Chapter 94 The Plan Begins
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I arrived on the second level of the Valley of Uncanny. The orange town lay in shadow, its red, rusty streets sinking into evening. Tall buildings cast long shapes that split the roads into simple light and dark.
A memory of a sunset when I was small came back to me. The empty ruins felt strange and yet a bit like home. For a moment, I almost felt that if I ran down the road, I could meet my old friends from school again.
But that was not all. With my psionic power (mind power), the town looked completely different from how it had seemed before.
”So the monsters hid as town machines. This feels very bad. That stoplight Himawari warned me about… this is what it really looked like,” I said.
A stoplight stood in the road, just like the strange one someone had explained to me.
It was a tall, thin human shape, over ten meters high. She looked like a foreign girl.
A blonde girl with a bent back. Her legs to her waist formed the pole, and her upper body stuck out like the arm of the light. Three glowing eyes shone where her face should be, and her arms ended where tire marks cut them off.
She had taken the shape of a traffic light and looked down at the road with a very sad face.
”Why is she crying?” I whispered.
I somehow knew she was the same girl whose shadow had been run over. Even after death, she still looked for someone who would save her from the accident. Even after turning into this.
”No… what am I thinking? It’s only a monster. I don’t have time to dream.”
I found more monsters acting as part of the streets. A power pole stood in a strange place, right in the middle of the walkway.
A monster had copied the pole. It was a tall being wearing bright red heels.
When we passed this way before, those heels only looked like cut wires. Someone had stepped on them and got hurt. That monster did not forgive the person who stepped on her shoe.
Even if I were caught by an illusion, I would still notice something so strange. A normal pole would never stand in the center of the walkway. But people of this time did not know that.
Soft piano music came from somewhere. A small carousel moved in an empty park. The player was the instrument itself, spinning as it plucked its own body of bone and tendon.
This must be the trap of this level. To explorers, these monsters looked like normal things. When people came close, the monsters attacked with strange events.
From the main road, I could see many such ambush traps. The town felt alive, built at first from humans.
Trash-san waited near a tall building with almost thirty others. The area was dark, but the cold blue lights of Kujukuri Town lit the group.
”Trash-san. Flatty-chan says she is ready,” someone said.
”Please come this way,” another woman said.
Trash-san stepped in front of me to block my view. She did not want me to see something behind her—something badly damaged. I accepted her care and did not look.
I told her everything again. She looked tired, but seeing me seemed to give her a little strength.
”We plan to leave by tonight. That place is strange, so we want to hurry,” I said.
”Strange… in what way?” she asked.
”Well, when I did not speak to them, the townspeople were like dolls. The three men were all sick in bed. Flatty-chan got a fever after eating food from the dungeon. The strangest part was that someone who should be dead was there.”
I told her the facts, though I still did not know the truth.
Most people, even Himawari, did not seem to feel anything was wrong. This valley was full of tricks that changed how you saw the world, yet they ignored small signs again and again.
It felt like they did not want to understand.
There were not only tens of blind people—there were over three thousand. Why had no one raised a voice?
”We also learned something,” Trash-san said. “When people enter that level and stay for some days, almost none return. They do not want to come back.”
”W-why is that?” I asked.
”Well… we pushed the officials of Isumi Town hard for answers. They said they did not know why. We still have no clear detail.”
Fear came over me. I held on to Trash-san’s clothes as if I would fall and die if I let go.
She cared a lot about me. But fear made me deny that care.
”But Himawari went back and forth many times to move the townspeople. Maybe they only did not want to return because the road was dangerous?” I asked.
”That is one reason,” she said. She rubbed my back to calm me, but did not offer cheap comfort.
”But almost no one of the townspeople came back to the surface. Even people who promised to go and report about the third level never returned. Many in Isumi Town refused to move after finding this strange. That demon woman hid it on purpose.”
Her soft next words held a dark warning.
”Maybe this is the mystery’s effect. Or… if living things hate to move between levels…”
After hearing me out, she passed the news to a woman who seemed to lead the group.
”We just reached a plan for the rescue,” Trash-san said.
”I want to hear it too,” I said.
”Are you sure? I do not know if it will fit your wish, Young Master…”
”It’s fine. I only want to raise the chance to save people. I also have to tell Flatty-chan.”
I looked around. To others, it seemed like Trash-san spoke to herself, yet the women around us did not care. That was strange.
The smell was terrible. Even as a spirit, where I could ignore some of it, the air was full of strong blood and guts. The women here looked dark and unsure.
Two women sat near a bundle tied in a sack, like a little doll stained with red. They talked quietly beside it.
”How long has it been since we talked to a man? Hey, when was the last time you spoke to one?” one asked, low and sharp.
”I don’t know. I do want to say at least one word before the parts rot. I want to see the sun again,” the other said.
”I’m tired of playing with the people in this town,” the first woman added.
”Then kill it quickly?” the second suggested.
”That would be my choice,” the first answered without care.
Around the square, there were bits of monster flesh that looked like the remains of traps. The place looked like it had been bombed. Debris and burn marks were everywhere. Some of the wreckage was not only monster — there were stains on the walls, parts stuck to the concrete, and marks like targets for shooting.
”This is awful,” I said, seeing the scene.
They had not used clever tricks to pass through. They had pushed forward with force, breaking the path like a hammer. Traces of blows that looked like shelling were left almost everywhere.
For a few minutes I clung to Trash-san and kept my eyes closed.
Then a pale, expressionless woman stepped forward to the front of the group. A metal rod stuck up from one ear, and her black eyes did not move. She walked without any sway, like a machine with no muscle at all.
She had the feel of an android operator—an older sister who moved with cold skill. She bowed to the group, then began to speak.
”Thank you for gathering. Negotiations with Isumi Town have failed. After I explain the strategy, we will start the rescue operation,” she said, her voice flat and cool.
No one answered. Some leaned against the wall and smoked, others tested weapons, and many acted as they pleased. The crowd showed no surprise.
There were many kinds of people here. A woman next to us wore unknown armor that joined to her body like strange metal. Orange light glowed from a hole at her side like a small hearth. Another wore lilac glowing gear like a space-age ninja.
By the scrap pile, racks of guns and blades of shapes I did not know threw out cold blue light. The place had many machines and devices. It looked like the strategy room of a spaceship from a science film.
It felt like a joke at first, but up close it was very scary.
Even though everyone here was on our side, no one let go of their weapon. The team had no matching uniform. They were rough and showy in different ways.
As the operator spoke, the air grew colder.
”I will explain the strategy,” she said.
She spread papers and stuck them to the building wall. A map of the dungeon was pinned up as well.
”The goal of this strategy is to rescue a boy kidnapped by Isumi Town. From now on, we will call this person the target,” she explained.
There was no reply. She bowed once more in a formal way.
Her voice continued, without any warmth, like a machine reading a script.
”The target is being watched and held in the third level of the dungeon by many psionic power (mind power) users led by the demon woman. The psionic users from Isumi Town are small in number, but each is expected to be extremely strong in one-on-one fights.”
On the wall were pictures that looked like photos—my face drawn with sharp detail, and faces of people who seemed like the strong psionic users from Isumi Town.
”Since our goal is not to fight, there is no point in a straight battle. Therefore, this strategy divides into Team One and Team Two for a two-sided attack with a time difference,” she said.
She kept adding papers to the wall. She changed the maps with steady hands.
”Team One will break through remaining enemies on the second level and the forces near the door to the third level, then enter the third level. Their main tasks are to weaken enemy forces and serve as a diversion. The target’s position is always shared with their Imperial Guard bodyguards. Killing these bodyguards is punishable.”
A map to the dungeon door was shown, and a picture of Flatty-chan appeared—there was no doubt it was the same face I had seen before.
”Team Two will move to a fixed point. As soon as a corridor is created, they will enter the third level directly. Right after entry, the target is very likely to be nearby, so securing and protecting the target is the highest priority,” she said.
All eyes came back to my likeness on the wall.
We did not have a detailed map of our level because no one had entered it before. But a rough sketch of the terrain Trash-san had mentioned was posted.
The operator did not blink once as she spoke.
”Additional rewards are offered for the defeat of psionic power users listed in the index. Imperial Guards and townspeople are not targets for killing, but you may remove them if you judge it necessary,” she said.
She finished without looking anyone over, simply ending the talk.
”That is the strategy outline. We expect your best work,” she said.
I looked up at Trash-san, but she kept looking forward and said nothing.
This plan meant battle was already set to begin. Whether or not people moved away, the decision to destroy the town had not changed.
Himawari left soon after I finished guiding her. She had probably gone down to the second level. The negotiations between Kujukuri Town and Isumi Town had failed to reach an agreement.
When the operator finished, a woman in her early twenties who sat with her legs out on the rubble raised a hand. She did not wait for permission; she just began to speak.
”Question. We can kill as many as we want, right?” she asked, blunt and flat.
”Yes. There is no limit,” the operator answered.
The reply had no human tone. It was not cold mercy; it was emotionless.
”Again, all obstacles to this strategy can be removed,” the operator added.
The woman snorted but did not seem truly moved. She sounded like she cared little; she had only asked so there would not be trouble later.
Then she spoke to the operator with rough words.
”By the way, I heard three other men are captured too. If we secure them, is there extra pay? It’s not nice to make people work and then argue later about pay… that’s not pleasant for anyone,” she said.
Her voice was flat, but her eyes did not smile.
Normally, when a town is destroyed, men are taken like property, treated the same as land. Men become the property of strong women, and Kujukuri Town already had the right and duty to do this without turning nearby regions into enemies.
Everyone knew about the kidnapping. Even if there were reasons, a town that dragged men into war had no right to lead. So people saw it as natural for Kujukuri Town to take control by force.
”We will consider it,” the operator said.
”Be clear. What does that mean?” the fighter woman asked with a bored look as she sat on the rubble.
”One right to spend the night with the man will be given. If your results are great, you may even choose him,” the operator said.
”Oh? Very generous,” the woman said with clear interest.
The reward was big, and small gasps of joy rose around us.
This rescue plan for me was run like a race. Psionic power (mind power) users with different masters would all rush in, and the first to reach me would win. The top prize was not money—it was the right to share a night with a man.
The woman who asked the question jumped down from the rubble. She smiled at a woman near her who was sharpening a blade.
Her grin curved like a broken moon, full of joy, as if this coming mission was a fun game.
”You’re here too, pretty face. Want to see who can kill more people for fun?” she asked.
”Stupid. I only care about the reward,” the other woman said.
”You’re so stiff. We haven’t had a hunt in a while,” the first replied.
The second woman huffed, annoyed, but the first just laughed.
”So this demon woman thinks she’ll win? So brave. She doesn’t see it’s pointless,” the first added.
”Do you die if you stop talking?” the second snapped.
”Oh, don’t be mad,” the first said lightly.
The talkative woman kept teasing until the other shoved her hard on the shoulder. She still seemed happy.
”That’s why you fail. You send a mind-power user who only fights people,” the second woman said.
The first woman stumbled, and her back began to change. The skin at her shoulder blades lifted like small lids, then tore her clothes. Two round nozzles, the size of fists, slid out.
Round cracks ran over her body. Something spun fast inside the holes like screws. Air screamed as it was pulled in, and a roar rose—like a jet engine starting.
This was different from aberration types. Her body changed by her will. It seemed like a mix of mind power and a mystical object.
”You must think of that kind as monsters,” she said.
With a bright trail of heat, she shot into the sky. She looked like a human battle machine, with both hands changed into aberration guns and many mystical bombs hanging from her arms. She vanished into the dark.
”That idiot… I’ll kill her during the mission,” the second woman muttered.
She had old marks of sickness on her body and carried many mystical knives. Then she disappeared—turning invisible with her gear, leaving only faint steps in the street shadow.
Others finished their gear and left one by one. No one tried to move together.
About half of the mind-power users here did not look even as nervous as high school students going to a sports match, though they were about to risk their lives. They joked, laughed, and played around.
”What wild, awful people. A boy was taken from the town, and they care only about themselves. Oh… please be safe,” someone said.
The one who scared me most was the refined older sister who stayed until the end.
”To enjoy killing… something is wrong with them. Killing only lowers your soul. Making things is much harder and has more worth. You think so too, right?” she said sweetly.
She stroked the hair of a woman who looked like someone from Isumi Town, maybe someone who had been left behind.
But that woman had no human look left.
Her mouth was sewn shut with string, neat like buttonwork. Parts of her body were missing and covered with seams. In their place were small items sewn on, like charms or phone straps, as if she were a decorated craft doll.
”Good for you for becoming pretty. You don’t need to thank me. I only want you to be happy,” the older sister said.
She smiled softly, then left without a second thought. She did not even end the woman’s pain. She acted like she had lost interest once done.
My stomach turned. I forced my eyes away and pressed my face into Trash-san’s stomach.
No more. I could not look. If I saw that woman’s eyes, I would not forget.
”These people… they scare me,” I said, barely breathing.
There was no kindness. They cared only for their wants. They had no ethics.
Trash-san placed one hand on the back of my head and rubbed my back with the other. Slowly, I began to calm.
”Poor thing… They do not feel anything about killing. In fact, they enjoy it. I also do not like them,” she said.
”Why are people like that doing a rescue?” I asked.
The words “rescue team” had fooled me. I had imagined trained police or soldiers.
”People who get mind power for battle are those who do not fear killing. Do not worry, Young Master. You will not meet them face to face,” she said.
Her words did help, but I could not forget how they played with that townsperson like a toy.
They were complete individualists. This was the truth of mind-power fighters—people who thought only of killing and fighting monsters. Their minds were shaped to awaken that power.
They were nothing like me.
They could kill many humans without a drop of guilt. They were born that way and lived that way. They did not need a reason—they simply liked to kill.
While we men lived safe lives and looked away from war, people this scary waited at the edge of that peace.
Trash-san seemed sorry that I had heard those conversations.
”They didn’t look like they wanted to rescue anyone. They just wanted to fight. They didn’t even look like friends,” I said.
”Many of them have shared a bed with the master of their enemy. They have grudges. Team One is mostly a diversion,” she said.
The people who had left first were not the real rescue team. They were meant to attack first and draw the enemy’s eyes.
”Grudges… even among members of the same side?” I asked.
”Yes. They choose to sleep with the master of someone they hate,” she said.
”Why would anyone do that on purpose?”
”I do not understand either. It is rude to the man. It is unforgivable,” she said.
So they used their chance to be with a man to hurt someone else. I could not believe it.
Bond between master and servant was rare. A man who gave the Oath of Fealty Ritual (loyalty rite) did not always become close to his Imperial Guard. In fact, mind-power users often looked different or too strong, so men kept away from them. It was also not seen as good to have that kind of bond.
So it was like sleeping with Ichimatsu—the master of Kaede-san and the others—and then bragging about it to their faces. I could see why they wanted to kill.
It must feel like the worst level of being robbed of someone you love.
The operator woman walked toward us and spoke to Trash-san.
”Worker. Thank you for your help in this strategy,” she said in her dry voice.
Up close, she looked even more like a machine. I was not sure she was alive.
”I was asked to mediate between both sides. Should I think you used me?” Trash-san asked, sharp.
”Sadly, your terms could not reach agreement. We also did not wish for this result,” the operator said.
Trash-san frowned deeper.
She had been called here to help Kujukuri Town and Isumi Town settle things peacefully, at least a little. But the operator did not look sorry at all.
Trash-san thought for a moment, then spoke coldly, looking straight into those still eyes.
”So that was it. You only needed the excuse that you ‘tried’ to talk. Now you can burn everything and say you had no choice.”
Even then, the operator did not move.
She stopped using polite phrases.
”Isumi Town must not exist. Allowing harm to men will break the order of society,” she said.
”So you will erase it completely,” Trash-san said.
”That is correct,” the operator replied, firm.
She showed no doubt at all.
It seemed Trash-san had not failed at the mediation. She had been called only so they could say they ‘tried’ and were refused.
This was politics. Later, Kujukuri Town could say they had shown kindness to the end. The truth might be that Isumi Town was told to hand over every leader and all property with my custody as the price.
They forced refusal, then destroyed them. They made the massacre look right. They took what they could.
This was how Kujukuri Town acted.
Trash-san looked angry.
”So you pulled me away from the Young Master for this. I will protest at the office later,” she said.
”I understand your dissatisfaction. I am sorry,” the operator said in a voice as empty as a machine.
She showed no change after that. Trash-san did not keep arguing; she knew this was already decided.
”Your skill is not suited for this strategy. Would you like to stay at the base?” the operator asked.
”No. I worry for the Young Master. I will go too,” Trash-san said.
”Understood. You will go as support for Team Two,” the operator replied.
Complaining more would not help. Trash-san began to prepare her gear.
She took her mass blade and photon gun, put on her white uniform, and a visor. They were old from storage.
When she was ready, she knelt before me so our eyes met.
”Team Two’s path must be opened from your side,” she said.
”Okay… but how?”
”It is not hard. Did you build the hut?” she asked.
I had asked the townspeople to do the strange work Flatty-chan wanted. It should not have taken long.
”Yes. I checked from far. It should be done,” I said.
I could only hope those strange people had done it right.
”Good. You already have the key. Go to the hut and start it. We will come. Tell her we will be ready by night,” Trash-san said.
I said goodbye to her.
She joined the line of the remaining women.
The mind-power users formed ranks. Team Two looked more like a rescue team. Their gear matched, they wore white uniforms, and carried photon guns. One even had hair half white and half black.
In front of them stood the hut, built in a rush. It was the same size as ours, but made of metal and rebar from this level.
From inside, far more people came out than could fit. More kept arriving.
The metal showed its true form. People in this world did not know it, but it was an elevator.
There were no buttons or numbers, and it stood alone like a tower, but the shape was the same.
I stopped my mind power and returned to Flatty-chan.
Soon, war would start and burn everything. It would be a massacre without mercy.
The truth of that level no longer mattered.
Notes:
• Himawari – A one-eyed black oni girl/aberration-type psionic; town leader/face; asks for promotion help; apologizes for killings; sets 2‑day deadline.
• Ichimatsu – A high-ranking figure associated with the Imperial Guard, mentioned as having spineless guards around him, with no further details provided.
• Kaede – A female psionic explorer known as Necksplitter, is a veteran assassin and messenger of Lord Ichimatsu. Her appearance is both young and old, with gray hair streaked through black and vibrant, unlined skin. She is graceful yet carries the fatigue of a long life in war, resembling an old hunting dog. Her psionic ability is mysterious and potentially dangerous.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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