The elevator door chimes and slides shut, sealing the three of us inside this cold metal box. The white light overhead casts shadows on Xiaolang's wolf face and Nanao's cat face, making them look eerier than ever. Nanao, with his veteran experience, already has the video call with Itsuki-sama running. The 3D holographic screen floats in the air, displaying the fox god's face, which looks just as tense as we do.

  "Alright, start the ritual, Kaito," Nanao signals.

  I take a deep breath, trying to steady my trembling hand. I reach out and begin the dance with the numbers.

  4.

  The elevator slowly rises. My heart pounds in my chest.

  2.

  It goes down. A slight drop in my stomach makes me nauseous.

  6.

  2.

  10.

  Each time the elevator stops and opens, I hold my breath, but the hallway outside remains normal. Nothing happens.

  "This game is so tedious," Xiaolang mutters, his wolf ears twitching. "Why don't we just punch through the roof and fly straight up?"

  "Shut up, you dumb wolf," Nanao hisses through his teeth. "If you mess up the rules, all three of us will get stuck."

  Finally, I press 5.

  The elevator descends and stops at the 5th floor. Ding. The doors slide open.

  A woman stands looming right in front of the entrance.

  She wears a dark red dress, her long black hair hanging down, obscuring almost her entire face. She says nothing, silently steps inside, and stands with her back to us in the corner.

  The air inside thickens, cold enough to chill me to the bone. I try to look at the floor, not daring to look up, but out of the corner of my eye, I can still see her shadow on the polished metal wall.

  "Itsuki-san," Nanao whispers to the video screen, his voice tight as a wire. "What if we just take her out right now?"

  "That thing is just a sub-Anomaly," Itsuki-sama's voice comes through the speaker, deep and clear. "A byproduct created by the ritual itself. The ritual is the main Anomaly, a highly complex entity. Killing that spawn is fine, but keep an eye on Kaito. Don't let him get scared to death."

  As if hearing Itsuki-sama's words, the woman in red suddenly snaps her head up. Her bangs part to the sides, revealing a pale face with a mouth grinning ear to ear, exposing jagged black teeth.

  "HIIIIII!"

  She lets out an ear-piercing shriek and lunges straight at me!

  I freeze, my feet rooted to the floor, my brain completely empty. The stench of death hits my nose. It is over... my life ends here.

  But she stops abruptly halfway.

  Slash. Slash. Slash.

  Three invisible cutting lines, fast as lightning, sweep through her. The top of her head flies into the air, then her entire face splits into three sections in a Z-shape. Then, like a horrific symphony of steel and blood, countless other cuts appear, dicing her body into thousands of tiny pieces.

  All of this happens in just one second.

  The woman in red, or rather what remains of her, dissolves into black smoke and vanishes, leaving not a single drop of blood.

  I gape, staring at the empty space where she just stood.

  Nanao slowly lowers his hand. His cat claws, sharp as razors, flash for a moment before retracting. He turns to Xiaolang, his calico tail twitching slightly.

  "It wasn't afraid of us? Strange. Usually, these low-level Anomalies run for their lives when they see a God."

  "Why did you dice it like that, Nanao?!" Itsuki-sama screams from the screen, looking even more shocked than I am. "At least leave a head or a hand for Alethea to study! What kind of sloppy work is this?!"

  Nanao scratches his head, his cat ears drooping apologetically. "My hand slipped. Who told it to scare the rookie? Besides, why didn't you say so earlier?"

  "It is too late now," Itsuki-sama sighs, rubbing his temples. "Well, it doesn't matter much. It is just a sub-Anomaly. If we kill it, the ritual will automatically create a replacement after a while. The main issue is finding out which bastard God is behind this urban legend."

  While the gods are busy with their 'briefing,' I still haven't recovered. I look at Nanao, then down at my own hands.

  Once I regain my composure, I press the button for the 1st floor.

  The elevator does not budge.

  And then... it slowly goes up.

  10.

  Ding.

  The elevator chime rings, clear and calm. The metal doors slide open, and I step out, chest heaving, ready for a fight.

  But there is no attack. Only a deadly silence.

  It is still the Keio Plaza corridor, but everything has changed. The warm, luxurious yellow lights are gone, replaced by a sickly red glow flickering from unsteady bulbs overhead. The air is thick with the smell of rust and mold, as if this place has been abandoned for a century.

  I tip-toe to the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside... it is not the glittering Shinjuku.

  The sky is pitch black, gloomy and viscous like spilled ink. No moon, no stars, only purple lightning tearing through the night, yet there is absolutely no sound, not even a drop of rain. A bone-chilling silence wraps around the world outside.

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  And far away, amidst the ruins of skyscrapers, are giant dark shadows.

  They are tens of meters tall, pitch black like shadows, with red eyes glowing in the night. But the most terrifying part is the mouth. The mouth grins ear to ear, revealing jagged white teeth.

  They are... eating.

  I see a giant stretch its long arm to grab tiny humanoid creatures running on the ground. I don't hear screams, but I see those tiny mouths opening in despair. The giant pops the "snack" into its mouth and chews ravenously.

  Then, right next to it, another one bends down and retches up a pile of red slime. The slime falls to the ground, twitches, squirms... and slowly reshapes, growing limbs, a head, turning back into a whole human. Only to be grabbed and eaten again.

  "Ugh..."

  I cover my mouth tight, trying to swallow back the sour bile rising in my throat.

  Suddenly, a chill runs down my spine. I look up.

  Those giants... they stop eating. Dozens of pairs of red eyes turn simultaneously, staring right at the hotel window. Staring right at me. The smiles on their lips seem to stretch even wider. They start dragging their heavy steps, slowly approaching.

  "Nanao-san! Xiaolang-san!" I stammer, hands shaking as I hold up the phone. "They see us! Call Itsuki-sama, quick!"

  But on the Solak screen, Itsuki-sama's image is gone, replaced by static and a piercing buzzing sound.

  [CONNECTION LOST - THE NEXUS SERVER UNREACHABLE]

  "Oh crap," Xiaolang growls, his wolf ears perking up in alert. "No wonder that Takama-ga-hara Sensitive lost contact. This place is completely isolated."

  "Where the hell did this cursed ritual take us?" I moan, limbs turning to jelly.

  Nanao is calmer (or just too lazy to panic). He pulls out his phone and opens GodMap in offline mode. His paw-pad finger swipes quickly on the screen.

  "Hmm... Coordinates unknown... Spatial structure distorted..." He mutters, then stops. "Ah, here it is. Caught a residual signal. Welcome to World 4466. Classification: F-Rank."

  "Say what?" Xiaolang raises an eyebrow. "A petty urban legend created a cross-universe portal and took us to a whole different world? Impossible!"

  "How should I know," Nanao shrugs, his calico tail whipping the air in annoyance. "Who knows what crazy god behind this planted into that elevator."

  While the two gods argue about technicalities, my brain rewinds to that cursed labor regulation.

  F-Rank World... F-Rank World...

  I silently collapse, blood draining from my face.

  "Could it be..." I wheeze, leaning against the wall to keep from falling. "Is this... HELL?!"

  "Yup, smart kid," Nanao nods nonchalantly. "Let me check what exactly this is. Not Helheim, that one is much colder. Not Naraka, the temperature isn't right. Definitely not Heaven Inc.'s Inferno, architecture doesn't match..."

  "You yap too much, you useless cat," Xiaolang grumbles. "Just check GodPedia already."

  "Hold on, the network is lagging!" Nanao taps the screen. "Ah, found it. World 4466. Beta Test Hell. Unstable, but it has started accepting evil souls to run the 'Devour and Rebirth' punishment protocol."

  I hold my head, sliding down to the cold floor.

  "I'm dead... I'm actually dead..." I mumble in sheer panic. "I'm only sixteen... I haven't even received my $30,000 salary... Why do I have to go to hell? I'm a good person!"

  Seeing my pathetic state, the two gods look at each other and sigh.

  "Come on, kiddo," Xiaolang steps forward, patting my shoulder (it hurts). "Why the waterworks? You're not dead yet."

  "Exactly," Nanao chimes in, his comforting tone not comforting at all. "Just think of it as a backpacking trip to another universe."

  "Backpacking my ass!" I scream. "Look out there! Those giants are coming to eat us!"

  "Well, that's why we are here," Xiaolang grins, baring his fangs and cracking his knuckles. "Consider it just some evening exercise.”

  Nanao calmly raises his spirit phone, aiming the camera out the window where a pitch-black giant is lumbering toward the hotel. It stands as tall as a five-story building, shaking the ground with every step, but its faceless head sways in a listless, soulless manner.

  After a few seconds of scanning, the familiar ting sounds. The tension on Nanao's face relaxes, replaced by his usual look of boredom.

  "Hmm, turns out they are Executioners."

  "What are Executioners?" I ask, my eyes glued to the monster outside.

  "They are artificial entities, created directly by the Laws of the Prime Deities," Nanao explains, his voice steady like he is reading from a textbook. "Used to patrol and execute punishments on sinful souls reincarnated into F-Rank worlds."

  "Each F-Rank world has a different Executioner design, depending on the taste (or weird aesthetics) of the Prime Deity in charge," Xiaolang interjects, squinting as he looks out. "Gotta admit, the ones here look creepy. Pitch black like a lump of charcoal."

  Then he claps his hands, looking cheerful. "But if they are wardens, it is simple! We are public servants on a business trip. Just show The Nexus Labor ID, and their recognition system will automatically ignore us.”

  I let out a sigh of relief, feeling a ton of weight lift off my chest. It turns out an employee ID card is that powerful. "Thank goodness..."

  "Hmm... Don't celebrate yet," Nanao suddenly frowns, his fingers tapping rapidly on the screen to look something up. "This is a Beta version, so there might be glitches..."

  And then, the cat god's face goes pale.

  "Damn it! I knew it!" He curses. "World 4466 has a 1-star rating on GodMap! Reason: Serious target recognition error. The Executioners here specialize in mistaking Gods on business for criminals, attacking indiscriminately! The comments section is full of curses!"

  "SAY WHAT?!"

  Just as I manage to climb up to the edge of the pit, that damn piece of information kicks me right back down to the bottom.

  "Use the Cloaking Law," Nanao decides quickly, his hands already forming seals. "I don't want to deal with this bunch. Too much trouble."

  "Why so cowardly, kitten?" Xiaolang pouts, extending his sharp wolf claws. "Let them come! I'll take them all! Haven't stretched my limbs in ages, I am itching for a fight!"

  "You stupid, brainless dog!" Nanao snaps, getting right in Xiaolang's face. "Are you listening to me? They are created by the Laws of Prime Deities! That means with our current ability, there is no way to handle them! Even if you smash them, they regenerate. It is a waste of FP! Do you want to fight an un-deletable antivirus software?"

  "Then I'll punch it until it crashes!"

  "You..."

  The two gods start bickering again right in the middle of this creepy red hallway, while the footsteps of the giant outside get closer. I can't take it anymore. Extreme fear suddenly turns into insane courage.

  "SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!!!" I scream, my voice cracking. "WE ARE HERE TO FIND SOMEONE! FOCUS ON THE JOB!"

  My scream echoes through the corridor. Both gods fall silent, staring at me.

  "Ah... yeah..." Nanao clears his throat, adjusting his collar. "The kid has a point. Let's get to work."

  Nanao quickly draws a glowing symbol on the elevator door to mark the retreat point. Then, Xiaolang closes his eyes, inhaling the thick, moldy air.

  "The victim's spiritual aura..." He mumbles, nose twitching. "This way. But not this floor. Down below. 8th floor."

  We decide to take the stairs. No one dares step into that cursed elevator again unless absolutely necessary. The stairwell is dark and cold, our footsteps echoing in a terrifying way.

  Down on the 8th floor, the scenery is no better. Silent rows of rooms, cracks in the walls leaking a black liquid.

  "Very close," Xiaolang whispers, leading the way. We tiptoe down the hall, stopping in front of room 803. The wooden door is slightly ajar, revealing thick darkness inside.

  "The spiritual aura is very strong in here," Xiaolang says, but then he freezes. His wolf ears droop, and I see the fur on his neck stand up.

  "What's wrong?" I whisper, heart pounding.

  Xiaolang looks back at me and Nanao, his expression more serious than I have ever seen.

  "Besides the aura..." he says, a low growl rumbling in his throat, "...there is also the smell of blood."