Mayor Lorelei’s Foresight

Mikan's POV:

“What are you saying, Mayor?!” Zack’s voice shook with frustration. “I know I want to chase after Kyouze and fight him again, but… I can’t just leave you here alone! The abyss monsters will keep launching waves against Netherbyte City, and I’m the one who has to stop them!”

He said it firmly, with that usual mix of honesty and stubbornness that made him seem a little foolish at times, but still reliable.

“That’s true, Lorelei-sama. I can enter the dungeon alone… Zack is needed here on the surface.” I added, trying to sound resolute.

But Mayor Lorelei only shook her head, pulling at her pipe before speaking slowly.

“You must go. Kyouze needs you both more than I do. He cannot conquer the Abyssal Dungeon alone.”

Her eyes glowed suddenly, twin neon-blue rings of light.

Zack stiffened, his face tense. “Mayor… that’s…?”

“You’re right, Zack. My skill, Data Foresight, has activated.” Lorelei’s voice turned cold. The atmosphere around us changed instantly. Zack, who had been protesting a moment ago, fell completely silent.

I swallowed nervously. “Data Foresight? What kind of skill is that? Please… explain it to me.”

“It is a skill unique to me,” Lorelei said quietly. “When it triggers on its own, I can see the future. Possible outcomes. And this time… I saw the worst of them. Kyouze failing to conquer the Abyssal Dungeon. The raid team led by the great Factions destroyed. Every single one of them wiped out.”

Her voice cracked for just a moment, though she hid it well.

“No… that can’t be…” My body trembled. I didn’t know what she had seen exactly, but the terror in her tone told me enough.

Zack clenched his fists until his knuckles went white. He was furious, unable to accept such a fate. Then, with a sharp inhale, he shouted,

“Mayor! I’ll follow your command. I’ll take half my forces, and with Mikan at my side, I’ll chase Kyouze into the dungeon!”

Lorelei smiled faintly, pride softening her stern features. “That’s my right hand. I’m proud of you, Zack. Now… what about you, Mikan?”

I hesitated, then nodded firmly. “I’ll do it. I want to help Kyouze. I want to stop this future you’ve seen. Please, Lorelei-sama… tell us everything we need to know.”

Lorelei chuckled, though there was no joy in it. “Good. Then listen carefully.”

She began to explain.

On the fourth floor, she said, Kyouze would begin to lose his composure, confronted by something that would awaken his trauma. That moment would be the beginning of his downfall.

Even so, he would press on, reaching the sixth floor and rescuing the trapped raid party. But the dungeon exit would already be sealed, cutting off any chance of retreat. The Faction players would be too gravely injured to continue. Kyouze, with few healing items left, would be unable to save them all.

So he would push forward with only a handful of survivors. With too few allies, they would suffer devastating losses. Important players and NPCs would die along the way, slowing their progress to a crawl. One by one, his companions would fall until only Kyouze reached the tenth floor.

But by then, he would have lost something vital: hope. Broken and alone, he would fall. His defeat would mark the beginning of the end. GOD 404 would be unleashed upon the world. Netherbyte… and even Earth itself… destroyed piece by piece.

The chill of her words sank into me, making my skin prickle. Zack’s face hardened, while Lorelei’s expression twisted with restrained grief.

“I… I understand now,” I whispered, bowing my head. “That’s terrifying.”

But Zack only let out a laugh, forcing a smile as he clapped my shoulder. “Relax, little girl. Now that we know what’s coming, we can change it!”

Lorelei let out a small laugh of her own, agreeing. “Zack’s right. That’s the very reason my foresight exists. To see what must be changed. Now… you must listen carefully to the rest of my instructions.”

Zack and I nodded, listening intently to every word she had to say.

When she finished, we made our preparations. Zack gathered three hundred of his N-Sec subordinates, and together we assembled before the dungeon gate. The players nearby looked confused, watching our force gather. Some even panicked, thinking they were about to be sent back into the dungeon.

But Mayor Lorelei stepped forward, her presence silencing the crowd. With a commanding voice, she addressed them.

“Players… listen well! Your comrades on the sixth floor are fighting with their lives to conquer the Abyssal Dungeon. The cold man who entered before you, Kyouze, is fighting as well. And now, these brave souls before you will join them as reinforcements, ready to risk their lives.”

Then, to everyone’s shock, Lorelei bowed her head.

Her voice rang out, steady and resolute. “So I ask you, all of you… lend us your strength once more. We need more warriors if we are to reach the final floor. I am not commanding you as the mayor of Netherbyte. I am asking you, as one person to another. Please… help us.”

Moved, Zack and I bowed deeply as well.

“Mayor Lorelei is right!” I shouted. “We can’t do this without you. Please… fight with us!”

Zack raised his voice next. “Players! Citizens of this city! Choose for yourselves. Join us in the dungeon to rescue our comrades trapped inside, or fight here on the surface to defend Netherbyte from the abyssal waves. Either way, we need you!”

The players and NPCs stared at one another, shaken. But slowly, determination began to spread among them.

Finally, a young man stepped forward. “I was terrified. The dungeon feels so much deadlier now than before… but I want to finish it. I want to go home. My family is waiting for me on Earth. So I’ll fight with you!”

His words sparked fire in the others.

“I’ll join you too! My best friend is still trapped with the raid team on the sixth floor. I’ll save him—and go home with him!” a young woman cried out.

“My family, the Miko, are in there as well. I won’t leave them to fight alone. I’ll follow you, Zack-sama!” one of the shrine maidens declared with conviction.

Zack and I were stunned. Nearly half of those gathered chose to follow us. Two hundred players and NPCs volunteered, bringing our total force to five hundred.

The rest, Lorelei rallied to defend the surface. “To those who stay, I beg of you—stand with me against the abyssal waves that will attack Netherbyte. Hold the line while our comrades push forward!”

Zack, too, gave a short speech to those remaining, inspiring them to fight bravely alongside Lorelei.

The effect was undeniable. Both those staying behind and those preparing to enter the dungeon were united. The fire of determination burned in every heart.

Together, whether above or below, we would fight until the end.

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