With an unusually good mood, I was planning what to order for dinner on my way home.

I might not know how to cook, but I could always get takeout!

Just as I was pondering tonight’s meal—

Kyuubi’s figure appeared before me…

“You seem cheerful?”

Noticing the happy expression on my face, Kyuubi clearly saw my mood was excellent.

“Mhm. More work?”

Seeing Kyuubi instantly made me think of this.

As my familiar, I rarely spotted this creature under normal circumstances.

Naturally, its sudden appearance made me suspect Bonesoul was involved.

“That’s accurate. Are you prepared?”

Kyuubi didn’t deny my question, nodding instantly while asking if I was ready.

“Do I even have a choice?”

I shot Kyuubi a glare, my tone sharp.

It knew I had no options, yet still asked for my opinion. Could I even refuse?

The answer was obviously no…

“Etiquette demands I ask, per human customs~”

“Skip it!”

“So you agree?”

“Could I say no?”

“No~”

“Then why ask?!”

Frustrated by Kyuubi’s nutritionless question, I nearly flipped it the bird.

But I held back—this was a crowded street, after all.

Though Kyuubi and I stood on a bustling avenue, no one seemed to notice our conversation.

This startled me slightly, making one thing clear:

Kyuubi must wield some reality-bending ability or spell.

Only it knew the specifics.

But I wasn’t curious enough to dig deeper. What mattered was the “work” it brought.

“Since you’ve agreed, follow me.”

Ignoring my complaint, Kyuubi turned and gestured for me to follow.

“Fine, fine… lead the way.”

Knowing this fate was inescapable, I’d already steeled myself.

“Hmm.”

Kyuubi didn’t linger, guiding me toward Bonesoul’s location.

What surprised me was the new Bonesoul appearing just one day later.

Kyuubi had said Bonesouls didn’t emerge this frequently.

From my first encounter to the second, over a week had passed.

Could this relate to missing persons?

But…

People vanishing in the Fallen World should erase all traces of them from reality…

So no missing persons reports should exist…

“Hey… Kyuubi. Can I ask something?”

Unable to connect the dots, I called to the creature ahead.

“Ask.”

Kyuubi kept walking but signaled me to speak.

“Could people who die in the Fallen World be noticed by the real world?”

Without clarity, I couldn’t link missing persons cases to the Fallen World.

“No. But the reverse is possible.”

Kyuubi shook its head, then seemed to grasp my real question:

In the real world, such disappearances could indeed happen.

“The reverse?”

“Yes. I never explained Bonesouls’ true purpose for dragging humans to their world, did I?”

“R-right.”

“That means Bonesouls can invade this world. If one breaches reality and isn’t dealt with swiftly, the boundaries between worlds blur… causing rifts.”

“You mean… a Bonesoul might have already invaded the real world?”

I caught Kyuubi’s implication instantly.

This explained the quick reappearance—and why Kyuubi had been absent lately.

It must have been tracking the intruder.

“Uncertain. But possible.”

Kyuubi didn’t deny my guess.

“I see…”

Though not confirmed, I’d gained crucial insight.

Lost in thought, I followed Kyuubi for twenty minutes.

“We’re here.”

It stopped at a crowded crosswalk.

“Here? With all these people? Really?”

I scanned the busy street, doubting Bonesoul would appear here.

Kyuubi’s words felt suspect.

“It is. Observe closely.”

Unfazed by my doubt, Kyuubi urged me to look around.

“No need. If you say it’s here, it’s here. Where’s the rift?”

After a moment’s hesitation, I trusted Kyuubi’s judgment.

“The rift’s at the intersection. Hurry—people inside…”

Kyuubi pointed a paw toward a spot on the road, urging me to act fast.

Otherwise…

“This one dragged in many?”

I immediately grasped the scale—this wasn’t just one or two victims.

That’s why Kyuubi warned me.

“Yes.”

Kyuubi nodded slowly.

“No time to waste!”

Spotting the rift, I dashed across when the light turned green, reaching out to touch the crack.

Just before contact, I saw pedestrians vanish as they stepped over the rift—

while others walked on, oblivious to the disappearances.

Witnessing it firsthand, I knew every second counted.

As my hand met the rift—

The world drained of color, fading to gray, then bleeding crimson.

A landscape utterly alien to reality.

Feeling the shift, I slowly lifted my gaze to the sky…

And saw…

A scarlet moon hung in the ashen heavens. Its eerie glow dyed the gray world blood-red.

“A blood moon? You must find the Bonesoul immediately…”

Kyuubi’s voice turned grave as it observed the crimson sky, urging me forward.

This omen clearly signaled grave danger.

“Understood!”

Seeing Kyuubi’s unprecedented seriousness, I grasped the urgency.

Combined with the blood moon’s ill omen, delay meant disaster.

I broke into a sprint.

Aside from the sky’s hue, this mirrored reality perfectly—

roads, crosswalks, traffic lights.

But the lights didn’t cycle calmly between red and green.

They flickered maniacally, red and green flashing in chaotic tandem.

“Run! Get out of here!”

After minutes of sprinting through the crimson world, I reached a mall entrance—

and finally heard living voices.

“No—you lead them away! I’m a man. How could I let a girl be bait?”

A deep voice cut through the panic as I neared.

Mixed with cries of “Please spare me!” and “Help us!”—

raw human fragility clashed with defiant courage.

“Shen Shiyu’s got guts…”

I recognized that first voice.

The tearful girl now stood like a giant, shielding the weak,

offering herself as bait to buy others a chance.

Far more reliable than Lin Jincheng and his friends.

And that man’s voice? Truly remarkable.

Facing a bone-chilling monster, he still chose to stand firm as everyone’s shield.

I pushed the mall doors open and rushed in.

Inside the circular atrium, I scanned the scene—

spotting a group huddled near an upward escalator on the second floor.

About ten people, their silhouettes faint in the distance.

But distance meant nothing to me.

In three minutes, I reached them.

“You?! Taro?! Run while it hasn’t noticed you! I’ll draw its attention!”

Spotting me behind the monster, Shen Shiyu froze—then panic flooded her voice, urging me to flee.

“Are you trapped too? If you value your life, leave now! I’ll buy you time!”

A man in his thirties, standing beside Shen Shiyu, barked the warning without hesitation.