Sinking his consciousness into the dark void of the black wristwatch, Takakai quickly located his targets within the endless crimson expanse.
The umbrella. The bone staff. The meat stew. The necklace.
Four Obsessions, each a fragmented piece of [Idol Alice], the artificial monster at the heart of Fujika Academy.
Even now, sealed within the watch and rendered harmless, they radiated an unsettling aura that set Takakai's nerves on edge.
He could feel it—if even one of these Obsessions were released, the Surface Layer of Fujika Academy would rapidly reassert itself. Without immediate containment, it would only be a matter of time before the nightmare returned.
Speed was critical.
And the only way to achieve that…
"Ready?"
Kumami's voice was low as she pressed the thick, needle-like probe of the flesh-and-spirit absorption device against Takakai's arm. The needle was as thick as a pinky finger, over ten centimeters long.
She didn't ask about his chances. Didn't question whether the device could truly absorb Alice's Obsessions. Didn't wonder if Takakai could maintain control afterward.
None of that mattered now.
As players, once a decision was made, they could only face the consequences—success or failure.
"Yeah. Do it."
Takakai's expression remained utterly calm.
The needle plunged in.
Dark red blood welled up.
Takakai didn't flinch. His focus remained locked onto the four Obsessions within the watch—seemingly harmless, for now.
The first to be extracted was the black umbrella—the very object that had killed him in the first loop.
The moment it left the watch, Alice's form materialized from its surface. The once-normal umbrella darkened further, its fabric shifting into something resembling human skin, faint limbs writhing beneath.
[Hehehe—]
A giggle echoed in Takakai's mind.
A wave of dizziness hit him—an illusion attempt. But under Kumami's watchful gaze, nothing manifested. No visual distortions, no sensory hijacking.
Before the umbrella could react further, Kumami drove the device's second probe straight through it.
Squelch.
The fleshy membrane pierced easily.
The machine whirred to life.
Takakai felt something foreign slither into his body—a squirming, hostile presence burrowing into his flesh and mind.
It screamed.
But Takakai's expression never wavered.
"Stable?"
The black umbrella had vanished. Kumami kept the needle poised, ready to put a bullet in Takakai's skull if he showed the slightest sign of losing control.
"Stable. Continue."
His voice was steady. No trace of the horror nesting inside him.
Next was the bone staff.
Deceptively sturdy, yet the needle penetrated it effortlessly. As the device hummed, the staff dissolved—and the presence within Takakai grew more complete, like a puzzle nearing its final pieces.
"Next."
No hesitation.
The third Obsession was a bowl of meat stew.
"Stew" was a generous term. The moment it was freed, the contents swelled, spilling out in a grotesque flood of flesh and organs—as though Alice's entire physical form had been liquefied into it.
Kumami didn't blink. She stabbed the needle in.
Takakai closed his eyes, feeling the imprisoned entity within him grow ever closer to wholeness.
"Last one."
The final Obsession was a necklace—crafted from Alice's eyes.
Skin, flesh, bone—the first three had represented layers of Alice's physical form. But the fourth? Just eyes. Takakai suspected her abilities relied heavily on vision, making this fragment uniquely significant.
But that was irrelevant now.
With three Obsessions already absorbed, Takakai didn't bother with the device.
He swallowed the necklace whole.
The four became one.
Alice was complete again.
Every muscle in his body seized.
The entity inside him thrashed, clawing at his consciousness, trying to erase him.
Behind Takakai, Hirano Sousuke materialized—dirty police uniform, pistol in hand. But unlike the third loop, he didn't shoot.
He just watched.
Kumami took a silent step back, gaze locked onto Takakai. Though her worry was palpable, she had to be ready—if this failed, she was the only Crimson Moon player present, the sole frontline defense.
But perhaps luck was on their side this time.
After minutes of trembling, Takakai's eyes snapped open.
A long exhale.
Then he looked toward the courthouse.
"Let's go."
He was still Takakai.
Even as Alice's voice drowned his senses.
Even as her illusions shredded his nerves.
Even as his body rebelled, fighting his control.
He held on.
One step forward.
Hirano followed silently behind.
The victims of this distorted realm emerged—phantoms falling into step alongside them.
And the students, their forms too twisted to recognize, joined the procession.
Kumami fastened a small charm to Takakai—a trinket Bocchi had smuggled in via Obsession. To outside observers, it would make him appear as [Bocchi #1], drawing no undue attention.
Creak—
The courthouse doors swung open.
Behind them, the pursuers closed in—teachers, researchers, asylum staff, all the perpetrators, their chilling presence thickening the air.
[Guilty!]
The verdict rang out.
[Alice, born of Fujika Academy's sins!]
[The researchers who forged this hell!]
[Every accomplice who enabled her, who coveted her power—all are guilty!]
The players, prepped by Kumami, had begun the trial anew.
This time, the dungeon itself reacted—ripples of change spreading through its fabric.
[Alice did nothing wrong~]
The voice in Takakai's head was singsong, mocking.
[She just wanted friends.]
[Harm and death are undeniable facts. No justification erases the nature of evil.]
[Evil remains evil, regardless of the perpetrator.]
[You are guilty.]
Takakai couldn't tell if this was the players speaking—or something else interjecting.
The voices multiplied, overlapping, refuting the monster inside him.
[Alice didn't know any better~]
Her tone was playful, deliberately childish.
[Alice can't make mistakes. She just wanted friends.]
[Everyone knows Alice never did anything bad. None of it was her fault.]
[So of course, Alice is innocent~]
But the responses—whether from players or the lingering victims—grew louder.
[Alice is guilty.]
[Her creators, stripped of humanity, are guilty.]
[Every enabler who let her harm others is guilty.]
[You will all answer for your crimes!]
[Alice is innocent~]
[We did nothing wrong. Everyone loves us. No one blames us.]
[It's you outliers who are wrong. You're the ones who should be punished~]
The voices clashed.
Takakai's eardrums felt ready to burst.
The soundscape fractured—earthquakes, tsunamis of noise battering his psyche.
The players' side was losing ground.
Most victims stayed silent.
Only the players' projected voices fought back—but without physical presence in the dungeon, their strength paled against Alice and her supporters.
[Guilty… Gui… Inno… Innocent…]
The tide was turning.
History threatened to repeat.
Alice, imprisoned within Takakai, was breaking free, using the trial's energy to escape her cage.
Were they really going to lose because they weren't loud enough?
Takakai's eyes widened. He fought to shout, to join the players' side—
Then, a new force surged.
[Bullshit! This is disgusting!]
[Anyone who likes an idol like this is mentally ill. They should all be shot.]
[How can this possibly be innocent? Even the Ayanami case wasn't this blatant! The perpetrator was an adult—what kind of judge would rule this way!?]
The players' voices amplified.
Their momentum swelled.
What was happening?
No new players had arrived.
No powerful Obsession had been activated.
Then—
[Kai-kun, we've stripped the supernatural elements from Alice's case and leaked the details. The exposure is spreading—public consensus is forming. Hold on a little longer!]
Maki's voice, through the mental link, explained everything.
The players' side gained strength.
More voices joined.
The weight of public judgment pressed down, drowning out the past's skewed verdict.
Guilty!
More affirmations.
Guilty!!
The collective will solidified, fueled by manipulated media and Obsession-enhanced influence.
Guilty!!!
Alice's voice vanished.
Her defenders' noise died.
The trial, in a twisted way, had become a shouting match—and this crude method worked.
Perhaps because the original trial had been the same—Alice's supporters drowning out the victims until silence was their only option.
[…I don't accept the verdict.]
A faint voice slipped through.
As Alice's presence weakened, Takakai turned—seeing one phantom's lips move.
[Officer Hirano isn't a criminal. He's a hero…]
Another joined.
[Alice killed my daughter. No motive changes that. She's guilty.]
[You're the real criminals! You who protected her!]
[Lies! The evidence is clear! You're the ones who belong in hell!]
One by one, the silent spoke.
Their voices merged, a thunderous quake shaking the courthouse, the dungeon, the fabric of this broken world.
Alice was still talking—pleading, justifying.
But Takakai couldn't hear her anymore.
Nor her supporters.
Nor any of the perpetrators.
The tables had turned.
The evil ones had been silenced.
The conditions were met.
Takakai knew—the change was coming.
Crack—
A fissure split the ground.
Crack—Crack—
Fractures spiderwebbed outward.
Crack—Crack—BOOM!!!
Everything shattered.
The world broke apart.
And from the ruins—
Something new would rise.