Climbing takes a long time, but falling is instant.
In that fleeting instant that felt like an eternity, Ishigori blinked and looked at his burned-away arm.
A horrific sight, with blackened bone exposed and all five fingers blown off.
If he hadn’t reflexively raised his arm to block, his whole body would have ended up like this.
Boom!
His back, slammed into the rooftop of the neighboring building, caved inward.
Slowly healing his injuries with [Cursed technique reversal], he lifted his head and saw Junpei and Maphari floating through the air above him.
Even after using a technique with this much power, they didn’t look tired at all.
It seemed they no longer had any intention of hiding their full strength now that the brawl was over.
"So I was the challenger."
Now that he faced him properly, he was truly strong.
Even the strong men who had made names for themselves 400 years ago would never dare to challenge him.
He couldn’t see even the faintest thread of victory, the one clue that had always tipped the scales in his favor.
Since Yoshino Junpei’s goal was points, once this fight ended, he would 100 percent lose his life.
Even so, he smiled.
With no other emotion at all, only pure delight.
He had no great attachment to life.
What he had achieved in his first life had rotted away over 400 years, but it still remained in his gut.
Born a man, he had accomplished everything a man could accomplish.
He had earned the respect of many, been called one of the strongest in the land, and made his enemies tremble in fear.
He had dueled a worthy rival who acknowledged him in return, and won.
He had met a wonderful woman and built a happy family.
When he died, he closed his eyes with a happy face, surrounded by many people.
And yet he could not forget his thirst, and so he coveted a second chance.
If anyone saw him now, this wraith who had become a ghost because he couldn’t let go of his stubborn fixation despite already having everything, they would call him a complete fool.
Not that he cared what anyone thought anymore.
And through the life he had seized again, he was able to realize what he truly wanted.
No matter what you do, you can never completely fill your belly.
The more desperately humans cling to life, the more they seek bigger and newer prey.
Fill, empty, fill, empty... He had long since grown sick of that wheel-turning life.
Paradoxically, the one who had once wished to be given life again now wanted death.
To bring everything to an end at the moment his belly was finally full.
Hadn’t he always wanted that?
The fall that would decorate the end of his life in splendid fashion.
The finest dessert laced with poison!
That was the reason Ishigori Ryu had crossed 400 years to appear in the present age, and the foundation of his life.
So he had no choice but to laugh.
Because the moment his lifelong wish came true was waiting for him.
"Looks like the meal is almost over. The final course might be... too much to finish."
He didn’t bother saying it outright.
The other side understood the source of that thirst well enough, and besides, with the final moment approaching, he didn’t want to shake his heart unnecessarily.
Ishigori Ryu. His struggle had to end here.
With no one interfering, pouring everything out, and finally patting his belly in satisfaction.
"Now, let’s take a seat at the table."
Ishigori Ryu and Yoshino Junpei.
As they enjoyed their last supper, resolve flickered through their eyes.
Thirst.
Satisfaction.
Pity.
Awe.
In that brief instant, the two men already knew what they had to do.
""[Domain Expansion]!""
Bujumancheonrae
Sihae Yeongwolryeong
--------------------------------------
Ishigori Ryu.
What he wanted was total defeat.
His obsession with victory was as unimaginable as his desire for an opponent strong enough to overwhelm him.
If someone couldn’t even satisfy that much, then he felt they lacked the qualifications to fill his belly.
Once he realized he was being outmatched in compatibility, the final strategy he came up with was this.
After [Domain Expansion], the technique overheats and becomes difficult to use.
But he was the only sorcerer who could still attack on equal footing even without using his technique.
His chances of winning a domain battle were low, but it was worth trying.
And now, as the tug-of-war continued, he realized the final key had fallen into his hands and whistled in a pleasant mood.
Ishigori’s [Bujumancheonrae] was a domain that did not assume a kill, and instead only granted a sure-hit effect.
Its lethality was far lower than modern ones, but in exchange it had the advantages of faster activation and simpler deployment.
Of course, that didn’t mean it could overpower Junpei’s Sihae Yeongwolryeong.
Crack, crack, crack!
As the balance of the tightly held tug-of-war gradually tipped to one side, Junpei’s barrier began swallowing Ishigori’s barrier.
In terms of experience with domains, Ishigori had the overwhelming advantage, but the quality of the experience Junpei had gone through was nothing to dismiss lightly.
He had only used his domain twice, but his opponents had been Mahito, who had experienced [Black Flash], and Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses.
Between Ishigori Ryu and Yoshino Junpei, there was a gap in experience that could not be bridged by simple numbers.
Even if he deployed his domain to counter, all he could do was buy time.
But that was enough.
Granite Blast
Just before the domain fully closed, Ishigori fired a cursed-energy cannon high into the sky.
The last thing he saw was the rising beam of light, and then his vision went black for an instant.
Thick, sticky cursed energy coiled around him, and his body grew heavy like cotton soaked in water.
"Dark in here~"
With a faint laugh, Ishigori saw ominously glowing lanterns appearing one by one before him.
As the flames grew stronger and stronger, he could see them.
Whoooosh
Massive maws, as if freshly hauled up from the bottom of the abyss, surrounded him.
Their bodies were clad in unknown armor, and flames billowed from within their hideous jaws.
Seeing that each one held power just a little below his own, this was probably his grave.
"That’s impressive, all right. At this rate, you’ll rack up 1,000 points in no time."
"Is that a compliment?"
He would be able to stand at the summit of this Culling Game.
Facing such overwhelming power, he felt like a bug trapped in a jar.
But still—
"You’re still a little rough around the edges."
"In what way...?"
Even someone like him would have something to leave behind for the boy in front of him.
Crash!
"How!"
"You haven’t fought many domain users, have you?"
The weakness of a barrier-based domain was that it was vulnerable to outside shock.
The Blast he had fired earlier was a setup for this moment.
The one he had already imbued with guidance crashed down from the sky and shattered the barrier.
As the barrier, glowing black and breaking apart into pieces, fell away, the domain withered.
Even the maw-like guardians of hell and the outer walls of the ominous jar dissolved into wisps of smoke and vanished.
Through the cracks in the glass-like barrier surface, Junpei’s startled face appeared.
And then,
the jellyfish of black mist that still had not disappeared.
"The technique didn’t overheat? Don’t tell me you endured it with sheer resolve or something, did you?"
"...It’s an external type."
"Ha ha."
With even his last move broken through, he finally accepted the end.
He didn’t feel empty or angry.
Now that the thirst he had washed away was drifting off behind him, all he felt was... gratitude.
Only gratitude, and more gratitude.
Bowing his head in elegant aristocratic fashion, Ishigori offered his respect to his opponent in his heart.
His thanks to the young, promising chef who had led him this far.
A requiem for this foolish wraith, and a final lesson in return.
"Thank you. I’m full."
"It was a rather meager meal."
"How about a cigarette for a final palate cleanser?"
He messed with his ruined hairstyle until a decent-looking regent came together.
It was all sticking up and drooping in different directions, just like he was now, but that only made it better.
It would remain as proof that he had fought without regret.
Zzzzzing
The final Blast of his life, containing everything, gathered at the tip of Ishigori’s head and spun furiously.
It was the hot romance of a man who had crossed 400 years, and his own form of kindness.
Perhaps moved by that serene bearing even at the brink of death, Junpei found himself smiling before he knew it.
He had thought a pleasant fight could never exist.
Back when he had no strength, violence had always been one-sided.
Once he gained power, it had always been a series of life-and-death struggles walked on thin ice.
A life close to death.
Comrades who staked their lives together.
All of it had been a burden, and a curse.
But why was a fight with this man so enjoyable?
Even though it was clearly a duel with his life on the line, he kept doing things his usual self would never have done.
Charging in physically while leaving Maphari behind, or trading blows in a brawl that didn’t suit him at all even while taking [Black Flash] head-on.
It was irrational, but within it Junpei was able to find a new perspective.
This was never just a simple street fight with points on the line.
It was a requiem for a wraith who had carried lingering regrets into chaos, and a process of understanding each other’s struggle.
At first it had simply started from a rejection of cold, mechanical hunting, but as that "heat" piled up, and piled up...
Just as Ishigori was filling his belly through battle with Junpei, before he knew it Junpei too had been savoring Ishigori’s life.
That was why he had offered his respect.
Because his heart had melted at that pure will to burn even his own life for an ideal.
That way of living was exactly what Ishigori wanted to teach Junpei.
"I’m the one who should be thanking you, Ishigori-san."
Wheeeeen
He resolved to stay with him until the very last moment.
A vortex at maximum output charged up, and the surrounding air flashed blue.
"Thanks to you, I was able to look back on why I came here."
"I’m honored."
To save those who had entered the curse, and that uncontrollable chaos.
To find meaning in life by devouring through endless struggle.
Even after this fight of eat-or-be-eaten ended, he would never forget Ishigori.
"Full moon, eternal exhaustion, and the wave of resonance."
Vortex
Granite Blast
The two lights collided, and a flash erupted.
The winner was decided.
------------------------------------
Winner and loser.
There was nothing to gain from leaving a sorcerer who had fought with his life on the line alive, but...
he could at least keep watch over the loser’s final moment.
"...Nice weather."
"Yeah."
Junpei crouched beside Ishigori, who had been reduced to half-charcoal.
For some reason, it felt like he should.
"Take it."
Moving his one remaining arm, Ishigori rummaged through his front pocket and tossed Junpei something small enough to fit in his palm.
It was a gold-plated lighter with an embossed cherry design.
"That was the first thing I bought after coming to the modern era."
"...Thanks. I’ll use it well."
"Since you got it, light me up too. One cigarette before I go isn’t too much to ask, right?"
"Didn’t you already finish all of yours earlier, Ishigori-san?"
"Damn it."
Junpei snorted and opened his own cigarette pack, then placed one between Ishigori’s lips.
It was a cigarette holder.
"If I keep accepting gifts like this, I’ll start feeling bad."
"Then at least leave me something useful. Information on the remaining opponents, maybe."
"Hmm... I don’t really want to, though?"
When Junpei frowned, Ishigori grinned.
Drawing in a breath and exhaling smoke, he explained the reason in a voice that grew more and more faint.
"Those guys have their own goals, don’t they? It’s not my place to meddle for no reason. Besides, you’ll do fine on your own. Just like you did with me."
"Uh... I asked something pointless."
"I’m done now, but you still have a bright future ahead of you. Don’t expect too much from a stupid guy like me. I’m just an ordinary human too. I just lived a little longer than you, and walked ahead of you—that’s all..."
After thinking for a moment, he opened his mouth with a slightly serious expression.
"Ah, and just kill Dorubu the moment you see him. That old man is just a crazy murderer. He’s so old-school that you probably won’t even be able to talk to him properly."
"You’re calling a guy who’s racked up 185 points a murderer when he only has 114?"
"You idiot, I only went after sorcerers who came at me. That old fossil kills anything he sees, curse user or not."
"I’ll keep that in mind."
As they traded these trivial jokes, he could feel the end drawing near.
It was hard to breathe, and his vision was going blurry.
Compared to his previous life, this death was pitiful beyond words, but at least he was glad someone remained by his side.
"I’m getting sleepy."
"....."
"I’ll go ahead and digest things first. Live long."
Ah, and one more thing.
"I hate menthol."
"Heh... that’s your last words?"
No answer came, even when he asked.
The cigarette butt left in Ishigori’s mouth dropped away as he quietly closed his eyes.
"Goodbye, Ishigori-san."
May you be full there.
And around that time, there were others preparing for another surge.
{Player Ranking}
1st. [Kasimo Hajime - 385 points]
2nd. [Yoshino Junpei - 185 points]
3rd. [Dorubu Rakdawara - 123 points]
4th. [Higuruma Hiromi - 117 points]
5th. [Uro Takako - 100 points]
Ishigori Ryu, the strong man who had held second place and ruled Shinjuku.
He was dead. And to a newcomer who had entered the barrier only a day ago, no less.
Which meant the delicate balance that had been maintained among the strong had collapsed.
Changes began to sweep through the Culling Game.
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