In This Life, I'm a Reincarnation Stream Player

After analyzing it all, he felt more confident. Listening to the shrill sound of the freezer door being cut open, he slowly tightened his grip on his blade.

In short, I can put up a fight.

Clatter—

Amid dazzling sparks, a slit was cut into the locked metal door. Thomas stepped through the hole and slowly surveyed his surroundings.

Outside the freezer was the supermarket. Dense rows of shelves blocked his view, and the residual cold from the freezer quickly obscured the heat signatures.

How would some little brat know how to evade thermal imaging?

Thomas froze for a moment. He'd followed footprints and drops of blood to the freezer, then lost the trail. There were several doors in the freezer, two of them open, as if someone had fled toward the Parking Lot.

"But you shouldn't have locked the door. Did you really think I was an idiot?"

He grinned, then felt he was being too hard on a newcomer. Dragging his sword behind him, he walked into the supermarket, sweeping his gaze over the shelves on either side.

"Come out. Since you're so clever, I'll cut your head off with one stroke later. You won't feel a thing."

"You can't escape, so why not fight me like a man, fair and square?"

"Show me what you can do. These little tricks aren't enough for a mission this difficult."

His voice echoed through the building. There was no reply, only the muffled thuds of his boots hitting the floor. Thomas advanced step by step, wondering why he still hadn't seen a heat signature. Then his ears caught a clank.

It was faint, like some part of a body had accidentally brushed against a shelf. Thomas, who'd been strolling moments before, charged forward like a tiger emerging from its den.

Found you!

He accelerated in an instant. The howling Chainsaw Sword tore through several rows of shelves, sending all kinds of chips and snacks flying. But Thomas, crouched low with his body pitched forward, froze.

There was no one there, not even a trace of any living thing.

There weren't even rats in the supermarket at night, only Living Corpses. How could a shelf make a noise by itself?

A coincidence?

He focused and listened. The clank sounded again, and without hesitation he sprang several meters to the side.

Crash—

He unleashed another brutal cut, splitting an entire row of stationery cabinets in two. His gray-white field of vision still showed no heat signatures. The image was blurry, but his dynamic vision caught an object.

Cylindrical. Pre-fragmented. The pin had been pulled.

!?

Boom!!

The grenade exploded. Shrapnel flew through the flames, setting all the printer paper fluttering overhead alight.

Thomas was thrown backward. His massive Chainsaw Sword shielded his chest and abdomen, but he still felt sharp stings all over. His head buzzed, and he was dazed.

He hadn't heard the grenade being thrown, nor had he detected the slightest heat signature. It was as if his opponent had known he'd lunge forward, pulled the pin, and placed the grenade on the shelf.

But how had that bastard escaped without a sound? And what was more, he hadn't even tried to run for his life. Instead—

Ignoring the pain, Thomas used his sword to get back to his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark padded coat fly into the air and immediately spun around, slashing behind him.

"You're trying to kill me!?"

Whoosh!

His slash landed right around the waist, but Yuki leapt up—two meters into the air, far beyond the ability of an ordinary human.

Physical Enhancement. Full power.

Yuki didn't answer. He stared coldly ahead, flicked his thumb, and drew his sword in a downward slash from above.

Clang—

The blade slashed toward Thomas's shoulder. In that split second, Thomas turned sideways, watching the blade skim down past his chest. As a fierce left punch came at him, he raised his leg and whipped it around.

Smack.

Bone struck bone. They each staggered back several steps. Thomas's right leg went numb. He looked up sharply and saw the "veins" across his opponent's body glowing.

"No wonder you didn't run. So this is your trump card!"

His kick would've been enough to break an ordinary person's bones. Since his opponent had dared to meet him head-on, he was clearly using some method to narrow the gap in their physical strength.

Yuki said nothing. Before his heel had even touched the ground, he pushed off with his toes and charged again, twisting from side to side as he stabbed repeatedly at Thomas's chest.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

The long blade was fast and precise, but every time it came within half an inch of the enemy, it somehow missed. Thomas retreated several steps. Just as his back was about to hit the shelves, he twisted his wrist, speeding up the chainsaw on his greatsword.

Rrr—

It shrieked. The sound was piercing. Yuki's pupils narrowed, and he hurriedly pulled back his blade and retreated. He saw the air turn into a dense, invisible mass of blades that spread in every direction.

Overload Mode. Storm Cut!

The violent currents shredded the floor, sending broken stone flying. They cut through the ceiling too, bursting the fire-suppression pipes inside. In an instant, it was raining throughout the supermarket.

Their clothes soaked through, flecked with blood as the droplets fell. Yuki stared ahead, slowly rubbing the hilt of his sword.

A skill he hadn't known about. Thomas must've gained a lot from his last instance. Then again, he was a genius, at least when it came to fighting.

"Did you really think you could kill me? If it were that easy, I'd have died eight hundred times over."

His low voice carried through the rain. Thomas stood with his sword ready, blood also running from the wounds left by the shrapnel.

Yuki still said nothing. Of course he hadn't thought that. The Reincarnation Game's style didn't allow for anything easy. Every veteran player had clawed their way out of a Corpse Mountain, Blood Sea.

Even Robert, who was only there to make up the numbers, would undergo a fundamental change if he survived this instance.

"You really are something else. Maybe a freakishly talented newcomer like you deserves to be targeted by the game." Thomas shook his head. The murderous intent radiating from him was now mixed with a measure of respect. He slowly raised his left hand.

"Even if you like using underhanded tricks, you're still a man. You're worth fighting with everything I've got."

That street thug's swagger had vanished. Ignoring his flashy clothes, Yuki felt as though a warrior stood before him—a man of unshakable will who'd struggled his way through a Corpse Mountain, Blood Sea.

His lips twitched. When he saw what Thomas pulled out of his storage space, his eye twitched.

It wasn't anything terrifying. On the contrary, the things were adorable: more than a dozen lively white-furred rabbits...

Was he going to use them to warm his blade!?

Yuki lunged at once, but he was half a beat too late. With a horrifying roar from the chainsaw, the white-furred rabbits burst into blooming flowers of blood before they even hit the ground.

Muscle, fur, and bone flew through the air, but were soon ground into powder, like a hazy Blood Mist.

"Who told you warming your blade had to involve killing people!?"

Li Dan pierced through the Blood Mist, moving even faster than before, and slashed straight at Yuki.

Clang!

Sparks burst everywhere. Yuki raised his sword to block overhead, watching the chainsaw teeth gouge a notch into his Alienated Grade weapon. A far greater force pressed down inch by inch.

It was stronger too. This greatsword clearly hadn't reached its Limit, but even this modest increase in strength was enough to break the stalemate.

Yuki released his left hand, stepped sideways and forward, and watched the chainsaw teeth bite into the floor beside his blade. Holding his sword in one hand, he thrust upward.

Reverse Kasaya!

Thud—

The knee strike came faster than the sword. Thomas had clearly seen this move before and had chosen to raise his knee in advance. Sure enough, it slammed squarely into Yuki's chest.

Thud, thud, thud...

A series of display cases toppled over. Pain like cracking bones stabbed through Yuki's chest, but he had no time to check his injuries. He hurriedly rolled to the side.

Boom!

It was like a grenade had gone off behind him. Invisible blades shredded a pile of clutter, slicing through his bulletproof vest until the armor plates inside were visible.

Strong. So this was what a veteran player selected by the game was like? Unless they were just dead weight, they all had their own special skills. They were much harder to deal with than those brainless monsters.

Yuki's head was ringing. He sprinted forward several steps, then planted his front foot and abruptly turned around.

Backhand Slash.

Fast and sudden, it sheared off a tuft of red hair. Yuki's pupils contracted as he saw Thomas hop backward to dodge, staring at him coldly.

Thomas raised the greatsword, its blade gleaming red with blood, and rotated his wrist in rhythm with his steps.

Death Windmill.

Several strikes a second, paired with an indestructible chainsaw. It really was a terrifying Death Windmill, leaving no chance to get close.

The "rain curtain" was sliced apart, and only the chainsaw's shrill whine remained in the air. Yuki could only keep retreating. He felt the wall right behind him, while the breath of death followed close behind.

"You can't escape!"

Thomas grew even more ferocious. This was no windmill. It was more like a blender: the moment Yuki slowed his retreat, he'd be minced into a pile of meat.

He couldn't counterattack and had nowhere left to retreat. But just then, the spinning windmill stopped abruptly, and Thomas slashed toward the space behind him.

Thud—clang!

The gunshot and the sound of the bullet being deflected rang out one after the other. Thomas furrowed his brow. He wasn't afraid of being ambushed by a bullet, but he suddenly realized he'd overlooked something.

Wait. Wasn't there someone else with him???

The gunshot sent his memory racing back in an instant, straight to the rooftop of the shopping mall. When he'd spoken with Yuki, there'd been a blonde girl beside him.

Had I really not noticed her escaping? No, when did I forget she was even there?

Bang, bang, bang.

The gunshots rang out again, though he couldn't see any muzzle flashes. They forced him to dodge sideways, freeing Yuki, who'd been cornered. But Thomas wasn't angry. His mind was a mess.

That's right. I've been fighting two people from the start. No wonder there were sounds drawing my attention. No wonder the grenade had been quietly placed right in front of me.

It all became clear. Yuki had been wearing a thick padded coat to block his heat signature. There was no way he could've set up a trap so quickly. He must've been lying in wait somewhere, then charged out to launch a fatal attack.

"And someone invisible is helping too. Wait, invisible? Isn't that the woman Li Dan mentioned?"

Yuki slashed at him, but Thomas chose to retreat. Now that he'd realized what was going on, he was suddenly overwhelmed by a headache.

Hadn't Li Dan taken Mai Sakurajima away? Wasn't the person standing beside him that blonde bitch? Her ability was such a pain. Once I catch her, should I kill her or not?

A mountain of questions flooded his mind. The sword strikes grew fiercer, and he had no time to work through them—until a sharp pain beneath his ribs jolted him back to his senses.

No matter what, I should kill this treacherous bastard first!

Yuki felt that ferocious gaze lock onto him again. Without a word, he pulled back his blade and retreated. Then he saw the Death Windmill start spinning once more.

Thomas was far stronger and faster than me. His technique was impeccable too, and the Chainsaw Sword was no match for my Mutated Longblade.

The pressure was suffocating. Yuki kept retreating, occasionally blocking. Dazzling sparks burst with every clash, and the force made his wrists go numb.

Almost there, just a little longer.

He retreated into the vegetable section. The refrigerated cases and shelves were all swept away by the sword's light. Just as Thomas stepped forward and brought down a mighty slash, Yuki bent his knees and jumped backward with all his strength.

Boom!!

The floor shattered beneath the blow. The resulting high-speed currents formed something like "sword energy," racing along the ground straight toward Yuki's chest. With a crisp clang, his long blade was violently knocked upward, leaving him wide open.

"Die!" Thomas stepped forward without hesitation, raising his Chainsaw Sword high to strike. But his dynamic vision caught sight of someone rushing out from the side.

Long black hair, a sweet face, an assault rifle in her arms. But she was too weak. He could take her life with one casual slash before she even fired.

"So it really is you."

But Thomas hesitated. The main reason this fight had erupted was the woman's ability. Killing Yuki wouldn't solve the problem of the game's difficulty spiraling out of control. To survive the final day and night, Li Dan had said outright that they needed to take her ability.

If I kill her, I only live one more day. It's meaningless. But if I don't, am I supposed to just stand here and let her shoot me?

In a single second, Thomas had several options. But that was exactly the problem: there were too many choices, and he didn't know which one would work best.

Bang, bang, bang.

At that moment, gunshots rang out, but not from Mai Sakurajima's gun. Yuki had drawn a pistol some distance away and opened fire.

Six flowers of blood bloomed across Thomas's body. For him, in peak condition, they weren't fatal. The bullets tore through his flesh, jolting him back several steps. The pain snapped him out of his indecision.

Did I fail to dodge? No. Why was I splitting my attention in the middle of a fight?

It was the most basic of mistakes, one he should never have made. Thomas forced himself to turn around. His pupils slowly widened as he understood why in an instant.

"So this is..."

The black-haired boy held a gun in one hand and a sword in the other. But behind him appeared an apparition Thomas had never seen before, one he couldn't even understand.