【Tribbie placed all three dolls she had collected earlier onto it, and as expected, the music box began to rotate slowly.】

【Tribbie's eyes widened in surprise: "It's spinning! And there's sound..."】

【"That's right, a music box. As long as you place the dolls in the right spots and trigger the mechanism, it will spin and play a beautiful melody... Of all your inventions, this is Mother's favorite."】

【"I... don't remember..."】

【"It's alright, good girl. Let Mother sing a ballad to the melody, and you'll remember everything."】

【Mother sang softly, but as she sang, an eerie sound suddenly tore through the originally tranquil atmosphere.】

【Tribbie jumped in fright and looked around fearfully: "What... what's happening?"】

【Mother's voice changed. Her once gentle tone became as lifeless as withered autumn leaves. It was no longer a song, but more like a mechanical, monotone recitation. Every word seemed squeezed out of a parched throat, carrying a bone-chilling raspiness.】

【"O Janus █ Please listen ██!"】

【"In the black mist, Death and Destiny draw near ██ On the blood-stained earth, the dead and the living seek the ferry ██"】

【"Why is the world ██ just like your labyrinthine face ██ Why is life ██ crying out with you, silent and without echo ██"】

【"Why is the Path back ██ leaving only wandering spirits ██ Why is the Path ahead ██ only hearing the parting of the living █ ██ "】

【"Why is the starting point ██ leaving only the remnants of those who came ██ Why is the ending point █ ██ seeing only a solitary shadow standing alone █ ██ █"】

【"Solitary shadow standing alone █ Shadow standing alone █ Standing alone █ Alone █ Alone ██ Alone ███ "】

——

Chainsaw Man.

"Waaaaaah——!!"

Power fell backward in fright, tumbling straight off the sofa, her potato chips scattering all over the floor.

"W-W-What is this?! Is it haunted?? It's definitely haunted!! Scared the crap out of me!!"

Denji was equally terrified, his face turning pale and green. No one expected such an anomaly to appear on the Celestial Screen; it was like watching a sitcom that suddenly cut to a horror movie and then got hit with a jump scare...

No human heart could take that, okay?!

"Why did it turn out like this? Wasn't it fine just a moment ago?!" Power quickly scrambled back onto the sofa, instinctively wrapping herself in a blanket. "It changed so suddenly... Her mother... did she turn into a monster? Even her voice changed..."

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a nightmare. But why would her mother's speech loop like a system glitch? And the poem she recited at the end..." Hayakawa Aki swallowed and lowered his head in thought. "...Could it be that the Thresholds Nautilus was already affected by the Black Tide back then, which is why her mother said those things."

While he was thinking, Hayakawa Aki suddenly noticed that Denji had already covered his head with a pillow.

"Hey, what are you..."

"T-The cabinet moved just now... I'm not watching anymore!"

"..." He leaned his head on his hand helplessly. "You're not even afraid of devils, so why are you afraid of this?"

"Devils don't jump out and scare me like that." Denji moved the pillow aside, revealing one eye hiding underneath. "And haven't you noticed? The atmosphere around Tribbie has become eerie! I bet her mother might have already been swallowed by the Black Tide and turned into..."

——

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.

"——A monster."

Frieren closed the grimoire in her hands and spoke calmly.

"After Tribbie's mother was swallowed by the Black Tide, she might have also turned into one of those terrifying monsters from the Arbor Court. It's just that out of love for her daughter, she barely managed to maintain a sliver of sanity. But this happened a thousand years ago; those Black Tide monsters from back then have likely faded away in time."

"B-But... Lady Frieren, those verses her mother recited just now..."

Fern's face turned pale from the sudden anomaly on the Celestial Screen, her chest heaving heavily. She instinctively recalled those intermittent verses in her mind, finding that every line felt utterly desperate, like a blood-weeping lament.

"Even the Thresholds Nautilus was affected by the Black Tide; unless they came from beyond the heavens, it's hard to find a logical explanation." Zane, who had already calmed down from the shock, spoke up. "Furthermore, the feeling the Black Tide gives me reminds me of the 【Nihility】 Path. According to Acheron's description, black matter also poured down from the 'Black Sun' in the sky, and her homeland was destroyed under the shadow of 【Nihility】 IX."

"No... it's different." Frieren quickly dismissed his speculation. "If the Black Tide were truly related to 【Nihility】, then the land corroded by the Black Tide would leave nothing behind. Moreover, I don't believe Amphoreus would have the ability to resist the encroachment of Nihility for over a thousand years."

The Black Tide is not the Demon Race; it has no joys or sorrows, it simply corrodes every life it touches equally. But what confuses Frieren is that if the Black Tide were truly something both humans and Nautiluss found difficult to contend with, then over a thousand years, Amphoreus should have been completely swallowed by it long ago.

To still be able to preserve human territories like the Suspended Blade and the Arbor Court today... she couldn't help but marvel... it's simply a miracle.

——

【The dolls of Trianne and Trinnon were instantly consumed by flames, leaving only the "Tribbie" doll sitting alone on the music box.】

【Tribbie looked up in terror: "Mother... what's happening...?"】

【"Run █ away █ Telos █ ██ Run away ███ "】

【(Where... where should I run?)】

【Tribbie felt a jolt in her heart. When she opened her eyes again, she saw countless dolls resembling herself scattered in every corner of the room. These dolls were of various sizes, and as she drew closer, she could even hear faint cries, like a candle flickering in the wind.】

【"Why..."】

【"Why... are there dolls everywhere...?!"】

【Tribbie looked at everything before her in despair. No matter where she fled in the room, all she could see were endless dolls.】

【"This ██ is ██ the Saintess's ██ ███ sacrifice ██ ███ "】

【"You █ cannot ██ █ reach █ ██ the end ██ "】

【"Only █ one person █ ██ can reach ██ █ the end ███ "】

【Mother's mechanical voice rang out in the air once more.】

【Tribbie closed her eyes in pain and shook her head frantically: "I know... I know...! It's fine even if we don't reach the end... *We* have already made up our minds!"】

【Mother's voice suddenly became gentle again, yet it remained intermittent: "Go say your goodbyes █ Teryth █ ██ cipios ██ time ██ █ is █ running █ out █ ██ "】

【Watching the dolls around her gradually burning and being destroyed, Tribbie asked reluctantly: "What... are you leaving, Mother...?"】

【"Good girl █ I █ will not █ leave ██ █ but remember █ Telos ██ █ "】

【In a flash of blinding white light, Tribbie slowly opened her eyes to see the doll she had named "Tribbie" sitting quietly in front of her.】

【"Many shall part with one, but only that one shall witness the miracle—"】

【"Since your mind is made up, cross the Black Tide and clear the mist for Amphoreus..."】

【"See you tomorrow, my dear Telos."】