Confused; Pain, hesitation...... At the same time, I also take the trouble to escape and deceive myself in those daily lives where I have almost forgotten time......

It's as if there is always an invisible and intangible-estranged barrier with the people around him.

Moreover, even the concept of "time" has a subtle deviation......

In such an involuntary self-isolation, he tries to cut off all contact with the outside world.

However, Riveria can't watch her best friend fall like this anyway-

So, it seems as if she has decided since then......

We must be by his side as a "best friend"! Yes, it has been decided since then. But isn't this a certain degree of "self-deception"?

But she also understood, even better than anyone at the time—

"Watching that guy drown his sorrows day after day, and then keep his soul every day, locking his drunken self in his room all day long......"

It's so painful to see something like this firsthand!

Therefore, even if it is hard, she has decided to drag such Lemuel out of the seemingly bottomless "self-satisfaction" and "self-absorption"!

Even if it was something he didn't want to do!

"Hey, it's three poles in the sun! Get me up! ”

Before the words fell, Riveria simply pulled off the futon he was originally wrapped in!

"Didn't I say you don't have to come every day? By the way, what time do you think it's now...... It's not even dawn yet—"

"That's because you always cover your head with a quilt?!"

After saying that, he slammed Lemuel on the forehead with his hand!

"It hurts......"

Yet even so, his voice still lingered as if it were sleep. So, in order to make sure it worked, it didn't take long for Riveria to change to a spatula!

And unconsciously took his head as a wooden fish-

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!? What are you doing......?!! ”

As soon as the words fell, Riveria threw him a commonplace white eye in an instant!

"It seems to be working. Will you wake up in this way every day? ”

Unexpectedly, as soon as her words fell, Lemuel's whole face turned blue! It's like a rotten eggplant—

"I see! I'll get up on time in the future, so please be merciful!? ”

Immediately after that, I guess I was satisfied with such an answer, right? Riveria didn't make any more accusations!

"Hurry up and get dressed and go downstairs...... I'll just make breakfast. ”

After she went out, Lemuel opened the closet with great reluctance, and with an awkward expression, he casually chose a loose set of clothes to put on. But......

"What are you? I'm talking about uniforms! Subdue!! Hurry up and change it...... Really! ”

After saying that, she pushed and dragged Lemuel, who looked messy, back upstairs without mercy.

When she was done, even she felt a little tired.

snuggled up on the couch.

Thankfully, this time he had a good change into his uniform and then came down.

"Go wash up, hurry-"

But Lemuel was just standing there, which meant he didn't know what to do next.

No, this guy just hasn't woken up yet......

In desperation, Riveria had no choice but to take him to the bathroom......

"You don't need me to help you anymore, do you?"

"Hmm."

He nodded. Although he hesitated for a moment, the answer was still within the "normal range".

Nothing like this has ever happened before. Even during the time that Leela lived here, there had never been anything like this—

However, it was only for a week. The change in that guy has even reached the point of jaw-dropping......

The closer you get; The more I understand, the more I can truly experience and truly feel the sense of powerlessness and decadence.

And what is the point of his affection for Lela......

While thinking about such a question, Riveria opened the refrigerator -

As expected, it was filled with a variety of frozen foods.

Although these are not unavoidable, eating them for a long time increases the risk of malnutrition.

So she didn't hesitate any longer......

Immediately bought enough fresh ingredients online!

Then the breakfast was finally settled-

"School? Even if you rush to it now, you will definitely be late, right? Can't you go without going? ”

In the face of Lemuel's tone that seemed to be a serious coquette, Riveria's answer was merciless-

"No! Your absences are already on the verge of being in jeopardy, do you want to graduate? ”

"It's all about that kind of thing now, okay?"

"No way!"

Suddenly, the sense of loss revealed from this answer also made her lose the courage to refute......

"Please, Riveria...... Leave me alone! ”

“......！”

Lemuel was in such a state in the past, and in short, there was no hope or desire in his eyes at that time.

That kind of gaze can be really creepy at times. At the same time, it is very uncomfortable......

"How could I ignore you, even if so many things have changed by now, I can't leave you alone-"

"Why?"

"Isn't that obvious? Because we're friends...... And for me, you're the only best friend left now......"

Unexpectedly, the moment the words fell, he couldn't help laughing-

"It's so nice, but if you want to make friends, it doesn't matter how much you want, right?"

"What do you mean?"

Obviously, Riveria was a bit of a fiery person at this moment—but Lemuel didn't care and continued.

"If you want friends, no one else willing."

He probably wanted to say that, right? In a sense, it's true. But......

"But as you can see, I'm such an awkward character, a good guy, and now you're the only one left......"

Riveria held his hand and looked him in the eye and said it was categorical!

As she spoke, even she was a little helpless.

"Alright, alright, it's running out of time! Run——! ”

With that, Riveria dragged Lemuel out of the house with a bang......

Since then, thanks to her persistence, she has maintained her original "self" to this day.

And it didn't waver in any way because of Lela's departure.

Although it was once true that it once collapsed.

And, the reason why I can stand here without hesitation is thanks to her help behind her back!

In short, really thank you to that guy in every sense!

So now he can successfully enter the imaginary space, which is a "completely unknown realm" to humans.

However, it was not up to Riveria alone to achieve this goal...... She does have a "genius" mind and strength, but this kind of thing is ......

It is by no means possible for one person to do it!

"Is it finally in? This is, 'imaginary space'? ”

There is no way to describe the scene in front of me in words.

If you have to say, it's a world of dots, lines, and glassy planes......

At the same time, there is no such thing as gravity or air, in short, a world that simply defies the laws of physics!

However, in such a world, there are substances similar to water everywhere. It looks like a "slime"-like being.

But this is not the "world of games".

So in a short time, he felt pressure from all sides, and it was different from the real world......

Due to the lack of gravity, Lemuel is now floating in mid-air along with the mech!

This means that he can't resist at all! I can only watch my body be torn apart over time......

Then it becomes impossible for common sense to explain at all, approximating the shape of a "cube"!

Immediately after that, the feeling of skin opening flesh kept invading the nerve endings—

He wanted to shout, but he was instantly enveloped by a feeling similar to "drowning". All of a sudden, it was as if there was a problem with blood circulation!

What's worse is that there is no way to drive the body properly in such a situation!

Moreover, for the "imaginary space" itself, Lemuel's existence is equivalent to a "foreign body". So he was destined to not be able to adapt to the environment here-

That's right, it's impossible for humans to adapt to the environment of the "imaginary space".

Even if he was protected by a "completely imaginary" body at this moment, this situation could never change as a matter of course.

If he wants to adapt to this space, unless he becomes no longer human!

However, this is as impossible as the "Arabian Nights".

At the same time, Vane and the others gave all the energy of their respective bodies to Lemuel......

As a result, they are not vulnerable to the larvae that are starting to increase in value again at this moment!

can only rely on Levi and Riveria's "cytostats" to clean up the battlefield...... However, there is a definite time limit for such a way of warfare -

"Riveria, what to do! If this continues...... Cytostats will fail! ”

"I know! But that's all that's been done now, right?! ”

In fact, due to the continuous emergence of "drug resistance", those larvae are gradually becoming more tolerant to "cytostatics"!

Honestly, this doesn't bode well!

However, Riveria had long thought that this might eventually turn out to be the case, so she preemptively recovered Vane's mech once again......

"What are we going to do next?!"

Everyone was looking exhausted at this moment. Both physical and mental strength have already reached an insurmountable limit!

Although it is often said that -

If you can push the limits, you can see something different. However, at this point, if they force themselves no longer, then only death awaits them!

"So don't force it! Rest well, I'll figure out what happens next! ”

Olivia, Vaane, and Hatfield asked to strike again several times, but they were all stopped by Riveria.

"Think about the future, if I agree with you to attack now...... That's what really sent you to the Hell! ”

"But, brother, he must still be working hard——!"

"I know, but you're going to die if you face a battle like the one you just did now! Do you want him to suffer the pain of 'loss' again?! ”

The moment Riveria's words fell, she couldn't help but bite her lip.

"If you understand, just rest obediently."

By the way, she told Olivia the same thing. Thankfully, she behaved much more sensible than Vane at this moment-

"I see. Sorry for the ......."

Subsequently, this dilemma lasted for about a week, and the two sides were still in a stalemate like burning eyebrows!

"In all likelihood, if Lemuel hadn't tried to bring down the "Mother", the situation would not have changed radically, right? ”

"As long as the mother continues to exist, it is likely that their value will continue to increase......"

This was something that Riveria had noticed earlier than anyone had noticed.

"How so?! In other words, is everything we do now in vain? ”

In the face of Yui's questioning, she had no choice but to answer in silence.

Of course, even at this moment, Lemuel and Leviathan are continuing to work hard to adapt to the environment of the "imaginary space"! That's how it should be—

However, in the middle of the way, the guy suddenly launched wave after wave of attacks! And every wave of attacks was carried out without mercy......

Fast and accurate!

Lemuel couldn't even do basic defenses! Not to mention dodging......

In such a situation, he can only be at the mercy of the other party. After all, this is "their territory"! In a few moments, he felt a loss of energy that seemed to be visible to the naked eye!

Moreover, the "imaginary" state of the body has become extremely unstable!

Although he had no doubts about Riveria's achievements, even the calmest of people would inevitably feel uneasy in this situation!

"Hey, little ghost!"

“！ Does the imp mean me? ”

"Otherwise, who else do you think there is! Don't use normal mode anymore, if I can hold on like this, you'll be tortured to death! ”

"So what to do?!"

"Try it in the restriction removal mode, and if you can get through it, try to fight back!"

To be honest, Leviathan took the initiative to suggest to himself that this was the first time in history, so no matter how effective it was...... Lemuel did it immediately!

"Phase 2, restrictions lifted!"

He then handed over the reins to the Leviathan...... I have to say that this judgment is very correct. Then Leviathan realized—

So far, they have all thought about how to rebel against the "imaginary space", so what if they used the characteristics of the "imaginary space" itself?

"Humph!"

After deciding, he completely surrendered his body to the "imaginary space" itself in the blink of an eye. Finally, I can see the attack trajectory clearly!

This means that the previous approach has always been wrong. The important thing is not to try to change the laws of the "imaginary space" itself......

Resisting and struggling, we should try to be a part of this place until the moment when we are not seen as a "foreign object".

This will make it a little easier.

Although the basic facts have not changed drastically, they are much better than they were at the beginning!

"Shhhh Is it still only possible to dodge attacks with the upper limit disarming mode? ”

The unwilling Leviathan immediately relied on his own judgment and tried to go further-

The third stage, the restriction is lifted!

Suddenly, his eyes became like blood, and people couldn't help but be afraid! At this point, you can finally neutralize the opponent's attack with the right weapon!

However, the price to be paid is that the energy is losing more and more quickly!

The frequency and frequency of attacks are also more intensive - although they can cancel out the attacks, they still can't catch up with the opponent's speed......

"Really, I always like to run around...... Could it be that the other party is a mouse? ”

Thinking like this, Leviathan finally no longer intends to "show mercy"! In the blink of an eye, he completely unleashed all his abilities!

In an instant, you have moved from "Limited Cancellation Mode" to "Complete Liberation Mode: Phase 1"!

In an instant, I finally slashed the other party from the front!

But in the blink of an eye, it plans to slip away when it sees that the situation is not good! But in such a situation, how could the Leviathan watch such a thing happen?

"Don't try to run!"

Catching up in an instant, he didn't hesitate to give the "mother" a punch! It was actually directly hit with Venus in its eyes, and it continued to fall towards the depths of space!

"I said it, I won't let you go until now!"

However, in the midst of the seemingly unhindered pursuit, he heard some kind of familiar voice—

"How is that possible?"

Then, after realizing that the voice was not an auditory hallucination or an illusion, he immediately returned the reins to Lemuel......

"Over to you—"

At first, he didn't understand why, but he was clearly aware of the sound that had been echoing in his ears throughout.

"Why are you here?"

To be honest, in an instant Lemuel realized whose voice it was. But even so, he couldn't believe it right away.

"I didn't expect to be really said by that guy. You're really here......"

"That guy? Is it referring to Riveria? How is she now, is she okay? ”

But then Lemuel suddenly realized that he could only open his mouth, but there was no way to make any sound.

Therefore, under the current situation, he can only accept information unilaterally. After all, the laws here are not the same as those of the real world......

"Don't care, that's fine—"

However, Lemuel was so stubborn that he tried again and again to make a sound, but each time it seemed like he was stuck in his throat!

It seems to be hindered by something as a matter of course.

"Anyway, I can see you again...... It's been very satisfying for me. ”

Suddenly, the voice became indistinct again. Eventually, only staccato syllables could be heard——!

"Lela, I'm still ......!"

Immediately afterward, Lemuel tried desperately to squeeze the remaining words out of his throat, but he could not convey these last words anyway......

"Damn! Why, why not?! ”

Such a feeling is truly countless times more cruel than the most cruel punishment!

"That's fine, that's enough—"

In the end, she seemed to say so, but Lemuel didn't understand why she acted as if she didn't have the slightest nostalgia.

"Don't you want to continue living with me?!"

"Do you mean living here?"

“！”

He was speechless for a moment, because he couldn't answer. Again, understand that such questions are simply pointless......

But Lemuel was desperate to get a hold of something. Even if that doesn't happen......

"As you can see, I'm only going to stay in this kind of place now, right? But you're different, aren't you? ”

"You still have a place to go back. Isn't it? ”

He was also unable to answer these questions. Because it's so hard to face that reality again—

But in any case, Lemuel has already decided...... He won't be lost anymore!

"So, don't say anything more about this waywardness, right? Although I don't hate it......"

The one-sided conversation between the two ended here. The pinprick-like attack is pouring down like a downpour again!

"Watch out for dodge ——!"

"I know!!"

And Lemuel also understands that his only task now is to kill the "mother"!

So he didn't hesitate; There is no nostalgia, even if it is necessary to re-present what happened "at that time" in the same way......

"Already, has it been decided?"

"Well, that's what it was meant to be, isn't it?"

"Won't you regret it?"

"Honestly, I'm already regretting it-"

Immediately after, it was as if he was talking to himself, and even Leviathan couldn't bear to continue to figure it out......

After all, someone can't help but burst into tears at this moment!

However, he still did not hesitate to stab out the last thorny spear that seemed to be full of "sin"......!

And in an instant Lemuel realized-

"Thank you."

The so-called words of "thanks" can also be presented in such a sad situation......