Instant Death

Volume 4, Chapter 14: The ceiling suddenly collapses. Takato Yogiri and the two others are crushed to death

The gunslinger, Takekura Kiyoko, immediately found the resolve to murder her classmates.

Some of the others were hesitating over what to do, while others were clearly feeling rebellious towards the sage’s order. There were those who never ended on killing anyone.

They didn’t want to fight their friends, and definitely not someone that they had a crush on. That was unthinkable. Perhaps most of them thought this way.

However, having such a weak mentality in this situation meant death.

She would kill anyone she had to.

It was this resolve that was more important than anything.

At first, everyone would be timid and hesitant as they watched each other. This gave those who were prepared to kill a great advantage.

Kiyoko was walking through the forest.

She couldn’t think of staying in the fortress. The others seemed to think the same, and they had all ran out and scattered in different directions.

First, they had to get away from the fortress boundary. Arimoto Osamu was a carpenter, and it would be no good to fight him within his territory.

Kiyoko put a finger on the triggers of each of her pistols.

Nothing happened.

She then tried to summon a different gun, but it was also no use.

Apparently, their skills would be restricted until the trial began.

However, it seemed that things you prepared in advance did not disappear.

She could see that, because the fortress was still there.

As for skills, idol Akino Sora’s oath had also vanished.

This was likely a measure to make things fair. Oath had a restriction that made it impossible to attack classmates.

She opened the system window, hoping to find out more.

There were more menus now.

‘Sage Candidate Selection Match.’

She selected it.

And then the time was displayed. As there was a countdown, it showed her how much time was left.

There was also a list of participants and a map.

There were 16 people in all. Fukai Seiichi’s name was grayed out, which was probably because he was dead.

However, there were supposed to be 18 classmates that were moving together. When she checked the list carefully, she saw that Takato Yogiri and Dannoura Tomochika’s names were not listed.

—Well, I’ll just kill them if they show up.

She didn’t think about not killing them just because they weren’t on the list.

Besides, Shion said that she would kill anyone who hadn’t killed yet. That suggested that you could kill anyone, it didn’t matter if they were participants or not.

The map was of the area they were in, and her own position was marked.

There was also a red circle around it, which was probably the boundary in which they would fight.

It was limited to the inside of the wall that surrounded the center of the demon world. But this area was quite large.

The hole was 20 km in diameter. There were about 100 meters between the hole and the wall. If they all moved separately, it would be difficult to even find each other, let alone kill.

It would be easy to run and hide. Of course, that only meant that Shion would kill you.

So, where should you go?

Kiyoko decided to head for the castle gate by the wall.

*****

Tomochika was hiding amongst the leaves of a tall tree.

She was wearing a battle suit made of the mysterious substance from the Aggressors, so she was prepared for battle.

Her position was right by the wall, which was quite close to the edge of the trial’s boundary.

‘Still, I didn’t think you would run off alone like this. Juna and Romiko or whatever ran off together.’

“Huh? Is that true!?”

Tomochika had erased her presence as she went into the shadows, escaped the carpenter territory and climbed up a tree as if it were the normal thing to do.

She had run off alone because that had seemed like the right thing to do if people were going to kill each other. However, now that she thought about it, it did seem a little callous.

‘I’m not blaming you. I’m actually commending you.’

“Uhh… But, wouldn’t it actually be dangerous to run around with other people in this situation? Though, it would be different if I was with Takato.”

But Yogiri had been gone even before Shion’s appearance.

She felt that none of this would have happened had he been around, but there was no point in thinking about it now.

‘About that kid, I’ve gotten in contact with him. He seems to have fallen to the seventh floor.’

“Huh? What do you mean ‘fell’? Is he all right?”

Yogiri had ridiculous abilities, but his body was that of an ordinary human. He wouldn’t survive such a drop.

‘He seemed fine, so I’m assuming he wasn’t injured. He said that he’s coming back, but at the time, he didn’t know how he would do it. And so you will have to get by until he returns.’

“Get by. That’s easy for you to say. Ah! I don’t have the system installed, so does that mean I’m not counted as among those participating?”

‘Don’t you think it’s a little naive to assume you’re going to be excluded from it? It’s much safer to assume that you’re included in that number.’

“Well, I have no intention at all of going around killing people. So that means I have to run… Do you think the others are running too?”

‘No. You can’t kill others if you’re running. It’s quite the dilemma, isn’t it?’

Tomochika searched for the presence of others around her.

While everyone had appeared to run in different directions, there were now multiple people near the fortress and the castle gates.

Was it because those were the only landmarks here? Perhaps it was natural for people to gather there.

“Will I be fine if I just hide here?”

‘Who knows. I doubt there is anyone who will be able to see you, that is, unless they have some kind of scouting skill. If they do, it would be better for you to keep moving…’

“Will Takato know where I am?”

Translations by AsianHobbyist Website.

‘He can call me by phone. I don’t know where he will appear, but it should work out as long as we can communicate.’

“All right, then I’ll wait. I feel like running around will have other dangers, anyway.”

If she wanted to meet up with him, it was better to stay still. That was what Tomochika thought.

‘Well, you have me as well. Two pairs of eyes will mean that an ambush is very unlikely.’

Just as Tomochika had made her decision, a sudden gunshot echoed.

They continued in succession. In fact, they kept going for so long that it started to sound like they were connected.

‘It’s started then. I suppose it’s the gunslinger.’

Takekura Kiyoko was the gunslinger.

She had the ability to summon guns.

That alone wasn’t a big deal, as it was a world of magic, but she was able to fire unlimited rounds without reloading. Not only that, but the bullets had various effects as well.

“I would have no chance of winning.”

Though, she did wonder if it was right to just watch quietly. But Tomochika had no way of stopping the violence.

All she could do now was wait.

*****

I ran to the wall because I thought it was safer than being in the forest.

There was plenty of cover here, and the lights were on.

It was much better than being scared in the dark forest where you wouldn’t see your enemy coming.

However, the others seemed to have come to the same conclusion as well, and so there were a few that came running to the wall.

They weren’t running away, but seemed to want to make this the spot where they’d make their stand.

There was plenty of space within the wall as well, but they didn’t go in very deep. It was no wonder. They had to kill a classmate if they were to avoid being killed by the sage.

I was in the attic.

And it was from there that I looked down at the others.

So, what to do now?

What was the biggest problem for me, was that I had no direct combat ability.

That meant that it was necessary for me to use a more roundabout approach. But would it count as my kill if I took down an enemy with a trap?

If not, I was in deep trouble.

After all, it was impossible for me to win in a head-on fight.

Well, I would just have to figure something out when the time came.

The sage would be watching this fight. I would just have to hope she recognized it as my kill since it was my trap.

So, what kind of trap could I set?

As I wondered about this, someone came near.

A girl with glasses and braided hair had entered my room.

It was Takekura Kiyoko.

She was a Gunslinger. And as her name suggested, she fought with guns.

Damn it.

I didn’t have a chance fighting against any of them, but she still seemed like the worst opponent to go up against.

I held my breath and hoped that she would just go away.

However, my prayer was not answered. She raised the barrel of her gun to the ceiling and pointed it in my direction.

It wasn’t some random movement. It was clear that she was aiming for me.

“Why!”

She didn’t answer; just pulled the trigger.

In an instant, I was riddled with holes.

*****

Aihara Yukimasa understood that he would probably be shot by Takekura Kiyoko soon.

The book he was holding had events of the near future written in it.

And what was written there could not be changed regardless of him knowing about it. He could not act in a way that would change things. He acted out the scenes as they were written in the novel.

“For now, I’ll erase what I can.”

But Yukimasa was able to rewrite the novel’s contents. This was how he was able to control his actions and the events around him.

He traced the words with his finger and the letters disappeared.

The only part he was able to erase was the part after he went up to the attic. In fact, Yukimasa had only just gone up right now. He couldn’t erase what had already happened.

After erasing the words, he considered what would happen next. Yukimasa was able to rewrite the words in order to change the future.

Of course, it wasn’t that he could just write anything.

It had to be something that could actually happen, and it had to be consistent with the past.

So, what to do?

Apparently, Kiyoko was aware that Yukimasa was here.

That meant she had come to kill him. And it was difficult to rewrite a person’s actions when they were this determined.

Still, he tried rewriting the way events would unfold, but the words disappeared almost immediately.

Kiyoko would come. That was decided. So he would have to deal with it without rewriting her actions.

Yukimasa turned the page. He looked for a line from past events that would be useful.

Yukimasa’s idea was to have a different classmate interfere.

Thankfully, the book told him that there were a number of others within the walls.

‘Kiyoko enters the room. At the same time, someone else enters from a door on the opposite side.’

He added this line and then waited. The words didn’t disappear. It was approved.

He didn’t know who would actually come. How things would play out after that. While it was frustrating, he didn’t know for sure when the next letters would appear in the book.

It didn’t seem like the book would be updated anytime soon. He might have to wait and see it happen before his eyes.

After a moment, Kiyoko entered the room.

Then, the door on the opposite side opened and someone came in.

It was Shinozaki Ayaka.

“Her…”

She was a vengeful demon who had already killed several classmates.

The result of rewriting his fate, might, in fact, result in a must worse disaster.

However, Kiyoko was now looking at Ayaka.

If these two started fighting, he might be able to run away.

Kiyoko began shooting without hesitation.

Yukimasa saw his chance and frantically began to run down the stairs to the lower floor.

*****

Loud gunshots and sounds of destruction. The sounds that echoed from behind told of the vicious battle being played out. It was clear that they wouldn’t be able to pay attention to anything else.

So I believed. So I ran. I passed through several rooms.

Once I felt that I was at a good distance, I stopped to catch my breath and calm my heart.

It’s fine. The danger was gone.

However, it was just a temporary thing.

I would have to get away from the others as well and survive.

I looked around. Perhaps this room was rarely used, because it was in a terrible state. It seemed like a bad idea to stay long, but there was one thing that caught my interest.

It was a metal door. And it had a large circular handle, like the ones you see in submarines.

I tried touching it, but it didn’t budge.

As I was curious about what lay beyond it, I brought up the system window and looked at the map. There was a detailed map of the area that was within the boundary of the trial.

What was on the other side of the door, was a small room that would be full if just a few people were in it.

Well, if the door wouldn’t open, then this room was a dead end. So there was even less reason to be here.

Just as I was about to leave, the circular door handle started to turn.

I quickly dashed out of the room and peeked back in from the outside.

Two figures walked out. They were both familiar.

It was Takato Yogiri and Hanakawa Daimon. Classmates. And on further inspection, Hanakawa was carrying a guy called David.

*****

Such were the words that he read in the book while he was in the room.

He didn’t understand why, but Hanakawa Daimon, Takato Yogiri, and David were going to appear from behind that door.

Yukimasa saw this as an opportunity.

Surely these three were not that strong.

Takato had some kind of extermination ability, and could not battle against people. Hanakawa was a healer, if he remembered correctly. So he couldn’t fight either. Of course, that meant that he would be able to heal himself if the attacks were weak. But then again, he likely didn’t have much defense ability, so he would die quickly.

As for David, he had a power that allowed him to lower the rank of a gift, but he was apparently unconscious, so he could be ignored.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy to kill all three of them at once. However, it was much better than fighting those other monsters with their inhuman powers.

For now, he would kill these guys in order to survive the first hour. Besides, killing them might raise his stats. So he should kill anyone that looked like they would be easy prey.

So, how to do it?

Yukimasa scanned the room. There were several places that looked promising.

‘The ceiling suddenly collapses. Takato Yogiri and the two others are crushed to death.’

He wrote.

It was definitely the kind of lazy writing that would get a bad review, were it a normal novel he was reading. But there was no need for entertainment value now.

Still, it seemed that these words were no good, because they disappeared after he wrote them.

Perhaps that meant that the ceiling wasn’t quite damaged enough.

Well, there were still other things that he could use.

Just as he began to write down his next idea, the next words of the novel appeared.

‘I died.’

A chill ran down Yukimasa’s spine. Up until now, his death had never been written down so clearly.

I was riddled with holes. I fell off a cliff. I was bitten by a monster.

It had details of what befell him, but it never said that he actually died.

“What the hell. That’s not how a first-person narrative works.”

He said jokingly. If I was writing an account, I couldn’t write about my own death.

Regardless of any problems, if that was what was written, then the thing to do was erase it.

And so Yukimasa traced it with his finger.

He had to change it so he wouldn’t die.

However, before he could add his own words, some letters appeared again.

‘I died.’

Erase.

‘I disappeared. I vanished. I turned to nothing. My biological functions stopped. I am finished.’

“Why! I’m supposed to have the strongest power! I know the future and can change it!”

Of course, it wasn’t a power that allowed him to do anything he wanted. However, it was supposed to be a power that if used right, allowed him to get out of any danger.

And yet…

The book was no longer allowing his story to develop in any way outside of his own death.

No matter how many times he erased or tried to add his own words, the only thing that appeared was letters that told of his death.

“Damn! What am I supposed to do!”

‘Died. Died. Died. Died. Died. Died.’

At this point, he could barely understand what the words meant. They just kept appearing, Yukimasa could never erase them in time.

Still, he had no choice but to do something about the book.

“I know! I’ll rip the pages!”

He ripped out the pages. Then he shredded them into small pieces.

Once it was destroyed like that, it was no longer a novel.

He tore out all of the pages and scattered the small pieces after ripping them up.

Doing this probably meant he would lose his ability.

However, he was more afraid of the death that was before his eyes.

“I-I have to get out of here.”

He didn’t understand why, but he would die once Yogiri and the others arrived.

And so Yukimasa turned his back to the door and tried to run.

But he felt that something was wrong and so he stopped in his tracks.

He could have just kept running. And yet, he suddenly felt curious about what was behind him. He didn’t have to look, and yet he found himself doing just that.

His instincts were telling him that he shouldn’t look back. But this need to see the source of his fear was also part of his instincts.

And so, ultimately, Yukimasa turned around.

Everything seemed the same.

There it all was. The torn-up pages of the book that were scattered everywhere.

It was nothing then. He had been imagining things. It was just as he patted his chest in relief.

The letters suddenly flowed out.

Words that signaled his death came out from the destroyed novel and stuck on to the floor.

“Haaa…”

In the blink of an eye, they covered the entire floor, walls, and even the ceiling.

You can’t run from your death.

It was as if the rows of letters were saying this to him.

Clunk.

Something was on the other side of the door.

The handle began to turn.

Then it opened, and Yogiri and the others appeared.

There was the sound of the roof cracking. Flakes of old pain started to rain down.

That’s when Yukimasa and Yogiri’s eyes met.

“Die.”

That merciless word was the last thing Yukimasa heard.

*****

“Hey! Is that what you do as soon as you meet people! He was your classmate!”

Hanakawa shrieked.

“I felt the hostility. So I just killed him.”

He had sensed the danger from the ceiling, and when his eyes met Aihara Yukimasa, he knew that he was the culprit.

And so he killed him before they were killed.

That was all it was.

“No, no, no. Weren’t these people forced to kill each other by the sage? Doesn’t that make them victims!?”

He had told Hanakawa about what was happening on the sixth floor.

If he didn’t, Hanakawa would be very confused when they encountered an actual fight to the death.

“So what? Is it all right to kill people just because you are forced to? I don’t care how it happened, he made the decision. You can’t blame others for that.”

“You, I’m a lot more frightened by your mentality than your abilities right now!?”

Yogiri ignored the quivering Hanakawa and pulled out his smartphone.

He wanted to know Mokomoko’s current location.

“No answer. It might be trouble. We should hurry.”

“Why are you even using a smartphone!? And what is with this system message!”

“Huh?”

Those who had gifts installed by the sage could see the system menu in their vision. As it wasn’t installed in Yogiri, he could only imagine what it looked like.

“Hey! You have been approved to participate in the sage candidate selection match. That’s what it says!”

“So you’re a participant now. That’s good. That means if you try to leave the area, Shion will come out to kill you.”

“WHAAA! But that is just too horrible!”

Even if Yogiri and Tomochika stayed alive until the end or if they left the area, they were not seen as participants. So it was possible that Shion would not come to them.

And soo Yogiri was starting to see Hanakawa as a very useful person.