Night. A man stood by the banks of the Tama River—not far from Fuchu Port. At this time of night, the place was completely deserted… except for him.
“...Come out.”
Obeying the man's command, figures emerged from the river. Countless mermen—or no, not mermen. They were closer to humans, yet not human at all… creatures that seemed to be halfway between fishmen and men, eerie and unsettling. Clearly monsters. Yet, they stood obediently before the man—who appeared, at least outwardly, to be human.
“Ge, Gegege.”
“Gegegegege.”
“You don’t look remotely human like that. Wear what I prepared for you. It should make you passable.”
At his command, the monsters donned robes, masked their faces, and pulled up hoods. That alone made them look vaguely like Awakeners—still suspicious, but passable. In today’s world, there were plenty of Awakeners with outlandish appearances. Simply looking shady didn’t raise many alarms anymore. Indeed, when the fish-men wrapped themselves in robes and masks, they resembled a troupe of suspicious long-range magic dealers.
“All right, Deep Ones. Let’s finish all our preparations tonight.”
“Gegege!”
And so, under the man’s command, the monsters—now called Deep Ones—marched forward. Walking, walking. Their destination: the heart of Fuchu. At night, with only a few shops still open, no one questioned their presence. Even if someone spotted them, they’d just think it was a group of Awakeners on patrol. After all, the man leading them had a refreshingly gallant appearance—someone you’d instinctively trust.
Even if someone did call out, a single word from him would likely smooth things over. He had ‘that’ kind of aura.
Eventually, the man reached a spot from which Tokyo’s 8th Dungeon was visible. One of the Deep Ones handed him a black orb—clearly some sort of magical item. Raising it high, the man began chanting in an incomprehensible language.
“■■, ■■, ■■■■■―■■■■■―――■■, ■■”
With his chant, a mist-like substance oozed from the black orb and began to spread—deeply and silently—through the town of Fuchu. Wide and high, the white mist blanketed the city.
Yet none of the security cameras caught any of it. On every screen, Fuchu appeared perfectly normal.
But…
“Huh? Fog?”
“So sleepy…”
“Is this a status ailment attack!? Contact—...!”
The staff guarding the Dungeon No. 8 began collapsing one after another into sleep. Those who were already resting remained unaware, while those awake succumbed in moments, unable to resist. The same thing happened all throughout Fuchu. No one could stay awake.
The man nodded.
“The Sleep Mist has settled. Now, we’re the only ones awake in this town.”
“Gigigi!”
“Gii-gigigigi!”
“Let’s begin. First, repaint the Dungeon No. 8. I will proceed deeper as commanded by That One. You shall offer sacrifices to Them.”
At the man’s command, the Deep Ones snatched weapons from the unconscious staff nearby and began stabbing them while laughing hideously. A scene of hell.
A massacre where no one could even struggle.
And the man walking toward the Dungeon Gate didn’t so much as glance back. No—he was smiling. Before him hovered a static-filled window… and on his face bloomed an expression of joy.
[The One Who Dwells in the Deep Abyss] shifts contentedly in its depths.
“Please look forward to it, my Lord. The fools still believe Tokyo Bay’s dungeon is the real target. They’ve no idea that it was only a decoy... Tomorrow morning! Yes, tomorrow morning, I shall show you a glorious sight! Oh, I can hardly wait...! I, your Apostle, shall fulfill my mission!”
Yes. Those who think dungeons are just glorified mines could never understand. Dungeons are massive concentrations of power—microworlds with form and will. And their contents… can be rewritten.
“Let this place be the foundation of your sanctuary! Let us crush the other gods and show that you alone are the rightful ruler of this world! I, Kobayashi Seiichi, shall make it so!”
That man’s face… was unmistakably that of “Dragon Blade” Kobayashi Seiichi, a physical dealer from the clan Seiryu.
But… everything he just said was the declaration of an Apostle of a godlike being.
Could it be… that [The One Who Dwells in the Deep Abyss] was the true mastermind behind this entire incident?
And if Kobayashi was truly its apostle… just when had it begun?
No one knew.
But with the eyes of the Awakeners still focused on Tokyo Bay, there may be no one left who can stop this conspiracy.
Just as Kobayashi, confident in his plan's success, stepped into the dungeon—
In a high-floor hotel room nearby, a fox-eared girl slowly opened her eyes.