaving it crawling around in agony with its remaining limbs. Following that, he jumped onto the larger than average creature and slammed the weapon into its eyes.

Its sudden blindness forced a cry out of it. It was something akin to someone scratching as chalkboard and left the librarians with shivers across their bodies.

At the same time, separated from her "children", the girl with pink hair froze in her steps and changed her aim, shifting her glare towards the one who attacked the spider.

Hod: Oh no. Y/N, watch out!

The Sephirah reacted as fast as she could and sent a warning just as Natsuki ran past her. The weapon in her hands rose in the air, aiming for an immediate stagger.

In return, the best the wounded employee could manage to muster in the short period of time he had was launch himself away from where he stood, letting his body limp across the floor made of webs.

During said decision, the air behind him flew and the hair on his body stood up. His body was able to feel the weapon graze his body right before he landed on the ground.

Thankfully, the time it took for Natsuki to attack him was enough to let his allies run to his aid. The former captain spun around and stood back on his feet just in time to see Monika wrap the pink haired girl in an embrace, letting discharges of electricity go through her body.

Her attack was shrugged off by the trapped employee, who sent her against the floor, where the singular spider with all its functional legs was.

Hod: Yuri, please go help her.

The Patron librarian of the Floor of Literature's order was met with the figure of the her first assistant dashing ahead to rescue her old classmate. She ignored what was happening behind, her eyes focused on the Abnormality's offspring approaching Monika.

With movements that lacked the usual elegance she tried to maintain in the past, she brandished the knife high above her head and swung it into the head of the creature.

Again. Again. Again. Again.

She only stopped once the enemy she was trying kill finally turned into golden pages, revealing a shocked Monika looking back at her. She stared at the purple haired girl with wide eyes, what she saw out of her brought back bad memories. It made her body freeze up, scenes from the past played in her head.

Yuri: ...

However, this was not the past and quickly, that fog around her mind dissipated upon feeling a pair of hands grab hers, pulling her back to reality.

Yuri: Monika. Please, snap out of it.

Without realizing it, Yuri let out a somewhat cold voice that acted as the cold water needed to fully bring back her classmate from her thoughts. The usual shyness in both her voice and behaviour was gone due to the stress and adrenaline.

Now is not the time to worry about this, I still have something to do.

Y/N: We need to bring her down before she calls more spiders.

Hod: She's keeping her distance, we won't be able to reach her unless we can corner her.

During this small moment between the old friends, the other duo who shared some history were desperately attempting to break past the defense of the trapped librarian, who seemed intent on keeping her distance.

The many eyes looking at them as they did so did not help them be as ease, despite the advantage they had.

Yuri: We have to hurry Monika, they-

Monika: Wait, I think I might have an idea.

Yuri: An idea?

The first assistant librarian turned and questioned the second one, who only replied by pointing at the spider missing half of its limbs, still crawling around. At first, Yuri didn't know what she was planning to do with it until her head cooled enough to remind her of the memories of what happened a minute or so ago.

Monika: We have to bring Natsuki out of hiding if we want to save her.

The words of the girl with a white bow in her hair were the only ones she spoke before she slammed an attack into the body of the dying creature, forcing a screech out of it.

Just as predicted by her, the red eyes of the one with pink hair moved in her direction, bringing her animosity on her.

Afterwards, she leaped past both Hod and Angela's helper, rushing to save the last spider still alive.

Yuri readied the knife she carried, prepared to face her. Right behind the main target was the remaining librarians, also prepared to land a hit on her.

Finally, Monika looked back at her second old friend and gave her a final smile.

The baton of web swung down in her direction and right as she was about to receive the incoming hit, crimson flew in the air.

Standing as a shield, Yuri had her blade raised perfectly at the height of Natsuki's neck, who blindly ran into it.

Both of them stood still, looking at each other in silence. The weapon lodged into her had perfectly cut open the artery, a precision that belonged to the owner of the Key Page she wore.

Slowly, the hateful glare emanating from the trapped librarian grew weaker as she released her grasp on her weapon.

The sight of the small girl's last moments left her murderer with a knot in her throat. The last thing she could do at this point was standing still let the end arrive, it was the last mercy she could offer her.

She closed her eyes alongside Natsuki, leaving her with nothing but the weight against her weapon vanish as a sign that everything was over.

When she opened them again, she saw the librarians next to her start to gather the golden pages that came out of her body alongside the book she dropped on the ground.

Y/N: It's finally over, I can't wait to get out of this... I guess web?

The words coming from the director's assistant were nothing with a sudden pressure landing upon the group. The relief they had of finally being done with their task quickly dissipated as a frigid voice reached their ears.

"My children... were killed by you."

Y/N: Wait...

After determining the location of the unknown speaker, all four of them raised their heads towards the darkness that served as a ceiling.

There, suspended by a singular string, massive strong, was a massive sack with crimson looking down at them.

"You must pay! The hunt will begin... My children, come to me and feast on these lowly creatures!!"

The order sent was met with hundreds of pair of eyes looking down at them with hunger. Soon after, their bodies emerged from the nothingness coming from above.

They were not planning to let any of them escape alive.

Y/N: Angela, get us out of here!!

Seeing their imminent demise approach rapidly, Angela's assistant called her name out loud. The sound of hundreds of legs moving across around them made the wait intolerable.

Then, finally, golden pages emerged from the former captain...

...Leaving the trio behind.

Yuri: S-She left us here?!

Hod: Angela...

The Sephirah present, who had a good guess of the reason why this happened, let out a faint sigh. She understood it too, at least partially. However, it didn't stop her from voicing the emotions she felt at that moment.

Right as she let out a sigh quickly muffled by the fright of her assistant librarian, the trio disappeared, leaving golden pages just as the spiders began to land on the web they were standing on.

...

...

Natsuki: Are you freaking serious? You're telling me that wasn't a nightmare?

The ordeal the librarians went through to rescue the pink haired girl had ended an hour ago, leaving plenty of time for the assistant librarian to properly wake up and assess both her surroundings and her situation.

As one might expect, she could barely keep up with what was happening. The shock was enough to leave her silent for a few minutes, despite both Monika and Yuri trying to converse with her.

For her sake, Y/N decided to lead her somewhere more quiet so that she could calm down.

This led to where they currently were.

Yuri: Unfortunately, no.

The rescued librarian silently looked down at her body and began to look around, possibly searching for any spiders that might have lingered on her.

Once she confirmed that she was perfectly fine, her unsure eyes looked at each faces present in the room. She recognized most of them, with the exception being the man currently sitting down.

Her thoughts were all jumbled, she didn't know where to even begin with everything that just happened. This uncertainty led her to cross her arms and let out a low comment.

Natsuki: Seriously, spiders? Couldn't I have something better, like some magical girls?

Y/N: ...Trust me, the spiders are better than them.

The voice of the man she did not recognize immediately shut down her complaint before leaning in his seat, grimacing at some memories of the past.

Seeing that, Natsuki froze slightly and let out the breath she held. Afterwards, she turned to face her classmates, hundreds of question floating in her head as she did so.

Natsuki: What's going on here? Does any of you remember how they got here?

Yuri: ...I do not. Both the 'how' and 'when' feel like a blur in my head.

One of them spoke up, despite the fact she knew absolutely nothing about the situation they were in. Monika, on the other hand, averted her gaze slightly and refused to raise her voice.

Thankfully, fate made her able to slide past this topic with the help of Angela's helper, who tried to jog up their memories.

Y/N: If you're here, then the only option is that you were all inside the Lobotomy Corporation facility.

Natsuki: ...A Lobotomy what?

Yuri: From what I have learned it seemed to act as an energy company. We are currently standing in its remains.

Natsuki: Why would you give an energy company a name like that? That sounds like a shady doctor's office name to me.

Y/N: You're asking the wrong person for that, I worked there, I didn't build it.

Natsuki: Fine, so what? This place is filled with monsters?

Y/N: Pretty much. Luckily, they're currently trapped inside books so we don't have to worry about them escaping.

The casual response she got forced the girl to widen her eyes. She mostly said it as a joke but the expression the man wore quickly told that he wasn't.

Both girls also present didn't object to his statement.

Natsuki: ...And you guys are fighting them?

Yuri: N-Not just them. I have heard from other floors that they have also taken part of "receptions", fighting people who enter this place.

Monika: It's... basically a fight to the death.

The short explanation coming from Monika made the already pale Natsuki lose her remaining colors. She looked at the people present but once more, there was not a single sign that any of them were lying.

She lowered her eyes to the floor, trying to process everything that she was told.

Natsuki: I gotta be honest, I still can't fully believe what you're all telling me. It sounds like a generic anime you guys pulled out from somewhere... but I can't really ignore it, especially after what I saw.

She lightly placed her fingers against her neck, touching the exactly spot where she received a fatal wound. Of course, she couldn't feel any pain by now, she already couldn't when she first woke up but it didn't stop her from reaching it.

She wanted to convince herself that it was real, or perhaps deny what they were telling her.

Yuri lowered her head once she realized what she was doing, feeling the guilt she felt when she landed the killing blow return.

The pink haired girl took notice of it, which further cemented the "dream" she experienced.

Natsuki: So... now what? Are we stuck here?

Y/N: Just like all of us, you can thank Angela for that.

Natsuki: Wait, she trapped all of you here?!

Monika: Not exactly trapped. I guess you could say that... our bodies would vanish if we were to leave.

Natsuki: So we are!

Y/N: Until Angela reaches our goal, we're all stuck following her. Not many are eager to work with her after what she did, especially the Patron librarian.

Yuri: I do not feel a particular inclination towards her, however I can confirm that many people here do not share her goal.

Monika: It's hard to have an opinion on someone you haven't met before.

Natsuki: So, we just have to wait?

Y/N: ...And occasionally fight people who enter the Library.

Natsuki: How am I supposed to do that?! I can at least understand Yuri doing it, she has the height for it-

Yuri: W-What is that supposed to mean?!

Natsuki: Don't act shocked, we both know what you do with that kn-!

Monika: Natsuki, Yuri, please stop, now is not the time to fight.

Y/N: Especially since we're all stuck together, we should try to all be on friendly terms, who knows how long we'll be here.

Natsuki: Fine, I guess I did go too far. I'm sorry.

She crossed her arms yet again and looked at the man who jumped in alongside Monika to quickly end the conflict that was about to form. He looked back at her in silence and both of them shared a staredown for a while until her face turned red from embarassment.

She averted her attention to the books around, quickly calming down her emotions as she did so.

Natsuki: I guess if I ignore that part, reading books until we get out of here is not that bad, it's better than sitting down and doing nothing... even if there doesn't seem to be any mangas here.

Y/N: There's more to do than reading, I can assure you. We try to make different activities when we can to keep ourselves occupied.

Natsuki: Like what, word games?

Y/N: Not really, the closest I could call them would be roleplay games.

A brief spark in Natsuki's eyes formed as she heard the last part of his sentence. She looked back at the director's assistant and asked for more details, leading to him explaining in greater details what they were doing.

This quickly forced Monika and Yuri out of the conversation, who simply watched the both of them exchange words.

Natsuki: So you wrote all of it by yourself?

Y/N: Pretty much, I keep note of it alongside any ideas I can think of.

Natsuki: ...Can I see?

Y/N: I guess, let me just grab my book.

Monika: They seem to get along pretty quickly.

Yuri: Unnaturally quickly, this is surprising to see her like this, knowing how she was before.

Both girls standing on the side looked at the duo looking down in the book on Y/N's lap. The pink haired girl immediately pointed out the amateurish drawings made inside, which earned her a pair of rolled eyes from the artist.

Yuri: At the same time, this situation is far from normal. I still sometimes doubt that everything is real. It all feels like something out of a fantasy book.

Monika: You too? I guess Natsuki must be feeling the same.

As they returned their focus on the pair sitting side by side, a knock echoed lightly, bringing everyone's attention on it.

Curious, the former captain stood up and walked towards the door right as it opened, earning him a direct impact against it

Y/N: Ow... Hava? Do you need something?

Standing on the other side, a girl with long brown hair and a singular red eye visible was leaning against the doorframe, showing a barely hid laughter after opening the door in his face.

Hava: I came here to see if you guys were coming outside. Cereb is starting to think that you're all hiding from the jokes he prepared. You know, typical icebreaker stuff. Last one I heard before coming here was about dwarves or-

Right as she said that, multiple groans could faintly be heard in the distance, followed by a loud voice.

"Come on everyone, he just fell short of paying his debt."

"...Someone shut him up before I make him short enough to punt him."

Hava: Hm, I guess he's still at it. So, you're coming?

Y/N: ...I guess I will, just to make sure he doesn't end up six feet under.

He turned around and grabbed the book left next to Natsuki. With the promise of letting her resume her reading later, he calmly tried to guide them all back towards where the voices came from.

Although some of them, namely Yuri & Natsuki, were opposed. A good enough shove from the rest with smiles convinced them to step further.

Spider Bud's suppression completed!

Y/N's existence has been stabilized!

???'s existence has been stabilized!

A new exclusive Combat Page has been added!