Chapter 176
Just then, Abate returned.
"In team battle mode, the Bloodied Twins said you can all come at me together."
Do you all like to judge people by their appearance?
Yuki didn't object to this flaw, pointing to Hayasaka Ai: "No need, the two of us are fine."
"Aren't you going to reconsider? If you two die, the other three won't live much longer either." Abate had a sharp eye; at least from appearances, Yuki and Hayasaka Ai were the strongest. "Stepping into the ring is the start of the battle, remember to hurry."
Yuki turned her head and winked at the people behind her. Hiyori and Kaguya cautiously retreated slowly, only to find that Abate and the entire audience didn't care what they were going to do.
They were not combatants and could not contribute to the killing spree; they were no different from the air.
'You guessed right, this is the game's way out.'
Yuki wasn't surprised. While the Reincarnation Game is cruel, it doesn't discriminate against players who slack off. If every player is forced to participate in battles, then players Shiina Hiyori, who rely on puzzle-solving, will have an extremely low survival rate.
Just like Horikita Suzune from the academy, her ability is a human radar, which is a strategic skill.
Having found a loophole, Yuki felt much more at ease. He and Hayasaka Ai stepped into the area of the cylinder side by side. As their feet landed, a strange feeling welled up in their hearts.
Being watched—no, I was already being watched by tens of thousands of people.
This feeling seemed somewhat superfluous; he simply raised his head instinctively, looking at the dark red sky, which, due to the oval shape of the deathmatch arena, resembled an eye without pupils.
For a moment, he felt a sense of sacredness, and was even ashamed of his own battle plan.
Why hide your true colors? A real man should unleash his full power and tear the enemy to shreds.
"Yuki, they've entered the arena," Hayasaka Ai whispered, as she heard increasing skepticism and mockery.
Losing focus as soon as you enter the battlefield? That's incredibly unprofessional. How could you possibly survive five seconds?
But the Bloodied Twins didn't mock him like the typical villains. They remained silent, carefully Yuki and discovering that he was quite eerie.
They weren't particularly fierce, nor did they seem to have any murderous intent, but their extensive experience from countless battles made them feel threatened.
As he looked up at the sky, the two exchanged a glance and immediately launched their attack.
They split up and charged at full speed, accompanied by shouts of "Kill them!" They increased their speed and covered more than half the field in just a few seconds.
"Sorry, I was overthinking things." Yuki lowered his head, gripped his sword tightly, and watched as the enemy running in the lead suddenly stopped, then hurled his halberd fiercely.
Ugh--
With a deafening roar, the Storm Halberd hurtled towards them, while a figure wielding twin blades followed closely behind, leaning forward, his legs almost leaving afterimages.
Very professional, they went all out from the start, showing no sign of underestimating their opponent.
"Kill him!"
"He chickened out just now, he must die!"
The charge was accompanied by cheers, and just as expected, he stood in the center of the arena. The intensity of the flames increased several times over, Yuki's forehead veins bulged instantly.
Unleash my Demon Possession! First, I'll cut the first one in half at the waist, then I'll rip the second one out along with its spine! Let them dare not underestimate me!
His mind was already conjuring up images of what was to come, proving that his bloodlust was rapidly escalating. Finally, he took a deep breath.
The Night Domain unfolds.
Ugh--
Suddenly, a pitch-black 'egg' appeared in the middle of the arena. The audience was immediately blinded, as if someone had grabbed them by the throat. Their faces were blank, and the entire arena was deathly silent.
At the same time, Yuki drew his sword.
Clang!
With a flick of his wrist, the halberd was deflected by the longsword. He saw the charging figure suddenly stop, an instinctive reaction after losing sight of him.
"Go all out and wipe them out in seconds!"
"Receive."
As soon Yuki speaking, Hayasaka Ai raised her gun and, under the latter's intrigued gaze, pulled the trigger at the fixed target.
Powerful Shooting Mode. Death Knell Tolls.
Bang!!!
The deafening gunshots echoed, even penetrating the barrier and reaching the ears of every spectator.
"What's going on? Why are the Bloodied Twins' halberds making such a loud noise?"
"Bullshit, I can't see anything!"
Amidst the buzzing of discussion, the black 'egg' shattered, leaving only two people on the arena. In front of them, a trumpet-shaped trail extended, and apart from a halberd stuck in the ground, the Bloodied Twins had vanished without a trace.
This silenced the angry shouts instantly; everyone stared at the two thin men and women, their minds filled with confusion.
Where are the enemies? Where is the battle? Where is the blood?
Yuki closed his eyes, savoring the moment of silence. He preferred this quiet to the frenzied cheers.
Turning around, he led Hayasaka Ai, who was stuffing candy into her mouth, away from the ring area and met Abate, who was wide-eyed and didn't know what to do, and gently patted him on the shoulder.
Is it fast enough?
Chapter Six: The Reverse Strategy (6K)
There were no cheers, and no fierce battle cries.
Aside from Hiyori's reminder, Yuki adhered to his consistent principles:
Killing doesn't need to be heroic or dramatic; it should be done as efficiently as possible.
He's not an actor, why make Earth Collapse and get everyone's adrenaline pumping, when he didn't even really do anything?
Unveiling the Night Domain, Hayasaka tolled his Death Knell, and it was over in an instant.
It consists of only three steps, and its efficiency is so high that it takes people almost no time to react. However, the effect is outstanding, and it stunned tens of thousands of people in just a few seconds.
There was no reason to be afraid; there were powerful individuals who could shatter the entire arena. It was just that everyone was bewildered; no one knew what had just happened, or even who had done it.
Hiyori's approach is correct.
Yuki a long sigh of relief. Implementing one's ideals also requires the right environment. In that kind of frenzied atmosphere, he would only become a hothead, no matter how many people there were or how many battles there were, his mind would be filled with the desire to fight.
Fight to the bitter end, kill them all.
Then, amidst cheers, it burned like a raging fire, until finally it was completely consumed?
Furthermore, is that an illusion? Why is the replenishment of soul energy so weak, inconsistent with their strength?
"I like this quiet; those people were too noisy just now." Yuki slowly sheathed his sword, turned to Abate, and asked, "When does the next match start?"
It can happen anytime. If the warriors waiting in the wings get excited, they will immediately launch a challenge, and even if the challenged are exhausted, they will never back down in this frenzied atmosphere.
Fight, kill, cheer, until the cycle is crushed, or one perishes within it.
Abate wanted to answer that way, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it.
Even if Yuki cleaved the entire deathmatch arena in two with a single strike, it wouldn't be this painful. In the end, he didn't see anything; the enemy simply vanished.
It's like watching some action movies: you've already taken your pants off, then the screen goes completely black, and when you come to your senses, the teacher is already alluring and panting.
It did happen, and the male actor seemed quite powerful, but what I enjoyed was the process of learning the positions.
'It's strange, everyone else is eager to show off their strength to win cheers, but this guy is different, he doesn't show it to anyone at all, but he is indeed quite fast.'
Abate licked his lips, about to reply, when he heard the Roar from afar.
"I'll do it!"
Following the sound, a towering figure stood at entrance number two, instantly making the deathmatch arena noisy again.
"Yes, kill him with the Iron Body."
"That bastard! He made it so we couldn't see anything!"
"Tear him apart, stain the sacred arena with his blood!"
The atmosphere became heated again. The audience was clearly dissatisfied; they came to see a bloody battle, not a black egg appear and then shatter, which was utterly unwatchable.
It's absolutely a coincidence. If everyone plays like this, what's the point of watching?
"It seems to be a one-on-one duel. Do you accept?" Abate asked, wanting to see the man's strength as well, otherwise how would he explain himself back home?
How round is an 'egg'?
This situation was within Yuki's expectations. He glanced at the Giant, who was at least three meters tall, and could sense that this person was a level stronger than the Bloodied Twins from before.
Since Hiyori's method is effective, I don't mind adding another experimental group.
"Accept the challenge."
After stomping three times, a faint light emanated from Yuki. With everyone's attention focused on herself and Hayasaka Ai, the senior had been completely forgotten.
[Light-Covering Prayer Rite] activated, reduces cooldown by 100%.
The master-level support skill immediately put the Night Domain, which originally had a two-hour cooldown, into a ready state, Yuki, leaning on his sword, walked back to the arena.
Thump!!
A giant shield was planted in the ground, its powerful force causing the soles of his feet to tremble slightly. The Giant roared and fought fiercely, his entire body covered in a metallic sheen, truly like an iron man.
"Come on, I'll let you play for five minutes first!"
They were filled with fighting spirit and a desire to show off, intending to tear apart that eerie disguise and enjoy the glory of victory.
"One attempt isn't enough; we have to try again."
Yuki remained calm, but keenly sensed that the feeling of being the center of attention had changed.
The atmosphere wasn't as frenzied; instead, it was filled with anticipation, and it was much quieter than before.
Tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on Yuki, wanting to see what skills he had and whether he deserved the cheers of the crowd.
I saw him draw his knife, I saw him take a step forward and charge, I saw him cross half the field, I saw a black 'egg' unfold.
The expressions on everyone's faces instantly became quite interesting.
Huh? Not again!?
It was the same experience, only it took a few more minutes. This time, the Night Domain lasted for about half an hour. After it collapsed, only one person remained on the stage.
Iron Body, known for its defensive capabilities, had half of its body blasted apart, leaving a crater several meters in size behind it. Meanwhile, the black-haired youth walked back, slowly sheathing his long sword.
A hush fell over the room; everyone was bewildered and at a loss.
Should we cheer for the victors? We've seen nothing here, so I can't get any emotionally involved.
There was no passionate clash, no desperate roaring.
He simply expanded his domain and then focused all his energy on killing the enemy in the shortest possible time.
It was quick, but not exciting at all. Everyone came to watch the fighting; it was just designed to mess with people's mentality, wasn't it?
"It's settled. Once the view is blocked, the audience won't be able to fan the flames, and I won't be bothered by their frenzy."
"With two consecutive battles like this, no one should challenge me until they've digested the experience, giving me a chance to catch my breath."
"And the soul energy of this Iron Body is also weak, not commensurate with its power."
Yuki nodded in satisfaction. The solution was correct; as for the potential consequences, he would consider them later.
Is it only the unknown that can suppress the fervor for killing?
A single sentence flashed through Yuki's mind. Ignoring the various complex gazes, he connected to the Spirit Particle Communicator: "What did you discover while I was fighting?"
"Yes, the light screen at the edge of the arena disappeared after the seventh minute of the battle." Hayasaka Ai had been watching closely. She didn't have Hiyori's observational skills, but she wasn't blind either.
"So, the enemy dies, the deathmatch ends, and then I stay here and don't come down, and there's no host or anything to interfere. Is this because of the sacredness of the arena?" Yuki's eyes flickered as he gathered another clue.
He kept it in mind, and the second time he stepped out of the ring, he was met with Abate, whose face was full of conflict.
"You, you..." The man's face contorted in pain, and it took him a long time to manage to utter a few words: "This is against the rules."
Rules? Or regulations?
"The rule is to win, not to put on a show." Yuki memorized this phrase and quickened his pace. "If it were a show, why not throw the match? Just tell me whether I won or not, whether I'm strong or not."
Of course he won. Using the Iron Body as a benchmark, this guy is indeed very strong.