What?

"H-Hold on...then, that Demonic Art, Warp Gate, I think she called it, don't tell me-...sh-shit. Shit! Fuck!

Did...did that bitch warp us to the fucking Monster world?!" I exclaimed as my eyes widened, a sense of panic starting to well up inside me.

No, no, no, this...this can't be happening! Aria...

<I'm sorry, but it's the truth, Kai>

<It seems she needed time to link a portal from Earth to this world, that's likely why she didn't attack you towards the end of the fight, she was focusing all her Magic on casting this Demonic Art>

<But since her Mana was destabilized by your Mana Pulses, the location seems to have been thrown off-course>

<If I had to guess, she must have intended to warp you straight to the Demon Lord, or to some kind of prison, maybe>

<So, it could've been worse>

Yeah, but this is still pretty fucking bad, Ai! How do we get back?! There's gotta be a way, surely?!

<I'm sorry, but I'm not aware of any such method>

<I have no information relating to traveling between worlds>

"<I see, so this is the world the Monsters come from. The air feels so fresh>," Remarked Superbia, taking a deep breath.

"Uh...you're awfully calm, given the situation," I responded in bemusement, her eased attitude helping me calm down a bit too.

"<I mean, I am more than a little concerned about this, but...the joy of having this great new body is outweighing that right now>," She grinned sheepishly, before adding, "<By the way, how should I address you>?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, just call me Kai like before, it'd be weird if you called me Master or whatever like the others do," I replied with a wry smile.

"<Addressing you by name feels a bit wrong for some reason, but you've got a point. Alright, then, Kai, it is>."

"Cool. Anyway...Acedia, don't suppose you know of a way to get to our world? Like, is it possible to hitch a ride in a Dungeon or something?" I asked him hopefully.

"<No, I don't believe so, my Lord. The Monster King selects those he intends to deploy in the Dungeons, so it would not be possible to sneak into one>," He shook his head, before adding,"<Wait, what of Luxuria and Invidia? They are in that world, are they not? Are you able to summon them here>?"

"Oh, right, I forgot about that...yeah, I wonder if I'll be able to withdraw them? I'll try a bit later, since they might still be busy with the raids I assigned them to. Hold on...there's Treasury, Aria can use that Skill too, thanks to our link!" I realized, feeling a glimmer of hope.

Ai, are you able to confirm whether Aria is still linked to me?

<I'm already checking, and...>

<Yes>

<She's still connected, which means she's still able to use Appraisal and Treasury>

Alright!

Living things can't enter Treasury, so I can't use it to travel back to Earth, but...I can at least use it to communicate with Aria.

I can alert her by focusing my thoughts and desires, and hope Luxuria and Invidia are able to sense my intent and let her know to check Treasury.

Okay, I'll write a message and place it in Treasury, and then-...

"<Hey, a thought just occurred to me. That Archdemon, Fenelza, she's the one who brought us here, right? Then, maybe she can send us back too. What if we capture her and you use Command to force her to warp up back to Earth>!" Suddenly suggested Superbia with a gleam in her eyes.

"That...that's...that's IT!!! Alright, we've got it, the glimmer of hope we needed...we can get back. No, we will get back. This is the world of the Monsters...there are scores and scores of them here, more than we'd ever find in a Dungeon.

Yeah...this place is swarming with them, swarming with fodder I can use as fuel to get stronger. Oh, they're going to fucking regret bringing me here, I'll make damn sure of it," I uttered spitefully, a venomous smirk spreading out across my lips...

———————————————————————————

Point-of-View: Ariella Velle

———————————————————————————

"N-No...no, no, no, NO, NO!!! KAI?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" I yelled frantically, my chest pounding as I began to hyperventilate, before jumping in alarm as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Calm down, Ariella. It's-...," Began Isla.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!!! MY BOYFRIEND JUST VANISHED RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES, HOW THE FUCK DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN?!"

"O-Okay, I'm sorry...but raging isn't going to solve this, so...," She trailed off quietly.

Damn it...!

She's...she's right, losing my shit won't change anything.

"I...I'm sorry for yelling. Do you have any idea what that might have been?" I responded, biting my cheek to keep myself composed, barely containing the panic and agitation storming inside me.

"I'm not sure, but...I sensed something a tiny bit familiar from that blue light, right before it faded. Something about it felt vaguely similar to Teleportation Magic, just slightly, but still," She replied, after a brief pause.

Teleportation? Then, Kai was teleported somewhere?

The Archdemon disappeared too, along with the Chairwoman and Acedia...okay, think about this logically.

Kai was the target, but it didn't seem like killing him is what they're after, they've got something else in mind for him.

So, then...he's probably still alive.

As for the Chairwoman and Acedia, I doubt the Archdemon intended to get them caught up in that light, they just happened to be within its range.

Okay, so it all boils down to one question...where were Kai and the others teleported to?

"Is there any way to find out where that light teleported them?" I asked Isla hopefully.

"Sorry, but no, not that I know of, anyway. Let's go to the Union and ask them to analyze the area, maybe there's some residual energy left that could help us figure out where they are," She suggested with an encouraging smile.

"Well...it's not like I have any better ideas," I replied with a sigh, before clenching my fists bitterly, a sense of anxiety and concern in me.

Kai...wherever you are, please, just...just be safe...

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