Chapter 84
I feel even safer now; it would take a lot of effort for Curly to form ten walls to block the road.
But Yuki's heart tightened, and he began to think more deeply.
'Not stopping them? So confident? Curly-haired guy and that dean are both cunning old foxes. The fact that they dare to do this proves the bigger picture is yet to come.'
A strategy of indulgence? A psychological game? It can't be that they've been infected with Hero Virus and want to confront us head-on in a fair and square manner.
He glanced again at the wards on both sides of the corridor, noticing the empty beds and patient cards, and a thought stirred within him.
With a wave, Hiyori went inside, and the name field on the patient card on the wall changed to an 'S'.
As expected, the 'hospital ward' works. It's one of the three safe locations for players. As long as a player occupies a hospital ward, monsters won't spawn inside.
"But this thing can't stop medical staff, which are essentially possessed dolls." Hiyori read Yuki's eyes.
"It's unstoppable, but—"
Yuki, Yuki pushed Mai Sakurajima behind him into the ward, and at the same time, gunshots rang out.
Bang!!
Without warning, the fog was Piercer, and a giant claw, as thick as two people could hug, with no skin and covered in pustules, suddenly shot out, sweeping across the corridor like a pendulum.
Six sharp claws left chisel marks on the floor, somewhat like a giant mechanism in a cemetery.
Just as it was about to sweep through the ranks, the Tyrant raised its gun and fired, the Explosive Bullets blasting out large chunks of flesh, but it couldn't stop its advance.
Ugh--
Everyone tumbled into the ward, glancing outside with lingering fear as the giant hand swept past and then swept back in the opposite direction.
Yuki peeked out and saw white marks inside the breach blasted out by the Tyrant, along with several twisted bodies tangled together, like toys hastily sculpted by a mischievous child.
Okay, okay, you want to play with clay, huh?
Yuki immediately realized what this thing was made of; it was quite powerful when the puppets were fused together. Fortunately, it couldn't be directly summoned from inside the hospital room.
"House-hopping tactics, Tyrant, Impact Bullets."
Even though the hospital room gave people a strong sense of security, no one dared to waste any time. The Tyrant was the first to roll out and pull the trigger toward the oncoming giant claw.
Bang!
There was no blood splattering; the strong air pressure simply pushed it back. Taking advantage of this moment, Yuki and the others quickly rushed out and squeezed along the wall into the next ward.
Ugh--
The Tyrant rolled in too, his claws brushing against his back. Yuuki, who was silently counting the time, Yuki a glance with him.
The Impact Bullets only held for two seconds?
"It has a lot of kinetic energy, is there any way to get rid of it?"
"It's difficult to solve. That bastard has become smarter." Yuki said urgently. He had just checked and there were dozens of demon cores. Destroying a few of them wouldn't help.
He told Hayasaka Ai to calm down, then peeked out of the ward and saw that the ceiling of the corridor was pitch black, and the thing was swinging back and forth like a pulley system.
If gentle methods don't work, how about force?
This is similar to the second-floor corridor, except that once they discovered their eyesight could surpass that of the naked eye, they changed their tactics. The goal was still to delay, exhaust the team's strength, and disperse them.
"It must have been that bastard Curly's idea. Only the players know the players."
Yuki glanced at the giant claw sweeping towards him, then focused his gaze on the end of the corridor, where it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything. From the evacuation map, he knew that the hospital lobby was about six or seven hundred paces away.
Is this how you play it?
After a moment's hesitation, Yuki jumped out, drew his Chainsaw Sword, and faced the giant claw head-on.
Okay, I'll play with you.
Besides buying time, the giant claw also served to divide the team. After all, the best approach at the moment was to have one person slow it down while the rest used the time to sprint forward and get to the hall as quickly as possible.
Since you know you want me to divide my forces, wouldn't it seem foolish of me to do so?
Yuki knew perfectly well that once they reached the first floor, every move the players made would be closely monitored, with an experienced curly-haired strategist analyzing their actions.
Battles between players are battles of intelligence; the opposing side must maximize the benefits of these puppets and do everything in its power to gather clues.
Skills, traits, and Chaos Item —whoever reveals all their cards first is at a disadvantage.
"Impact Bullets."
The gun was pointed at the ground, and with a loud bang, the Yuki away.
Waaah--
The Chainsaw Sword the Roar as Yuki clashed head-on with it, leaving deep gashes on the giant claw's surface amidst a burst of blood and pus.
Several doll bodies were torn apart, but the giant claw only paused for a moment before quickly retracting into the ceiling.
50% of my strength.
Yuki precisely controlled his strength, flicked his wrist, and watched as Hayasaka Ai and the others took the opportunity to jump into the next ward, then raised his head.
At the other end of the corridor, the giant claw swept back again, but Yuki did not dodge. A clear sense of excitement appeared on his face as he took the initiative to meet it.
Ugh--
It was another head-on collision; another slash appeared, and the momentum sent Yuki flying.
Squeak.
The leather shoes rubbed against the ground, and he felt the soreness in his forearms. Yuki's face was contorted with rage. He hadn't drunk the Quiet Dew; the rage caused by this side effect couldn't be faked.
Seventy percent of my strength.
He Warm Blade the Chainsaw Sword, channeling even greater power into his body, and then, as the giant claw slammed down for the third time, he braced himself with his toes.
Bang!
The speed was even faster than before, the greatsword flashed with a bewitching blood-red light, and the front foot slammed down, the horizontal slash was powerful and heavy.
Ugh--
Man and claw collided, the greatsword almost cut halfway in, and several more cores were shattered. Yuki's feet seemed to be stuck in the ground, and the gray mist surrounding him surged.
Eighty percent of my strength.
This time, Yuki wasn't thrown very far. He turned around and saw the giant claw emerging from the ceiling again, and this time he took the initiative to meet it.
There was no other way through the narrow corridor. No matter how much this thing swung back and forth, it would take an hour to get through. In Yuki's eyes, there were still dozens of restrained demon cores, and he couldn't cut them all down even if he worked himself to death.
But why cut it? Intelligence warfare is a relative matter.
The fourth head-on collision, but before the Chainsaw Sword could strike, the giant claw, formed entirely of human flesh, had already retracted on its own.
It retreated, not out of fear, but Yuki's repeated clashes gave those quietly observing an illusion:
He seems to be slowly getting stronger by Demon Hunter?
I didn't know about the Chainsaw Sword, nor did I know that Yuki was gradually increasing his efforts. Judging from the effect of the Demon Eye alone, it's quite possible.
Yuki poked his head into the ward, took a sip of Quiet Dew, and blinked.
The Tyrant and his companions didn't know why the giant claw was retreating, but they weren't stupid, so they quickly seized the opportunity to return to the corridor.
It's right to be skeptical.
Yuki the reason perfectly. Like himself, the old schemer was full of cunning. Regardless of whether this enhancement was temporary or not, the other party would need time to analyze it.
'Let's disrupt your rhythm first.'
He turned and ran, listening to the heavy breathing around him, sprinting through the fog, evacuation plans flashing through his mind.
"Turn left, don't fall behind."
The corridor was dimly lit, and the team could only move forward by hugging the wall. In the hazy light, Yuki saw a huge black shadow pierce through the mist and immediately frowned.
Have you seen through it all? Still coming?
The giant claws stretched out again, but the corridor had been transformed from wards into examination rooms, with black light swirling in the Demon Eye.
"Don't hide this time, follow me."
The swirling gray mist obscured the light of the Magic Circuit. Yuki was about to activate Reinforcement Magecraft to add more power, he heard a 'whoosh' sound.
Instead of slamming down like a pendulum, the giant claw hooked its finger and slashed across its palm. As if committing seppuku, a horde of twisted 'monsters' poured out of its belly, like a bag bursting open while throwing away trash, releasing a swarm of cockroaches.
Such a quick reaction.
Yuki immediately understood: regardless of whether he became stronger through demons, he could simply split up and take on several demons by himself.
"Watch your step and the sides of the corridor!"
Before Yuki warn her, Hayasaka Ai slashed with her knife, severing a piece of what looked like an infant's arm, then raised her gun and fired a burst of shots.
"They want to wear us down and waste our time."
"Then don't stop, keep fighting and moving, we'll be right in front of it after the next corner."
Everyone was mentally prepared when they entered the first floor. Even Shiina Hiyori and Mai Sakurajima picked up machetes. Their vision was still intact, so cutting off the black hands around them shouldn't be a problem.
The Tyrant turned around, his pupils contracting.
"There's one more!"
Without turning around, Yuki heard the whistling wind. Behind the group, another arm pierced through the black mist, forming a six-sided sandwich around the cheese, connecting with the front, sides, and top and bottom.
Retreat into the consultation room? Or break through the wall to enter?
No, Curly knows about Hint Four; he'd love for us to do that.
Going back is out of the question. Hayasaka Ai and Mai Sakurajima have already Deep into the Wrong Path three times; we can't let the game give the enemy a buff.
"Tyrant, switch places! Hayasaka, fire!"
Without Yuki hesitation, Yuki rushed to the back of the group, intending to use the same trick again against the incoming claws. However, the opponent was clearly wary of his 'upgrade,' and the giant claws stopped instantly in a way that defied the laws of physics, retracting into the ceiling.
I didn't see through it, but it's cunning and treacherous; I can only play a few cards.
"Tyrant, smash them!"
The man was visibly taken aback. This was a move that allowed him to reveal his hand first. As he watched the layers upon layers of demons surge down the corridor, he gritted his teeth.
"Okay, I believe you!"
Molten Flow Bullets.
The two guns combined, and a deep blue beam swept across the corridor. It was as thick as an arm and, just like a torrent, sliced apart everything in its path, leaving a lava-like texture at the cut.
Players couldn't dodge in the corridor, and the same was true for the demons. The narrow corridor instantly turned into a slaughterhouse, with severed arms and monsters cut in half everywhere. They twisted their bodies and surged forward in two halves.
"Let's go!" The Tyrant knew he hadn't hit many vital points, and they didn't intend to fight in the corridor.
Hayasaka Ai wielded the Storm Cleaver, slashing back and forth, occasionally pulling out a pistol and shooting at the monster's head. She felt like she was clearing a path through a field of thorns, but thankfully, if she missed anything, the Tyrant would fire to make up for it.
Charge! Charge!
Unwavering in their conviction, Mai Sakurajima and Shiina Hiyori followed closely behind, their weapons flashing as they attacked anything that was grabbing their legs.
Behind them stood the Tyrant, the man visibly slumped, pulling up his gas mask and chewing on a biscuit.
He exposed his weaknesses and trump cards, but at this point he couldn't care less. At least the brilliance of this shot concealed the true nature of the situation, even revealing that Hayasaka Ai had been holding back.
'This is teamwork, this is what teammates in the Reincarnation Game should be.'
Jiecheng followed at the back of the group, creating a significant distance between them, but his face was full of confidence.
He doesn't expect every player to be as unwavering as Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka Ai, but at least they should work together and follow orders like the Tyrant.
Only in this way can we survive!
Overload Mode. Storm Cleave.
He swung his greatsword down, taking the place of the Molten Flow Bullets and blasting forward, lightly sweeping away the severed limbs on the floor. He sheathed his sword, gripped his knife, and used the wall as leverage to step over the corner. Ahead lay the end of the corridor.
Ugh--
The sound of something tearing through the air came as all the attacks were concentrated on the single figure. Even the second giant claw stopped dodging and swayed along the corridor.
Without looking back, he swung his arms rapidly and suddenly lunged forward, extending his left hand.
Smack
From within the black mist, a fair arm reached out, similar to the valiant push he made when passing through the second-floor corridor, and firmly grasped his left hand.
Jiecheng was grabbed by one hand, turned around, and with a vicious slash, severed the baby's arm that was wrapped around his legs, before being dragged away.