The cave had finally finished terraforming.

The interior had not changed much, but it had seemingly gone back in time where there were no existing traces of the complicated mechanism that had trapped the Abomination. There were no longer men trapped here to do forced labour either. No more traces of the Abomination. No more watchtowers. No more guard elves...

Asides from the little girl at the center. there was no one else but Lestia, Tricia, and White in this space.

Tricia was at the back, silently moving away from the fight to escape to the shelter. She felt something amiss when the Mind Collar did not work as she intended to. Having uncertain variables in her safety, she quickly left the situation created by White to Lestia. She was not powerful in combat in the first place. ...just good at manipulating people, and happened to find a good opportunity to rise in ranks a few years ago. Prioritizing her survival, she left quickly. In a few moments, ...she had disappeared from sight.

Realizing the intent of White to come closer to the little girl, Lestia immediately acted to stop him, not caring about Tricia who she could sense running away behind her with a high level of Slime Sense.

Lestia ran forward in a panic, attempting to stop White from coming in contact with the little girl, who was still seemingly ignorant of everything going on around her. The girl who hadn't turned her head around to see the commotion, would have definitely be seen as deaf by an onlooker. But there was no one else in this place to judge that.

"...Stay away, human! Or else...!"

Lestia did not have a target for necromancy to summon strong undead with her Taming Mastery LV MAX, inherited from the Summoner Inaho. But she still had her slime skill: Harden Skin, and a series of skills that she had absorbed from the War Maiden Mai. Like this, she would gain access to the unique-class ability Holy Spirit, an ability that doubled the buff duration and effects of her Battlecry, Battle Roar and Battle Spirit, raising her stats and her summons dramatically.

Both of them, whom she had used to grow stronger. And since assimilating the gender of her former gal friend: Uchida Mai by devouring her body entirely, she became able to evolve to a Queen Slime.

She did not feel any remorse doing so, because that classmate of hers... ended her last moments in life being raped by Urayama Ichiyo, the Flame Wizard. In her cold eyes and the assessment of a monster, Lestia determined them to be one and the same.

Filth.

[Queen/King Slime]

The most defensive variation of the Slime race. Has 100% increased defense, magic defense and health, and 100% increase in size.

Can learn abilities of up to 3 Elemental Attributes.

Can further evolve when you have met the hidden requirements.

[Assimilate a Gender to Choose]

She had also 'stolen' her alignment with Potential Absorption, being able to equip the Imperial Arms she had taken off of her after.

The armor Snowfall which granted a 20% effect increase in passive skills. And the legendary ceremonial sword from the Church of Maiea, Harmony. The sword rivalling the war potential of the four Demonic Blades that existed in this world. It was a weapon that could never break, which increased abilities of the Holy Attribute by 50%.

...Indeed, after all this... She was powerful and confident enough to take on that guy she believed to have no other abilities besides intimidation. It was not as useful on her because she had the Monster Instinct, which was the foreign element that granted Mental Resistance LV5 when incited to succumb to her instincts to predate.

If things went to the worst case scenario, and that White actually had some powers in play, she would not hesitate to use everything in her arsenal to beat him down.

That regressed form of Inaho, whom she'd preserved all this time to infuse Inpathium into her so she could successfully transfer Immortality via Slime Veil. She thought, if the requirements was having mana in Inaho's body, then she would do it forcefully through the use of experimental Alchemic Concoctions using the all-purpose rainbow mineral Inpathium.

The strange scene of Inaho looking healthy and alive crossed her mind for a moment, but it quickly faded away. Her protective instincts took over before her reasoning followed.

...That's right. That was all Lestia knew how to do, as a Monster. She would devour anyone, and anything in her way.

But Kuro had other plans.

"...Warning me...? Or what?"

?! This human...!!! Does he think he can still revive after this without my Slime Veil...?!

...!!! DISAPPEAR!!!

But for the first time. She was stopped.

?!

Her right leg was restrained by some kind of arm. It seemed to be infested with worms.

Since she was now in her main body of a Slime, Lestia thought that she could easily detach a portion of herself when needed.

...?! I can't... get it... off...?!

But she could not do so. It was as if the arm was disabling the response in her legs merely through contact like stone petrification. As Lestia continued to struggle, she watched in shock as countless shadowy creatures slowly crept out of the walls of the cave and stretched out their putrid arms to lock her down. This time, all of her limbs was tied down as she sunk to the ground helplessly.

"Wh-what is... this... what am I being... restrained... by...?!"

White stopped in his tracks all of a sudden, and glanced over at Lestia who was captured easily within a few moments. As the miasma around White slowly detached itself away from him. The black veil of smoke slowly formed the shape of a person, from the fingers to the chest and to the legs.

...And then, the figure revealed itself.

Kuro had appeared in physical form. He was now standing right beside White, with an unamused expression. His white bangs covering his eyebrows made it difficult to read his cold expression.

With a sullen tone, he opened his mouth.

"Go."

"...Mn."

White nodded his head lightly as a response, and returned his sights towards Inaho with slow and heavy steps. In his eyes, Kuro had suddenly made Lestia fall to her knees without a sweat.

He could not see the arms at all.

"?! Don't touch her! Don't! Ugggh!!! What is this?! Why can't I-"

"-It's no use."

"?! Wh-what?!"

...That's right...You can't escape while you're inside a Memory until he cancels it.

When shrouded with my Spectral Cowling, that space that we share allows me to manifest myriads of entities within it.

Spectral Cowling... and the Field of Memories...

...a "Spectral Memory"...

...It is the only place where I can let the 'prisoners' run loose. My Cowl, a prison where his dark memories stay locked in. ...And now that you have been targeted by White, you can no longer escape from here easily... where they can reveal their forms to new visitors...

Although White cannot see them, because the keys to these memories are with me. Yes...one such entity, ...are the worm-infested Parasites.

I eyed the woman before me with a dark expression.

"Stay still if you don't want them to eat your mind out. Physical damage do not carry over back in reality... ...but your mind will."

Meanwhile, the little girl whose identity was actually Inaho's regressed form, had noticed White approaching her slowly. As if she was like an NPC who only had eyes for the player during an interaction.

"? Hello, Big Brother...? Nice to meet you! My name-"

White looked at the little girl smiling cheerfully, just like every time he had met her.

"-Yes, Inaho. Mizutani Inaho."

"E-ehhh?! Is Big Brother a psychic?!"

"...I'm sorry, but. ...It will... hurt. A little bit now."

This remark raised a red flag within Lestia's mind, as she struggled even more frantically in the illusionary arms of the Parasite Shadows.

"...?! Wha-what are you doing...?! Don't... don't come near her...! She's... she's...!!!"

This time, Lestia responded hastily, as if trying to prevent White from interacting with the little girl.

But White never stopped, as his right hand slowly extended itself to the forehead of the little Inaho. He closed his eyes quickly, unable to bear the scene he was about to witness. If he was wrong about this and missed again this time even with the inclusion of Lestia in this memory, her head would explode and reveal its insidious contents again.

His heart could not take in that scene the 7th time.

"...E-Ex-execute Origin."

Origin [Field of Memories] has been activated.

And then, a change occured.

...

Field of Memories cannot be used on target.

...Inconsistent variable ; No related value found in the Memory Archive.

...Initiating Clean-up.

...Calling Administrator.