Chapter 192
"Compatriots?" The demon repeated the words, but his face did not show the expected inexplicable, excited, or astonished expression. He simply grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth, full of mockery.
"Haha, in every respect, we're not compatriots. It's really amusing to see a self-righteous veteran like you!"
Damn, I guessed right.
Yuki guessed he was a player, after all, he had seen similar characters when the Bystander Is Blind, except that the 'Hunter Priest' had obviously lost his mind, while this demon answered questions with ease.
We're both players, but we're not even from the same community. How do we solve this problem?
My heart was in turmoil, but fortunately I had made many deductions during the intermission. Now I only needed to extract the most likely deduction based on the object in front of me.
Yuki slowly opened his mouth. "Do all Kure Clan enjoy going crazy like this?"
The wild laughter abruptly stopped, and his eyes finally filled with astonishment, and a tiny bit of joy.
"You and I... Impossible, that's an ironclad rule of the game, no one can break it." The demon was initially surprised, then racked his brains and found a reasonable explanation. "Who from your clan did you encounter? Still, that shouldn't be the case, your strength shouldn't allow for too much interaction across factions."
With Shiina Hiyori not present, Yuki had already concentrated all his attention, meticulously copying down each character like a tape recorder, and then quickly began analyzing each character and each tone of voice.
The first part of the sentence should mean that it's impossible for them to come from the same world? Yes, judging from the Player Forum, each dungeon is unique, so there can't be any duplicate walkthroughs.
But things started to get strange from the third instance onwards. The blueprints for the earlier instances could be found in reality, but the Blueprints for the Battle on the Raging Seas and the Calamity of Blood could not be found, and even the world prototypes were different.
Yuki's thoughts instantly went far, rising to the level of the entire Reincarnation Game, before he quickly retracted them and focused on analyzing the second half of the sentence.
Factions, it's that thing again.
This was the second time he had heard it, and this time the information was much clearer.
Cross-faction encounters do occur occasionally, but they should be very rare for someone of my Transcendental Grade level. I certainly wouldn't easily encounter members of the Kure Clan, let alone encounter them twice in a row, which is why he looked so astonished.
Does "faction" refer to an entire world, or a collective term for a group of players?
Yuki didn't know, but he was certain that this Wu was not in his world, because fighting tournaments and the like were part of the basic worldview, and there was no need to hide the Reincarnation Game.
Thump!!
The arena trembled slightly, and the demon stepped forward, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace.
"Answer me, which category do you fall into!"
Yuki couldn't answer. In the first case, he didn't have time to slowly make up a story, and in the second case, it didn't quite make sense either.
He can't exactly say, "I have met your Kure Clan, but on some pirated website."
This is even more unbelievable; no matter how you look at it, this berserk warrior doesn't seem like a paper doll that jumped out of the screen.
"And why are you still alive and conscious in this instance?" Yuki chose not to answer, responding with a question instead.
"It was I who asked..." The demon suddenly stopped moving forward, realizing what he meant.
Asking questions is a psychological tactic. After all, Kevin is quite unpredictable. Throwing out a question makes him unable to concentrate, and the latter's response makes him waver.
It's really weird; I've shot myself in the foot, but I'm still bothered by it.
"Alright, tell me the answer after you're done fighting. If you're satisfied, I might spare your life."
"Heh, playing mind games, huh? Just based on that, you're not as straightforward as the people in the dungeon." Yuki sneered. If he didn't 'know' the Kure Clan, he would be the one distracted.
"You know nothing about dungeons." The man opened his mouth to curse, then forcibly held back, raised his right hand, and clenched it in the air.
A crimson-handled, over two-meter-long nodachi was drawn, causing Yuki's eyelids to twitch slightly.
All the previous words could be lied about, but drawing a sword cannot lie. This is a storage space, and this is a living, breathing player.
"The Blade Inscription Otakemaru," the man said with a smile.
He raised the sword above his head and slowly drew the nodachi. The entire blade was blood red, looking like a ruby.
A bone-chilling cold swept over him, Yuki finally realized where the lingering, bloody smell came from: not from the place itself, but from the man and his sword.
If the killing is a cycle, then how many people has this player who has survived killed, and how many battles has he fought?
A truly tough battle.
Yuki took a deep breath and heard a deafening roar of cheers.
"Demon!"
"Demon!"
"Kill him!!"
A violent atmosphere was building up. This time, Yuki didn't unleash his Night Domain, because this kind of opponent required the boost of fighting spirit.
"Do you know why I was assigned to fight you?" The demon was calm, somewhat surprised by Yuki. Ordinary players, stirred up by the frenzied atmosphere, had already rushed forward shouting.
"Because the final ritual requires a collision, the stronger the collision, the better, and it's best if it happens between players." Yuki took out his long sword, picked up his hunting rifle, and strode forward.
"Impressive, you've investigated to this extent. Yes, regardless of who wins, we'll have to face Adam head-on. He was originally my prey, but you ran away halfway through." The demon looked surprised, thinking to himself that this person was not only good at fighting but also at investigating, and said with a smile:
"But you're missing some crucial details. Do you need me to tell you?"
"You'd be that kind?"
"Hahaha, since we're destined to meet, I'll make an exception." The demon paused, his katana stuck between his legs, and he clashed his fists together.
The Wu Clan's Secret Tradition. Liberation.
An even more ferocious aura surged forth, his muscles and veins bulged, and his body turned purplish-black, completely transforming him from a human into a monster.
"The one who will kill you is named 'Demon' Wu Raian!"
Chapter Twenty-Three: I Want Your Life (6K)
The Demon, Wu Raian.
Announcing their names like martial artists is the most fitting way to describe the concept of a 'ring' in combat, and what follows is a ferocious killing intent that even Yuki cannot describe.
Countless battles and countless killings overlapped and superimposed, and Wu Raian, who had just been answering questions fluently, transformed into a ferocious beast, with dense blue veins appearing on his muscles.
He is the king here, his fervent the Roar reaching their peak, his muscles trembling instinctively.
Blood boiled, and even the weak had to kneel down; even Yuki was somewhat bewildered.
'I haven't even started the fight yet, and you're already starting the second phase???'
Yuki doesn't care about recognition. He knows about the liberation of the Wu clan; it's something like a gene lock, something that squeezes out the body's potential, which can be considered a kind of Transcendental Grade skill.
Then, go into the game and activate the cheat even more aggressively?
The Night Domain unfolds.
The silent darkness instantly swallowed their figures, abruptly silencing the frenzied cheers. Yuki didn't even announce his name, gently stroking the hilt of his sword.
An executioner is not a warrior; all I care about is the result.
Yuki felt calmer than usual, listening to the distant breathing of wild beasts and the crisp sound of shattering rocks.
Bang, bang, bang.
The beast approached head-on, not very fast, but accompanied by the Roar, deliberately exerting psychological pressure.
"This Chaos Item is indeed ingenious; no wonder the Cult noticed it so quickly."
"By the way, have you seen how strong the other members of your tribe are? Those idiots should have improved since entering the game, right? If they're still the same, I wouldn't even be worthy to face you!"
Like a chatterbox who had been holding back for many years, Wu Raian carried his knife as he walked forward, talking as he spoke, and every word he uttered was honest.
His original strength was only at the 'extraordinary' level, so facing Yuki would be no different from suicide. However, he had a good foundation and was not comparable to the players Yuki had encountered.
"What are your characteristics? What restrictions or privileges do you have?" Wu Raian stopped, his legs still firmly planted in the ground, and listened intently to the darkness with a frown.
He hadn't moved, and he didn't seem like a fake target. Generally, there are many ways to play in this kind of area. Could it just be pitch black?
He appeared to be a chatterbox, but he was cautiously probing, and the silence was wearing down his patience.
"Playing tricks? You probably don't know, our clan is made up of assassins!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed out, not caring what strange things this domain artifact might be; he'd fight it first and worry about the consequences later.
One step, just one step, covers dozens of meters. Before she even arrives, the strong wind is already blowing Yuki's hair wildly.
A sinister monster.
This was Yuki's initial impression; without hesitation, he raised his gun, the light of the Soul Bullet flashing and disappearing.
Bang!
As soon as the trigger was pulled, Yuki raised his head.
They jumped so high up there.
Bang!
The second shot was fired, and it was discovered that the opponent was moving sideways in the air, and even the large area covered by the shotgun shells did not touch them at all.
Can he see?
Yuki clearly noticed that the moment he fired, his opponent had already dodged, a physical detail that even the Demon Eye couldn't detect.
Before he could think, he jumped to the side, and as soon as he took a step, a violent shockwave slammed into his back.
Whoosh--Bang!!
The falling blade cleaved several football fields in two, its remaining force striking the light screen emitted by the eight pillars.
"Yes, kill him!"
"I want to see his blood!"
Without the light barrier to obstruct it, the crimson blade light was enough to cut through any object, but the audience was not afraid. On the contrary, it was much more lively than the other deathmatch arenas, and Abate also showed tension for the first time.
Facing the Cult's trump card, he can't really lose, can he?
He had a strange feeling of being bound by a love triangle, and he even forgot that he had once wished for the other person to die.
"This is definitely a veteran player, and the kind who specializes in close-quarters combat."
Yuki tumbled several times in the shockwave before finally stabbing himself in the ground with his longsword.
He hadn't read Kengan Ashura, but he was certain this was definitely not the kind of power that should exist in the work. This slash could split a mountain in two, so what was the point of fighting in a ring?
"This is his home turf, which is a disadvantage for me, but I have no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it."
In the darkness, the ball of soul fire seemed to teleport; it was in mid-air a moment ago, and now it had fallen back to the ground, the dust it kicked up still barely settling down.
Clang!!
The nodachi slashed down in front of him, intertwining with the Demonbreaker. The Heat breath sprayed onto his face, and the immense force pressed Yuki inch by inch, causing the hard ground to crack like tofu.
His palm went numb from the shock, Yuki suddenly swayed to the side, simultaneously withdrawing his force.
Zheng--
With sparks from the friction, the nodachi struck the ground, creating another 'canyon'. Yuki then stepped on the sword and raised his spear, only to find that his opponent had no intention of dodging at all.
The heavy knee strike came crashing down, forcing him to pull his abdomen back. He then felt a hand like an iron clamp grip his forearm, and he was sent flying.
Concept Enhancement. Defense.
Boom!!
As if a meteorite had struck, the rising dust even drifted out of the arena, forming a mushroom cloud in the center.
Using a master-level Reinforcement Magecraft for the first time in actual combat, Yuki's entire body was covered with dense circuits, making him like a block of steel. Even so, he was still shaken to his core.
Without time to savor the moment, Yuki quickly rolled to the side, and then heard a 'whoosh' as the nodachi disappeared into the spot where he had been lying, down to the hilt.
This was beyond what Reinforcement Magecraft could defend against. While rolling, Yuki simply raised his gun, and a new batch of soul bullets was ready.
Soul Bullet. Maximum Capacity.
Scattering.
Bang-- Swish--
Gunshots and the sound of swords being drawn rang out simultaneously. Wu Raian twisted his wrist and flicked the back of the blade upwards. This was not a sword draw; it was clearly a spray of thousands of fragments of stone, each stone crimson, like a crystal.
Da da da da...
The sounds of the two types of projectiles colliding blended together, like hundreds of flower stamens blooming simultaneously. They collided, annihilated, and pierced through each other, leaving fine scars on the two men locked in a deadly battle.
Yuki made no attempt to dodge, instead using gray mist to evaporate it. His grayish-white Devil's Vision focused ahead, seeing the ball of soul fire rapidly approaching.
He sprinted, stopped abruptly, and leaped sideways; the shotgun moved with it, but he couldn't pull the trigger.