Chapter 368
"I don't know, but the progress is definitely over 50%. Mr. Gojo, you've really struck gold! You've managed to get such a master to owe you a favor."
Uh, actually the Demon Extermination Squad owes them a favor; you've got it backwards.
Satoru Gojo's lips twitched; he really wanted to correct the other person, but the words that came out of his mouth turned into a confident smile.
Yuki's combat value exceeded his expectations. How could he possibly stop the Twelve Demons without sending out a few of them? It would be best to force Mundus out.
He laughed, then broke out in a sweat. He figured Yuki had a way to escape, but if he betrayed him, no one but himself and Dante could withstand the retaliation.
"Arima, lead your men to widen the breakthrough point; this will greatly increase our chances of winning this battle."
The white-haired, bespectacled man, who had initially harbored some resentment towards Yuki, was now convinced. He knew that the Captain-Commander had decided to increase the stakes. He wouldn't help such a skilled opponent a second time. Regardless of whether the demon had any ulterior motives, this was the best chance of winning.
"Fourth squad, follow me!"
Call out--
The Bloodblade, left a trail of crimson in the vast room, piercing through any enemies in its path or scrambling to defend themselves.
No one had a chance to adjust, because Yuki was right behind them, ready to either shoot them in the head or stab them through Piercer a chop.
He's in great shape, better than ever before.
Yuki grabbed a horned monster by the neck and crushed its neck in an instant, like squeezing a tomato, its bulging eyes reflecting a bizarre expression.
It was indeed strange; the mere killing between players had put Yuki into a state of complete absorption, making his calculations more accurate and his predictions more precise than ever before.
"Compared to studying dungeons, detached from the storyline, simply killing people suits my taste better?"
He found this state somewhat similar to that in the management office, where his thinking speed was extremely quick. After thinking for a moment, he casually tossed the body aside.
It's a pity that my senior and Hayasaka weren't here, otherwise I could have tested them to see if they had any personality disorders.
The enormous room was deathly silent. The interior of the Tenshukaku was indeed a compressed space; any room you entered could be tens of thousands of square meters, and each one was decorated differently.
For example, this room is a typical European castle, with bloody murals on the walls and huge columns supporting the dome, but apart from the Demon Extermination Squad finishing off the villains, there is no living creature to be seen.
They're afraid of me, even the typical protagonist of a shonen manga is no exception.
Yuki swung his sword, loading the materials dropped by the player directly into the chamber. Turning around, he saw a boy with a scar on his face gaping, while a girl with short, ear-length hair beside him quickly looked away.
Tanjiro Kamado and Nobara Kugisaki —what kind of cross-world protagonist pairing is this?
How much longer will it take you?
"Huh?" Tanjiro Kamado didn't understand for a moment and immediately received a chop to the neck from the girl.
Wild Rose was very nervous and quickly forced a smile, saying, "Dreadfort has many rooms. We don't know where the medium is, so we can only search one by one. Don't worry, Senior Arima has already led the Fourth Squad to provide support."
It's really troublesome. The portal could be in any room. This public medium is a bit like a crystal in a certain game. Enemies who receive the message will keep appearing.
Very well, you've finally made a big bet. This time, you either gain everything or lose everything.
Yuki inhaled the foul-smelling air; this was the real plan.
Sacrificing the pawn to save the king? That's the most reasonable superficial reason. Yuki's purpose in Yuki was exactly the opposite. He wanted Satoru Gojo to go all in, so that even if something went wrong, he would be like a gambler who had lost everything and had no choice but to retreat.
If he wins, he gains a powerful ally; if he loses, he can use his privileges to eliminate the Survivors.
The worst thing is to be evenly matched, and Yuki doesn't want to waste time helping them fight a second time. As for the safety of Misaki Shokuhou and the others?
Sorry, this is part of a different plan.
"Is it like stacking many private spaces together?" Yuki glanced at the European-style hall. In essence, the Dreadfort was similar to the building inside the Thorny Rose, except that outsiders could not enter each of the latter's private spaces.
How exactly did they do that, even changing their appearance?
Yuki didn't know, but based on experience, the size of each private space was determined by the number of players in the team.
"Follow me as we explore upwards; the portal should be hidden in one of the rooms."
He decisively took over command, and of course, no one present dared to object.
Breaking through the outer wall is just the beginning; attacking the Tenshukaku is the most troublesome part. There are hundreds of rooms here, and each one must be carefully explored, because you don't know how many players are hiding in the rooms you miss, and no one stipulates that the Great Demon King must stay on the top floor.
Just like when Yuki erased 'Daytime', the space inside the door belongs to another dimension. Standing at the door, you can only see a white light, and stepping in rashly could easily lead to a sneak attack, or a battle could break out inside, with not a single sound escaping.
The room's decorations can be destroyed; at worst, it can be returned to pure white. But the companions outside the door have no idea what's happening inside.
"Five people per team, enter the designated space to search. If they don't come out in five minutes, the rest of the team will go in to reinforce. Sweep through the area in turn."
Yuki offered a solution that made Tanjiro Kamado, who was in a dilemma, suddenly realize, "That's right, leave the reserve team in the corridor, then we can explore several rooms at the same time."
"Mr. Li is really smart." The boy gave a thumbs up, as simple as he remembered.
"Tanjiro Kamado, at least use some rhetoric when you're flattering him." Yuki his head and saw that the boy's eyes had turned into beady eyes, and he almost couldn't help but laugh.
"Go ahead, I'll be there for you."
These words were resolute, and the dozens of exhausted Demon Extermination Squad were suddenly full of confidence. Yes, Mr. Li is simply invincible. Even if they are ambushed, as long as they can hold out for five minutes, all the evil spirits will be killed by him.
Divided into five teams, each led by its captain, they entered through the door, while the elite remained in the corridor to wait, and then contacted the other teams.
Several teams of the Demon Extermination Squad stormed into the Tenshukaku, but they were separated into different areas. In addition to the isolation of their own spaces, the Tenshukaku itself was also huge and sturdy enough.
"Dante hasn't reacted yet. The Captain-Commander said to ignore him; at least Vergil is being held back."
"Arima- senpai went to the upper levels, saying he wanted to eliminate the enemies in the real world first."
"Where are the Twelve Evil Demons? Why haven't they shown up yet?"
Yuki listened to the communications, pacing back and forth on the dark brown floor. On either side were Japanese paper doors that would automatically close after the team members entered.
The night wind howled through the window like a ghost's cry, and various explosions and the sounds of weapons clashing were carried in by the wind. He suddenly realized the advantage of the defending side in faction wars. Unless a precise decapitation could be achieved, the battlefield would be divided into countless pieces.
It's strange that the appearance and strength of the exclusive spaces are different. Even with my strength, it would be difficult to damage this Tenshukaku from the outside.
Yuki pulled the knife out of the floor, using only a fraction of his strength to leave just a faint scratch.
To other players, this was a given; castles were certainly more sturdy than shantytowns, and if they could be destroyed at will, there would be no need for such a fuss.
But not in the Thorny Rose; there are countless castles as hard as this Tenshukaku.
Just as Mona said, this place is very sturdy, but why is it so sturdy?
Yuki didn't rush to ask such a common-sense question, as that would be contrary to his image as a strongman. After waiting a few minutes, the five paper doors were opened one by one.
"No one is in our room."
"There was an evil spirit hiding in the forest, but we've already dealt with it."
"That's strange. They only have half their troops outside. The other half couldn't possibly be hiding in the Borderlands."
Everyone looked at the man in the corridor. Because of the Fool's Mask, Yuki's face was not clearly visible, but his steady, mountain-like aura made them feel at ease.
Is this a game of hide-and-seek?
Yuki pondered for a few seconds, flames swirling around the blade, and as Tanjiro Kamado and the others quickly retreated, he plunged the sword into the paper door beside him.
Blood-Burning Heart.
The massive energy output ignited the paper door. This castle was incredibly sturdy, but it wasn't impenetrable from the outside. As the saying goes, "great strength can shatter even a brick," and with enough energy, it could break through space itself.
Boom!
A gap suddenly appeared in the corridor, as if a square had been erased, and the burning city came into view. Wild Rose's mouth immediately turned into an "O" shape.
This person actually damaged the space from the outside! This is a castle personally constructed by someone with the authority to access it.
"No, this is too inefficient. I can't destroy more than a few before I run out of energy. This castle is definitely not as strong as those shacks."
"Spatial Shatter, the players inside will also suffer. No wonder Frieren didn't dare to find a room to hide in the Aether Particles."
Yuki his experiment, Yuuki learned some new information, which was bad news for the moment, but it might come in handy if anyone dared to attack the Thorny Rose.
"Mr. Li," Tanjiro Kamado said, scratching his head, bewildered. "The exclusive spaces created by those with authority are very sturdy; even epic-level players would find it difficult to destroy them. You've wasted your time..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wild Rose behind him immediately covered his mouth and chuckled, "Don't listen to his nonsense. How could a child understand an adult's plans?"
"Is every room in this Tenshukaku equally sturdy?" Yuki asked casually.
"No, it's related to the size of the exclusive space. Generally speaking, the more people in the team, the more permissions they gain, and the larger and more secure their exclusive space becomes. I've also heard that if you collect all the permissions, you can lock the gate, preventing players from visiting each other's spaces."
The girl stopped talking a while later. She saw Yuki laughing, a laugh that sent chills down her spine.
We made the right choice, this time we really made the right choice. As expected, you can only discover the details by experiencing them firsthand. The Thorny Rose is a fortress, and I can think of ten tactics right now.
Yuki has always firmly believed in the saying, "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles." The gains he has made so far are far beyond what he could have obtained by locking himself in his room and daydreaming.
You must experiment yourself before summarizing your findings.
"In that case, the Thorny Rose is like having countless castles and countless private spaces, and there's no way to open them from the outside. Destroying them one by one would exhaust even ten epic-level players."
"Then my personal space is almost limitless, which can attest to Wild Rose's statement that it is indestructible."
Yuki suddenly felt safe. He had been worried about being attacked lately. The rule that only authorized players could invite players from other factions might not work on the Judge, since the latter were like antivirus software for the Reincarnation Game, and even the rule prohibiting combat within Outpost wasn't always reliable.
Once he understood the settings of the private space, Yuki was no longer afraid. "Want to find me? Are you planning to demolish it by force, or pick each lock one by one?"
Unless the Judge is completely above all authority, but in that case, how could a player like Shiki Ryougi dare to oppose the Reincarnation Game?
Do you know why I shattered this private space?
"You want to give the evil spirit a warning and prove your power?" Wild Rose stroked her chin, just as she came to her senses, Yuki had already disappeared, and the answer was drifting in on the wind.
"Because this is the shortest way to get out."
One sentence left the girl choked with internal injuries. Yuki Tenshukaku. Above him was Eternal Night, and in front of him was a chaotic battlefield.
The problem has been identified; the next step is to figure out how to solve it.
"A very good geographical advantage, but unfortunately you don't have unlimited rooms like 'Thorny Rose' and you can't open doors, so it's not difficult to deal with."
Yuki twirled his sword in a bright flourish, activating the Bloodblade and transforming it into a crimson spear.
It's very simple. As long as there are enough henchmen, it won't be long before we can search every room.
[Equipment: Killer's Book]
[Activation]
"After that sudden attack, they should know I'm here. They'll most likely try to stop me and then use Transcendental Grade players to wear me down." Yuki surveyed the battlefield, a cruel smile on his face, and slowly raised his spear.
"Well then, let me see if I guessed right."
Call out--
The spear was thrown, leaving a trail of blood in the darkness. The player, who was engaged in fierce combat with the Demon Extermination Squad, felt as if he were being stared at by a ferocious beast and immediately shivered.
They turned around and saw a blood-red afterimage hurtling through the air. Several players were pierced through from behind before they could even react.
"Defense! He's coming!"
"As planned, the big ghost will ambush!"
The warnings kept coming, but Yuki was faster than anyone else.
Call out.
Bloodblade pierced through the wall of fire, sending the Flame Demon behind it flying. Flames erupted from its hands, and thick layers of rock grew on its body. It used all its strength to hold down the spear that had pierced through several of its companions.
Before the Transcendental Grade Flame Demon could even breathe a sigh of relief, a blur of motion caught up and slapped the butt of the spear with its palm.
Puff.
The overwhelming force instantly shattered the balance, piercing it through. Yuki gripped the gun handle, flicked his wrist, and actually blasted the three-meter-tall Flame Demon into a pile of embers.
On the right, the Curse Death skill.
Below, Earth Escape?
With his crimson eyes scanning the surroundings, Yuki his gun with both hands, deflected the poisoned short sword, and lightly leaped up to avoid the pale, bony claws that emerged from the ground.
Thump!
He landed like a meteorite, crushing the players on the ground to death. He then crushed the tracking dagger, spun around, and threw his spear.
Before the sound of landing had even faded, a piercing shriek echoed in the distance, and a female ghost dressed in a white robe with long hair covering her face let out a shrill scream, a large hole appearing in her chest.
Through the opening, you could see the blond boy with his mouth wide open, the spear resting between his eyebrows.
The Bloodblade possessed intelligence and could distinguish friend from foe, which is why it didn't blow the boy's head off. He just stood there stiffly, watching the tip of the gun emit a 'buzzing' sound before disappearing instantly, while the troublesome female ghost transformed into a human-shaped torch.
"Zenitsu Agatsuma, take your men into the Tenshukaku, and don't get entangled with the demons."