Seven Thunder Titans, each clad in a different set of armor, fell from the sky and hurled massive bombs, bolts of lightning, and dazzling rings of fire into the Black Forest. White Phosphorus Bombs streaked across the heavens like shooting stars, igniting a fierce blaze in the Forest. Thick smoke billowed upward, scorching the dusk light. Moments later, a squadron of V-2 “Iron Men” dive bombers burst through gaps in the clouds, dropping explosives onto the densest Wolf packs below. As they dove, they fired their tail guns wildly at the ground.
The sky was ripped apart—in the most literal sense.
Little Red Riding Hood saw the air above the Black Forest shatter like a broken Mirror. The once-intact twilight was now “cut” into countless jagged fragments, and each fragment showed a different scene: a tall, shadowy spire; a blood-soaked palace; a brightly lit ballroom; a wide field alive with flutes; a ship returning through the night; a thorn-choked castle… It was as if every “subset” of reality was collapsing into the Black Forest as its center.
At that same moment, all kinds of beings—dragons, giants, soldiers, flaming debris and sails, Castles, Demons—began plummeting from those shattered Mirrors into the Black Forest.
The walls between the “subsets” had been forced open. The Black Forest, the “first stage” of these Fairy Tale collections, now flung open a “grand Door” to every story.
A formidable giant in steel armor took heavy steps forward. Ordinary Evil Wolves could not pierce the might of a Titan’s power—even though, by Titan standards, this one was more like a “dwarf.” The Wolf packs pulled back before him. From the giant’s shoulder came a voice both familiar and delighted: “Red Hood! I’m here to help! Isn’t this exciting?”
Little Red Riding Hood looked up, stunned, and saw Snow White standing tall on the Titan’s shoulder. Even though summoning seven Titans at once put a massive strain on her mind, Snow White’s face glowed with excitement—like she had finally broken free from all the rules, free from counting every borrowed minute of her life, free to throw caution to the wind for once.
Little Red Riding Hood lifted her arm and pointed at a distant corner of the sky. “Your ‘mother’ is coming to kill us!!”
A heartbeat later, a powerful voice boomed across the Black Forest: “Come! Come! Come!! Even in this bizarre place, I’ll blow you all to—”
He was defeated within moments—but almost immediately, an army rallied in the burning Forest. Led by Scarecrow, they opened fire on anything that didn’t look like an ally. The Thunder Titans hesitated only briefly before joining the fray.
A plump tabby Cat came racing out of the haze of gunpowder. The moment the Knight was struck down, the Cat flicked its paw and summoned a new set of companions in the blink of an eye—a Priest from Town, a ragged wandering swordsman, a traveling Mage, and a newly emerged Hero from a village.
“King” tossed a battered sword to the dazed Hero, slapped his arm with a furry paw, and pointed toward the enemy entangled with the Thunder Titans overhead:
“Go get her! Remember to shout about your bonds, your friendship, and everyone back in the village, then charge in and strike. Don’t forget to shout first! If you do, you’ll definitely land a hit. Now go!”
Dorothy, dressed in a commander’s uniform and gripping a saber, stumbled out of a nearby crater. Her face was stained with blood, yet her grin shone brightly. “Everyone, let’s go! Attack the targets marked by the signal flare first!”
A Mermaid’s voice rose across this burning, frantic, feverish battlefield. Her song carried a gentle, ocean-like warmth that seemed to wash over everything in the midst of chaos.
A Princess with floor-length golden hair yanked a golden spike from the chest of a dying Demon and melded it back into her shimmering locks. Half her body was drenched in blood. Under the Mermaid’s singing, she closed her eyes, breathing as if savoring a sea breeze. “Ha… so this is the Mermaid’s Song effect… hmm?”
She opened her eyes, baffled, and looked at the half-human, half-fish girl perched on a nearby rock. “…Did you say your song can grant us buffs?”
The Mermaid paused, then stared at her blankly. “I never said that.”
“Then what’s the point of your singing?”
“Because it sounds beautiful!”
Little Red Riding Hood stood at the heart of this furious battle, gazing around with a dazed expression.
[She felt like she was seeing a “war”—a war erupting among countless Fairy Tales, unleashed by the most bewildering forces. Dorothy’s Resistance Army and the Heroes appointed by the King were now attacking the vicious Queen. The Matchstick Girl’s White Phosphorus Bombs rained on the Wolf packs. Dragon Slayers dropped from the sky. Wicked Witches perished in the fallout of a falling Red Dragon. Jack’s beanstalk strangled the Red Queen. And a giant who guarded the Golden Goose had his skull smashed by a speeding pumpkin carriage and came crashing down from the heavens.]
Meanwhile, the Little Mermaid sang on that battlefield—sometimes a soft ballad, sometimes a wild rock anthem, occasionally even a bit of B-box—serving no practical purpose except to sound wonderful. It was like a BGM for this grand, delirious spectacle.
Then Little Red Riding Hood heard a piercing noise high above.
She glanced up in alarm, seeing how the shadow that stretched across the sky—Anka Aila’s projection—was spasming as if in terrible pain. Cracks covered its surface, and the eerie eyes upon it winked out one by one.
She also sensed a faint rift standing at the center of the Black Forest—like it had always been there, but only now had it revealed its true form.
She saw Yu Sheng turn toward her, a wide grin on his face.
“What did you do?” Little Red Riding Hood shouted in confusion.
“Anka Aila made you endure so many nightmares,” Yu Sheng answered with a brilliant smile. “Now it’s time for it to have one. I waited for its ‘gaze’ to settle here, then I tore up every ‘script’ of these stories. Now it’s too busy to stop me.”
Amid the pounding artillery, Little Red Riding Hood raised her voice. “So you planned this all along?”
Yu Sheng laughed loudly. “Of course!”
He then turned away, striding toward the rift. “I’m going to see what’s behind this stage.”
Little Red Riding Hood called after him on impulse. “What about us… ?”
Without turning, Yu Sheng waved his hand. “Keep causing mayhem! As much as you can, until the Forest collapses, everything burns, and you all meet again out on the wasteland. You can rest there. If all goes well, the next time you open your eyes, you’ll be back at the Valley camp.”
Little Red Riding Hood stood there, dazed, watching Yu Sheng, Foxy, and Irene depart. After several seconds, she mumbled what she had just heard.
“…Meeting again in the barren fields after death, celebrating to the fullest, then returning to life in the shelter… Why does it sound so cryptic?”
By then, Yu Sheng was too far away to hear.
He led Foxy and Irene across the heart of the battlefield, through the final patch of scorched ground occupied by the Wolf packs. Clearing away all threats with ease, they soon reached the rift.
Up close, its size was even more enormous than they had imagined.
It loomed before them like a sky-reaching wall, filling their vision.
A soft humming rose from it now and then.
Somehow, the wails of infants and other sharp noises had vanished.
“This is really creepy…” Irene muttered, tense. “Are we really going inside?”
Yu Sheng didn’t reply. Instead, he turned to look at the little Doll in his arms.
Nestled in the Doll’s embrace was the tiny Squirrel.
“You can stay in the Black Forest,” Yu Sheng said. “We have no idea what’s beyond this point—maybe it’ll be dangerous, maybe it’ll be terrifying, or maybe it’ll be something completely unexpected.”
“Squirrel Knight…” The Squirrel lifted her head from the Doll’s arms. She started to speak, then hesitated. After two seconds, she waved her paw with sudden determination. “I’ll go with you!”
“I…” The Squirrel shrank back a little but met Yu Sheng’s eyes. “I want… to see what ‘Anka Aila’ really looks like.”
Yu Sheng studied her for a moment, then gave a small nod. “Okay. You can come with us—but stay in Irene’s arms. Don’t wander off.”
Then, without hesitation, he stepped into the rift.
He felt a brief plunge—his senses twisting, a dizzy wave, and fleeting visions in the darkness.
It was as if he’d fallen into a vast “network” of roots, all tangled in the dark. Those root-like strands supported countless platforms. He also felt as if he was racing through a tunnel, like cargo being sent along a pipe. He couldn’t tell how long he drifted—maybe only a few seconds, maybe ages—until suddenly, he felt solid ground beneath his feet.
Yu Sheng slowly opened his eyes.
Foxy, Irene, and the little Squirrel stared in amazement at the same sight.
They stood in a white corridor whose walls and floors gleamed like metal.
Yu Sheng’s gaze flicked over the corridor’s surface until it landed on a plaque:
Though the writing was unfamiliar, somehow he understood its meaning:
“Anka Aila—Maintenance Passage.”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation