That's how the unlucky Feed found out from the news at home that all the bank robbers had been killed.
"You picked the wrong target, you did. Rather than getting angry, be glad you survived. Now, off you go, off you go."
"Damn it! Don't you have any books that can summon stronger monsters?! Something strong enough to kill that woman!"
"Like I said, we don't have anything like that. And even if we did, you couldn't afford it," Pixar cackled, going 'hehehe'.
"Fine! I'm never coming back to this dump!"
"Actually, that's a relief. We were getting tired of you anyway. But hey, at least we got some entertainment out of it in the end."
"…You bastard, go to hell!!"
As Feed spat those words and was about to leave the shop, his eye caught a peculiar black book amidst a messy pile of old books.
"Hey, what's this?"
"Hmm? Something up?"
Feed picked up the black book and showed it to Pixar. The book had an enigmatic shine on its cover, like polished obsidian, which made Pixar react with a small gasp.
"Oh, that thing? It fell from the sky the other day."
"A grimoire?"
"I don't know. I tried to open it but couldn't, so I was going to throw it away. Want it?"
Feed lightly touched the cover, and to his surprise, golden letters began to appear on the previously blank surface.
"Wh-what the—?"
"Huh?"
The letters were in a script they didn't recognize. Soon, the entire cover was covered in golden writing, and the book started trembling on its own.
"Hey, what's happening with this book!?"
"Dunno. It feels kinda ominous. How about you just take it and get out of here?"
"Of course, I'll return it! I can't just take something like this...!?"
...Hate, huh...
A voice echoed in Feed's mind.
"Who's there?!"
...Hate...
"!?!"
...Hate... Hate...
As he listened to the voice, a surge of hatred welled up inside him—hatred for the woman who had killed his comrades.
"...H-hate..."
"Hey, are you okay?"
"...I hate her... that woman...!"
"Can you hear me? You're looking really worried!"
...Then, open... open the gate...
"...I'll kill her...!"
"Hello? If you're losing it, do it outside the shop!"
"...I'll kill her!!!"
...Leave it to me... leave your hatred to me...
...Feed your hatred to me, the one who hungers for it...
...Open the gate of hatred...
Guided by the voice, Feed opened a black book in front of the stunned Pixar.
"E-eh..."
Unable to reach out and grab the hand offered to him, Scott froze.
"Come on, take my hand. That will end the deal!"
"E-eh, well..."
"What's wrong, Scotty?"
"I'm going home!"
Determined, Scott leaped over the sofa and bolted away like a rabbit.
"Maria."
"Yes, Miss Dorothy."
In response to Dorothy's call, a shadow extended from Maria's feet. It silently crept up to Scott's feet and coiled around them like a black snake.
"Whoa, hey! Uwoah!?"
Scott trips over Maria's shadow and tumbles to the ground. In an instant, the shadow wraps around him, effortlessly lifting his not-so-lightweight body and carrying him right up to Dorothy.
"Wh-what the—?!"
"Sorry, but you're part of the family now. Let's have fun working together!"
"No way, no way, no way—I want to go home! Besides, who'd want to work here?"
"Didn't I tell you?"
Dorothy grabs Scott's face, bringing her own close enough that he can feel her breath.
"I heard you loud and clear with these ears. Your enthusiasm was unmistakable."
"Uh, no... that was..."
"Oh, and by the way, Lexie Transport Services doesn't hire in Limbo City. We don't even have a branch here."
"What!?"
Scott is stunned by her words.
"But... I found it on a job site..."
"That's a fake job listing. It lures people who can't find legitimate work elsewhere and those craving excitement into taking terrible jobs."
"What!?"
"If you're unlucky, it could lead to forced labor until death or even slavery. And if things go really wrong, you might end up as processed food. Lucky escape, huh?"
Dorothy says this with an unnervingly bright smile.
"So, what am I doing in this town...?"
Confronted with this harsh reality, Scott loses all hope.
There are plenty of unscrupulous recruiters who lure people from the outside world to this town with the promise of high pay and unique benefits you won't find anywhere else. Naturally, the future looks bleak for those who fall for the bait.
"Don't be so down," Maria said, trying to cheer Scott up. "Think of it this way: you came to this town to work here from the start."
"..."
"I won't let you regret it."
Maria set Scott down on the floor, freeing him from the shadows. Dorothy, still weak, offered her hand to help him up and said, "Welcome, Scott. Welcome to Walters."
*Rrrriiinnnggg*
Suddenly, the phone rang.
"Arthur."
"Yes, Miss."
Following her instructions, Arthur picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"
*...It's me, Alex.*
"Oh, Inspector! What's the matter?"
*...I need to talk to the CEO... Is now a good time?*
The voice on the other end was exhausted—it was Inspector Alex.
Chapter 2: "A Gathering of Beasts" begins...
"Damn it! We can't handle this anymore, we can't stop them!"
"Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"
In Limbo City's District 13, a black-clad demon suddenly appeared, wreaking havoc by firing strange beams of light from its hands.
*Destroy, destroy, destroy! In accordance with the hatred of my vessel! Everything must be destroyed!!*
The demon, clad in pitch-black armor, screamed and unleashed a barrage of beams.
Each beam effortlessly destroyed the sturdy buildings, turning them into piles of rubble one after another.
"Hey, this is Limbo City, District 13! Look, something dangerous just appeared in the middle of the city and is wreaking havoc!!"
"Hey, kid! Get away from here, it's dangerous!!"
"Wait a minute, I'm on air right now, don't interrupt me! It's not every day I get to capture such incredible footage up close!!"
"Your life is more important, you idiot!"
Amidst the chaos, a daring news reporter, ignoring the concerned warnings of a police officer, continued the live broadcast.
"… What is that thing? It's shooting beams from its hands."
"No idea, but it doesn't look friendly, given it's shooting beams from its hands."
"No, no, no, no, no, it's not normal for something like that to just appear out of nowhere!"
"… Nothing unusual about it. That's just how this city is."
While Ryuuk was genuinely bewildered, Chief Alex spoke calmly as if it were an everyday sight.
"Why are you so calm, Chief!? What do we do about that thing?"
"First things first… let's run."
"Huh!?"
"Don't stand there! Run! We're going to die!!"
The inspector ran away, and Ryuuke chased after him, leaving the scene. The other police officers decided, "This is beyond our control," and immediately retreated. Even the persistent female reporter and the TV crew finally realized the danger and scrambled to get away.
"Perish, perish, perish!"
No one knew that the pitch-black demon was the end result of a man named Feido.
Feido, who opened the black book, was enveloped by the inky darkness seeping from it and transformed in agony. His body was taken over by the nameless demon sealed within the book, leaving him with nothing but endless hatred and a destructive impulse.
"Perish! In a blaze of hatred!"
The demon, perhaps created by someone for some reason, was drawn to Feido's hatred after his companions were killed and awakened, turning the stunned Pixar into charcoal. Since then, the demon has been directing its hatred at everything in sight, continuing to wreak havoc...
"Damn it! This is why this city is such a mess!"
The inspector cursed at the rampaging demon, feeling yet another life-threatening situation looming. He pulled out his cell phone to call for backup—the kind that could take down this demon...
◇◇◇◇
"Please hold, I'll transfer you to the president now. Just a moment."
"You're there?! Then tell him to come to District 13 right away!"
Detective Alex left those words with the old butler and hung up in a hurry.
"Miss, it's from Detective Alex. He wants you to come to District 13 right away..."
"District 13 again? That place never runs out of thrilling news, does it?"
After hearing Detective Alex's SOS from Arthur, Dorothy sighed and turned on the TV.
"Please, take a look! A mysterious monster has suddenly appeared in District 13 and is wreaking havoc in the city!"
The large TV screen, over sixty inches, showed a black demon causing chaos in the streets.
"Wow, that's intense. What's that attack? Magic?"
"Might be magic. Though it's quite different from what Dolly handles."
"...What is that thing?"
"Well, I'm sure it's not someone I know."
"Hey, wait a minute! Is that thing targeting... Quetzalcoatl's Building!?"
The monster on the screen was aiming at a tall glass building, its hand glowing intensely. It was the same Quetzalcoatl's Building where Scott had his interview.
"Oh no! This is bad, everyone, run for it!!"
"Was there a building with that name? I don't remember it."
"What are you talking about?! This is the building we're in! On the 13th floor of this very building!!"
"Oh, so that's how you got here. Don't worry, it's okay. We're neither on the 13th floor of this building nor in District 13 of Limbo City."
"Whoa!?"
As Dorothy spoke, the building was supposed to be destroyed.
"Whoa!"
Scott instinctively crouched and screamed... but nothing happened.
"...Huh?"
"See? Nothing at all, right?"
"A-Are you sure...? What's going on..."
Indeed, Scott had stepped into the high-rise building in Block 13. But for some reason, despite the building being destroyed, this room remained unscathed. There wasn't even a sound of destruction, let alone any crumbling ceilings or walls. No one realized there was chaos in Block 13 until they turned on the TV. It was as if this room was completely isolated from the city's commotion.
"..."
And to top it off, the demon that should appear whenever danger approached him was still fast asleep.
"Well, I'll explain about this room later. I've been called by a friend."
"What shall we do, Miss?"
"Prepare the car. And please call me President, not Miss."
"Understood, President."
The old butler responded with a cheerful smile, and the maid Maria stood by, eagerly awaiting Dorothy's instructions.
"Maria, get my cane ready."
"The model?"
"The Royal Small Gadgets' Enfield III pistol canes, two, and a spare magic pouch wand with twelve rounds... make sure they're properly loaded. Also, my father's coat."
"Hehehe, I understand," Dorothy said, clapping her hands.
"As you wish," the two servants responded cheerfully, getting to work at the sound of her clap.
Scott, unable to grasp the situation, just stood there as the elderly butler and maid bustled about with preparations.
"Scotty, what will you do?"
"Wh-what do you mean...!?"
"You should come too. It'll be a great experience."
"Huh!?"
"Luna smiled as she watched Dorothy take Scott's hand and lead him out of the living room. "Come along, Scotty. It's quicker to see for yourself what we do."
"Dolly is in your care now, Scotty. Use the power that's about to reside in you for her sake... and if anything happens, it's up to you to save Dolly."
Luna's blue eyes sparkled mysteriously as she made her cryptic remark. In response, a pale shadow briefly appeared on Scott's back.
"Yes, my lady," Maria said, holding a cane and coat ready at the front door, where the dark red thorns had been untangled, awaiting Dorothy.
"Thank you. And by the way..."
"Hehehe, I know. You mean him, don't you?"
"Wake him up when we go out. And, even though it might be pointless, let those kids know too."
"Understood."
"Ah, hey! Where are you planning to go from here!?"
Scott asks Dorothy, who is about to take him out.