42: Nightmare Rain

Dan narrowed his eyes, realizing that the grotesque presence he sensed was coming not from Tom himself,
but from the strange picture book in his hands.

With a flash of instinct and the force of his piercing glare,
Dan flipped a page just before Tom could—narrowly avoiding being drawn into the book’s power himself.

But the old axe he had been holding wasn’t so lucky—it vanished into the next page.

“That reflex… as if you’ve journeyed through countless parallel worlds.
And that book—what is it, exactly?
You’re no longer the fishing rod character I created.
I can feel it now… a powerful resolve in you, as if you’ve remembered something important.”

Keeping his guard up, Dan stepped barefoot through the rain-soaked grass and mud, closing in on Tom.

“With those filthy soles after being knocked down…
could you even bear to wear socks again?”

Faced with the absurd question, Tom said nothing.
He simply stood ready, his right hand poised to turn the next page.

“I couldn’t do it. Just imagining my filthy,
muddy feet sweating inside clean shoes…
it makes my skin crawl.”

From the man’s refined appearance and obsessive words,
Tom sensed a strange familiarity—an almost uncomfortable reflection of his own fastidious nature.

Rena glanced anxiously at Tom.
In that moment, he made a decision.
He would retrieve the old axe from within the book, restore it to its golden form, and pass it to Rena.

“Rena!! I’m giving you the Golden Axe!!
Use it to sever the past—cut it clean!”

Rena’s mind raced, but she quickly decided it didn’t matter if she understood it all.
She’d act once she received it.

“Hmph… talking like you’ve actually got a shot at this.
So you noticed I disguised the axe before handing it to the girl?
What is it now—did you break the seal?
Or do you just happen to know how?”

“Here it comes!! Take it, Rena!!”

Tom raised his right hand and made a tossing motion toward her.
Startled, Rena readied herself to catch it.

“Hm? You little… are you stalling?
This all reeks of performance…”

Watching Tom fumble, hesitating to produce the axe, Dan suddenly felt a strange sensation inside his mouth.

The raindrops pelting down on Dan had gradually transformed—each splash now morphing into grotesque, otherworldly forms.

“Ugh… grgh… What is this!?
And what are these eyes…!?”

A flood of eyeball-like orbs erupted from Dan’s mouth, rising into the air and surrounding him.
Each one stared at him from a different angle—peering into him, probing his secrets.

See… see… Miru… mirar… Mill…

“My imagination—the one that’s been shattered so many times before…
It’s finally stronger than yours, Dan.
Stronger than your ‘eye for truth’!”

As Dan dropped to one knee, sweating and gasping, Tom towered over him in his suit.
Calm and confident, he slowly pulled the Golden Axe from the book, gripping it firmly in his right hand.
He stood tall—as if he had been waiting his whole life for this very moment.