Reincarnation Stream Player

The horde was gathering. Yuki was certainly not paralyzed by the sight of the clawing, gnashing mass; he saw Hayasaka Ai limping toward him, covered in blood.

Jumping from a high-speed vehicle was an act of self-mutilation. The girl was covered in wounds, not only slowing her down but drawing the attention of the elusive Witch.

There was no helping it. This battle was chaotic and intense, but it was Hayasaka Ai who had dealt the most damage; without those two collisions, the tunnel would have been swallowed by the sea of corpses long ago.

In such a moment, Yuki had no time to consider the details. Following his instincts, he picked up his greatsword, his expression blank.

It shouldn't be done, but it had to be done.

"Left leg bone fractured, can't outrun the living corpses behind. That Witch is hiding in the surroundings, preparing for a one-hit kill."

"So, I'm dead?"

The roars of the living corpses grew closer, and ghostly shadows drifted all around. Every step she took sent a piercing pain through her, and Hayasaka Ai suddenly understood her fate.

She knew the risks, of course, but the battle had been too intense to weigh the gains and losses. Now that she had calmed down, regret washed over her instantly.

No, I have to survive. There's an idiot who still needs me to look after him, and I haven't even said a proper goodbye to Mom.

A fierce desire to live pushed her into a strange state. She rolled forward, dodging a claw that lunged from behind, and forced it back with her last bullet. Just as she stood up, she felt something wrap around her lower leg.

!?

Her thoughts and heartbeat stalled in unison. Hayasaka Ai was yanked off her feet, flying along the smooth rails toward the maw of the abyss.

She didn't think; she instinctively drew her axe and turned, wanting to make one last struggle. But the pulling force suddenly snapped, and then the sound of a gunshot reached her ears, causing the girl to lift her head.

It was only a hurried glance, but her deep blue eyes slowly widened. Hayasaka Ai looked ahead in disbelief.

In the deep tunnel, the wailing was deafening, and the man was running against the flow of the rails, a sword in one hand and a gun in the other.

How? Why?

Hayasaka Ai didn't feel joy; instead, she was filled with confusion. A thousand emotions surged into her heart, yet she couldn't describe them accurately, leaving only a few simple images:

The man, the greatsword, and a hand gripping her collar.

"Run!"

Yuki had no time for chivalry now. He hoisted Hayasaka Ai up like a chick and took off running.

Reinforcement Magecraft. Full Power!

Fluorescent light emerged from his circuits. With his first step, Yuki surged forward several meters, causing the tongues shot out by several Smokers to miss entirely.

In this life-or-death moment, Yuki didn't dare look back. Every creature crawling through the breach was a Mutated Living Corpse, numbering over a hundred. If he dared to stop for even a second, he would be torn to shreds.

He didn't look back, but Hayasaka Ai felt like she was watching a horror movie. Everywhere she looked, there were grotesque living corpses.

They were either jumping onto the carriages or chasing along the tracks, the closest ones only ten meters away.

The Boomer's fat quivered, the Smoker spat out its long tongue, a Giant Fat Corpse several meters tall simply picked up one of its own kind and threw it, and a Tank tore up a steel rail to hurl like a javelin.

No matter how many questions or thanks she had, she had to swallow them for now, offering only short, rapid warnings:

"Tongue on the left."

"Javelin coming for your back."

"Side-step, spikes!"

Yuki focused only on sprinting, using her as a human radar to dodge back and forth. He jumped onto a carriage to avoid a long tongue, listened to the sound of a javelin tearing through steel behind him, and performed another side-dive, watching dozens of palm-length spikes whistle past him.

"Witch inside the carriage!"

Yuki, having just jumped back onto the rails, leaped forward, feeling claws graze his hair. This thing was truly persistent, hiding in the carriage to ambush him. With speed that didn't fall short of his own, it was extremely dangerous.

If he got tangled up and the horde closed in, how would he escape?

"Throw the axe."

Hayasaka Ai didn't hesitate to draw her short-handled axe. She raised her hand and threw the precious Chaos Item directly.

Pfft.

The axe bit into the Boomer's chest, and a Frontal Lobe Fragment grew out once more. With the explosion of green smoke, the pursuing horde faltered.

The Host Object was thrown away with it. The Chaos Item could no longer be recovered, but Hayasaka Ai felt no regret; she finally had the chance to ask.

"Why are you risking your life to save me?!"

Yuki didn't answer, continuing to sprint toward the end of the tunnel. He saw Li Dan standing a hundred meters ahead, smiling at him, shrugging, and aiming his revolver at the wall.

Bang!

Debris flew as the wall was blasted open, revealing nothing inside but a layer of intensely thick, blood-red mist.

Time was almost up. Even if Yuki gave up resisting, not many living corpses would be able to follow into the Eternal Night. Yuki's counter-charge, combined with the discarded Chaos Item, had actually helped him a great deal.

In a few more minutes, once they passed through the mist and came out the other side, the dungeon would be complete.

I knew you bastard liked to sell out your teammates. It doesn't matter; I was going to have you go in first anyway.

Seeing that he had no intention of helping, and hearing the sound of claws tearing through the air once again, Yuki suddenly stopped, grabbed Hayasaka Ai's right hand, and leaned back—

"Wait, what are you doing..."

"Since you dare to cast aside your life—"

Ignoring the cries of alarm, Yuki released his grip, tossing Hayasaka Ai toward Robert, who stood dazed and helpless beside the breach, before spinning around violently.

The thicket of blades formed by the Frontal Lobe Fragments was useless against the thick-skinned Tank; one had already charged over, its body drenched in blood and gashed to the bone.

It raised its fist, but it hadn't expected Yuki to turn so suddenly; caught off guard, it could only watch as the Chainsaw Sword swept horizontally toward it.

Squelch—

Yuki gripped the sword with both hands, nearly cleaving it in two, and as blood erupted, the man let out a low, beast-like roar.

"I, too, can hold the pass against a thousand!!"

One minute.

Yuki savored the exquisite sensation of flesh and bone parting, but as his vision, tinged with a faint red, looked ahead, the joy of slaughter vanished instantly.

Dozens of meters away, the Frontal Lobe Fragments were failing to hold back the tide of corpses; they slashed in vain before being uprooted, and more and more Living Corpses squeezed through, led by three full-grown Tanks.

Forget one minute; he couldn't even hold out for thirty seconds, not to mention that once the Chainsaw Sword took effect, the berserk killing intent would cloud his judgment—just like how, seeing these three Tanks charging in unison, his first instinct was to launch a counter-charge.

Crush them; only through slaughter could one find a path to survival amidst death.

Thud.

His combat boots struck the ground, but before Yuki could charge, bright flames erupted in his eyes, followed by a powerful shockwave slamming into his body.

BOOM—

The parking lot exploded; several fireballs rose up, and as the tunnel shook, large slabs of concrete plummeted, burying the Frontal Lobe Fragments and bisecting the horde.

Yuki rolled across the ground several times, the pain clearing his mind, which reminded him of Mai Sakurajima, whom everyone had all but forgotten.

'If Li Dan doesn't appear, you go blow up the wall; if he shows up, you plant the explosives at the right spot and collapse the tunnel.'

Before the battle began, Mai Sakurajima had received her orders, but the intensity of the fight had made even Yuki forget about it.

"You really know how to hold back, Senior," Yuki stood up quickly, a look of distinct excitement appearing on his face.

He couldn't see Mai, but he knew she was right beside him; he side-stepped to avoid falling debris, his eyes scanning the surroundings rapidly.

The tunnel was blocked off once more, leaving the approaching Tanks bewildered; they didn't know whether to clear the path or continue attacking, and while the tunnel wasn't entirely sealed, climbing up and squeezing through the breach would undoubtedly waste time.

"Go to the exit and wait for me!"

Yuki counted silently in his heart, but just as he turned, he heard the thundering footsteps and the screech of a Witch pouncing, knowing the clever Living Corpses had already made their choice.

Forty seconds; not enough time for them to regroup with their kin, but his current strength was enough to slaughter his prey.

Swish.

A wet, slippery tongue coiled around Yuki's waist; just as the Living Corpse exerted force to drag him, he drew his long blade and severed it, then leaned down, holding his greatsword vertically.

Squelch—

The Jockey that leaped over landed directly on the Chainsaw Sword, sliced into a pile of rotting meat on the spot; the spraying blood drenched the man, further sharpening his reflexes and speed.

Two dark shapes flew toward him—chunks of concrete thrown by the horde—and Yuki stepped back half a pace, plunging his blade into the ground.

Overload Mode. Storm Cut!

BANG!

The overflowing 'sword qi' blasted the concrete blocks to pieces in mid-air; as the dust settled, black claws pierced through, aiming straight for his chest.

CLANG.

Yuki raised his long blade to parry the claws, feeling the tips pierce his bulletproof vest and sink into his flesh.

"Get lost."

He fell backward, using his hands and feet to kick the Witch away, and from his prone position, he swept the Chainsaw Sword across.

THUD!

The Tank's right leg took the hit, its body trembling; the fist it brought down grazed Yuki's cheek, smashing a shallow crater into the ground. Before it could retract its arm, Yuki's left hand drove the long blade through its eye socket, piercing deep into its brain and twisting violently.

The Tank 'powered down' instantly; Yuki kicked its chest hard, sending the several-hundred-pound corpse flying, where it happened to block the path of the second Tank's charge.

Yuki scrambled to his feet, quickly pulling out the Quiet Dew and downing it.

The vial only regenerated a few drops, but it was enough to clear his berserk mind significantly.

The exit was not far off; Yuki had counted to forty seconds, and the Chainsaw Sword was thoroughly warmed up.

Even as the thundering footsteps closed in rapidly, Yuki did not look back this time; he knew two Tanks were already in pursuit, and the Witch's claws were within reach.

Just a little more!

He saw Hayasaka Ai at the exit, raising her fists, prepared to use her own flesh and blood to cover him; he saw Li Dan, looking indifferent as if watching a show; and Robert, slowly raising his muzzle.

THUD.

Yuki's raised right foot stomped down hard, cracking the concrete floor, and he spun around suddenly, ignoring the Witch pouncing from above, using his core strength to arc his greatsword in a brilliant, lethal curve.

Overload Mode. Storm Slash.

Woooo--

With a sharp sonic boom, a ring of airflow erupted from the tip of the blade, carving a palm-deep trench into the ground and leaving behind two pairs of sturdy calves.

The Tank had already charged within a meter, but with its legs severed, its momentum caused it to lurch forward, inadvertently blocking the Witch's pouncing path, while Yuki was propelled backward by the recoil.

Four seconds.

Time slowed down in Yuki's eyes; he saw the Witch retract her claws and step off the back of her kin, performing a double-jump-like maneuver as her petite frame hurtled straight toward him.

Three seconds.

The speed was too great to retract the Chainsaw Sword. Those yellowish-brown eyes were drawing ever closer, and with no intention to parry, he swung the blade directly toward her slender neck.

Two seconds.

Clang!

The Witch raised her right claw in mid-air, accurately intercepting the blade, and leaning forward, she thrust her left claw toward Yuki's head.

Her five fingers, spread wide like long, sharp blades, ensured that no matter how he dodged, at least one would pierce his skull.

Time's up.

The pitch-black blade grew larger in his vision. At the same time, Yuki's back slammed against the wall; there was nowhere left to retreat, nothing left to block with, but at that moment, it was as if someone had wiped it all away with an eraser.

The claws, the forearm, and those eyes filled with intense resentment all vanished, not even leaving behind a scrap of flesh.

As the sun rose and the moon set, the Witch belonging to the night disappeared without a trace; even though she had been only ten centimeters away from ending her prey's life, the rules would not bend in the slightest.

[Player Yuki, survived the second night.]

Huu, huu.

Yuki leaned against the wall, gasping for air. Hearing that strange sound for the first time felt like music to his ears. The Witch was gone, the Tank was gone, and the dense swarm of Living Corpses had vanished as well.

The entire tunnel was a scene of devastation, filled with twisted steel and blast holes, but the most miraculous part was the absence of corpses or even a single drop of blood. The desperate, life-or-death struggle that had lasted less than half an hour felt as if it were nothing more than a dream.