Chapter 199

There's no need to waste time on this kind of question. The location, time, opponent, and how to disrupt the ritual are all clear now, so what are we hesitating for?

The tasks were quickly assigned.

Yuki will be in charge of this championship battle, while Hayasaka Ai and Kaguya Shinomiya, the master and servant duo, will also be on the main battlefield.

Mai Sakurajima and Shiina Hiyori are responsible for dealing with the audience, the senior's unique characteristics, and the ability of the Void Puppet to infiltrate when the guards are lax.

Once the championship battle begins, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the eight giant pillars will form a barrier. At that point, Yuki will be unable to deal with the spectators and will only be able to watch helplessly as the frenzied atmosphere builds to its peak.

Then let's take a reverse approach and physically shut them up.

"Being separated by barriers, I can't affect the frenzied atmosphere, but I can reduce the number of spectators."

Yuki crossed his legs, propped his cheek with his hand, and looked into the room.

On the table, layers upon layers of explosives were stacked, looking like a pile of butter, and Mai Sakurajima was loading detonators onto them one by one.

For the upcoming mission, the senior student used up two enhancement points that she hadn't even had time to warm up before upgrading [Directed Demolition] to Excellent level, not caring about whether it was a waste or not.

Since she didn't know how many spectators she would need to eliminate to disrupt the ritual, she would also use the lightning ball, which was more powerful than all the explosives combined, if necessary.

'Senior has to infiltrate secretly; once discovered, she's doomed.' Yuki was well aware of the risks involved. If her fundamental interests were threatened, the Cult wouldn't tolerate it. Anyone who engaged in a death struggle with her would meet the same end.

[The Singer's White Veil] was given to Hayasaka, and then [Flying Boots] was given to Mai Sakurajima. Now, the upperclassman has almost no defensive capabilities.

'Then it's time for Hiyori. Hopefully, we still have enough Comfort Pills.' Yuki looked at the girl with long gray-blue hair. Her senior's special ability could only last forty minutes, so she had to use the Void Puppet to help her.

Well, because of the hasty actions, Yuki wasn't very confident, or rather, his determination stemmed from the people behind him.

Without them, I'd still be working on hint 4.

As for Adam, amazingly, he showed no fear or tension. Since he couldn't avoid it anyway, he figured he might as well fight.

"Mr. Zhang has replied; he will fully comply with the arrangements."

Just then, Hayasaka Ai arrived beside her; she was the one who had been in contact with Two-Gun Zhang.

"As expected, he wants to return, so he can only follow our arrangements." Yuki didn't care; even if that Mr. Zhang was a cunning old fox, he was out of options now.

The Cult is clearly trying to eliminate this destabilizing factor as quickly as possible; no matter how well he hides, he won't last until the championship battle begins.

How much time do we have left?

"Ten hours." Hayasaka glanced at his watch, somewhat uneasy. "But I estimate Mr. Zhang can only hold on for another two or three hours at most."

Currently, part of the Cult's forces are blocking Adam, another part has been dealt with due to their doubts, and the remaining force, which is the largest group, is searching for this Mr. Zhang.

Did he ask for help?

"No, he just wants us to hurry. If he dies, none of us will be in trouble." Hayasaka. "Clearly, this is a threat."

Because of the rules of the deathmatch, it's enough to stop Adam one by one; quality is more important than quantity. Most of the ordinary members of the Cult are looking for Two-Gun Zhang, and once he is found, a powerful figure with a golden mask will go to deal with him.

"He's a chess player too, and he doesn't know I'm a gambler." Yuki remained calm and accepted the threat.

Ordinary members pose the greatest threat to the senior students. Once Two-Gun Zhang is dealt with, most of the Cult members should also withdraw to protect the deathmatch arenas.

But how could I possibly let them leave? They'd better stay inside with me obediently.

"Two-Gun Zhang is from Shenzhou, right?"

"Um."

"Was the fake target you set for Kaguya in Shenzhou before?" Yuki's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately came up with a despicable scheme.

"That's right, why are you asking this?" Hayasaka Ai was puzzled, then saw Yuki lean in, her fair face slightly flushed, and after hearing the whisper, it turned even redder.

"You, you, you, you're really evolving into a pervert!" She secretly glanced at Kaguya Shinomiya.

"Keep your voice down. This is a serious battle plan. There's a brainwashing expert on the other side, which we can use." Yuki frankly, but avoided Hayasaka's strange gaze.

"I'll set off in an hour. You all take your time and proceed according to plan. The seniors will be the last to leave." Yuki took off his gold belt and handed it to Hayasaka, then took the mask with the pre-designed blueprint and asked:

Have the remaining Fool's Mask been distributed?

"It's already been given to Mai Sakurajima and the others. The blueprint is set as ordinary members of the Cult. If the battlefield is chaotic enough, they should be able to blend in without any problem," Hayasaka replied. She had tested the Fool's Mask when she challenged Two-Gun Zhang.

As long as you don't enter a deathmatch or get into close contact with members of the Cult, the disguise will remain effective.

"Thanks for your hard work. I'm good at creating chaos." Yuki tried not to put too much pressure on himself, lowered his head, and was about to go over the whole plan again for the Nth time when he realized that Hayasaka Ai hadn't left.

His gaze shifted downwards, and he saw the hem of the skirt, and pure white stockings.

"You changed your clothes?" Yuki momentarily confused. Since entering the dungeon, everyone had changed into hunting or mountaineering clothes that allowed for easy movement.

Looking up slightly, it wasn't just the skirt; Hayasaka Ai had changed into a maid outfit and put on hair accessories at some point.

Hayasaka looked away and switched to her maid form. "I'll change back when the battle starts. I feel more at ease in these everyday clothes."

"Similar to psychological suggestion?" Yuki stroked his chin, with an expression of 'I see'.

"Pretty much. It provides emotional value, and a good mental state might even increase the chances of winning." Hayasaka's voice was weak, and his reasoning was even more far-fetched. "Besides, I'm not the only one using this tactic."

Yuki turned around and saw that everyone had changed back into their usual attire, which were the uniforms of their respective schools.

Minegahara High School with its brown coats, Advanced Nurturing High School with its red and gray stripes, and of course, Shuchiin with its longest skirts and most conservative designs.

Not only that, the senior's black stockings, Hiyori's absolute territory, and Kaguya's knee-high socks left Yuki somewhat dazed.

Ignoring the perpetually blood-red sky outside the window and the explosives on the table, isn't this just like a girls' high school party? No, wait, they are actually high school girls.

"I forgot about that setting."

"What?"

"I said the Reincarnation Game takes up too much space, and you have to hide your identities when you return to reality. I forgot that you are just a group of sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls." Yuki gently rubbed his forehead, casting an admiring glance, deliberately lingering on Kaguya Shinomiya for a moment.

Aside from changing her hairband to white, she was almost identical to how people remembered her. Kaguya clearly sensed this gaze, and lifted the plan document to cover her face.

Strangely enough, in this game filled with bloodshed, he was surrounded by a group of high school girls, and once he realized it, it did lessen the cruel atmosphere somewhat.

"You sound like you're really old," Mai Sakurajima said as she approached with a graceful smile.

"College students and high school students live in two different worlds; you don't understand the adult world."

"Tsk, you're only two years older, don't forget I'm the senior." Mai Sakurajima waved her fingers, completely forgetting how strange the title of 'senior' seemed when they first met. She sat on the edge of the sofa, crossing her long, black-stockinged legs.

"I remember when we first met, your eyes looked really strange, didn't they?"

"Uh, it seems so."

"What do you mean 'seems like'? I still vividly remember the lecherous looks you gave me and my senior back then," Hayasaka Ai silently added from the side.

"And me too. Mr. Yuki's gaze was really lewd back then." Shiina Hiyori, silently raised her hand, making Kaguya next to her purse her lips and exclaim with relief.

Luckily, I covered myself up very well at the time, otherwise I would have fallen into their clutches too.

"What do you mean by vulgar? I just saw someone I recognized and was thinking about how to take advantage of them," Yuki.

"Then just look at our faces, why do you always look down?"

"It was instinct, don't blame me." Yuki firmly, his eyes looking like he was about to join the Party.

With black stockings and a bunny girl outfit, and that absolute territory (arena of skin), it's impossible not to take a second look.

"So you're basically a pig's head." Mai Sakurajima extended her index finger and lightly tapped Yuki's forehead, then her eyes darted around. "How about this from now on, when we're not fighting, we'll all wear our school uniforms. Come to think of it, we're almost turning into delinquents, this way we can remember our school days."

The Reincarnation Game felt like an eternity, though in reality it was only a month, but it felt like I hadn't been to school for many years.

Yuki was initially puzzled, then delighted, and finally suspicious. "You... you don't actually want to ask me for something, do you?"

"It has nothing to do with you." Kaguya Shinomiya immediately shook her head, stroking the red silk on her chest, her crimson eyes instantly dimming. "Although it's not much, it always reminds me of some people."

You're thinking of Chika Fujiwara, aren't you? It's a pity I've never met this future 'Prime Minister'.

Yuki found it amusing that she was contemplating life as she spoke, and then a slender finger poked her cheek.

"I don't care what Kaguya-chan thinks, but I do have a favor to ask of you." Mai Sakurajima's bright face turned serious, exuding a queenly aura. "No matter how difficult things get, you must survive."

Yuki's smile froze. He wasn't exactly lacking in emotional intelligence, and he immediately realized that this was 'premeditated'. He glanced at everyone.

"Is this considered an early benefit?"

"To be precise, I'm giving you some hope. Do you really think we didn't hear what you said to the Tyrant in the Demon Hospital?" Hayasaka Ai stopped pretending and slightly lifted her skirt, revealing her straight and shapely calves.

"Go, defeat them all, and bring us back alive."

What did I say to the Tyrant?

Yuki thought for a moment, then her expression turned ashamed; she immediately knew what the maid was talking about.

That was a joke I played on the Tyrant before the final battle.

His gaze swept over the faces—some shy, some frank, some resolute, some feigning composure—and Yuki, leaning on his sword, abruptly stood up.

Alright, attack speed is maxed out.

Chapter Thirty: I am the Champion!

Squeak--

The door to the lounge slowly opened, revealing a blood-red sky, a bustling street, and a black building resembling a giant sword.

There was nothing unusual at the moment, but several burly men across the street who were looking over seemed to harbor murderous intent.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Like being equipped with Nashor's Tooth, Yuki felt his attack speed was maxed out. Beyond his survival instincts and his responsibility as captain, and thanks to the reminders from his seniors and others, he seemed to have found another reason to fight desperately:

Fantasies about the future.

"I need to save this life for playing strategy games."

As he muttered to himself, he closed the door and stepped forward. The plan had already been assigned, Yuki didn't need to worry about anything; he just needed to finish his own part.

The three members of the Cult stopped their chatter and looked over in unison, their pupils reflecting the following:

He wore a gray trench coat, had a stubble beard, and his messy black hair was tied in a bun. He held a knife in his left hand and walked with a steady gait, showing little intention to kill.

The man in the red suit gestured with his lip, and one of his men picked up a battle axe and stepped forward.

"It's not time yet, go back and wait for further instructions."

"It's too stuffy in there, can't I even come out for some fresh air?"

"No." The man in the sharp black suit didn't want to waste words. Seeing that Yuki hadn't stopped and was walking straight through the traffic, he added, "Don't test our patience."

"So I should just sit here and wait to die?"

In a normal world, someone would offer some reason at this moment, regardless of whether it's true or not, just to calm things down. But the burly man simply raised his battle axe.

"That's none of my business. You need to think it through yourself."

They truly have a simple and honest way of life; they would never resort to gentle methods.

Yuki chuckled, noticing that the other members of the Cult had also drawn their weapons, and he recalled the things he had said to Hayasaka Ai.

If you guys are both strong and cunning, then what's the point of me playing this game?

He stopped, as if considering the consequences. The burly man's eyes were contemptuous as he recalled the Apostle's instructions:

"This seed probably won't dare to turn against us. It should be able to guess that Adam is in trouble, and if we wait and prepare, we might have a slight chance of winning. If we force our way in, it's doomed."

The Cult will not clear the way, nor will it prioritize the greater good. Yuki is going to fight, then Fight to the End.

He lowered the battle axe slightly, then immediately raised it again. The gray-clad man in his retina had vanished, replaced by a tremendous force slamming into his hand.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the burly man, over two meters tall, fell backward. Without panic or questioning, he pressed his palm against the ground, and a silver burst of energy sent his battle axe flying.

Whoosh—boom.

There were no pillars to shield it from the explosion; the gas blast swept across the wide street, slicing several passing cars in half.

As expected, their strength is not bad; they are happy to fight.

Yuki stood upright, his gaze quickly sweeping across his surroundings. This was the first time he had attacked someone from the Cult since entering the instance.

Seeing is believing, so he first glanced at the fanatical, burly man. This man showed no fear, or rather, no panic at the change in plans. Like a warrior in the ring, he was throwing all his energy into the fight to the death.

Charging forward furiously, each step cracked the concrete pavement. The thud of footsteps drew closer, but Yuki didn't even glance at his opponent.

He looked at the remaining members of the Cult, including the leader; everyone was either holding an axe or a knife, displaying the same fanatical expression, but none of them rushed forward to join the battle.

Confirmed, the deathmatch cannot be intervened.