The Dungeon Seeker

Chapter 6 - Final Examination ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ (Part 5)

After returning to the courtyard, Junpei was stunned seeing the tragedy ahead of him.

It should’ve been only less than five minutes since he left, but the venue was a mountain of corpses, and only a few can still move.

It would seem that the place was almost annihilated, except those who have escaped.

There was also Judy’s bloody figure collapsed outside the stage.

Ami is giving her first aid, butーーsome of her organs are coming out of her, and there was no way to treat her.

It would seem that Harada’s mental state has calmed down, he sat down and took deep breaths at his place.

「……」

Junpei silently walked towards Ami and Judy.

However, it looks like Harada noticed Junpei. He stood up and opened his mouth.

「Haha, it looks like you got a little stronger huh? I also started to calm down」

He swung his arms multiple times and shot【Vacuum Blade】towards Junpei.

Junpei easily dodged them and ran towards Ami at the same time.

「Junpei?」

「How’s the examiner?」

Ami shook her head and Junpei puts his hand into on his pocket.

「………tch, this is really……damn it……!」

「Hurry up and come here! Or do you want me to go there?! I mean, I’ll throw you into hell again!! Just like that time when Kido and I pushed you into the labyrinth!!」

That was probably a declaration made by Harada after combining with Nakabayashi and obtaining his memories.

ーー*ba-dump*

Junpei’s heart thumped greatly and something inside him popped.

Being undefeatable ever since coming outside, and the encounter and honeymoon with Ami.

Within those, feelings that he had forgotten in a short while.

That time when he was pushed into the labyrinth, that instant he knew he was in hell, they flashed back inside his head.

Kido and Noriko……and those cronies that despicably laughed at him.

ーーwhy the hell did I want to survive? Of course, it isーーfor revenge.

If I do not turn Kido and the others into meat chunks……there is no meaning to coming outside.

That’s right; it wouldn’t be worth it eating rotten flesh and sipping blood.

Junpei looked at Judy who was being looked after by Ami, and smiled deprecatingly.

「I already decided……that I won’t care about what means it is……as long as I survive, right? That’s why, I ate rotting flesh, right? ーーTakeda Junpei!! You’ve killed lots and lots of people……don’t start making up fucking reasons like……they’re not resisting or it’s murdering an innocent person……you’d be damned if you fucking get scared about killing now!!」

Junpei slapped both of his cheeks and roused himself.

「Oi, Judy-san?」

「……what?」

Junpei asked Judy who answered as if she was breathing her last breaths.

「Do you think you’d survive?」

Judy shook her head as if she had given up.

「Don’t think so」

「I guessed so. I’m relieved hearing that」

Junpei puts his hand on his waist.

What he took out was the Cerberus’s Canine.

「Hey, Junpei……? What are you doing?」

Junpei did not give a mind to Ami’s words.

To steal skillsーーthe opponent must be completely restrained.

However, Junpei has no time to restrain her freedom with Harada just ahead of them.

「Hey……are you serious?! This person……she, she did her best until she got this injured……just to save us……」

「Shut up! My determination will dullーーshut up for a moment」

Junpei placed the Cerberus’s Canine on Judy’s neck, and thought while pressing it in.

Right now, what I need to prioritize the most is Ami’s and my survival.

「That’s right. What I need to do……it doesn’t matter how I do it. If it is to surviveーー」

There is no other choice left.

The skill needed to survive is just right there. She won’t survive any longer.

If so, the choice is clear. In meansーー

ーーI’ll kill her and steal it……

Junpei widened his eyes and cuts through Judy’s neck.

Judy was immediately dissolved into light particles and turned into two skill cards.

「Skill【The Art of the Knife-wielder】……heroic-class. As expected of an S-Rank. I’ll use it thankfully」

He equipped it into his skill slot.

「Skill【Ten Thousand Darts】……heroic-class? Although it’s a trash skill……you’ve used it a lot huh」

Junpei equipped the skill【Ten Thousand Darts】into his skill slot while making an indescribable face.

「ーーwell then, the pieces are all here」

Junpei whispered to himself and climbed up to the stage.

「Now, let’s end all this, Harada!!」

Harada who was waiting for him made a fearless smile.

「And then? How would you defeat me?」

Junpei took out two knives with strings in the end.

「Well……for the meantime……there’s only the choice of attacking normally」

Harada pleasantly smiled the instant Junpei threw his knives.

「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」

The knife’s impact that was reflected back……no, that vector reflection of power, it was dodged by Junpei.

In the first place, power vector cannot be seen by the naked eye.

The physical reflection that Harada uses has the characteristics that it would return the impact of the attack that hits him, exactly back from the same point it landed.

And to dodge that, god-like skills of making one’s body move in an instant of thousandths of seconds before the reflected attack was received.

「You……dodged it?」

「It looks like I won the first stage of the gamble. Though……I really thought that it would become like this if I placed all of my stats into evasion」

Junpei continued to control his knives and throw them.

「【Physical Attack Reflection】!!」

After dodging the reflected attack, Junpei continued to attack with his knives.

That match was repeated several times.

「It’s useless no matter what you do though?」

「Well, although you’re saying that, your face doesn’t look as fine as your words?」

And when Junpei started to laugh, a wound was made on his cheek.

「Tch……!」

「Well, of course? In the first place……dodging reflecting attacks using something like prophetic-like abilities……that’s an absurd act you know? It’s not like you can dodge like forever, so it’s just gonna get worst you know?」

Junpei did not mind Harada’s words and continued to control his knives.

「If so, then wait for me to kill myself」

Several matches.

Tens of several matches.

Several hundred matches.

Junpei dodged the reflections of his own attacks adding to the attacks Harada himself made.

And while dodging all of that, while receiving some woundsーーten minutes have passed.

When he noticed it, Junpei’s whole body was covered with his own blood, and he was breathing profusely.

His knees were completely shaking and he looked like he’d collapse anytimeーー

「Haha! It looks like you were all but words?」

Junpei raised his middle finger towards the laughing Harada.

「Skill【Ten Thousand Darts】」

At the same time that Junpei shouted, aura arrows exceeding ten thousand was created around him.

「There’s almost no attacking power……but even so, it’s an attack that has mass, although it’s miniscule」

Junpei raised the corner of his lips.

「What that means, I don’t really need to explain it right?」

「……………………what are you talking about?」

「You’re still hiding it now……? Well, whatever」

Junpei raised his hand higher than his head and continued.

「There are many ways to counter physical reflections」

「What gibberish are you saying now? Vector reflection is synonymous to invincible at all times and places right?」

Unlike his words, there was sweat dripping off Harada’s temples.

「It’s true that it’s almost an invincible ability. However, the one using that skill……in this case, it’s you who is only human. On top of that, the one calculating is Nakabayashi’s brain……it’s only an ordinary man’s brain. No, rather……Nakabayashi’s head isn’t that good. I’m the one saying it, being at the same school with him before getting teleported. I’m very sure about that you know?」

「…………」

「Physical reflection. That kind of advanced calculation……do you think a human brain can process it forever? At least, I don’t think so, in fact……I also feel dull headaches if I use my abilities absurdly」

「……………………」

「And, so, I only need to attack you so much that your brain cannot withstand its processing. Most probably, even if it’s one attack following another, as long as the attack power isn’t so weak, it would become impossible to reflect. The human brain’s processing ability exceeds that after all. And so, right now, what I’m doing isーーa saturation attack using numbers」

Harada shrugged his shoulders, half-given up, hearing Junpei’s words.

「Those knife attacks……they were intentional, so that I’ll be exhausted before the last, saturation attack huh……you did, and even if it’s forced, attacked using numbers……is that what you mean?」

「That’s right. I mean, you……aren’t your headache already exceeding your limits with the attacks I did up until now?」

Harada jokingly said with a banzai pose.

「You got me there. It looks like you’ve seen through almost everything」

「Yeah, you fucking bastard. It’s checkmate」

Junpei dropped the hand he was raising and thousands of arrows fell towards Harada.

「Did you really think I’d say that?! You dumbass!!」

「……?」

「Haha!! I know that these arrows are just for show! Even if I receive all of them, there’d be almost zero damage! If so, I can just make through by releasing my reflectーー」

Junpei then said while placing the Cerberus’s Canine to his own wrist.

「Ahh, well, I thought that you’d do that」

Fresh blood spurting out. At the same time, the thousands of arrows disappeared. Junpei canceled the skill.

Blood cosmetic was plastered to Harada’s neck, some entered his eyes, and some entered his lungs through inhaling.

「This is the second gamble. I’d given up if you had status ailment resistance skills」

「Ah……re……?」

Harada presses his hand to his eye and his knees fell down.

「It looks like……I completely won the gamble」

Junpei released a middle-kick towards Harada’s face.

Harada was blown away up to the air, fell and rolled miserably on the ground, and finally fell off the stage.

Junpei also got off the stage with light movements.

And, he continued his words while cracking his knuckles.

「ーーit’s checkmate here」

Junpei straddles over Harada’s body.

Junpei then presses the Cerberus’s Canine to Harada’s neck.

Seeing him do that, Harada shouted with a strained voice.

「Sorry……Takeda……! It’s all my fault!」

「……Nakabayashi?」

「After losing……Harada’s mental control weakened. What I’m going to say right now, is my true and honest wordsーーlisten to me……Takeda」

「……?」

「At that time……I didn’t want to drop you into hell. Harada’s memories were also feeding back to me, so I know……I know what kind of place that is. You crawled out of that place right? I admire you」

「Then, I’ll ask you, why is it that, in the end, you pushed me down that abyss with Kido?」

「……I couldn’t go against Kido」

「……」

Junpei got silent but Nakabayashi continued to talk.

「Hey, Takeda? When you were sent to go buy bread, everyone else didn’t pay, but I gave you money many times」

「Come to think of it……that’s true」

「I’m not as rotten as the other guys. At that time, I really, I really tried to stop Kido……please. Forgive me, Takeda! I’ll ask you as your classmate once. Please……please don’t kill me」

Junpei thought of something for a while and made a slight smile.

「I see. I see, I see. You really couldn’t go against Kido huh……I get you. I totally get you. That guy’s so fucking absurd after all. He’d quickly throw his punches after all」

「That’s right, that’s right! I tried to stop him many times」

「But then, the reason I’m killing you, you know. It’s because Harada’s really a threat. And……right now, Harada stopped being a threat. Well, I can let you go if I want to」

「Please……Takeda! Don’t kill me……! We……we were once friends, right?」

“Un”, Junpei nodded and showed a smile.

「But, even leaving Harada asideーーjust like you couldn’t go against Kido, you can’t go against my anger fits. You can only compensate by dying」

「Eh……?!」

「Ah〜, also……Harada? Don’t look down on people alright? You desperately searched Nakabayashi’s memories……but those were the things you found? Did you really think you could escape using that? Well, sorry, but……that’sーー」

Junpei continued while cutting off Harada’s neck using the Cerberus’s Canine.

「ーーfucking dumb」

With the blood gushing out, splashing towards his whole body, Junpei looked to the sky with trembling shoulders.