With his eyes closed, sitting atop a massive tree branch while hugging a white sword covered in vein-like patterns—
Jay rested his back against the trunk.
Sunlight slowly reached his closed eyes.
His brows twitched slightly.
Then he opened them little by little.
Huh? It's already morning?
To be more precise—
Jay had completely lost track of time.
He no longer knew how long he had been trapped inside that hell.
But he knew one thing for certain.
A long time had passed.
His hair had grown noticeably longer.
Slowly standing up, Jay stared at the rising sun with an indifferent expression before descending from the enormous tree.
Then—
He jumped.
The wind slammed against his black clothes, some parts frozen solid by layers of ice.
At some point during his journey, countless unwanted memories had invaded his mind.
Moments where he almost died.
Killing giants who smiled while fighting.
Werewolves screaming in terror.
Vampires begging desperately for mercy.
But now—
Jay saw all of it as routine.
Nothing more than prey.
During this time, he had been forced to make his own clothes using his elemental powers combined with the leather he obtained from creatures he hunted.
His body had changed.
His elemental power had evolved too.
The ice grew slower now compared to before.
And during that same period, Jay had discovered something important—
If he maintained control over the ice constantly, it would stop growing uncontrollably.
At his waist rested a sheathed sword.
And a pistol.
By now, Jay had completely lost count of how many giants he had killed.
Rolling across the ground after landing, he quickly stood back up and observed his surroundings.
Nothing.
No movement.
No sound.
Not even footsteps.
Not even birdsong.
The deeper he advanced into the Wall, the stranger everything became.
The ordinary slowly disappeared.
And bizarre things took its place.
This place really is turning into a true hell with each passing day.
He sighed quietly.
Continuing his walk, Jay noticed the trees growing taller and taller.
Almost unnaturally tall.
I'm overlooking some details too… damn it.
After a long walk through the silent wasteland, where only his footsteps broke the silence—
He found a giant corpse.
Its body was covered in cuts.
Some shallow.
Others deep enough to be fatal instantly.
Jay stared at the corpse expressionlessly.
Raising his hand to his chin, he thought:
Looks like there's another human here. After all…
Approaching the body, he carefully examined the wounds.
Fresh.
Very fresh.
Scratching the back of his neck, he sighed.
That explains why things are even quieter than usual.
His eyes studied the cuts further.
Looks like the death was painful… almost like whoever killed this giant hated giants with their entire existence.
Then again—
That hatred was understandable.
Hatred toward giants.
Or even toward this hell itself.
After finishing his inspection, Jay resumed walking.
When the sun finally reached its peak—
Sweat began dripping down his forehead.
Ah… it's so hot. Seriously? How can it be this hot?
He pulled lightly at the collar of his shirt while frowning.
Then—
The moment his foot touched the ground—
A voice whispered directly into his ear.
Rough.
Cold.
Completely lifeless.
Jay's eyes widened instantly.
Then—
A touch.
Subtle.
But horrifying.
It felt like a skinless hand pressing against him.
"Whyyy… areee yooouuu stiiilll aliiiveee? Dead! Dead! Youuu shoulddd beee deaaad!"
The touch became tighter.
Stronger.
The grip intensified every second.
Jay stared ahead silently.
Then suddenly—
The world vanished.
The trees.
The ground.
Everything disappeared.
Only darkness remained.
The feeling beneath his feet changed too.
Instead of solid earth—
It felt like he was standing atop water.
Jay slowly raised his hand and grabbed the hand of the being whispering into his ear.
"You know…" he muttered calmly while closing his eyes and tightening his grip around the creature's hand.
Then he pulled it violently.
"…I ask myself the same thing. Why am I still standing here?"
A sarcastic smile appeared on his face.
The being frowned deeply.
Grinding its teeth, it spoke again:
"No… no… you should be crying… begging for forgiveness!"
"…."
Was he really supposed to be like that?
After all—
He couldn't just lie in Lilith's lap forever.
He couldn't keep being embraced and comforted endlessly.
He couldn't rely on Saint Clarice soothing him every single time he broke down.
Yeah… I can't.
And besides—
He was in hell.
Whether he liked it or not—
This place was hell on earth.
And inside this hell—
He would inevitably become less fragile.
Less pathetic.
Tightening his grip around the soul tormenting him, Jay spoke coldly:
"I don't need those threats anymore. Honestly… I just don't care anymore. Come."
He opened his arms.
Not out of acceptance.
Not redemption.
And not surrender either.
To him—
This was simply something familiar.
Something he had already done before.
Because if he had truly accepted everything—
He wouldn't still be here.
Then—
Within the endless darkness standing atop the water-like ground—
The souls attacked him.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
They leaped onto him violently.
Tearing apart his clothes.
Then his skin.
Clawing into his flesh relentlessly.
But even within absolute darkness—
Even while being ripped apart by wandering souls—
Jay felt nothing.
No pain.
No hatred.
Only—
Longing.
Lilith.
His expression remained indifferent.
And at that moment—
His lucidity returned.
The darkness shattered.
He was lying on the ground once again, staring at the blue sky and the massive trees surrounding him.
Jay slowly stood up.
As if nothing unusual had happened.
It's been several days since my last hallucination.
He brushed dirt from his clothes casually.
Then resumed his exhausting journey.
Honestly… I'm doing pretty well.