Chapter 189
"Fortunately, we achieved our goal; Hiyori can finally investigate further."
"But we don't know if it's true or not, and you can't try it." Hayasaka shook his head slightly. This place was really eerie. You would either get killed or kill someone else. There was no room for testing.
"So the risks for me and my senior are equal, but judging from the style of the dungeon, the probability of him lying to me is very low." Yuki stopped thinking about these issues; in Reincarnation Game, there's no such thing as 100% certainty.
"He's right about at least one thing: there's no need to think too far ahead in this instance. Focus on the present and the next battle."
Call--
Yuki took a deep breath and walked to the end of the corridor. The dazzling light made him squint slightly as he saw a venue exactly like the Arena IV.
The same venue, the same audience, still so frenzied, swarming like insects, with plenty of empty seats in between.
A roar of enthusiastic cheers erupted. On their own turf, everyone was shouting the name 'Golden Skull,' but also showing respect and anticipation for the warrior who had come from afar.
Is there a lack of information sharing among the audience?
Yuki lowered his head slightly and saw a Giant in the middle of the arena, wielding two giant axes and wearing a golden skull helmet, making a throat-slitting gesture towards him.
The murderous intent was palpable; it seems they knew my name.
Yuki gave a strange smile, activated 'Self-Hypnosis', and instantly forgot all secrets and schemes; all he saw were the Giant and the frenzied audience.
Okay, let me calm you down first.
Chapter Nineteen: You Must Die! (4K)
"Yuki's first battle of warriors has begun."
The car was parked on the side of the road, Mai Sakurajima was stuffing small bites of cake into her mouth. The player's storage space had a 'preservation' function, and these cakes had been stored for two instances without spoiling.
Hiyori, seemingly asleep with her eyes closed in the passenger seat, was actually controlling the Void Puppet into the black building not far away.
While it's still Reconnaissance, the safety level is much higher than Mai Sakurajima went in person. Even if she's discovered, she can simply abandon the mission. Meanwhile, the crimson figure that had invaded is currently watching the battle in Arena I.
"It seems the diversionary tactic has worked, Kaguya-chan. You can relax a little now."
Mai Sakurajima took her foot off the accelerator, said the girl in the back seat.
Kaguya Shinomiya, gripping her longbow and ready to create an ice wall to block the way, loosened her grip slightly upon hearing this, her expression one of bewilderment.
"They really let us investigate so freely? I feel like it's going a little too smoothly."
They hadn't expected the red-clad figure to personally intervene; according to the information from Yuki's side, this person was the only one of his kind.
"It's a unique feature of this instance, isn't it? The people here don't seem to like scheming and plotting. Even Yuki couldn't handle a straightforward scheme, could he?" Mai Sakurajima rested her chin on her hand and continued, "We've found many clues, but unless we pry open the mouths of the higher-ups in the Cult, who knows the details of the ritual?"
The people here are all tough and indifferent to life and death; unless you have powerful hypnotic abilities, don't even think about it.
Hearing that Yuki had been thwarted, Kaguya didn't gloat this time. She stretched and said, "I kind of miss those lunatics in Yadu Town. At least their stubbornness was a weakness."
"Same here, too much emphasis on fairness and glory, and he'll exploit that weakness." Mai Sakurajima chuckled lightly, in her opinion, no dungeon was as terrifying as 'Bloodthirsty Red Moon'.
They were weak back then, but now they have some trump cards up their sleeves.
There is no day or night; the city is forever shrouded in a faint blood-red hue, an environment that inevitably makes people feel depressed.
Inside the car, Shiina Hiyori was sneaking in, and the two could only stare at each other boredly. Kaguya wanted to ask Hayasaka some questions, but she swallowed her words several times, feeling that it was inappropriate.
Mai Sakurajima could naturally tell that she was hiding something, and she could guess what it was.
"Kaguya-chan, you want to ask me what my relationship is with Yuki, right?"
Her abrupt question made Kaguya look up instantly, shifting her gaze to the outside of the car. "Uh, I am a little interested, but we're currently in the middle of a dungeon raid, so you don't have to answer."
Haha, you're playing hard to get with me.
Mai Sakurajima smiled and teased, "I guess you're asking for Hayasaka- san?"
"No, I don't like prying into other people's secrets." Kaguya gently shook her head; how could she possibly betray her own maid?
"So that's something you're interested in yourself?" Mai Sakurajima opened her mouth slightly, deliberately feigning wariness. "Let's make this clear first, some things are non-negotiable, not even among friends."
Ah?
Kaguya tilted her head slightly, looking a bit dazed, not understanding what Mai Sakurajima was talking about for a moment. After a couple of seconds, her face slowly turned red.
"Who asked you to back down!"
The voice was a bit loud, causing Hiyori to slightly move her head. She quickly lowered her voice, "I'm just curious. Well, from a rational point of view, now that you two are each leading a small team, the relationship between you can lead to different outcomes, which will affect my chances of survival."
What am I even talking about...?
Kaguya was completely bewildered, but under her senior's smiling gaze, she forced herself to continue speaking in a serious tone.
The way she makes excuses is actually quite cute. Did that idiot really not have any designs on her?
Mai Sakurajima thought to herself, as she got to know her better, she realized that Kaguya Shinomiya wasn't a cold, calculating person who was all talk and no action. She never backed down when it really mattered, and her cold demeanor became less and less pronounced. When she was being persecuted, she would even mutter complaints under her breath.
"Anyway, it has nothing to do with Hayasaka, it only concerns my own interests. I just wanted to ask since I had nothing else to do. You don't have to answer."
"It's alright, it wasn't a secret anyway." Mai Sakurajima raised her hand, twirling a strand of hair behind her ear with her fingertips, and lowered her head slightly. "I rely on him, I trust him, and I like him, that's all."
It was a very familiar scene. In the hazy, blood-red light, the girl seemed to radiate light, causing Kaguya to subconsciously look away.
This is the truth.
Even though she had expected it, Kaguya felt conflicted and then asked, "What about him?"
"You want to ask Yuki's opinion?" Mai Sakurajima raised her long, slender eyebrows and calmly countered, "What do you think, Kaguya-chan?"
The answer is obvious. Yuki Sorajima Mai Sakurajima is very clear; anyone who isn't blind can see it.
Isn't this just mutual affection in the book? What about Hayasaka? Is she considered a shameless third party?
The overly traditional education confused Kaguya, yet she felt something was amiss. Mai Sakurajima clearly knew Hayasaka's thoughts, but she didn't show any rejection or disgust.
Deeply scheming? This woman is indeed very cunning, but with a bond forged through life and death, it's unlikely she harbors any murderous intent.
Mai Sakurajima immediately realized that this ice-cold beauty was overthinking things again, and quickly added, "Don't overthink it. That idiot is very greedy. In a sense, we have the same chance. For example, right now it's Hayasaka next to him, not me."
Yeah, all three of them participated in Bloodthirsty Red Moon, so why should Hayasaka be considered inferior?
No, wait, it seems I should be trying to win back Hayasaka. Shouldn't it be a cause for celebration that Mai Sakurajima has bound Yuki Sorajima?
Kaguya's mind became even more confused. She realized that her original intentions had somehow become distorted, so she covered her head with her hands.
No, no, I need to go through this from the beginning. In terms of their demands, Hayasaka can only follow me; Yuki Sorajima is a distraction...
Just as Yuki said, Kaguya Shinomiya may seem like an ice sculpture on the surface, but she's quite interesting at heart.
Mai Sakurajima looked at the troubled girl and felt that she understood her a little more. The girl was obviously asking on behalf of Hayasaka, and judging from her usual behavior, she clearly had a sense of attachment to Hayasaka.
Hayasaka, could you pour me a glass of water? Hayasaka, what do you think of this outfit?
Whenever Yuki is away, Kaguya Shinomiya talks about Hayasaka constantly, making her Yuki's rival in a sense. As for why she feels sorry for Hayasaka Ai?
There's no need to worry about this, because it's not contradictory at all.
'She talks a lot about self-interest, but deep down she considers Hayasaka- san family, so naturally she'll empathize with her feelings.'
Mai Sakurajima wasn't suspicious, nor did she feel threatened. She glanced at the troubled girl in the back seat, Hiyori at Hiyori beside her, who looked completely calm, because no matter what—
I will win.
"Um, what were you two talking about just now?"
At that moment, Hiyori opened her eyes and happened to see her senior's strange look, immediately realizing that something was off about the atmosphere in the car.
How to put it? There was a touch of awkwardness, and a hint of youthful naiveté that was quite different from the blood-soaked city.
Mai Sakurajima glanced back and saw Kaguya flinch for a moment, then smiled and replied, "It was just a casual chat while you were investigating. By the way, what's inside the building?"
The questioning immediately diverted her attention, Hiyori, rubbing her throbbing head, began to recount what she had seen and heard.
The interior of the black building was very simple. Despite being called a 'Cult', it didn't have any departments or anything. The first floor was a garage, and the belongings were moved upstairs. At first, Hiyori thought there was a warehouse or something upstairs.
"That building was essentially a funnel; I saw mountains of skulls, thousands upon thousands of them."
"That means they would collect skulls, then climb to the top floors of buildings and throw them in. Uh, kind of like a granary, so they could pile them up into a mountain."
Hiyori's words sent chills down their spines, and the two of them turned around at the same time to look at the tall, black building.
It looks like a giant black and red sword, but it's actually just a container?
Wow, how many skulls would it take to fill that?
They had expected some kind of ritual, such as symbols or documents, but it turned out to be extremely simple, and this 'simplicity' was actually despairing.
"You mean the inside of the building is just a pile of skulls???"
"Uh, Kaguya-chan, I think you could be even more amazed by the mountain-like skull," Hiyori reminded her. Sure enough, every instance of dungeon work was gathering material for her novel.
"Excuse me, what I mean is, if it's just a mountain of bones, it's useless to us. How are we supposed to gather intelligence from it?"
Isn't this ridiculous? You could at least use some nonsensical text or abstract murals, and besides, didn't Abate say he was going to register players into the system?
Surely there's no server hidden inside that mountain of bones.
"The naked eye is useless; we can only rely on speculation. I'm certain those skeletons don't possess Transcendental Grade power; at least for now, they look like a collection of performance art," Hiyori said carefully, pointing to the black sedan whizzing past the window. "But judging from the sheer number, this mountain of skulls must have existed for a very long time."
The number of people who die every Hiyori has been specifically calculated. Even excluding the possibility of someone having two heads, just piling up a mountain of skulls would take 'years' to do.
"What's even stranger is where those people came from; the sheer number of skulls in that mountain exceeds the total population of this city."
No one could answer Hiyori's question. This instance was strange in every way. Even in Yadu Town, after the thousands of residents were killed, they didn't grow back like leeks.
They glanced again at the pedestrians passing by outside the car. Apart from being a bit more irritable, they were not much different from normal people.
"It can't be something like an artificial human, can it? If it could be mass-produced, we could just make skulls and be done with it. Why bother with all that collecting?" Kaguya joked, noticing Hiyori's expression freeze as she tried to catch that fleeting flash of inspiration.
"Huh, why can't I see their bodies?"
Right, the head is only one part of a person. Since the skull was piled up, where did the rest go? I didn't see anything like a crematorium.
"Let me think... Last time I entered the black building, I saw them lift the body out of the car, then chop off its head with an axe, pack it up and take it away, and the rest..." Hiyori lightly slapped her forehead, suddenly remembering.
"The rest were left on the first floor, soaking in blood, and no one went to clean them up!"
She vaguely grasped the key point, grasped Mai Sakurajima's hand beside her, and looked excited, like someone who had reached the most crucial and exciting part of a novel.
"Senior, let's go to the next black building. I want to see if there's a mountain of skulls there, witness a ceremony firsthand, and eavesdrop on their conversations."
Can you really withstand continuous use of the Void Puppet?
Mai Sakurajima's lips moved slightly. There were eight black buildings in total. After continuously using the Void Puppet, her consciousness was also about to return to nothingness.
The excited and determined girl did not stop it; if the red figure returned, it would be just as dangerous, and she had to seize this window of opportunity.
"Okay, let's hurry and search as many as possible." She said this, but opened the car door. "Kaguya, you drive, I'll help."
That's truly shameless.
In Arena I, the Apostle sat atop the stands, staring blankly at the giant black egg in the center of the ring. He hadn't really seen the reports clearly before, but now that he was witnessing it with his own eyes, he realized that the reports were not true.
The room fell silent, everyone staring blankly at what was happening before them.
At first, the atmosphere here was filled with fervor. The one-on-one duel between the two warriors was undoubtedly a visual feast. Then, Yuki began to show his skills.
The frenzy turned into a cacophony, with countless people cursing and swearing. If it weren't for the constraints of their roles, they would have jumped down and devoured Yuki.
It's like downloading a famous teacher's work: the toilet paper is already laid out, the pants are already off, and then you press play with great anticipation.
Even worse than 'Calabash Brothers', Yuki just throws a black screen at you.
The clamor subsided, and even the apostle's fingertips trembled slightly.
If he weren't so useful, he'd be damned; he's completely going against the world, no, to be precise, against me.
Yuki didn't break the rules, nor did he passively avoid the battle; he truly gave it his all. However, the battle had already ended ten minutes ago, yet he remained hidden inside, refusing to come out.
This strange contraption can block vision, making it impossible for them to observe the battle situation from the outside.
"How could he suppress his desires after defeating the Golden Skull?" Elk muttered to himself, completely unable to comprehend it.
Shouldn't a normal person who has just gone through a bloody battle be praised and the Roar to the sky? That excitement and joy stems from the hunting instinct.
"In a sense, this is quite a talent, actually managing to interfere with the ritual." The apostle shifted his gaze, his killing intent growing stronger the more he looked at the Black Egg.
"But by doing this, he has disrupted the workings of the world; the flames of the gods are no longer burning fiercely, and the rate at which blood golems are being created is slowing down," Elk warned.
"Similarly, the atmosphere has been suppressed to the Limit. Once it completely explodes, the resulting resonance will be unimaginable." The apostle muttered to himself, seeing the Black Egg collapse, revealing a messy arena and the man standing in the middle.
He was unharmed, seemingly unfazed by the deathly silence and malice of the entire scene, staring intently at the blood-red figure.