Staring down the crab, Arata readies the cauterizer. Every time since coming to this world, I have been either outgunned or overwhelmed by an opponent. I was never prepared for a fight.

  Arata quickly evades the opponent's next attack, courtesy of the beast’s limp. It's refreshing being the instigator… I feel prepared for the fight this time. It allows me to think about what will happen next much more clearly.

  Combat begins to almost feel like a meditation. The crab tries to claw at him, Arata cuts at another leg. It is not long before the crab can no longer stand.

  How do I break the shell? Thing’s way too hard and it won't burn… Arata suddenly hears a voice.

  Ravenna shouts, “There's two nervous centers, you must get under the crab. One is past the hindlegs, the other is near an indent near the front.

  The cauterizer shrinks back into a regular sword. I’m back out of the comfort zone, getting under that thing? That's far too risky. I guess risk isn't the right word, I’ll be back anyway.

  Arata moved on his own. Unlike most warriors, he did not need to overcome the fear of death, only the fear of the pain that came with dying.

  Weaving the next claw, Arata makes his way under the crab, pouring his qi into his eyes for better accuracy. He manages to pierce it. I feel like my body's even lighter too… I'm changing.

  Arata even manages to hear some applause from Ravenna, “Bravo Arata. You did it. You’re making quick progress, all thanks to me so any thanks?”

  Obviously not, but she did help… between the information about this world, magic back then… also with the information gathering- but do I really have to thank this snarky angel?! Arata lets out a slight sigh, then turned to Ravenna.

  “Thank you, Ravenna, I’ll admit it. You are useful. Even when you withheld vital info and did your best to be as unhelpful as possible initially.” Arata points out, not letting go of her initial bad attitude.

  Ravenna chuckles, “Backhanded compliments. I still take it as an improvement, thank you sir… I promise to be a good maid to make up for your shortcomings.”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Arata bends down to pick up the script, and the conversation shifts a little. “A month to train… I can’t really catch up in a month under normal circumstances. I need to get more used to fighting. It feels like opponents get exponentially stronger. What happens if you die in the theater?”

  Ravenna chuckles a bit at the question, “You just revive again, you always return. That’s an absolute, you cannot die… oh! I get it now.” Ravenna points at the script in Arata’s hand.

  Time doesn’t pass in the theater. I can recreate my past enemies. The days will grow longer, but that’s just what I need. When I shut my eyes, I awake into the real world again… I hope this won’t have adverse effects on my health.

  “Angels are beings of empathy. I can sense your pain, so I’ll tell you when you should call quits, Arata.” Ravenna seems slightly excited at the thought.

  Arata stutters a bit before resolving himself to ask, “Sorry if this is a touchy subject… do you ever get bored… you’ve been stuck in the theater for almost five hundred years, according to what you said. Do you get lonely? You feel awfully human for an angel.”

  Ravenna’s mood sours a little, “creation isn’t meant to continue forever… even the creator knows that. It’s why they never take on the burden themselves. They exist outside of time themselves… similar to the theater, and yet you’d be offended to know how that time is spent.”

  Ravenna continues a little further, “Don’t dig too deep since the creator is a crawling cognito hazard, the longer lifespan is fine with me. Besides, I think you started to help a little with that… It’s fun seeing the outside world with you.”

  Arata makes his way back to the beach hut with Ravenna. The monster crab couldn’t be eaten, the mutation made it less than appealing to do so.

  The beauty of the Deep Sea

  Written by: ?????

  Act XX

  X Ext. The Ocean’s floor -

  ????? creates chimeras for fun from the underwater creatures and an unsuspecting sailor (Male 65)

  ?????

  Hohoho! You’ve got quite a strong body for your age. Making it all the way down here with those old bones, bravo.

  The man lies flat, strapped to a bed, hooks pierce into his sides to prevent any attempts at escape. His mouth is muffled, stifling his screams

  ????? (Cont)

  Now that water bitch is out of the picture, I get to be the god of the ocean~ I think she looks much better calcified anyway… want me to take that off?

  ?????, tired of amusing herself, undoes the muzzle of the sailor.

  Sailor

  Liar! She’ll strike you down, just you wait… You madwoman!

  ?????

  I tire quite quickly of this conversation… ever tried crab? I guess that this world doesn’t have it yet… a shame. Terra is much better in terms of cuisine. I’ll just make my own crab then~

  ????? carefully carves out his face, his screams echo into the night. Limbs are replaced, multiplied. The creature that came out the other side was left unrecognizable.