Once the man before him stepped in front of him, Kure felt like he could breathe again. The suffocating killing intent Kiryu Setsuna radiated had been blocked, as though it had slammed into an iron wall.
He instantly came to his senses, realizing he might have run into an absolute powerhouse. "Two thousand! That’s everything I stand to earn from this run!"
If he completed his mission in this world, he would receive 2,000 Endspace Coins. He was using it to buy his life.
As long as he survived and returned to Endspace, he could find a way to make up for the loss in the next world.
The Kengan world was far too dangerous. If he survived tonight, then the moment he earned the qualification to return, he would leave immediately.
"Two thousand? That’s a little low, but I suppose it’s extra income..."
Luke turned to Kiryu Setsuna. "I came here to hunt monsters in the first place."
"Boss, be careful! He has that thing on him. He’s different from before!"
As Kure backed away, he used a recovery item and shouted a warning. They were both in Setsuna’s sights now. If the powerhouse lost, Kure would die too.
Luke bared a row of gleaming white teeth. "Wouldn’t that make this even better?"
"Was it you?"
Kiryu Setsuna finally spoke, his expression twisted. "Were you the one who killed my god!?"
"Looks like there’s not much reason left in you. I’d rather ask you something—why are you hunting him?"
Luke narrowed his eyes slightly. "Who... gave you that information?"
That was the question that had been bothering him most.
It was easy enough to understand why Kiryu Setsuna wanted revenge for Ohma. But how had he managed to find Explorers so accurately?
Among the other Kengan fighters in the original story, no one besides Bando Yohei—the man Luke had killed—had died yet. Yet every target Kiryu Setsuna hunted at night had been an Explorer.
That was no coincidence. Someone had to be guiding Kiryu Setsuna.
And identifying Explorers was not easy. To natives of this world, everyone was simply an ordinary Kengan fighter. The only people capable of distinguishing Explorers from natives were those from Endspace.
The Explorers were already having enough trouble dealing with the Kengan matches in this world. They did not have the strength to win the Annihilation Tournament in the first place, so there was no reason for them to spend effort eliminating other Explorers.
Thus, the person supplying Kiryu Setsuna with information on Explorers and guiding—or provoking—him into hunting them could only be a Rulebreaker.
That was not good news for Luke. The one silver lining was that the Rulebreaker had not yet taken the seed from Kiryu Setsuna.
Either the Rulebreaker wanted to keep using Kiryu Setsuna for a while longer, or he was not confident he could kill him. That was the only reason this situation had come about.
"It was God! God guided me!"
Kiryu Setsuna looked utterly deranged. His arms were folded over his chest, while an erection tented his pants. "God told me who the suspects are. I’ll eliminate them one by one. Then God will return and grant me the most wonderful death."
"Looks like talking is pointless. I’ll cut you down first and ask questions later."
Luke stepped forward, Prison Demon in hand, and murmured, "Shatter your chains, Prison Demon."
This was not some sparring match. Even a lion had to go all out to catch a rabbit. Kiryu Setsuna was no weakling—under the Origin Seed’s influence, even his attributes could rival Luke’s, and his technique was among the best of the Kengan fighters.
If this were a spar, Luke would not use a weapon, much less release his Shikai. But he was here to kill.
Violet-black mist swirled as vine-like chains wrapped around Luke’s right arm. The black blade devoured the moonlight, reflecting nothing but death.
Luke went all out. His killing intent instantly overwhelmed Kiryu Setsuna’s madness. The instant he used Flash Step, he became a cannonball launched from its barrel—a tiger on the hunt.
Kiryu Setsuna used his feet to execute the Koei Style’s Rakshasa’s Palm, attempting to use that unusual method of movement to confuse Luke. But the blade still descended, cutting precisely across his path.
In the next instant, the black edge sliced through the night sky and sent the Beautiful Beast’s head flying.
Luke came to a stop. Under Kure’s stunned gaze, he flicked the blood from his blade. "Pretty tough. You still had time to use [Indestructible] in that moment?"
He glanced at Kiryu Setsuna’s corpse, while Endspace’s notification sounded by his ear.
【The Pioneer has killed the holder of the Origin Seed. Please use the container issued by Endspace to store it. Mission rewards will be distributed upon return.】
After hearing the prompt, Luke checked his storage space and found an additional transparent capsule-like container inside.
He took out the item and discovered that its grade was nothing but a string of question marks. Its details were unavailable as well.
He crouched down and tentatively placed the capsule on Setsuna’s corpse. Before long, a glimmering emerald radiance rose from the body. A seed whose shape he could not make out flew into the container.
Once the Origin Seed was stored, the inside of the container turned completely emerald, concealing the seed from view.
Luke was deeply curious. He had assumed that killing Kiryu Setsuna would automatically transfer the Origin Seed to him. Apparently, that was not the case. Endspace required a special container to store it, and it was not even handed directly to him.
After thinking it over, he decided Endspace probably would not cheat a Pioneer out of his reward. He put the container back into his storage space for now.
"Prison Demon, are you... are you really Level 7?"
Kure’s astonished voice came from behind Luke. He walked to Setsuna’s corpse, feeling as though none of this was real—as if he were dreaming.
What had he just witnessed? That invincible freak who had obtained the Origin Seed had been one-shot by Prison Demon?
"More or less."
Luke answered casually as he continued searching Setsuna’s body. Unfortunately, he found no new clues. He could only ask Clan Head Erioh and Chairman Katahara to investigate later.
After standing, he looked at Kure with a friendly smile. "Pay up."
Kure’s expression stiffened. "B-Boss, I don’t have any money on me right now..."
The smile slowly vanished from Luke’s face. "Are you trying to make a fool of me?"
Kure instantly felt as though he had fallen into an ice pit. That calm killing intent was ten times more oppressive than what Setsuna had made him feel earlier.
He hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, no! I wouldn’t dare fool you, Boss. But people like us wouldn’t come here with that much money saved up, would we?"
"Is two thousand a lot of money?"
Luke looked utterly baffled. Although he had only earned 3,500 Endspace Coins in his first mission world, that was because he had not chosen the 10,000-Coin reward. He genuinely did not think 2,000 Endspace Coins was much.
And this Explorer seemed to be around Level 5 or 6. He had gone through several worlds already, yet he could not even produce 2,000 Endspace Coins?
Kure’s expression turned strange at Luke’s words. A powerhouse really was different. "Of course it’s not much to someone like you, Boss. But I haven’t had the luxury of saving money before coming here. I can sign a contract with you. Once I return, I’ll transfer it to you."
"What if you die? Wouldn’t that leave me with nothing?"
Luke felt like this deal was looking rather unprofitable. Debtors really were the ones in charge. If he wanted those 2,000 Endspace Coins, he would have to make sure this guy did not die.
"Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll be able to return very soon. I won’t delay, and I’m pretty good at staying alive."
Kure spoke anxiously, terrified that the vicious man before him might decide to cut him down too.
He had survived through several worlds in Endspace and knew that people who lived here became increasingly unhinged. Meanwhile, those who had been unhinged from the beginning often did quite well. He had heard that high-level Explorers were all at least a little crazy.
In Kure’s eyes, Luke was the type who had already been abnormal before entering Endspace. He killed with far too much decisiveness, without the slightest hesitation.
Luke glanced at the shattered pieces of the shield nearby. "Then sign the contract. Stay alive."
Very soon, under Luke’s direction, the contract was established. He added another clause as well: Kure was forbidden from revealing that Luke had obtained the Origin Seed.
Although Luke believed the Rulebreaker would eventually be able to guess who had killed Kiryu Setsuna, he still wanted to lie low for a while. He could not scare his prey away early.
After Kure left, Luke took out his phone. "Hello, Sayaka? It’s me. The hunt is over here. Please have someone clean up the aftermath."
With that, he left the alley, preparing to search Kiryu Setsuna’s residence.
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