Chapter 3
Jiro barely had time to catch her breath. She collapsed onto the cold floor, her body trembling, her breath ragged. The door behind her was gone—just like before. The chase with Gluttony was over, but now… now she was somewhere new.
She swallowed hard and fumbled for her phone, her fingers slick with sweat. “Denki…?” she whispered, her voice hoarse.
“I’m here! I’m still here!” Denki’s voice crackled through, urgent, frantic. “Jiro, what’s happening now?”
Jiro forced herself to sit up, wiping at the sweat on her forehead. Her surroundings came into view, and her breath caught in her throat.
The air here was thick, heavy with something oppressive. The world around her was draped in an eerie, golden light—not warm and welcoming, but suffocating, almost blinding. The floor beneath her shimmered like polished marble, cracked in places where molten gold had oozed through like blood, hardening into sharp, jagged formations.
But it was the chains that unsettled her the most. They hung from above, crisscrossing through the air like threads of a monstrous spiderweb. Some were thin and delicate, others thick and rusted, but all of them jingled softly, as if whispering secrets in a language she couldn’t understand. They weren’t still—no, they slithered, tightened, moved of their own accord, weaving around golden pillars, coiling around massive, ornate structures in the distance.
And then… there was her.
Jiro’s breath hitched. A figure stood in the distance, poised at the center of it all. She was beautiful—stunning in a way that felt almost unnatural, almost painful to look at. She barely wore anything, her body covered in mouths with glowing eyes inside, each one whispering, shifting, watching.
Chains wrapped around her form like jewelry, adorned with golden coins that clinked softly with every subtle movement. The coins reflected the golden light, and Jiro felt herself dizzy just looking at them. It was hypnotic, like staring at something too perfect, too alluring.
Jiro shuddered, averting her gaze. She forced herself to focus—describe it, make sense of it. “Denki,” she whispered, gripping her phone like a lifeline. “I… I think I’m in another ring. It’s… It’s different. Everything here is gold. It’s like—like some kind of temple, or… a bank? No, it’s bigger than that. There are chains everywhere, but they’re moving on their own. And the air—it’s heavy, like I can’t breathe right.”
She sucked in a shaky breath, pressing her palm against the cold ground to ground herself. “And… there’s someone here.”
Denki’s voice sharpened. “Who?”
Jiro hesitated. “I—I don’t know yet. She’s…” Jiro swallowed hard. “She’s gorgeous. But, like, not in a normal way. There are eyes in her skin, and she has chains wrapped all around her, and…”
The figure suddenly moved.
Jiro’s heart lurched into her throat. The woman—no, the ruler of this place—took a slow, deliberate step forward. Her movements were graceful, fluid, like she was made of something weightless, something untouchable. The golden chains jingled softly with every step, each delicate sound slithering into Jiro’s ears, settling like an itch beneath her skin.
And then… the ruler spoke.
“Why do you look away?” Her voice was smooth, dripping like honey, yet sharp like glass. “Is my appearance not to your liking?”
Jiro clenched her jaw, forcing herself to stay still. She would not answer. Not yet.
But the ruler smiled—a slow, knowing thing. One of the mouths on her arm whispered something Jiro couldn’t quite catch.
And then the ruler turned her head, just slightly. The golden coins at her waist jingled with the movement, and suddenly—
Jiro felt something pulling at her.
Her breath hitched. No. No, no, no—
The chains that had once been distant, hovering lazily in the air, were suddenly creeping closer, slithering across the ground, curling toward her like living serpents.
Jiro’s hands tightened on her phone. “Denki—Denki, something’s wrong. The chains—they’re moving. They’re coming toward me.”
“Get out of there, Jiro!” Denki’s voice was frantic. “Whatever you do, don’t let them touch you!”
Jiro scrambled backward, her pulse hammering in her ears. But the ruler only tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
“Why do you resist?” she murmured, almost lazily. “Don’t you see? There’s no need to run.”
Jiro’s breath came in quick, sharp gasps. The chains were everywhere, closing in. Her mind screamed at her to move, to run, but something about the way the ruler spoke—something about the way she looked—made it so damn hard to resist.
The coins jingled again.
Jiro stumbled.
And for the briefest moment, her gaze flickered back to the ruler’s face.
And that was when she realized—
Her eyes… her eyes weren’t looking at Jiro at all.
They were looking past her.
Jiro’s stomach dropped.
She whirled around, her breath catching in her throat.
And that was when she saw it.
A wall of mirrors.
Golden, glimmering, stretching as far as she could see. And in them—she saw herself.
No. Not just herself.
She saw… things she wanted.
A better guitar. A bigger stage. A massive, screaming crowd. Money, fame, luxury, acceptance. Her fingers twitched at her sides.
And the moment her mind focused on one of those images—the chains lunged.
Jiro gasped, throwing herself backward just in time, the sharp metal scraping against the air where she had stood just a second before.
She landed hard on the ground, her phone slipping from her grasp. Denki’s voice crackled through the speaker.
“Jiro? Jiro?!”
Jiro didn’t answer.
Because in front of her, the ruler was still smiling.
“Why do you run?” she whispered. “When everything you’ve ever wanted is right in front of you?”
The mirrors gleamed.
Jiro stiffened as the figure stepped forward, her chains clinking softly. The golden coins wrapped around her body reflected the dim light, the glow shifting across her too-perfect features. Her eyes—half-lidded, almost bored—glowed faintly as she took Jiro in.
And then, she spoke.
“You killed her.”
Jiro froze.
Her stomach dropped.
The ruler’s voice was smooth, calm—but there was something wrong about the way she said it.
“She was mine,” the ruler continued, stepping forward, her chains dragging against the floor. “My love. My only.” Her eyes, filled with gold and hunger, flickered toward Jiro’s phone. “Who is listening?”
Jiro’s breath caught.
“D-Denki,” she croaked, her voice barely a whisper.
The ruler’s lips curled, slow and deliberate. “Denki?” she repeated, rolling the name over her tongue like it was some fine delicacy. Then, her voice sharpened. “Why do you speak to her?”
Denki’s voice crackled through the phone, his usual joking tone nowhere to be found. “I—I don’t—she just—who the hell are you?”
The ruler tilted her head, her mouth quirking up in something that could almost be called amusement. “You may call me Greed,” she said, her voice still calm. “And you… are an intruder. Do you belong to her?”
Jiro’s hands tightened around her phone. “He’s mine,” she snapped before she could stop herself.
Greed exhaled a soft, pleased hum. “Ah… so you understand.”
Something tightened around Jiro’s wrist.
Jiro’s heart slammed against her ribs. She hadn’t even noticed—but a thin golden chain had coiled itself around her wrist, snaking up her arm in an instant, tightening just enough to make her shudder.
“I want you,” Greed murmured.
Jiro’s breath hitched.
“I want everything,” the ruler continued, watching Jiro like she was a prize to be claimed. “And now… I want you.”
Jiro’s throat closed.
The chain tightened.
“Hey—hey, back off!” Denki shouted through the phone, his voice cutting through the air. “She’s not yours!”
Greed’s gaze flickered to the phone, unreadable. Then, she turned back to Jiro, golden eyes glinting.
“Do you belong to him, too?” she mused.
The chain slid higher, curling around Jiro’s shoulder now.
Jiro needed to think. She needed to—
Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw the mirrors again.
Her mind whirled. And then—an idea struck.
She turned, meeting Greed’s golden eyes. “You like collecting things, don’t you?” she said carefully, forcing her voice to stay steady.
Greed’s lips curled. “Of course.”
“Then…” Jiro swallowed. “Why settle for one of me?”
Greed’s expression flickered with intrigue. “Go on.”
Jiro gestured toward the mirrors. “You can have all the other versions of me. Every single one of them in these mirrors. You get all of them. I will give them to you.” She met Greed’s gaze, determined. “But I need to rest first. Then you can take them.”
For the first time, Greed hesitated.
Jiro held her breath.
The golden chains slithered, wavering slightly, like they weren’t sure whether to tighten or loosen. Greed studied Jiro with something dangerously close to admiration.
“…You’re clever,” she murmured. Then, after a long pause—
“Very well.”
The chains retracted, sliding off Jiro’s skin like silk.
She exhaled sharply, barely believing it worked.
Greed gestured to the ground. “Rest.”
Jiro sat down slowly, phone still clenched in her hand. She was trembling, her entire body tense.
Denki’s voice whispered through the speaker, urgent. “Jiro… what the hell was that?”
Jiro swallowed. “I—I think I just bought myself time.”
Denki was silent for a moment. Then—
“…Jiro, I have a bad feeling about what you did.”
Something in his voice made her stomach turn.
She looked down.
And her breath caught.
Her shadow was gone.
A chill ran down her spine.
She turned to Greed, whose golden eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
“You don't realize what you just gave to me,” Greed murmured.
Jiro’s stomach twisted.
Her shadow…
It was hers now.
Jiro’s hands trembled slightly, but she clenched them into fists, shoving her emotions down. It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter. So what if her shadow was gone? At least she was alive. At least she could still move.
She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to sit down, shifting uncomfortably on the cold, gilded floor. Denki’s breathing crackled faintly through the phone, but he was quiet now—probably trying not to freak her out more than she already was.
She focused on the woman before her.
“…How do I get out of here?” Jiro asked, her voice hoarse.
Greed tilted her head slightly, golden chains clinking softly as she moved. The way she looked at Jiro was unreadable, her many mouths shifting beneath her skin, lips parting slightly before settling back into place.
“There is only one exit,” she said finally. “At the end of Pride.”
Jiro’s heart leapt. “Then I can leave?”
The ruler’s golden eyes flickered. “Many have tried,” she murmured, something almost pitying in her voice. “None have succeeded.”
Jiro’s stomach twisted. “Why?”
Greed exhaled, tilting her head back, eyes half-lidded. “Because no one reaches the end as themselves.”
Silence.
Jiro swallowed hard.
“What does that mean?”
Greed's gaze fell back to her, sharp. “You’ve already seen it, haven’t you?” She gestured lazily toward Jiro’s feet. “You lost something the moment you struck a deal with me. And that was just a shadow.”
Jiro stiffened.
“Those who continue forward…” Greed leaned closer, her voice lowering, almost soothing. “Piece by piece, they fade. They become something else.”
Jiro’s breathing quickened slightly, her hands tightening around her knees. She could feel Denki listening silently on the other end of the phone, probably processing this just as much as she was.
“…Has anyone ever made it?” Jiro whispered.
Greed smiled faintly. “If they had… do you think we would still be here?”
Jiro’s stomach churned.
Her mind was racing, trying to process all of this. No one had made it. No one had ever escaped. Because by the time they reached the exit—they weren’t themselves anymore.
“…Then what about you?” Jiro asked suddenly.
Greed blinked.
Jiro’s hands clenched. “You said if they could escape you wouldn't be here. Then—you weren’t always here, were you?” She narrowed her eyes. “Who were you?”
Greed's lips twitched slightly.
And then, softly—
“Once upon a time…” she murmured, “I was human.”
Jiro felt her breath hitch.
Denki cursed softly through the phone.
Greed watched Jiro carefully, gauging her reaction. “All of us rulers, habitants in this hell, were.”
A weight settled in Jiro’s chest.
This wasn’t just some hellish nightmare filled with monsters.
They were people.
Jiro swallowed. “Then… how did you end up here?”
Greed leaned back slightly, her golden chains shifting, curling gently around her arms. “I fell,” she said simply.
Jiro frowned. “Why?”
Greed's expression darkened slightly. “Because I followed her.”
Jiro felt a chill crawl up her spine. “Her?”
Greed's mouth curled into something almost tender—and yet, filled with an eerie longing.
“Toga. My beloved.”
Jiro’s heart pounded.
She meant the one she had killed.
The Lust ruler.
Greed's voice softened, her gaze drifting slightly, lost in memory. “She was… everything to me,” she murmured. “And when she fell… I followed.” Her golden eyes flickered. “I chose this.”
Jiro stared at her, throat dry.
She chose this.
She had loved Toga so much—too much—that she willingly fell into hell just to be with her.
Jiro had no words.
For the first time, the woman before her didn’t seem like some distant, untouchable ruler.
She seemed… human.
“…Was she always like that?” Jiro finally asked.
Greed's golden eyes darkened. “No.”
Silence.
Jiro’s fingers curled slightly.
That meant… she had changed.
Just like how Greed had changed.
Just like how everyone here had changed.
Jiro exhaled slowly, her mind buzzing with too many thoughts.
“…I have to go,” she said eventually.
Greed smiled faintly, though there was something… tired in her expression. “Of course.”
Jiro hesitated.
“…Do you ever regret it?”
Greed blinked.
Jiro swallowed, forcing herself to hold the ruler’s gaze. “Following her.”
For a long moment, Greed didn’t answer.
Then, softly—
“No.”
Jiro felt something heavy settle in her chest.
She turned away, her grip tightening on her phone.
“Jiro,” Denki’s voice murmured. “You okay?”
Jiro exhaled shakily. “…Yeah.”
She wasn’t.
But she didn’t have time to think about that now.
She needed to keep moving.
Because if she stayed too long—
She might never leave.
Jiro took a shaky breath, trying to gather herself, but the weight of what she had just learned settled deep into her chest.
This wasn’t just a place of punishment. This was a graveyard of those who had come before her—people who had once been human, just like her.
People who had changed.
People who never left.
“Hey, uh…” Denki’s voice crackled through the phone. “You still with me?”
Jiro swallowed hard. “…Yeah.”
Greed watched her quietly, her golden chains shifting like restless serpents. “I will give you one final warning before you go,” she murmured.
Jiro tensed. “What?”
The ruler’s many mouths twitched slightly, curling into something almost amused.
“Do not give your name to anyone you meet from here on.”
Jiro stiffened.
“…Why?”
Greed's eyes gleamed. “Because names are power. And power is ownership.”
Jiro’s pulse quickened.
“If you give your name away,” Greed continued, voice slow and deliberate, “then you will lose your soul.”
Jiro’s breath hitched.
Denki cursed softly through the phone. “The hell does that mean?”
Greed smiled faintly. “Exactly what it sounds like.” She reached forward, one golden chain curling briefly around Jiro’s wrist before sliding away. “You are fortunate that I was satisfied with your shadow alone.”
Jiro stiffened at the reminder, her stomach twisting.
Right.
She had already lost something.
And Greed had let her go.
Despite the fact that she had killed Toga.
Jiro swallowed hard. “Why did you let me live?”
Greed tilted her head slightly. “I was curious,” she admitted. “And I wanted to see if you would survive the next ring.”
Jiro’s hands clenched. “What’s in the next ring?”
Greed's many mouths curled into something eerily close to a grin.
“Sloth,” she murmured.
Jiro blinked.
“That doesn’t sound so bad—”
“It will be the most tempting ring of all.”
Jiro’s stomach twisted.
Greed leaned in slightly, golden chains slithering across the floor. “It will not chase you. It will not fight you. It will only embrace you.”
Jiro shivered.
Greed's voice lowered. “It will feel safe.”
Jiro’s breath caught.
Safe.
When was the last time she had felt safe?
Denki’s voice crackled urgently through the phone. “That’s not good, dude. That’s like, really not good.”
Jiro exhaled sharply, nodding even though he couldn’t see her. “Yeah. I get it.”
Greed pulled back, watching her with a faint smile. “Be careful, little traveler,” she murmured. “You are more fragile than you think.”
Jiro’s hands clenched.
She turned toward the exit.
And then—
“What’s your name?” she asked suddenly.
Greed blinked.
Jiro hesitated, then turned to meet her golden gaze.
“You told me not to give mine,” she murmured. “But… what’s yours?”
For a long moment, Greed didn’t speak.
Then, finally—
“Ochako,” she said softly.
Jiro inhaled sharply.
Somehow… hearing it made this real.
Made her real.
Made the truth of this place settle deep in her chest.
Jiro clenched her fists.
“…Thanks,” she muttered.
Ochako smiled faintly, but said nothing more.
Jiro turned back toward the exit, stepping forward.
Denki’s voice was quieter now. “…Be careful, dude.”
Jiro exhaled.
“Yeah.”
And with that—
She walked into the next ring.