At that instant, when the anomaly appeared, the feeling erupting from the stands was "panic."
The suddenness of the changes was so overwhelming that no one managed to react immediately...
The entire sky had become shrouded in a lifeless, grayish-white pall, as if heralding utter extinction. In the arena, Nearl and the Blood Knight—who had just broken apart from their collision, neither in great condition—realized in that moment their fight's outcome no longer mattered.
Because standing precisely between the two of them, at the very heart of the arena, appeared a figure dressed as a jester in stark black-and-white. The figure spread his hands open, four bizarre playing cards floating in his palms.
In that moment, even the audience in the stands seemed to have been stripped of all color…
Kazimierz in the distance vanished completely, as if the arena itself had been pulled into an entirely different dimension.
Don Quixote rose instantly, spinning around sharply to face Hai.
"What's going on?"
"Contacting Lobotomy Corporation now… It appears an intense emotional surge triggered the creation of this Abnormality... Lobotomy Corporation is already taking measures."
Hai, also standing now, pointed toward the earpiece in his ear, his voice tense:
"They've already confirmed a few things... The monster before us is called the Jester of Nihil. Lobotomy Corporation's preliminary assessment of its Abnormality classification is—"
"—ALEPH class."
"Currently, we're inside the dimension created by that thing, unrestrained by any suppressors. The corporation believes it's just appeared, and thus still vulnerable for a short while. They're rapidly deploying Reverse Qliphoth Suppressors on the outside."
"…I see. Meaning, it's a monster, right? Then… I guess it's time for us to step up?"
Don Quixote exhaled softly as he listened to Hai, eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of X.
"…Exactly. Lobotomy Corporation has issued our final directive."
Hai's gaze flickered slightly before he solemnly continued:
"We're to stall the Jester of Nihil until the Reverse Qliphoth Suppressors are operational. Once completed, we'll attempt containment."
"How long must we stall?"
"Half an hour. I'll fight alongside you."
Hai tossed Don Quixote an earpiece as he said this.
"Hah…give me a break. You can't even beat me. Besides, even without Lobotomy Corporation, I'd have jumped in anyway…"
Don Quixote gave a faint grin as he put on the earpiece Hai had tossed him. Activating his Hemomancy, a blood-red lance appeared once more in his hand. He leaped from the stands, white hair fluttering in the wind. Before leaving, he glanced briefly back at Hai, offering only these words:
"After all, Nearl's still down there."
"Since I already promised her I'd remove every obstacle… now, it's my turn to step forward."
With that, Don Quixote plunged downward. Hai opened his mouth as he watched Don Quixote's departing figure, but in the end, merely sighed.
"Well then, it's all up to you, Don Quixote."
At the same time, in the arena, Nearl and the Blood Knight both stared warily at the suddenly arrived Jester of Nihil, their pupils shrinking simultaneously.
Even disregarding everything else, the dramatic changes in their surroundings alone made it abundantly clear—
—this being wasn't here for anything good.
"…Excuse me, but who are you…?"
Seeing the strange jester before them, Nearl naturally chose to halt temporarily, glancing sideways at the Blood Knight, and cautiously questioned the creature.
But the Jester of Nihil didn't respond. Instead, it slowly raised one hand, its eerie yet comical face pushing slightly forward.
Nearl's pupils contracted sharply at that instant. She felt her strength rapidly draining, her speed suddenly dropping drastically… Twisting to look behind her, she saw a small, doll-sized replica of the Jester clinging to her back, its grotesque, grinning face inches from hers, impossibly terrifying.
Nearl whipped her head around to find an identical doll latched onto the Blood Knight's back as well.
She grit her teeth. When she looked forward again, she realized the Blood Knight was also staring back at her.
"I think…we'll have to set aside our fight for now."
Finally, the Blood Knight broke the silence, voice heavy:
"The monster before us… obviously demands our full attention."
"I agree. Although I have no idea where this thing even came from…"
Nearl exhaled slowly, jaw tight, brows knitted deeply as she glared at the Jester. From it, she sensed an almost unbeatable strength. Not to mention, due to their earlier duel, neither she nor the Blood Knight was currently in peak condition.
Facing such a powerful creature under these conditions?
Could victory even be possible?
Was it possible at all?!
Moreover, this monster seemed exactly like those so-called Abnormalities… if Nearl recalled correctly, Hai had mentioned these Abnormalities often possessed strange rules. If violated, they'd exhibit even more terrifying powers…
Nearl breathed deeply.
This wasn't the time to consider all that.
Almost simultaneously, she and the Blood Knight prepared themselves to fight again. At that instant, shrill screams of panic erupted from the stands, which had devolved into chaos. Several spectators had already been trampled to death; blood splattered everywhere, people fleeing frantically, some even running madly toward the arena…
Nearl stared at the Jester ahead, reaffirming her determination.
Both knights lowered their stances simultaneously and charged forward.
"I must defend this place. No matter how disappointing Kazimierz may be…"
"But precisely because I love this place, I wish for it to change. Even if I must face something like this…"
"I will never retreat."
Nearl murmured resolutely, dashing forward. The Blood Knight attacked simultaneously from the side, aiming to flank the Jester of Nihil.
"My family's creed: Fear neither hardship nor darkness!"
With a furious shout, Nearl surged ahead.
But faced with all this, how would the Jester of Nihil respond?
Its doll-like head tilted slightly sideways—
—as if puzzled by what the two knights were doing.
Then, with a simple gesture, it unleashed a black-and-white laser blast, easily shattering both knights' attacks. It was the power of Hatred being wielded now.
Nearl's eyes widened instantly. Weakened as she was, and facing the might of Hatred directly, she could barely withstand the blow.
But the Jester's tidal-wave assault had only just begun.
Lasers flashed again and again, knocking them both helplessly to the ground. Then, the Jester flicked the cards in its hand, and several portals appeared immediately before Nearl.
These gates, which should've been a shimmering gold, now radiated only the desolate black-and-white glow of annihilation.
Seeing those portals open, Nearl desperately struggled to rise, but the doll on her back pinned her down relentlessly, freezing her in place…
How…how could this be happening…?!
Grinding her teeth, she attempted one last desperate push, but a fist had already shot through the gate, magnifying endlessly before her—
—CLANG!
At that exact moment, a blood-red lance sliced through the air, intercepting the strike head-on. Don Quixote appeared, standing tall, his left arm outstretched protectively, his right gripping the blood lance that had just shattered the monochrome fist. His back was etched firmly in Nearl's eyes.
Slowly turning his head, he gave Nearl a gentle, confident smile.
"An elder never breaks his promise, you know."