A crossover anime/manga story, set in everyday Tokyo, but within a loop of a game.

Page 104

39

Chapter 39 The Strongest VS The Strongest.

Ten minutes later, at the research base.

"Lionheart's Shield!"

Upon seeing the mobile force suddenly appear around the corner ahead, Kaguya Shinomiya immediately raised her left hand, and a giant shield, 1.5 meters wide and 2 meters high, carved with a lion's head pattern, with dark blue floral patterns on a black background, instantly appeared in her hand.

"Fire!"

By this time, the heavily damaged mobile unit members had realized that if they did not immediately open fire and kill the mysterious figures who had invaded the research base, they would likely be killed by the mysterious figures using all sorts of unexpected and bizarre abilities.

"Bang bang bang..."

The deafening sound of gunfire erupted instantly, but Kaguya Shinomiya merely bent her knees slightly and rested her left forearm on the back of the shield. A faint blue light appeared in the eyes of the lion head pattern on the shield's surface, as if this once inanimate shield had awakened from its slumber.

The bullets from automatic rifles and shotguns struck the surface but failed to penetrate the shield's defenses. Kaguya Shinomiya, wielding the Lionheart Shield, did not retreat an inch, gritting her teeth as she parried.

“Kaguya…”

Seeing that Kaguya Shinomiya's knuckles had turned slightly white from exerting too much force and that blood had spilled from the corner of her mouth, Chika Fujiwara, who was also hiding behind a shield, did not hesitate to open her palm and throw the small, exquisite die.

"Ta, ta, ta..."

The dice bounced a few times on the ground and finally landed on the number "1". Upon seeing this, Fujiwara Chika's expression changed. She gritted her teeth and stretched out her right hand toward the dice that had landed on the ground.

The next second, the number "1" that was originally at the top instantly changed into the number "6". As the number changed, dense, sharp thorns suddenly sprouted from the ground where the members of the mobile unit were standing.

They had no time to dodge before the rapidly growing thorns pierced their bodies, causing blood and flesh to fly everywhere. After a brief scream, there was only a deathly silence.

"Huh...huh..."

After the Lionheart Shield disappeared, Kaguya Shinomiya didn't even have the strength to stand up and collapsed to her knees. She watched as blood dripped from the corner of her mouth onto the ground, her beautiful red eyes filled with resentment. She clenched her fair hands, trying to stand up again, but was stopped by Chika Fujiwara.

"Kaguya, let's stop here. We've both... reached our limit..."

Fujiwara Chika was in slightly better condition than Shinomiya Kaguya, but she could still barely stand.

"Impossible... I, I must keep going..."

Kaguya Shinomiya's vision began to blur, and the tinnitus made it so loud that she couldn't even hear her own voice.

Although she had eaten and rested overnight after arriving last night, Kaguya Shinomiya had exhausted a lot of physical and mental energy at the train station, and could be said to be on the verge of her limit.

Such depletion cannot be recovered simply by eating and drinking well and getting a night's sleep.

"No, we have to retreat!"

Faced with Kaguya Shinomiya's stubbornness, Chika Fujiwara's eyes showed a hint of heartache. She looked at Ai Hayasaka beside her and spoke in an unusually firm tone.

"Carry her on your back, let's get out of here as soon as possible!"

"it is good."

Hayasaka Ai was well aware that in her current state, Kaguya would find it difficult not only to continue fighting, but even to remain conscious.

Unfortunately, the highest level completion reward for this massive dungeon was ultimately out of reach for the three of them. However, for Fujiwara Chika and Hayasaka Ai, the mere reward was far less important than the life of Shinomiya Kaguya.

Just as Hayasaka Ai was carrying the nearly unconscious Shinomiya Kaguya on her back, she heard steady footsteps coming from behind the thicket of thorns created by Fujiwara Chika.

"Hmm? A team of all-female players? This is the first time I've ever seen this."

Wearing a green beret, Sato slowly walked behind the thicket of thorns, his smiling face peeking out from between the thorns.

"How interesting. No wonder they led me here, and..."

As Sato looked at the corpses of the mobile unit members, impaled by thorns and pushed all the way to the ceiling of the corridor, his voice carried a strange excitement and fanaticism.

"You guys are really strong players. I wonder what kind of reward I'll get after killing you... Ah, that long-lost sense of excitement..."

"Chika, let's go!"

Hayasaka Ai and Fujiwara Chika had already realized that the man wearing a green beret was up to no good. Taking advantage of the intertwined thorn bushes as a barrier, they immediately turned around and fled into the distance.

"Escape? Is escape even possible?"

Sato smiled, took out a grenade from his pocket, pulled the pin, and threw it into the thicket of thorns.

"boom!!!"

Hearing the explosion behind them, Hayasaka Ai and Fujiwara Chika dared not turn around and could only try their best to escape forward. However, Hayasaka Ai and Fujiwara Chika were already very tired, and Hayasaka Ai was also carrying Shinomiya Kaguya on her back, so their speed was not very fast.

Sato seemed to be deliberately teasing them, maintaining a distance of several meters, allowing them to hear his footsteps clearly, but without directly catching up with them.

"hateful……"

Just as Hayasaka Ai was about to entrust Kaguya Shinomiya on her back to Chika Fujiwara and risk her life to stop Sato's advance, she saw the metal gate above the corner ahead suddenly begin to fall.

"No... how could this be..."

The metal door descended extremely quickly. When Hayasaka Ai and the other two were still nearly ten meters away from it, it had already fallen more than halfway down. Hayasaka Ai and Fujiwara Chika realized that it was too late, so they simply turned around and stared warily at Sato not far away.

Facing Hayasaka Ai and Fujiwara Chika, Sato simply raised his hand to adjust his green beret and smiled as he spoke.

"Interesting, very interesting. I never thought that I, Sato, would one day be working with the Ajin Countermeasures Bureau."

Sato's so-called "cooperation" actually means that he has seen through the fact that the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau wants to use him to eliminate the player, or to use the player to restrain him. However, even though he knows this, Sato doesn't care.

This is equivalent to the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau using the metal door as an obstacle to plan a route for him. He just needs to keep walking, and he will definitely encounter the player.

"However, judging from your appearance, it seems you are unable to continue fighting. What a pity."

Sato shook his head, took out a pistol from his waist, and slowly spoke.

"In that case, I'll accept your props and equipment."

Faced with this situation, Hayasaka Ai was completely at a loss and even despaired, while Fujiwara Chika also had an unwilling expression on her face, and then suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Hey you!!! Help!!!"

This sudden shout stunned Sato, who was standing opposite him.

He truly hadn't expected that someone would cry for help at a time like this.

But the next second, Sato saw a scene that he could hardly believe.

The heavy metal gate, which had already fallen, slowly rose again. This was not controlled by the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau through the central system, but by a tall, burly black figure who was lifting the several-ton metal gate.

"That is……"

The moment Sato saw the black figure, his expression changed. Only then did he notice that in the recess where the metal door should have fallen, there was a metal object, like the tip of a rope dart, blocking the way.

"Did they use this thing to stop the metal door from falling, find a point of leverage, and lift it up by force...?"

Although Sato roughly understood what had happened, he found it hard to believe that such a thing could happen.

First of all, how could that rope-dart-like metal object withstand the weight of the falling metal door without breaking it? What material was it made of?

Secondly, what kind of monster is that black figure that was able to lift the metal door weighing several tons?

While Sato was still in a daze, a person wearing a long black trench coat and a dark gray mask slowly walked out from behind the raised metal door.

"Hey, who are you calling out to? You're not calling me, are you?"

Upon seeing the mysterious masked man, Fujiwara Chika, though she couldn't see his face, already knew his identity just from his voice, tone, and height, and said with delight.

"Yu... I knew you would come!"

"Stop talking nonsense. It's just pure blind luck. Do you think I'm your summoned beast that you can summon at a moment's notice?"

Asagiri first made a joke with a smile, then saw that Kaguya Shinomiya was being carried by Hayasaka Ai and noticed that the other's red eyes had dimmed. She immediately spoke to Asuna Yuuki and the others behind her.

“Violet, take them away, then you go around to that place.”

At this point, Asagiri paused slightly, looked directly at Sato who was standing there, and slowly began to speak.

"Leave this guy to me."

"Okay, I see."

Without hesitation, Yuuki Asuna beckoned Hayasaka Ai and Fujiwara Chika, who were carrying Shinomiya Kaguya, to come over. Upon hearing her voice and seeing a strand of flaxen hair falling from the deep red cloak, Fujiwara Chika immediately recognized her friend and ran over without hesitation.

Asagiri's decision was wise; every minute of delay increased the chances of the other player teams obtaining experimental data. However, Sato was clearly not going to give up so easily. The Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau was obviously trying to lead him to hunt down the players. Even if Asagiri and the others retreated behind the metal door, the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau could very well control the metal door to rise, allowing Sato to continue chasing the group.

With Fujiwara Chika, whose condition was already at its limit, and Shinomiya Kaguya, who could barely walk, it was impossible for them to escape Sato.

Therefore, the strongest Asagiri was left behind alone, while Yuuki Asuna, Kato Megumi, and Iwanaga Kotoko went to obtain experimental data while protecting Fujiwara Chika, Shinomiya Kaguya, and Hayasaka Ai.

"boom."

Seeing the metal gate fall back down, Sato looked at Asagiri in front of him, glanced at the rope dart chain hanging and swaying under the other's right arm, then raised his head and looked directly into Asagiri's eyes, his narrow eyes revealing a fanatical killing intent.

"You... are the strongest player, aren't you?"

40

Chapter 40: The roles of hunter and prey are reversed.

Asagiri ignored Sato's words, but Shura, who had been behind him, slowly stepped forward and stood quietly beside him.

"call……"

Sato subconsciously began to take deep breaths, looking at Asagiri standing there, and the tall, imposing Shura with faint red glow patterns on his body, and a feeling that was long forgotten and unfamiliar.

My muscles were tense and numb, sweat poured from my palms, and my heartbeat became increasingly rapid.

Sato knew very well that the person in front of him was very strong, so strong that just by standing there, he felt a long-lost tension and fear, as well as an excitement of being on the verge of death and fighting for his life.

When was the last time he had this feeling? It seems it was before he was executed by the gang and before he discovered that he was a demi-human, an immortal being.

"As expected, you are the best prey!"

A fanatical glint appeared in Sato's eyes. He raised his automatic rifle, aimed at Asagiri standing there, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Bang bang bang..."

The human-like Shura used its body to shield Asagiri, blocking all the rifle bullets fired by Sato. Because it had recently been destroyed by a volley of rifle bullets, its resistance to bullets had been enhanced through "Rebirth of the End." Automatic rifle fire could hardly damage it anymore; even if it took the hit head-on, the place where it was hit would only be slightly dented.

"Aren't the firearms working...?"

Sato frowned slightly upon seeing this, pondering what to do, when he saw the human demon rush towards him with agility completely disproportionate to its enormous size, its huge palm slapping directly at him.

Sato reacted quickly, immediately taking a step back and narrowly dodging the attack from the Human Asura. But before he could regain his footing, he saw Asagiri rush out from behind the Human Asura and throw a rope dart at his shoulder.

"so close……"

Sato quickly dodged to the side, and the sharp rope dart tore through his clothes, leaving a long, bloody gash on his shoulder.

"This guy is probably encountering a demi-human for the first time, but the way he attacked... is very targeted..."

Sato is not only outstanding in combat, but also has a high level of intelligence in analyzing and organizing information, or what is known as combat IQ.

He could tell that when Asagiri threw the rope dart, she deliberately aimed it at his shoulder. Her goal was to cripple his arms without killing him, so that he wouldn't be able to pull out his gun and commit suicide.

As Sato was intently watching the human Shura's movements, he heard a soft rattling sound as Asagiri approached him directly, her left hand clenched into a fist, and struck towards his abdomen.

"Hmph, despite possessing formidable strength, he's ultimately just an ordinary person who hasn't received professional training and lacks a combat mind..."

As Sato watched Asagiri's unadorned, undisguised straight punch aimed at his abdomen, a look of contempt flashed in his eyes.

He encountered many players along the way and has come to realize a characteristic of the player group: although they all possess unique powers, they lack combat experience. In fact, quite a few players don't understand combat at all; they have the power but don't know how to use it effectively.

The guy in front of me is strong, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

In just a moment, Sato had already come up with more than a dozen ways to deal with the situation, such as breaking the opponent's arm with a joint lock, or directly locking the opponent's throat and then blowing their head off with a shot.

It's foolish to recklessly choose to go forward in its true form, despite possessing the immense power of the towering shadow...

Just as Sato was about to grab Asagiri's arms with both hands and then use a joint lock, he saw the straight punch coming from the other party suddenly become faster. Before he could react, he was punched in the abdomen.

"Ahem! Puff!"

Sato coughed up blood, and the intense pain in his abdomen caused his body to bend over.

"You guy..."

Sato stared at the calm, unwavering black eyes beneath the dark gray mask, his expression twisted with extreme rage.

He never expected that his opponent would use such a technique. Wasn't this the kind of speed-changing technique used in combat sports? By getting the enemy into your rhythm, you suddenly increase the speed of your attack and deliver a fatal blow when the enemy is caught off guard.

and……

This guy's strength is terrifying!