Pushing open the Gate to the Otherworld.
A parallel reality unfolded before them.
As Haruto stepped forward, the ground beneath his feet let out a soft, crunching sound.
Looking down, he found himself standing on an endless salt flat, completely dried up, resembling a vast desert of different hues.
The sight before him was like the remnants of an ancient sea, as if some unknown force had evaporated the ocean, leaving only this expanse of salt behind.
Echidna followed closely behind Haruto, crossing into this world as well.
In the next moment, the Book of Wisdom in her hands began to flip rapidly. Words quickly surfaced on its pages—distorted, deep crimson like blood.
Reading the emerging text, Echidna's expression turned slightly odd.
"Seven Seals, Seven Rings, Seven Brides, Offered to the Crimson King."
She read aloud the words inscribed in the Book of Wisdom, yet even she found them difficult to comprehend.
Hearing this, Haruto's expression grew solemn. Echidna noticed his reaction and asked,
"You seem to understand the meaning of this phrase. The Crimson King... is it a being of Supreme Divinity?"
Haruto nodded.
"In the Foundation's database, I have never seen any information regarding the 'Crimson King'... I think I understand now."
As Echidna spoke, she began to grasp the situation.
As the Witch of Greed, Echidna not only possessed an astonishingly vast knowledge but also an exceptionally high level of intelligence.
Seeing this, Haruto no longer concealed the truth and sighed before speaking,
"There are actually numerous records about the 'Crimson King' within the Foundation, but they are not publicly available. Whether in the main world or the 'Land of Rebirth,' there are many unclassified reports concerning the 'Crimson King.'"
"I have temporarily erased this information because any understanding of the 'Crimson King' will only make it stronger."
"The 'Crimson King' is the most powerful negative sovereign across the entire multiverse—an abstract conceptual entity. It embodies all negativity, primal instincts, barbarism, and pre-societal concepts. It is the memory of lost worlds, the collective name for the uncivilized."
"Legend has it that when the Tree of Knowledge was first planted, the world grew like its leaves, and everything was predetermined. The deep waters beneath the darkness and the firmament above it took shape, giving birth to many ancient deities."
"Among them was the 'Crimson King.' However, its birth was not grand—in fact, it was quite insignificant. It crawled through the darkness of the deep waters, weak and lowly compared to its siblings, yet fully aware of its nature."
"The light of thought and the shadow of existence caused it immense suffering—simply existing was agony. Perhaps ceasing to exist would have been its best fate."
"Of course, perhaps the survival of all things would be better. To achieve this, it devoured its siblings, absorbing their essence to grow stronger. Its hatred was so profound, its malice so pure, that it cursed everything and swore to destroy the Tree and its branches."
"The 'Crimson King' ascended a throne forged from the remains of its siblings, and the gods crawled beneath it, submitting to its rule. These legends may not be entirely accurate, but they are sufficient to illustrate the existence of the 'Crimson King', more or less."
Haruto gazed down at the salt flats, his vision piercing through the earth, reaching the vast hollow beneath.
Echidna listened intently, lost in thought.
Anyone possessing knowledge comparable to Echidna's and understanding the implications of Haruto's words would likely feel nothing but sheer terror.
They would struggle to comprehend why such a being existed within the multiverse. Yet Echidna, true to her nature, felt no fear—only an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
"So, is this... the Seven Seals or the Seven Rings?"
Echidna asked.
"It should be the Seven Seals."
Haruto replied.
Seven Seals, Seven Rings, Seven Brides, offered to the Crimson King.
This was both a warning and a prophecy.
When the chains beneath the Seven Seals break beyond the Gate to the Otherworld, the Crimson King will descend through the Devourer of World(SCP-2317).
As for the Seven Rings, the Foundation had yet to locate them.
But the Seven Brides...
A crimson glow, as vivid as blood, appeared on Haruto's hands.
In the next instant, he crouched down and gently touched the ground with his fingers.
The vast salt flats split apart, earth and stone overturned, and dry salt blocks flew into Haruto's grasp.
The marble pillars representing the Seven Seals still stood in the air, seemingly unaffected by the upheaval of the landscape, as though existing in a separate reality.
The hollow region below was exposed.
A monstrously massive entity, curled into a fetal position, came into view before Haruto and Echidna.
Without hesitation, Haruto raised his hand and waved.
Countless ink-black feathers erupted from his back, entwining around the chains fastened to the pillars.
The last two unbroken chains were completely enveloped in the dark feathers, leaving no gaps.
More feathers surged toward the edges of the hollow region, filling it entirely.
Only when the entire 100-kilometer-wide spherical cavity was sealed did Haruto stop.
His body wavered slightly.
Even for Haruto, such an enormous energy expenditure left him somewhat fatigued.
If all these feathers were released purely as raw energy, they could annihilate Earth without question.
The earth and stone settled back into place, restoring the landscape.
The salt flats reappeared as if nothing had happened.
Echidna observed the scene, slightly surprised.
"Even you can't repair the broken chains?"
Haruto's actions were clearly to protect the remaining two chains from any accidental damage.
But with five chains already broken, he had made no effort to fix them.
Haruto shook his head.
"The chains can be repaired, but there's no point. The moment they broke, the Seven Seals were already incomplete."
Upon hearing this, Echidna came to an understanding.
Clapping his hands, Haruto signaled that the work here was done.
The next step would be reinforcing the area around the Gate to the Otherworld in the Land of Rebirth with extreme measures.
After that, they needed to closely monitor the Devourer of World and the last two chains.
This was all the Foundation could do for now.
As for whether the chains would continue to break, leading to the Crimson King's descent...
That was a matter for the future.
-----------
Stepping through the Gate to the Otherworld, Haruto and Echidna prepared to return to the main world.
Although Echidna now possessed information about the Crimson King, Haruto had no intention of erasing her memory.
Even though understanding and recognizing the Crimson King would only make it stronger...
Now that the Seven Seals had appeared, the Foundation needed to start preparing countermeasures against it.
The information about the Crimson King would soon be disclosed to the O5 Council.
As they moved, Echidna suddenly tugged at Haruto's sleeve.
Haruto looked at her, puzzled.
Turning around, he saw Echidna wearing a bright smile.
"Alright, why are you grinning like that? Just say whatever you want."
Haruto rolled his eyes and spoke casually.
Echidna didn't take offense.
Haruto knew her personality, her mindset—everything about her.
She was a woman who pursued knowledge above all else, her other emotions weak and distant.
Her smiles were mostly performances; only when acquiring knowledge did she genuinely smile from the heart.
"Beatrice is almost done with her studies. You should take her back; after all, she is your contracted spirit. Since I am her mother, if you keep neglecting her, I'll get angry as her mother-in-law!"
Haruto rolled his eyes again.
Beatrice was a great spirit created by Echidna's authority, so calling her a mother wasn't incorrect.
But...
Haruto didn't even need to think to know the truth—Echidna had been buried in research within the Foundation.
Beatrice's presence was simply disrupting her studies.
So now she wanted to push Beatrice onto him.
What a negligent mother!
Still, Haruto didn't expose her.
After returning to the main world, Haruto went straight to a Foundation site and, without any preamble, picked up Beatrice and left.
Beatrice had been reading a book, only to suddenly feel weightless as she was lifted into the air without warning.
The little blonde loli flailed her arms and legs in panic.
Only after sensing the familiar aura of their contract from Haruto did she calm down slightly.
"W-What do you think you're doing to Betty?!"
Beatrice's voice held a trace of panic.
"Your mom doesn't want you anymore, so she told me to take you."
Haruto bluntly stated, not bothering to cover for Echidna.
Because of the Gospel Book incident, Beatrice's reverence for Echidna had long faded. While she still acknowledged her as her mother, she was no longer as attached as before.
Hearing Haruto's words, Beatrice also rolled her eyes.
She wasn't particularly sad—rather, she felt more embarrassed and flustered from being carried like this.