Step.

Step.

Step.

Step.

This singular, repeated noise, echoed as the group composed of all librarians on the Floor of Natural Sciences alongside the director's assistant landed against the floor waiting for them.

Both BongBong and the former captain managed to remain completely up upon landing, something that couldn't be said for the remaining duo. Tiphereth began leaning lightly forward once her feet touched the ground, not used to her height fully.

Christopher, unfortunately, fell immediately on his back, letting out a long groan of pain.

With a few complaints under his breath, he stood up and looked back at the rest of his group, who were all silently observing their surroundings.

Around them, as far as their eyes could see, massive buildings of different heights were barely holding onto their original shapes. Some were leaning dangerously in one direction while others lacked many parts of their walls. Right behind them, a blinding Sun was shining down upon them, making it impossible to see further in the distance.

Thankfully, they wouldn't need to. After all, their mission here was clear and precise: defeat the Abnormality residing inside the book and rescue the trapped employee.

The task has been done again and again, everyone knew what to do, even the freshly awakened librarians.

Y/N: ...

Yet, in spite of that, the librarians remained stiff in place, scanning their surroundings for any possible movements. Beyond their breathings, the air around was silent, dead even. No wind could be felt and the "sunlight" raining down on them lacked its usual warmth, leaving the former employees & Sephirah in unease.

One of them in particular unconsciously tightened his grip onto his blade, feeling drops of sweat forming between his fingers.

Christopher: Man, this place is as lively as my old home, talk about a disappointment.

In an attempt to break the silence, Christopher glanced at his coworkers. As expected, however, he was met with no answers.

It was understandable. Angela warned them about who was residing in this imaginated world. The simple mention of her name made the employees shiver slightly while Tiphereth could only remember memories of slaughters.

This was the first, and probably biggest step they had taken so far. She of all people would be their first encounter with an Abnormality of higher grade, WAW.

Her name was Queen of Hatred.

To some, she was a nuisance. To others, she was a threat to their colleagues and themselves. Those who found pity in her perished or grew to fear or despise her. All of those reactions were deserved.

...And now, they would have to face her, without any E.G.O to protect themselves with.

Y/N: Remember the plan, we can't underestimate her.

BongBong: Bong...

The only one remotely unfazed was BongBong, who quietly observed her surroundings with precise sweeps. Probably sensing that things wouldn't progress until something happened, she looked around and grabbed a small debris at her feet before throwing it down from the platform they stood on.

The piece shattered into dust, letting its disturbance known for anyone nearby.

She seemed pleased with the outcome and took out the blade that came with Sayo's page. At first, the other librarians weren't so sure that this small stunt of hers truly did anything but that doubt shattered the second a blur coming from the sky stood out from the bright sky.

Without any pointless movements, the anomaly flying high above their heads aimed straight at them before performing a downward slam, creating a dustcloud blocking the librarians' sights.

Then, right as it began to clear up, a voice rose up.

"There you are, did you think you could hide from me? Of course not, villains like you have no chance against the might of justice!"

The sharp voice which did not hide its own pride was all the employees needed to take out and ready their weapons.

"Fortunately for your poor victims, your days end here and now! Be ready to face the might of a magical girl!"

Suddenly, a swift motion broke through the dust and scattered it in all direction, revealing a girl dressed in a pink dress, holding a staff of the same color in her hand. She was looking down at the floor but soon enough, her gaze rose up, revealing a stare that was beyond insanity.

Her grin was practically stuck to her face like a mask while her shrunken pupils landed on the librarians facing her.

BongBong: Bong!

BongBong let out a noise as she prepared her first strike. Christopher tried to do the same with Salvador's blade, leaving in the back both Angela's helper and the Patron librarian.

The clear hostile intentions aimed at her caused Queen of Hatred to widen the smile she maintained, prompting the remaining duo to join the others already ready to face her

...Forcing them to be exposed to her.

Her boasting attitude froze as soon as her eyes landed on one specific assistant. Her posture faltered slightly, her eyes widened and her words became stuck in her own throat.

Faced with this burning attention, the director's helper could only stare back at her.

Left at a standstill, both sides observed the other until the Abnormality spoke up once more.

"Y/N...? You're... here?"

Y/N: ...

He remained silent, focusing his energy on his sword.

Queen of Hatred, however, completely disregarded that choice. She lowered her weapon, almost fearing that she might accidentally fire something in their direction.

She took a step closer, making the other librarians put up their guard.

The still air surrounding them slowly grew chilly as the voice of the magical girl continued to reach the worker.

"Where were you, I was looking all over for you... I thought those villains had taken you from me..."

...Still no response.

"I looked everywhere for you, only to... Who cares now, the only thing that matters is that I finally found you! Now that we're together, no villain can ever hope to defeat us!"

To the surprise of those who stood in front of her, the magical girl who quietly mumbled to herself gained more intensity as she held her hands together. Her pupils remained small but they gleamed with a newfound hope, a rekindled desire that she lost a long time ago.

This sensation was the drop too much for the former captain. All of them were here to defeat her, not hear a story she made for herself inside this world created with her influence.

She was not an innocent girl who lost her way, she was an Abnormality, a creature trapped in its own nature and desires. Lobotomy Corporation taught them to never take pity on her, she was a "monster" for a reason.

"I have so much to tell you. Oh, I can't wait for us to work toge-!"

Y/N: Is everyone ready?

With a cold tone, his eyes averted from the main target, making sure that all of them were prepared for the fight that would begin.

Tiphereth: Please do not be fooled by her behaviour.

Christopher: No need to tell me twice.

BongBong: BongBong.

"Y/N...?"

The magical girl's smile dropped as she watched the man she tried to talk to raise his sword in her direction. That sight made her body stop in place, forced to see the glare aimed at her.

At first, she tried to raise a hand but she stopped herself. Her other hand wrapped around the floating staff behind her. Her previous emotions tore apart, leaving a void in their place.

"...I see, I knew I should have followed my instinct."

Soon after, the demented grin she greeted them with during their initial encounter. The tip of her weapon began to glow a pink color as she stared directly into the director's assistant's eyes.

"I knew that those villains would try to corrupt you... It's fine, don't be afraid, once I kill all of them, you'll come back to your sense, back to the real you. I'll be there to welcome you back... oh Y/N..."

With those final words, the suppression could finally begin.

For the following fight, Queen of Hatred will gain new passives:

[I'll liberate you!] - Does not target Y/N with their attacks. Attacks can be manually redirected by Y/N. Y/N cannot be marked as the 'Villain' (If 'Villain' is applied to Y/N, transfer the effect to a random ally).

[Delicate Yearning] - When in a clash against Y/N, all dice lose 2 Power and deal 2 less Damage. This passive does not activate after transforming.

[You...] - When taking damage from Y/N, raise the Hysteria gauge. If HP is below 50%, raise the Hysteria gauge twice as much.

BongBong: BongBong!

Right on cue, the blue blur dashed forward, forcing the magical girl to retaliate by swinging her staff. From its end, brightly colored stars flew in the direction of her opponent, matching the speed of a bullet.

None of the librarians were able to react in time, leaving only the target herself to counter them. Her gaze swiftly locked onto the projectiles and, right as they were about to collide, she raised her blade and cut through the target before going to the next.

Light scattered with each successful parry, prompting Queen of Hatred to sharpen her glare right as the blade slashed at her outfit.

Right in front of her, BongBong's cold stare made it clear that she was about to stop there. Over her shoulder, the Abnormality could see the other librarians run towards her, forcing her to retreat for her own safety.

As she did so, she retaliated with a barrage of stars. Christopher, upon seeing this, twisted his body around and barely saved himself from harm at the cost of his momentum. Tiphereth and Angela's helper sprinted past him and blocked the projectiles with their weapons.

Tiphereth, who also wore Sayo's page, readied her attack as she reached her opponent. However, her intention was halted upon seeing the grin on the magical girl's face. A magical circle formed in front of her, facing the Patron librarian.

Tiphereth: !

At the distance she was, she could only hope to be fast enough to suffer minimal damages. She slammed her feet down and turned away from the incoming danger before taking a leap away.

During this brief moment, her head turned back towards their enemy, only to see the man who followed her blocking her view. Raised in front of him, a layer of skin was maintained, taking the brunt of the damage while leaving the assistant with the aftermath.

Once she landed back on the ground, she spun back and was met by the former captain returning the attack with a repeated piercing strike.

The demented smile on Queen of Hatred's face vanished as she touched where she was damaged. Her eyes landed on her attacker.

"I'm the good one... I am, I have to be. Snap out of it Y/N, they are the evil ones!"

Her voice was met with no response from him.

Instead, he stepped aside and allowed BongBong to go past him for a sudden slash. She aimed directly at the skin and swiftly cut it open, aiming to leave wounds on her face.

BongBong: Bong!

Y/N: I know, no need to remind me.

Finally, he let out a sigh and stepped away to re-examine the situation. BongBong followed his footsteps, making sure to maintain her focus on the magical girl, busily gritting her teeth in fury.

The first Scene had concluded. The second one would soon follow.

Around them, what was once a monotone sky was starting to regain colors that should never be hanging above their head: dark and bright shades of pink.

The librarians were confused by this sudden change and could only pinpoint the source of this anomaly to the one they had to fight.

Standing a few meters away from them, Queen of Hatred held her head with her free hand and mumbled incomprehensible words to herself.

"No... Evil can't win. I'm the chosen one, I can't let them win... I can't lose this..."

Tiphereth: She's starting to become hysteric again.

Y/N: ...She's going to transform.

The words of the assistant made Christopher look back at him with cold sweats on his face. His gaze moved between both him and the ticking time bomb.

Christopher: Then what are we waiting for, we have to hurry up and-!

However, before he could finish his sentence, he was struck by a sudden projectile. His body landed backward and became immobile for a second before attempting to stand up.

Acting as a cover, the director's assistant stood in front of him before yelling at the remaining duo to continue the fight.

With no complaints, they followed the instruction and charged onward, trying their best to break through the defense of the Abnormality.

A first volley of flying stars aimed at them, forcing them to halt themselves to counter them. Unfortunately, doing so only made them unable to progress forward. The magical girl knew that, which is why she simply repeated her assault until her "villains" could no longer keep up.

The Patron librarian did her best but in her disadvantageous position, she was bound to lose her her clash, it was inevitable. Soon enough, the oncoming barrage of projectiles pierced through her defense, pushing her further away.

She landed down on her butt, barely dodging one last star that tried to go through her head. She slowly raised her head just in time to see BongBong completely ignore the attack and endure the hits she received with her body, aiming directly for a strike.

"What?!"

Even Queen of Hatred was surprised by this. She doubled the speed of her casting, hoping this would be enough to stop her but once the distance between them became a few meters at most, she knew that her plan wasn't going to work.

She gritted her teeth and attempted to fly away, 'attempted' being the key word. Her escape route was immediately cut off by the rash librarian with blue hair. She quietly jumped on her and went for a stab with her blade.

As soon as her weapon made contact with the magical girl, however, a burst of light blinded the librarians nearby. With the exception of BongBong, who was the main victim of the attack, the remaining workers were forced to cover their eyes until they could see again.

Once they did, their eyes were quick to notice the monster on their side faltering for possibly the first time ever.

The light was enough to stagger her long enough to allow Queen of Hatred to fight back. She sent a singular star in her direction with a large grin on her face, observing her target fall down on the ground.

Y/N: What was that?

The director's assistant couldn't help but ask that question, followed by the same confusion coming from Christopher.

Thankfully, the assistant librarian assigned to Tiphereth was back on his feet alongside his boss. BongBong, on the other hand, remained temporarily dazed.

Sadly, they couldn't afford the time to go to her rescue or else the Abnormality would use this obvious weakness to break through their numbers.

So, as the third Scene began, the trio hurriedly split off in order to attack the magical girl from multiple directions.

Queen of Hatred rapidly moved between each of them until she locked her gaze onto Tiphereth.

She raised her wand and, with a cold voice, she attacked first.

"You won't escape, villain."

Tiphereth: !

The second her words reach Tiphereth, a barrage of projectiles was making their way in her direction.

Her tension rose the moment she barely parried the first bullet and kept rising with each close call she had. In her situation, the best she could do was swing and pray, which turned out to be a blessing more than anything.

Because unlike her, her remaining allies were free to go for an attack.

Christopher: Hey! How about going for someone your size!

The assistant's voice pierced through everything as he readied the grand sword he carried and swung at her left side, leaving a scorching wound through her outfit.

His intervention broke through the unending assault of the magical girl. The Patron librarian let out a deep sigh of relief as she made her way towards their target.

The manic glare of the Queen of Hatred landed on her attacker but was quickly distracted by a whistle coming from right behind her, a clear and deliberate move to grab her focus. She dashed away just in time to see Angela's helper break the floor she stood on a moment ago with a large sawblade attached to a metal part.

The impact created a disruption akin to musical notes to be heard around them.

His missed attempt caused the weapon he held to be reverted back to a standard sword that he used to clash against the Abnormality, resulting in a tie.

Both sides were pushed backward, ending immediately the clash.

"No... Not again, I won't lose again!"

The girl dressed in a pink dress held her head as she screamed at the top of her lungs. She was growing desperate with each confrontation she lost.

Her shrunken eyes quickly between each of them, fuming with wrath, before stopping for a moment on the one who did not belong to the Floor of Natural Sciences.

"You keep taking everything from me, I'm the good one! Evil like you doesn't deserve anything!"

She flew away once more and raised both of her hands towards the staff floating right in front of her.

Right as she did so, what looked like a massive pink heart formed out of thin air. Right behind it, a magic circle was slowly rotating as an orb of light began to grow inside it.

The librarians observed what was unfolding with terror once they understood what was about to happen.

Y/N: She's going to blast us into nothing!

Tiphereth: Get out of the way everyone!

The Patron librarian's warning sent everyone into action. The first one to react was the former captain, who created a barrier with Shy Look's face, large enough to protect himself. Right after, Christopher dashed towards him and hid right behind him.

BongBong, who had just recovered from her stagger, ran at the magical girl, her expression completely still despite the clear danger. This left the Sephirah herself, unable to reach the small defense made by the director's assistant.

Right as she understood that, the light reached a critical level and, with pride in her voice, Queen of Hatred screamed as loud as she could.

"This is the end, Arcana Slave!!"

Her final words acted as the trigger and, in the blink of an eye, the magic circle released the energy it kept. With no one able to do anything, a laser the size of the platform they stood on went on as far as the eyes could see.

The sound emanating from it was deafening and seconds felt like hours.

The ex-captain was sweating bullets as he felt the thin barrier saving both him and Christopher from death heating up. The dried skin was sizzling up, leaving them with a terrible smell to inhale in this ordeal.

The pressure against his own might made the headache he felt turn into a fever. Layer by layer, the skin burnt away, leaving close to no hope for them to survive.

Yet, in spite of that, the employee held on.

After who knows how long, the spell grew weaker and slowly faded away. As soon as it did, Angela's helper practically collapsed, Shy Look's face turning into a simple blade.

Christopher quickly looked at their target but noticed his saviour fully out of it, laying down on the floor with deep breaths audible.

Fear gripped his heart and, out of hope, turned towards his Patron librarian. However, he was met with nothing... her presence was gone.

...Or not fully. His eyes lowered and, to his horror, he was met with a pair of shoes still worn by scorched legs no longer attached to a body.

His discovery was met by said limbs turning into golden pages.

Christopher: A-Ah...

Words became stuck in his throat and he fully paid attention to the magical girl who caused this. There, he saw BongBong laying down on the floor, not by choice. In a display of irony, the blue haired girl's legs had turned into ashes.

Despite this, she clung to life like a cockroach. She latched onto Queen of Hatred legs like a zombie and, with a swing, she bit into her leg.

The Abnormality let out a scream and retaliated with a stomp against the side of her skull. Then, she pointed her staff towards her and summoned a second magic circle aimed at the legless girl.

What followed was a firework of crimson flying from her head, splattering everywhere. The magical girl groaned out of annoyance and turned her gaze towards him.

His face turned pale once he understood that he was next. The Stigma Workshop blade in his hands began to shake as he tried to stand his grounds.

He stood in front of the exhausted survivor, already fearing the inevitable.

"Scared? Do you see what happens to evildoers like you when they stand against justice? Against me?"

Y/N: Don't... give up.

Between breaths, the worker tried to his best to dispel the fear in the assistant librarian. Christopher looked back at him and saw him slowly stand up.

Y/N: Keep pushing... that's all we can do now.

Christopher: W-We don't stand a chance!

Y/N: Focus...

He pointed in the direction of the Abnormality, leaving the other man to turn just in time to see their enemy prepare another attack.

With a morale reaching rock bottom, Christopher swung his weapon around as much as possible to block the incoming projectiles.

As he did so, however, the one attacking slowly walked closer with a large grin on her face.

The former captain could notice what was happening but was powerless to do anything. Christopher was completely unresponsive, simply wasting his energy out of fear. Soon, this mistake caught up to him.

"Out of my way."

Once close enough, she coldly ordered him as she sent a beam through his right arm, tearing it off and making the sword fall on the ground. She was ready to finish the job but the body of the librarian turned into golden pages before she could.

Y/N: ...

The last one standing silently looked at the one who killed the other librarians. She did the same, with a smile too. She covered with blood but it was the least of her concerns. She stepped closer and held her hands together.

"There, justice has once again won. It's time for you to wake up Y/N."

The both of them were so close they could touch the other if they extended their arms. Left in this state, the duo exchanged a long look.

"Now that I finally found you again, we can start once more, just the both of us, with no one dragging you away anymore."

Y/N: ...

Slowly, she raised her left hand towards him, reaching for his face. Seeing that, the librarian remained still for a moment, waiting for her to continue.

No hope was left, he knew that. There was nothing he could do on his own. Yet, he wasn't about to let himself be defeated without doing anything.

If he were to die, then he would die with one final move.

Y/N: Try again next time.

His words left the magical girl confused long enough for him to swing his blade, which had turned into a sawblade, into her body. Once it entered her skin, the worker forced the blade to spin rapidly until he couldn't.

Right as it ended, his body disappeared, leaving Queen of Hatred alone on her platform. She held her wound, unable to comprehend what just happened.

...But slowly, giggles left her lips, giggles that turned into a full-blown laughter.

"I see... Hahaha... You're still not free... Hahaha... not mine yet..."

...

...

Y/N: Hah... hah...

With barely no breath to his name, the worker ran across the field, dodging star projectiles aiming at him. Right behind him, Tiphereth was seen blocking other attacks with her blade, her hands bleeding after a bad fall.

Christopher was no more, gone without a trace.

BongBong was trying her best to keep their opponent busy but one less arm, it was difficult for her to maintain the pressure. She had to push herself to the limit in order to keep her busy.

This was their 5th attempt at this. All previous attempts ended in failure, despite multiple changes done to increase their odds at victory.

Despite all of that, here they were, struggling to stay alive.

Their current attempt looked promising at first. However, one Arcana Slave in a bad situation was all it took to destroy their momentum.

Everyone still alive was in bad shape, leaving no room for them to mess up. Unlike them, Queen of Hatred was going strong... at least physically. Mentally, she was fully gone.

On this try, all of them were able to maintain a constant victory against the Abnormality's attacks, which led to her hysteria to reach a breaking down.

Blue spears formed out of thin air, which pierced the magical girl's body from all direction. Then, a large, black heart formed around her body before breaking in half like a cocoon, revealing a massive snake-like dragon.

That was when they understood they had messed up. The only thing they could do was struggle, again and again until they perished.

None of them were spared, not even Angela's helper.

...

...

Christopher: I can't do this anymore, my limbs are hurting like hell. I don't want to go back in there!

Outside of battle, the librarians involved in this were sitting together, trying to think of a good solution.

Around them, other librarians were present, also thinking of a possible solution. Some didn't feel like involving themselves but others felt pity for them and tried their best to support them.

Malkuth encouraged the workers, Yesod looked for possible combinations that would let them past this ordeal. Hod was gathering the assistant librarians who were willing to help, trying to find any knowledge from their time at Lobotomy Corporation that would give them an advantage.

Angela was sitting nearby, tasked with reviving the librarians once they died... with the exception of her unwilling helper, who she had the gracious "mercy" of pulling him out before he could let out his last breath.

The others though, they were left to their own devices.

Roland: She sure doesn't hold back, and you said you were able to easily defeat her before?

Dana: With E.G.O, those things saved our lives more than once. However, without them, you can see how it turns out.

Roland: Those E.G.Os definitely sound powerful.

Y/N: ...

The group left with the task of suppressing, however, didn't pay much attention to their conversations. They simple sat around in silence, trying to think of a good strategy.

Christopher had given up, Tiphereth was wracking her head trying to think of something new. Y/N was busy trying to think of which Abnormalities' assistance that could help them for this fight and BongBong... well, she was BongBong.

No talk, all noise.

BongBong: Bong...

Y/N: I know, we have to win at some point.

He mumbled in response to BongBong's noise before turning a page of his book. As he did so, a pair of footsteps made their way to them, causing the group to look in their direction.

There, Vince, who remained mostly quiet spoke up.

Vince: I... Look, I know I don't have much experience dealing with Abnormalities, being a clerk and all that. However, I was thinking...

Y/N: ...What?

Vince: What's stopping you from gunning her down?

His question left the room silent for a moment before Roland raised his voice with uncertainty.

Roland: Guns? Against something like this? Guns are already ineffective against a human with experience but against an Abnormality? I doubt it'll work.

Vince: Well, our guns worked on weaker Abnormalities. So, what's stopping higher grades from damaging stronger ones?

Morgan: The common sense that it'll never work...

Morgan replied to his question with her usual gloomy voice. She sat in one of the corners of the room, looking at a wall for no particular reason.

The librarians working on the Floor of Natural Sciences looked at each other for a bit before Christopher let out a sigh.

Christopher: Ahh... never liked wielding one of them back in that facility. Even if you know how they work, you always fear that they break on you.

Y/N: ...

The director's helper pondered on the proposition given to them. Then, he thought of the Abnormalities they had fought so far.

Maybe, just maybe, their solution was there.

...

...

Standing all alone, Queen of Hatred watched the city she saved from evil. Without her, all of those poor folks hiding in their homes would be dead, it was all thanks to her that they were still breathing.

Yet, now, she was faced with a certain group of villains that she couldn't quite get rid of. They would simply vanish and return like nothing ever happened.

Those... evildoers also had the gall to hold hostage the one she thought of as her partner. No matter how many times she won, she never could bring him back to her.

Their dark clutches on him were strong but she was stronger, she was confident of that.

So, she stood there, waiting for them to return. They would do so, they always do and she would be there to defeat them once again.

*Click*

A sudden noise made her body freeze up. She then turned around, seeing a certain group of 4 she met many times at this point.

Among them, her partner was there, still brainwashed by her enemies.

With a wide smile, she readied her staff, ready for them to charge at her. However, that excitement of hers was cut short once she heard one of them raised their voice.

Y/N: Open fire!

"Y/N-?"

She raised her voice, only to be stopped by a massive echo of gunshots reverberating in the air, followed by an agonizing pain piercing her entire body. Each bullets tearing her body apart sent her backward.

If one wasn't aware of the absolute torture she put the librarians through, they maybe would have felt bad about this sight. Unfortunately for her, her victims were her only witnesses, leaving her with no mercy from them.

It felt like an eternity for her. Everything happened at once, leaving her unable to comprehend what was happening.

She was strong, she was supposed to be stronger than simple villains. Yet, here they were, pushing her back.

She gritted her teeth and opened her eyes just in time to see the director's assistant close the distance between them. First, he went for a singular slash across her body. Then, he followed with a strike with what looked like a bleeding artery connected to his arm.

Queen of Hatred couldn't understand what changed. She was supposed to be the hero and yet, here they were, breaking through her guard so easily.

She wanted to let her anger out but the second she stood up, the man she desperately tried to save dropped on the ground, acting as the signal for his allies the resume the bullet storm.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

She desperately tried to fight back. However, each time she would attempt to do so, another bullet who force her back into inaction. It was ridiculous for both side observing the other. On one end, the Abnormality couldn't believe she was overwhelmed by a bunch of worthless villains.

On the other, the workers couldn't help but be shocked by how... easy it was. All they needed to do was press the trigger and watch their target squirm in pain.

Were they going to feel pity for her though? Absolutely not. Fueled by both their memories of their time in Lobotomy Corporation and their current struggles, the last thing they would do is let her go.

So, with cold hearts, they pressed the trigger of their rifles until no ammo could be dispensed.

It was a massacre that felt relieving for the surviving party. With all of their anger out of their system, their eyes landed on the shredded magical girl, barely able to stand.

In spite of that though, she slowly rose, gave them a glare full of hatred and weakly tried an attack. Christopher, done with this, raised his gun and sent the last bullet in his weapon inside her head.

Her head remained still for a moment... then, slowly, it lowered. The second it did, her body combusted into many golden pages.

Y/N: ...

Christopher: ...

Tiphereth: ...

BongBong: ...Bong?

The girl with blue hair raised her voice for a moment, breaking the tense atmosphere around them. The librarians, slowly recovering from what they did, looked at each other in silence before looking at Angela's helper, who was laying down on the ground.

He carefully stood up and looked back at them.

Y/N: Never doing that again, you hear me! I thought I was done for a second!

The former captain quickly made his way to them and, as he did so, he noticed Tiphereth looking at something behind him.

Fearing that it might be Queen of Hatred coming back for a revenge, he spun around, only to find a single man standing there.

He looked at what was left of the massacre with widened eyes before looking up at them.

"Did... Did you kill her?"

Christopher: Yep, good riddance.

Tiphereth: Are you an employee from Lobo-

"Oh my fucking god, I'm saved. I can't believe it, you guys came to save me, I thought I would be stuck here forever!"

With no hesitation, the man sprinted in their direction with relief in his face. He did not stop until he arrived right in front of their faces.

He looked at all of them carefully until his eyes landed on the ex-captain.

"So, you're Y/N."

Y/N: Uh... yes? Is there something wrong?

"Wrong? That's an understatement."

The unknown employee looked around for a bit before grabbing his shoulders.

"You don't know how many time I was forced to hear your name again and again from that nutcase. I thought I was about to go mad too if I heard it one more time!"

Y/N: ...Sorry about that, uh-

"Max, the name's Max. Please, get me out of here, I don't want to stick around!"

Y/N: G-Got it Max. Please let go of my shoulders.

Max: Oh, sorry, I'm just a bit too excited to get out of here.

Christopher: Understandable, I'd go nuts too if I was stuck here.

His words were the last spoken by the group before Angela was able to extract them out of the book they were in. With relief washing over them, they all let out a sigh in unison as their bodies turned into golden pages.

All that was left was an empty world, devoid of a monster pretending to be a hero.

Queen of Hatred's suppression completed!

Y/N's existence has been stabilized!

???'s existence has been stabilized!

A new exclusive Combat Page has been added!

[Used only if the condition on "Fragment: Queen of Hatred" is met, cannot be obtained]

(Here it is everyone, the fight I'm sure a lot of people were waiting for. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite fully write I had in mind for the fight. If I did, the chapter would have been twice as long, a bit much for a still somewhat early fight. So instead, I decided to go for a new gimmick for the Abnormality Combat Page received!

Still it remains one of the chapters with the most words in it as of now so I hope you enjoyed it in spite of that.

That's all from me, bye.)