Reinhard didn't look up as his hands gripped the warrior's shoulders, pulling the figure free from the collapsed wall section.

Rubble shifted and fell as the trapped warrior came loose.

"You are the kind who leaves others behind to save yourself."

The voice spoke with certainty, stating known facts rather than accusations. No judgment colored the tone, only observation of patterns witnessed throughout existence.

Reinhard lowered the warrior gently.

His hands checked for injuries and found the warrior's leg bent at the wrong angle. He fashioned splints from two stone fragments and cloth torn from his own uniform.

"You do not save strangers."

That's true.

Reinhard had walked past countless people in need throughout his life. Had ignored beggars on Lily Town streets, numbed his feelings to those poor families who begged when the gangs raided them, and didn't get involved if it didn't suit him. Had avoided eye contact with the desperate and destitute.

"You do not save others because it's the right thing to do."

Also, true.

Even after joining Memento Mori Academy and going on expeditions.

Most of the time, he saved someone because of something they did, which helped him or someone he cared for, how they acted towards him, and how they made him feel.

It's why he didn't care much about the Golden Knight's death because he meant nothing to him.

Until after I saw his memories and his emotions.

"You do not save those who cannot repay you."

He had saved his friends plenty of time because they had done the same. Even the allies he made, he had saved because they were helpful and useful in accomplishing the task or goal.

What had he done for those with no connection to him? What sacrifices had he made for pure strangers?

Most of the time nothing, and in those rare cases simply sent them away.

"You do not save those who are already doomed."

He'd made calculations and determined which battles were winnable during his time as a part of a gang. He had many comrades who were ambushed, but he abandoned them instead of risking his life to save them.

Reinhard wiped dust from his hands before standing up and moving toward the next warrior visible through ash-filled air.

"You are not this person, you are tricking these foolish and cursed people into thinking you are."

The words carried the weight of absolute knowledge as if the voices had witnessed humanity since its inception. Had catalogued every sin, every failure, every moment of selfishness and cruelty.

But more importantly, as if it knew Reinhard down to his core.

Reinhard kept moving with his hands reaching another fallen warrior. This one with corruption so advanced that golden light had vanished completely, but he lifted the man up anyway.

Who are you? Reinhard asked softly inside his head.

The voice then instantly came.

"You should already know, I am the Source of All Evil, Angra Mainyu."

Reinhard hummed before he continued moving.

Around him, the fragile community continued forming. Warriors who'd been isolated in individual torments now worked together.

They shared walking supports, called out locations of those still trapped, and coordinated efforts to move rubble too heavy for a single person.

Slowly, they began cooperating with each other instead of despairing, and a community formed to push back the isolation.

The Will spoke again, sharper and more insistent, as if frustrated by Reinhard's continued defiance of observed patterns.

"Reinhard... Why do you refuse your nature?"

The question rang through the area, a hint of genuine inquiry from an entity that had witnessed it all.

Reinhard finally paused.

He stood among the warriors he'd saved and those still working.

His hands held nothing, no weapons, no artifacts, just empty palms stained with ash. His uniform hung tattered, torn from pulling people free from rubble, and blood still leaked from wounds Honor had inflicted.

He looked into the crimson sky before seeing all the sins and curses swirling through this realm like a storm.

He could even feel the vast intelligence and also the evil behind the Will.

And quietly he answered. "...Maybe my nature is exactly what I choose it to be."

The hellscape trembled.

Not earthquakes but something deeper.

As if the fundamental assumption supporting this realm's existence had been questioned. The ash plain rippled, while the melted architecture groaned, and the crimson-black sky shuddered with sudden agitation.

Angra Mainyu's world-evil pressed closer.

The weight increased exponentially.

Gravity intensified until standing required active effort. The curses flowing through the air became visible, black streams weaving between figures like wind currents.

But Reinhard did not stop walking as he took one step forward, then another, and another towards the next warrior who needed help. Regardless of past patterns or observed nature, right now, he wanted to work together with these people to escape this place.

Behind him, dozens of warriors watched, and their faces showed something the hellscape had been designed to prevent.

The air shivered with resentment that gradually started to become tangible. A low thrumming pressure crawled along the ground like a living thing, moving up ruined walls with deliberate malice.

The sensation was passed by everyone; it was like something was grabbing onto them and trying to pull them apart.

Reinhard felt it before visual confirmation registered. A faint pulling at his ribs, like fingers attempting to pry the cage apart and reach organs beneath. His breathing became a conscious effort with each inhale, fighting against pressure that wanted to collapse.

The others felt it too.

One rescued warrior whose face was half-charred from curse corruption, skin blackened and cracked on the left side, while the right remained golden-translucent. She looked around sharply, her one remaining eye shone with hope but also weariness as if she recognized something.

"The ground..." Her whisper echoed across the ash plain despite low volume.

The ash beneath her boots had begun rippling with waves. It was spreading outward from far away from them, similar to something rising up from a lake and producing waves.

Reinhard turned just as the crack tore itself across the plain. The fissure spread with frightening speed, black line splitting grey ash.

A second split formed perpendicular to the first before the third began branching from the second. Then dozens more, spiderwebbing outward in patterns rather than random fracture. The cracks sought specific targets, curving toward concentrations of warriors.

The realm released a groan as the stones themselves began to splinter. Melted architecture that had stood frozen for an unknown time suddenly showed new cracks. Fragments fell from structures, crashing into ash with impacts that sent dust clouds billowing.

"Move!" Reinhard shouted.

No one hesitated as their instinct overrode exhaustion and injury.

Those who could run did as boots pounded across unstable ground, arms pumping despite spiritual fatigue. Those who couldn't were lifted or dragged by others, walking sticks abandoned in favor of human support, bodies carried when legs failed completely.

Dust rose in choking waves.

The ash plain became similar to a sandstorm, where visibility was almost nonexistent. The Warriors stumbled blindly, trusting those ahead to guide them safely.

The ground dropped away in slabs.

Entire sections of plain simply fell, revealing chasms below that pulsed with red-black light. The chasm exposed depths that shouldn't exist, it wasn't darkness but visible malice that hurt to perceive directly.

Looking into it created the sensation of falling despite solid ground underfoot.

A warrior stumbled at the chasm's edge, and his boots skidded on loose ash, momentum carrying him toward the drop.

Arms windmilled uselessly as he released a scream, but then Reinhard's hand shot out. Fingers wrapped around the warrior's arm before he hauled backward with all his strength, and both tumbled away from the edge together.

They rolled across ash with some filling Reinhard's mouth, and coated his eyes. He spat, blinked desperately, and struggled to his feet while pulling the warrior up simultaneously.

"Stay with me! Everyone fell behind each other and slowly moved forward! I will lead the way!" Reinhard then shouted not only to the warrior but to the others.

The warrior nodded frantically, fear overriding pride or shame at needing rescue.

Behind them, the chasm began widening with a crack spreading and consuming the plain at an accelerating rate. Red-black glow intensified, and from its depths came whispers.

Not a single voice but hundreds layered together.

High and low, male and female, young and old, all speaking simultaneously in a terrifying chorus that created physical discomfort. The words hissed and coaxed, bypassing ears to press directly into consciousness.

Leave them... Leave them... Leave them...

The suggestion repeated endlessly.

Each iteration carried a slight variation in tone, sometimes pleading, sometimes commanding, sometimes seductive. The whispers sought weakness, testing different approaches to find one that resonated.

Save yourself... No one else matters... They will only slow you...

You've done enough... You don't owe them anything... Let them face their own fate...

They would leave you... Why sacrifice for those who wouldn't do the same...

Reinhard gritted his teeth until his jaw ached. The whispers clawed at his resolve, seeking cracks in determination. He pushed forward through the dust cloud, trusting instinct and enhanced senses to navigate.

The group pressed toward the ridge visible through occasional breaks in the haze. Remnants of stone buildings leaned like broken teeth against crimson-black sky, offering potential shelter and high ground.

As they reached the incline, a new tremor sent rubble rolling free. It was only small pieces at first, fist-sized fragments bouncing down the slope, but then larger ones came, such as massive sections.

A ten-foot-thick slab of stone broke free from the building above. It descended toward a cluster of three wounded warriors who'd fallen behind, too exhausted to maintain pace.

Reinhard didn't think before he shouted. "Move them!"

Instantly, the two people who were close to the three wounded reacted before their conscious mind processed the situation. They rushed forward before pushing two of them out of the way, leading them to roll together. While the last warrior scrambled desperately, as he realized what was coming down.

The slab hit.

The impact sent bits of dust across the area while the ground cratered beneath the stone's weight. The dust wave knocked several warriors off their feet, and the cloud obscured everything for a couple of seconds before settling enough to reveal the aftermath.

The slab rested where three warriors had stood seconds before. Its sharp edges had driven into the ground like a blade, creating cracks that spread.

"Everyone okay?" Reinhard called out while seeing the other warriors struggling to their feet.

The three who were saved nodded, shock painted their faces as they realized how close they were to being crushed by the rock. All because this realm didn't allow them their Beast Master powers, making them nothing more than a normal human being.

"Then keep going." Reinhard's voice allowed no time for processing trauma.

They climbed up the rubble, with their hands grabbing stones for support.

The warriors worked together, such that those ahead pulled those behind, creating a human chain that prevented anyone from falling back toward the expanding chasm.

The realm wasn't finished.

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