Ecstas Online – Volume 7 – Chapter 1

Chapter 1 「Death Game」

 

Montfort, the abandoned island.

In the cold stone castle rising on its summit, there’s a bleak room similar to a church.

I was facing Shizukuishi Non there.

──She saw me.

The decisive moment when I’m Hellshaft.

The eyes of Shizukuishi behind the glasses remained wide open, she didn’t blink once. Making her lips tremble, she lets out an incoherent-sounding murmur.

– This is… Hellshaft-sama… no, it shouldn’t… it shouldn’t be.

She saw the decisive scene.

Damn, what do I do? What excuse should I make!?

– That’s right, that shouldn’t be, Hellshaft-sama transformed himself into Doumeguri-kun, perhaps…?

Of course! There was that interpretation too!

– Y-yeah. That’s right. Actually, I’m thinking of infiltrating the 2A Guild and spying on their movements.

Shizukuishi gasped. And wore a tense smile.

– Is… that so? Since when?

– Eh? W-well… that’s… I’ll be doing so from now on.

– Why Doumeguri-kun? What if you run into him?

– I’ll walk around that nicely…

No! My character is slightly off!

Damn it! My attitude doesn’t change completely unless I’m dressed in the Demon King Armor. I’m staring straight at Shizukuishi’s face.

The world I see is different from Hellshaft’s. The different eye heights and body sizes make the world feel completely different. Those make my feelings fix to Doumeguri Kakeru.

No! But I have to do something here!

– Ku… black-haired witch. I’ve always been grateful for your work. Thanks to that, my territory has expanded, so I’ve thought of giving you territory.

Shizukuishi’s face turned pale and her eyes looked like cold glass spheres.

– Thank you very much. However, I would like to work by your side, Hellshaft-sama.

Her voice was that of a machine, it felt emotionless.

– And ──this convinced me.

– Hmm?

– This explains why you were wearing that equipment that you shouldn’t have had when we met for the first time.

– … Eh?

When we met for the first time.

I took out a low-level, simple equipment from Infermia’s warehouse.

But it wasn’t something I could get near Caldart, or something I could get at my level. Shizukuishi pointed that out; she has been suspecting me for a while.

What should I answer?

Exactl──no, not that.

I should deny it──that’s wrong too.

From that moment, she came to the conclusion that we were the same person.

I didn’t know.

What are you talking about? I asked.

– What’s th──

– 『Mega Destruction』

A sorcery book appeared out of nowhere in Shizukuishi’s hand. And a magic circle that glows red spread at my feet.

──Kuh!?

I escape from the range of the offensive magic effect by jumping sideways. The moment the tip of my toes got away from it, an explosion occurred. The fierce flames and blast from the explosion swirled through the room, blowing my body away.

– Guah!?

Thrown violently against the wall, I fell to the floor. I can’t fall down in a carefree manner. She’ll probably come after me.

– Wa-wait! Shizukuishi!!

As I jump up to my feet, I open the menu.

I say so, but I know it’s useless anymore.

Shizukuishi was convinced. Perhaps she read the truth from my facial expression and attitude, as well as the time lag before replying.

– A lie… this is a lie. There’s no way Hellshaft-sama is an insignificant human being like Doumeguri-kun. N-no, he shouldn’t be.

With a dangerous look in her eyes, Shizukuishi mutters as if persuading herself.

– That shouldn’t be that thing. I have to kill that thing. I have to break that thing. That thing isn’t Hellshaft-sama. It’s not Hellshaft-sama!

She──,

Really wants to kill me?

The shock was so high that she was confused, and lost. A kind of hysteria. The urge to destroy. She had lost reason. A killing intent created by uncontrollable emotions.

Shizukuishi extends her right hand. A magic circle unfolded at the fingertips.

– 『Flame Tempest』 !!

Like I’ll let you!!

I touched the adult mode magic in the menu.

– 『Ecstas』!!!

A heart-shaped pink crest shines on the lower body of Shizukuishi.

– Kuuh!?

Shizukuishi’s face was distorted in surprise. The magic circle spreading at her fingertips loses its shape. This is the result of losing mental strength due to the effect of Ecstas.

– Kuh… damn you!!

Still, Shizukuishi tries to cast magic again. The collapsed magic circle regains its shape.

What a formidable force of will. But──,

– 『Hell & Heaven』!!

– Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?

A scream burst out of Shizukuishi’s mouth.

The stone church turns into a torture room. Shizukuishi ‘s arms were chained and fixed to the left and right walls. Her arms are forcibly open, now she’s not allowed to hide her body or sit.

And the equipment she wore also changed to suit this stage.

Black leather strings rather than clothes. The binding strings bite into her white soft skin, making Shizukuishi’s slender body look sensual.

She’s tied up around the breasts, emphasizing the humble bulges and making them appear to be larger in size. And since the crotch, her important part, is constricted from the left and right, it swells up and becomes obscener.

Shizukuishi yelled, turning her face red with anger rather than bashfulness.

– D-damn you… pervert!

– But you presented your body yourself the other day, no?

– Don’t make fun of me! That! That wasn’t you! It was Hellshaft-sama!

– But you believe that I’m Hellshaft, don’t you?  That’s why you can’t forgive me. You cannot help but kill me.

– Guh…!!

Shizukuishi clenches her teeth. I heard the sound of her teeth grinding.

– Shizukuishi. I’m Doumeguri Kakeru. I’m the boring and aloof Doumeguri from 2-A. And── 

As if sentencing her to death,

– The Demon King Hellshaft──

– I don’t accept it!

Shizukuishi shouted loudly as if to overwrite my sentence.

– Don’t lie! I don’t accept it! I’ll never accept it! I don’t accept to screaming that it’s true! That’s not my truth! If you insist that it is a fact, I’ll twist the truth!

Shizukuishi screamed like a beast and rampaged. However, the chains only made metallic sounds, they didn’t come off or were removed.

– I need to make you behave a little.

Before I knew it, I had a riding crop in my hand. Guessing my intentions, Shizukuishi glared at me with a demon-like face instead of a frightened one.

– No matter what you give me, whether it’s pain or pleasure, it’s impossible to change my will.

You’re probably right.

– But if I don’t make you lose your spirit a little, we won’t be able to talk properly.

I hit Shizukuishi’s thigh lightly with the crop.

– Hyuh ❤ ……!?

A sharp sound echoes and the number 10 emerges. At the moment when red lines were carved on the white thigh, Shizukuishi showed a sensual expression on her face. However, she soon changes it into a surprised one.

– This is….

– I got you to cool down your anger a little. Now that things have come to this, I’ll get you to listen to me.

– Don’t fool around! Who would listen to what you──hiih ❤!!

This time, I carve a red line on her soft belly. Along with the number that represents HP damage, Shizukuishi distorts her face with pleasure again.

– Isn’t… isn’t it embarrassing to use this kind of trick?

It’s embarrassing. No, I used to think so, but now it’s not so much, perhaps because my senses have gradually become numb.

Humans are creatures that get used to stimulation. Even though it’s a shameful act at first, if one does it every day, it becomes a natural event. Even if it’s an extraordinary thing like murder.

However, this is the first time I do it in the shape of Doumeguri Kakeru. When I become aware of that, my heart sways.

But I can’t flinch here.

I’ve finally come this far. Am I going to concede everything because of this?

– I don’t have a choice. Besides, I can’t choose the means for my goal.

– Go… goal? Oh, I understand. Having being reincarnated in a game world, you’re thinking of doing eroge-like things.

Dyeing her cheeks with obscene pleasure, Shizukuishi smiled as if looking down on me.

Whatever you say, you’re eroge itself, Shizukuishi.

– My goal is to live and return to our world.

As I turn behind Shizukuishi, her beautiful butt looks into my face from under her long black hair. As if doing an advance notice, I hit the stainless, beautiful roundness with the tip of the crop.

– … And to do so, it has to be with you all.

– Wai…!

Before I heard her voice stopping me, I swung the crop down on her butt.

– Ihh!!

A good sound, the best so far, resounded.

– Ah… hah… ❤.

When I looked into Shizukuishi’s face, her eyes were about to quaver and her mouth was loosely opened. When I deliver one or two more shots, she shook her body and raised a voice of pleasure.

– Hyaaaaann ❤.

Due to the strength leaving her body, Shizukuishi hung loosely on the chains. Drool hangs down from the edge of her lips, stretching out. I’m sure her brain is affected by the pleasure gnawing at her body.

– Shizukuishi. When I was in our world, I was working part-time as a subcontractor for the game company that created this world. The character I was in charge of at that time was the Demon King Hellshaft.

– What… did you say…?

– The other day, in Infermia, you met Aikawa-san. She is my boss. That person was just logged in at work and was dragged into this. The hypothesis you had come up with before, about why we were dragged into this, is absolutely correct.

When I first arrived in this world, I heard from Asagiri the hypothesis that Shizukuishi had made. Her theory says that the World Heritage first-hand experience content and Exodia Exodus shared the same system, so we ended up logging in due to some kind of impediment.

– But this is not a mere impediment.

– Han, nobody wants to hear your delusions──higiih ❤!!

A sharp sound is made and a mark of the crop is left on her butt. Then I turned forward and lifted Shizukuishi’s humble breasts with the tip of the crop. The tip of the pink breasts was hard and pointy, expressing the lewd pleasure that the body felt regardless of Shizukuishi’s intention.

– Someone sent us into this game world.

– … Hn, w… who?

Shizukuishi asks challengingly with a sweet voice, without meaning to feel it.

– We’re investigating so. And one more thing, it’s true that I want to help you.

– Then, be killed obediently… Uaaaaaanh ❤ No, not, there!

The tip of Shizukuishi’s breast is teased with the tip of the crop. Her body seemed to react to the pleasant feeling, and made her body twist and turn.

– If we go through Hell’s Gate, we can certainly log out. However, our consciousness data will disappear too. If we let them connect to our bodies──the destination of our consciousness data in the real world and prepare to overwrite the consciousness data in our physical bodies, we’ll die.

Shizukuishi glares at me with upturned eyes while gasping over and over.

– Why are you… trusting me this?

– If you can’t trust me, our relationship is over. I can help you, but I won’t go as far as risking my own life.

– Alright. But don’t torment me to death. If you do it, I’ll revive in Shart, my hideout. It’s a long way to Caldart, but I’ll tell the 2A Guild about this.

This bitch.

– You’re smart. You know what I want you to do, don’t you?

– What? You want me to lick you?

With a bewitching smile, she laughs at me.

– Don’t tell anything to the 2A Guild and cooperate with me. In the same manner as before, as the Black Dawn Group.

– Yes, that’s what I plan to do──however.

Shizukuishi put strength into her eyes.

– I follow Hellshaft-sama, not you.

– We’re the same, aren’t we?

– No. I’m not going to equate the performing voice actor with my favorite character. If you insist that you’re Hellshaft-sama….

After a short pause, she muttered in a low voice.

– Then Hellshaft-sama is dead.

– Shizukuishi….

– And as the new god, Hellshaft-sama will reign in a world unaffected by us. And then I will inherit the wishes of Hellshaft-sama and conquer this world.

– … Shizukuishi, I kept it a secret until now because I thought no one would trust me even if I told the truth. But──

– I don’t care! Kill me fast!!

Shizukuishi’s cry echoed in the torture room. Tears were overflowing from her eyes.

– I… don’t want to see you anymore….

──Is that so?

What I said so far didn’t work, so it cannot be helped.

If she spreads this fact through 2A Guild, it’ll be a matter of whether they believe it or not, but… the way Shizukuishi is now, it’s highly likely that they won’t listen to her.

… No,

Only Asagiri trusts her, no?

In any case, the past cannot be changed. I have no choice but to deal with what will happen from now on.

I swung up the crop to reduce Shizukuishi’s HP to 0.

 

『The expansion has been applied』

 

Suddenly, a window opened in front of us.

 

– What…?

Then, pop-up windows open one after another as if infected with a virus.

– Hey… what, is, this? What did you do?

– Not even I know! What the hell is this!?

 

The expansion has already been applied──it should have been applied when I met the requirements. But now this message comes out… does it mean that only the display of the message was delayed?

As if the messages that had been dammed up until now were spit out all at once, the messages piled up hectically. And──they stopped.

 

『After the expansion is applied, you cannot be revived once you die. Please be careful』

 

The message floats in a cold way.

– Wha….

What? What is this message….?

──You cannot be revived once you die?

Hey,

Wait a minute,

Why now?

I’m Hellshaft, so it’s over for me if I die. From the beginning. Needless to say that now. But──,

Shizukuishi is also staring at the air with a stunned face.

──Can she see it? Shizukuishi?

This isn’t just for me. The fact that it can be seen by Shizukuishi means that it’s probably a simultaneous distribution of information.

That means──!?

I hurriedly let go of the whip I was raising overhead.

At that moment, the effect of 『Hell & Heaven』wore off. The space, that was the torture room, returned to how it was before, a church, and Shizukuishi’s clothes went back to her usual equipment.

However, Shizukuishi was staring at the void with a blank face, as if she was still affected by 『Hell & Heaven』.

– Hey, what does this mean?

– If we take it as it is, we’ll definitely won’t be able to revive… it’s the same as real death.

– No way….

– Sorry. I can no longer make you revive in Shart. Please return on your own.

I pass by the standing Shizukuishi and got out of the room.

Even Shizukuishi was shocked.

That’s, to be expected. I’m shocked too.

However, because it’s her, she may get back on her feet soon and start new actions. But what if she really were to reveal my identity or be after my life?

Even when I ask myself that, for some reason, a sense of danger didn’t well up.

That’s the way it goes.

A lot of things have happened lately. Immediately after the matter of Asagiri, Souma, the man in the mirror mask, Hell’s Line, and Orzelia had been put in order, this time the specifications have changed so that reviving was impossible.

Due to 70% of the world being under my control, the expansion was applied. Then it might be my fault.

However, even though I did so, it’s true that there was no other way.

I went down the stairs to the basement of the castle, which I didn’t go to when I came before.

Perhaps there’s something here. I expected that the maps added from now on will have new clues. Besides──,

I went down to the bottom floor and stared at the end of the corridor. Lamps are lined up on the walls, and yellow lights flicker.

My eyes are drawn to the wooden door at the end.

I don’t know the reason, but I have a feeling.

──There’s no mistake, there are clues here.

But when I think calmly about it, I have no basis for it. Why do I happen to think such a thing?

I go to the front of the door and grab the door knob.

– Eh?

A small window popped up and said 『UNLOCK』. With a clank, I heard the sound of a key.

I don’t have any key items though… what if it’s a method in which it opens of its own accord if the conditions are met?

I opened the door and looked inside cautiously.

If I come across a monster that is walking in this direction, don’t worry… oh, I can just wear the Demon King Armor. When I do a self-retort, I was able to confirm that the room was deserted.

There were no people, but it was a room with a certain sense of life.

A bookshelf and tableware on the wall. On the other side is a writing-like desk and a chair. There’s a retro typewriter-like keyboard.

In the center of the room, there are a round table and two chairs. There are several books, paper and pens on the table, maybe some work was being done.

It doesn’t look like this place had been invaded.

Montfort, this castle and the castle town are in complete ruins, but it feels like someone was using this place until yesterday.

Besides, it was strangely cozy.

I picked up the paper placed on the round table.

It was a map. I don’t know where the location is, but it has a mark in the center and letters written in it.

– … The Devil’s Altar?

What an uncanny name. For some reason, I don’t want to get near that place, I thought.

When I put the paper back where it was, I quickly tried looking through elsewhere. However, there was nothing special.

Do I ask Aikawa-san for the time being….?

I chose teleport from the system command and when I was about to touch the option “Infermia”,

– ….

I looked inside the room again.

What?

I strangely found it difficult to leave.

And spontaneously revealed a wry smile. Jeez, why did I like it so much?

──That’s right!!

I suddenly remembered something.

Yup. I had better wear the Demon King Armor first. The moment I travel to Infermia, it can turn into a dangerous situation.

Shizukuishi just saw me. I don’t want to add more trouble.

I imagined the future where I’m reporting the incident with Shizukuishi to Aikawa-san.

I Immediately had a heavy feeling.

… Should I go to Caldart first?

It’s a good idea to take a look at the 2A Guild before Shizukuishi returns. Also, I need to ask Mel about this room.

Due to various reasons, I stopped wearing the Demon King Armor. Deciding to purposely being accused of just delaying what I didn’t like, I chose Caldart from the menu destination.

 

 

+      +      +

 

 

When I returned to Caldart, I came to my home (?) In Caldart Park Town, a residential area in the suburbs, rather than going to the Guild Hall.

– Oooooooooo! Darling!! It’s you, darling!!

I narrowly died after she hurled herself at me violently and ate a strong hug. However, I barely escaped death. It’s wonderful to be alive.

I’m now relaxing wearily on the sofa in the living room. Mel was clinging to my arm tightly so as to not let me escape.

– Jeez. Darling leaves his new wife alone too much. We’re going through a family crisis.

– … What’s with this setting?

Mel waved her left hand in front of me. The ring on the ring finger reflects the light and shines brilliantly.

The set of rings I bought in Astel. By the way, I didn’t put it on my finger, but attached a chain to make it a necklace.

– Hey, that’s not what it means. We simply said that finger was okay, so I put it on it, no?

– It’s too late for that.

You know it’s wrong yet you’re doing it anyways!

It’s often said that way to use it is wrong, but she’s saying it again! This perpetrator of obvious crimes!

But no matter what I said, Mel just showed off her ring with a triumphant look.

– Come to think of it. You really don’t remember what happened at the square in Astel?

– Hmm? Are you talking about when Mel was like a different person?

She looked like Mel, but the one inside was totally different. The way she spoke and her facial expressions were completely different. If forced to say it, it feels like someone else was logged in, perhaps? Since Mel is an NPC, it may be closer to say that the AI ​​configuration have been replaced with another character.

When she saw me, she appeared to have a very happy reaction and the shocking reaction that came afterwards was awfully real too.

– Now that you mention it, I feel like that happened… but I’m unable to understand it.

– Is that so…? Then, do you know the room in the basement of Montfort?

– There are a lot of rooms though.

– Oh, there’s a bookshelf, some sort of writing desk on the opposite wall… there’s a round table and chairs in the middle of the room….

Mel frowned annoyingly and folded her arms.

– I’m not sure. I won’t know until I go.

– I see… should I take Mel to Montfort next time?

– That’s a good idea! A trip! Our honeymoon!!

Mel brought her face really close. Closer and closer.

– When we’ll be going!?  Now? Is it now!?

– We’re not going now!  Not now! So calm down!

Mel became angry and held my arms strongly.

– How boring.

– I have some work to do in Caldart. And I have to go back to Infermia for a moment.

I’m also worried about Adra and Grasha, who fought against the 2A Guild and sustained serious wounds.

I tried to stand up, but I felt the weight of Mel on my arm. With a half-hearted attitude, I told Mel.

– Let me go, Mel. I have to leave.

– … I refuse.

– I came to see you, no?  Don’t be selfish.

– I… want to be with darling more.

– Why?

– … I don’t know. But when you’re away somehow, I feel very lonely.

Well, I don’t dislike her for becoming attached to me this much.

I stroked Mel’s head. She closed her eyes partly, like she was feeling good, and when the lock on my arm was loosened,

– Ah!? Darling!

I pull out my arm quickly and move away from the sofa.

– I have something important to do. Be a good girl and wait.

– You want me to wait… and wait.

I left home, turning my back on Mel who looked sad.

In her state, it’s unlikely that I’ll get any new information when I take her to Montfort. Time is precious. Mel is also cute when it comes to cuteness, but it’s a waste of time.

I quickly left Caldart Park Town and headed towards the Guild Hall.

 

 

+      +      +

 

 

In the lobby of the Guild Hall, there is a corner where the 2A Guild hangs out. There were Busujima, Miyakoshi, Ougiya, and… who was that guy again?

– Oh, if it isn’t Doumeguri. Did you go somewhere?

Ougiya, who’s sitting with his legs outstretched, raises one hand. His foolish attitude isn’t something I worry too much about. In the past, every action he did rubbed me the wrong way. I wonder if I got used to this too.

– I was just wandering around town a little. I thought that maybe they were selling new items or something.

– Hmm, well, don’t stand around and sit down.

His attitude was as prideful as always, but not the point of being evil. By taking a prideful and bold attitude, he wants to show off that he’s a strong person, that’s what he wants to believe, or even if he doesn’t go that far, he feels good behaving like that.

In the end, that’s about it. It’s not like he has deep thoughts or planned anything.

How cute.

I searched for an empty spot and when I was about to sit down on the nearest place.

– Eh.

Busujima was sitting alone on a sofa for three people, so I chose it──but Busujima frowned.

Busujima was sitting on the left end, so I thought I’d maintain a distance from her and sit on the right end, but it seemed impossible. I raised the hips I brought down and tried to go where Ougiya and the background character were sitting.

– Hey… why are you avoiding me!?

Busujima complains, looking upset, but I’m the one who is upset.

– Because you looked disgusted.

– D-don’t make your own interpretations! It looks like you’re avoiding me somehow, and that makes me feel angry.

Then, I take her up on her offer──sit down at the edge,

She complained, 「Why does it look like you’re that wary of me? 」, since that was the case, I approached the center, then she got angry and said 「Too close」. It’s completely hard to get how this person feels.

And when Ougiya saw me being played around like that, he laughed heartily. It’s a little scary that Miyakoshi is staring at me with moist eyes.

– What about Ichinomiya?

– He hasn’t come back yet, right? Yamada.

Ougiya talked to the plain-faced background character sitting next to him. Right, he was Yamada.

– Astel is far away, so it takes time to make a round trip.

He said the obvious thing.

Ichinomiya, Leonhardt, Hinazawa, and Yuuki are on an expedition to Astel to negotiate with Oohara and his followers, the Oohara Girls. The details of the negotiation are a request to cooperate with the 2A Guild. Since they don’t want to participate in direct combat, there’s no problem if they just use their production skills and provide logistical support.

It’d be great for the 2A Guild to have Oohara and the others, who are manufacturers, make advantageous items. Besides, Oohara and the girls can get the 2A Guild to protect them. If so, both parties get benefits. It’s not an unreasonable proposal.

However, that carefree Oohara and Oohara Girls. Perhaps the negotiations became a drawn-out war.

I looked inside the hall and,

– What about Asagiri and Arisugawa?

When I asked so, the adjacent Busujima expressed a feeling of 「Ugh」with half of her face.

– What? Do you care that much about the girls?

– Well, Arisugawa is…

– Huh? Are you discriminating Alice-chan?

… I see. Arisugawa is treated as a girl already? Namely, that. An LGBT They get angry when one looks down on or discriminates against sexual minorities.

That means that Arisugawa has already come out. Everyone has accepted him, so I’ll start treating Arisugawa as a girl from now on.

– Oh… umm, it’s not because they’re girls, but because I just can’t see them.

Busujima seems to be really in a bad mood, then raises her face irritably,

– Alice-chan went shopping at the market. I don’t know where Asagiri-san is.

– Recently, she’s been acting alone a lot. That girl.

Miyakoshi, who rested her chin in her hands and sat slovenly on the sofa, said something that had a certain implication.

– Eh, what, what? What’s wrong?

Arisugawa came with a big paper bag in both hands.

– Today, every shop was holding bargain sales, so it ended up taking me some time.

She places the large paper bag on the table and wipes the sweat off her forehead while taking a breath. Her face was that of a beautiful girl, I had no resistance to treating her as a girl.

… What?

Arisugawa wasn’t originally a girl, was she?

Somehow, I’m not so sure.

Busujima looked into the paper bag and smiled happily.

– Heee, you bought a lot. Are we having a feast today?

– Ahaha, most probably. It would be just perfect if Hinazawa-san and the others came back.

As if suddenly remembering, I asked.

– Ichinomiya went right after Oohara and the others, right? If so, since he caught up with them on the way, it shouldn’t take them too long.

Ougiya replied to my question with disgust.

– What are you talking about? Didn’t they commit suicide? I mean, weren’t you with them?

──Suicide?

I felt a chill run down my spine.

Busujima, who’s next to me, said sounding worried.

– Oohara and the others committed suicide right after being released from Orzelia Order.  We invited them to come to Caldart, however.

Suicide──although it’s actually teleportation. In other words, it’s faster to die and revive than to return to Astel by ordinary means of transportation. But──,

 

『After the expansion is applied, you cannot be revived once you die. Please be careful』

 

Busujima turned to me with an even worried face.

– But there was that strange message we got some time ago, no? Isn’t that…?

Ougiya laughed lightheartedly while making his face go stiff.

– Hahaha, that was obviously a joke. And even if it was true, that thing, Oohara and the others died before that. It’s all good.

– Yeah… he’s right.

However, Busujima’s facial expression still showed doubts. Miyakoshi also raised a depressed face.

– But I don’t feel like checking if that message is true or not. I’m not going to die anymore. Ougiya, if you say it’s a joke, try dying.

– A-are you joking!? I-I’m not doing that at all!

Busujima stares at me with imploring eyes.

– Hey, we’ve died a lot until now. Is it possible to say that we shouldn’t die anymore?

Don’t ask me.

– About… that, if we’re careful, we can do something about it, right? It would have been bad if we were underleveled, but everyone is strong already.

The face of Busujima, which had been sunk in the dark, quickly regained its brightness.

– T-that’s right. That decides it! Yeah, I’m glad I got stronger〜.

Arisugawa grabbed the skirt of the apron dress shyly and tightly.

– I’m still not confident… ahaha.

– It’s okay, it’s okay. We’ll protect you! W-what about you, Doumeguri…?

– Eh?  I… I’m still not confident.

– Is that so…? Then, I’ll also──

At that moment, the door of the hall opened, making a loud sound. When I turned towards it, looking surprised, Ichinomiya rushed in with great momentum.

– Hyah!?  A-Akira-kun!?

Arisugawa drew back her body frighteningly. Ichinomiya’s expression was that angry.

It’s rare for this guy to make a face like──ah, no way!

Did he find out my real identity!?

No, but the probability that Shizukuishi would meet Ichinomiya by chance should be low──.

Ichinomiya shouted, without looking at the nervous me.

– Hinazawa!? Hinazawa hasn’t come back!?

We froze, our mouths partly open.

Ichinomiya quickly runs his eyes into the hall. He clicked his tongue and yelled even louder.

– Tell me!! Is she here or not!?

Arisugawa was frightened by his tremendous menacing look, she has tears in her eyes. Ougiya wore a stiffened smile and waved his hand from left to right.

– Hey, hey, what are you talking about, Akira-kun? You and the others were with Hinazawa, no?

At that moment, the door of the hall opened, making a sound. The ones who came in while panting were Yuuki and Leonhardt.

Yuuki raises her sweaty face and shouts, looking desperate.

– And!? Was she here!?

Above all, it surprised me that Yuuki talked that loudly.

Then, a strange anxiety creeps up on us sitting on the sofa leisurely.

Miyakoshi tilted her head to the side and replied.

– I don’t know why you’re at your wit’s end, but I haven’t seen her. What about you, Meg?

– Eh… me neither….

The boys and Arisugawa also shook their heads from side to side.

– No way….

Yuuki fell to her knees as if collapsing.

Ichinomiya clenches his teeth and makes his shoulder quiver. Leonhardt also didn’t show his usual insane conduct, he hung his head in silence.

Unable to stand it, I asked Ichinomiya.

– What happened? What happened to Hinazawa?

Ichinomiya made a wry face and said with a bleeding heart.

– Hinazawa is… dead.

That was a very light event since we came to this world.

Even if one dies, one will come back to life. The only disadvantage is that it takes time to regain XP. This is because “death” isn’t a matter of life or death; if this was the real world, it’d be an unthinkable and illogical world.

──However,

『After the expansion is applied, you cannot be revived once you die. Please be careful』

The inside of my chest grows cold rapidly.

Was that message true?

Is Hinazawa really?

What about Oohara and the others?

The way that last message was displayed was strange. It’s as if something that was obstructed was released all at once.

Wasn’t that what was supposed to be displayed the moment the conditions of the application of the expansion were met?

– She’s not dead!!

Yuuki suddenly stood up.

– I’m sure she’s somewhere! She must have revived somewhere in Caldart, I’m sure of it!

Yuuki dyed the area around her eyes bright red and rushed out of the Guild Hall.

Staring at her back in blank amazement,

– I-I’ll also look for her for a moment.

– Me too….

– That’s right… Hinazawa-san isn’t the kind of person who dies even if she’s killed. I’ll look for her too!

They stood up one by one and went out.

The ones who remained were Ichinomiya and I.

– … What happened? Ichinomiya.

Ichinomiya showed an angry expression on his face, he was about to burst into tears.

 

 

+      +      +

 

 

In my room in Infermia, I was sitting on the bed alongside Aikawa-san. I took off the Demon King Armor, my appearance was that of Doumeguri Kakeru. Aikawa-san is listening to me in her usual slave clothes.

– ──So, was Hinazawa-san found?

– … No.

Aikawa-san cast her eyes downward, feeling sad.

– Yes…  but we’re in Exodia Exodus. Unlike in reality, corpses don’t remain, and probably there’s a chance that the data is stored somewhere….

Thank you for telling me something to cheer me up. But I answer, still feeling down.

– In the end, there were casualties. It’s my fault for applying the expansion.

I don’t think that message is fake.

I felt like it was conveying the seriousness of the mastermind that caused this impediment.

My head is pulled from the side all of a sudden.

– …!?

Aikawa-san hugs my head and makes it be buried in her big breasts.

I, who didn’t have the energy to fight back, went along without resistance.

– Don’t misunderstand. Even if Hinazawa-san really died, no matter who ends up dying in the future, it’s not because of you, Doumeguri-kun.

I tasted the sensation of Aikawa-san’s voluptuous breasts. They were very warm, had a sweet scent and a tender tactile sensation. Why at a time like this? I thought, but its magic power had an illogical serenity that made me want to fawn on it.

– You’re kind… Aikawa-san.

– It’s just a fact. It was your classmate named Shikiba who killed Hinazawa-san.

And the main culprit is the mysterious mastermind who created this situation… the mirror mask.

Aikawa-san’s hand stroking my head is tremendously gentle.

The power of motherhood the older women have is amazing. Or is it just that a man is always a child, no matter how much time passes, and straightforward?

– We are just players, not omnipotent and omniscient beings. Rather, Doumeguri-kun is doing well. If you had run away, all the children of the 2A Guild would be dead by now.

– … Thank you very much.

I separated my face from Aikawa-san’s breasts. I feel a little reluctant to depart from them though.

– So, what kind of child was that Shikiba?

──The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, Shikiba Takumi .

I never talked with him. But in the classroom, he always talked with someone and laughed happily. From my memory, I can only remember his smile.

– I don’t know him much, but based on what other people say, he’s a bright and good guy who participated in short-distance races with the track and field club. He always smiled and had high communication abilities.

Aikawa-san made a pondering gesture and groaned a little.

– If so, it’s highly likely that he has other students under his command.

I predicted the same. I’ve surveyed most of the map, but I couldn’t find the remaining 14 people. Shikiba appeared from the other side of the wall. When it comes to that, it’s natural to think that the rest of the students are also on the other side of the wall.

– Yes. It’s possible that they’re creating an organization with Shikiba at the top. If they all came with the intention of killing the 2A Guild… things will get really bad.

Aside from NPCs, my former classmates, the Berserkers, are out of control.

Also, according to Ichinomiya, Shikiba seems to have leveled up considerably. With Yuuki crying and rampaging, they ran away, barely escaping alive──Ichinomiya’s look of anguish is burned in my eyes.

– Anyway, I’d love to get in touch with the outside using Hell’s Line as soon as possible.

– Yeah… the manual was stolen at the library. I’m sorry for that.

It wasn’t that she blamed me for it, but I felt like she sighed 「I wish you were a little more dependable…」.

– Actually… there’s one more thing. I screwed up on Montfort….

– There’s more?

With a bitter smile, Aikawa shrugged her shoulders.

– I don’t have the energy to get angry anymore. What is it?

I casually reported that Shizukuishi had found out my real identity as a nonchalant and unimportant event.

– What the hell are you dooooooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnggg!?!?

She got angry. It was a mistake to wring out the angry energy that shouldn’t have been there.

Aikawa-san puts a hand on her forehead and hangs her head disappointingly.

– … You did something you can’t recover from.

– Yes… I have no excuses… honestly, I think it’s only a matter of time before my identity is revealed to the rest.

Aikawa-san bent her face backwards and faced the ceiling this time.

– Then… we can say that girl won’t come to Infermia anymore….

– Well, that’s to be expected… even if she came, I officially proclaimed not to let her enter the castle again.

Aikawa-san turned to me and sighed in a big way.

– Let bygones be bygones.

Huh? That fast?

Aikawa-san’s hand is piled up on my ha──Eh?

– But pay attention to your safety.

– Y-yes. Well, dying before this already meant it’d be game over for me.

– That’s not it. It’s not that the greatest hate proceeds from the greatest love, but Shizukuishi-san might try to assassinate you, you know?

Uwaa… that’s terrible, probably.

– It’s safe to be in Infermia, but….

Aikawa-san’s soft hand squeezed my hand.

Somehow, it tells me that she’s worried about me. I felt encouraged.

– I will be careful. For the time being, I will plan a strategy with Hellzekter in a moment.

– Are you going to attack the other side of the wall with the Demon King Army?

If we die, it’s over, and if that’s true, then I’m not going to take the 2A Guild with me. But──,

The faces of Grasha, Adra, Satanachia, and Forneus appear behind my closed eyelids.

It will be the same for them.

I cannot let them die.

Aikawa-san brought her body near me and leaned lightly.

– You may be fighting against your classmates in the future.

– That’s right….

If that happens, what should I do?

Do I have to kill Shikiba and the others?

Will I kill my other classmates to save my life and the life of the 2A Guild?

Will I kill my other classmates to save the Hellzekter and the AI characters?

Conversely, will I let the 2A Guild or Hellzekter die without helping them to save those who are trying to kill us?

It just worries me a little, it’s not a problem that I can’t find the answer to. Only the weight of Aikawa-san leaning on me was felt to be certain.

 

 

+      +      +

 

 

The Demon King’s Tower soaring in the center of Infermia. Located on the upper floor, the space of the Demon King is a place where only the Demon King and the four leaders, the Hellzekter, are allowed to enter.  

We haven’t gathered like this in a long while.

Adra bows deeply towards me.

– We are very sorry for making you worry.

– Uh huh. Are you okay already?

Grasha answers on behalf of Adra.

– Yeah, we’re completely recovered! Well, we recovered long ago though.  King-sama has had it easy; I mean, he’s been hunting and playing around somewhere.

Grasha, I haven’t had it easy!

– Both seem to be fine, which is the most important. Keep working diligently again.

– Understood.

– Yes!! I’ve been a bit negligent lately, but next time I’ll beat them up all at once!

Adra repositioned his glasses and wore an eerie smile.

– Even though I won, that level of humiliation…  that man, I will get my revenge.

Their words that I always felt reassuring now sound sad.

It’s no longer possible for them to compete with the 2A Guild.

The more they level up, the stronger they get. Their talent or ability have nothing to do with this, if they increase their XP as if doing plain office work, they’ll become stronger.

These guys don’t know that.

Even though they were that much damaged, they seriously think they can win next time.

If there’s a next match, they’ll definitely be defeated.

I felt that my chest was tightened by pain.

– You’re as reliable as usual. But don’t challenge your own judgment. Always wait for my instructions.

「「Yes!」」

Adra and Grasha united their voices and replied.

– Now, what report should I listen to first? This time… I think only Satanachia and Forneus have reports….

– Forneus have nothing to report in particular!

I thought that was the case!

Forneus shows a big smile and flaps her wings. Why did she have an attitude as though praising her like that?

Having trouble dealing with it, Satanachia raised her hand.

– Hellshaft-sama. The Dark Elves in the Bartolk Woodlands have reported something a little concerning.

– Oh? What would that be?

– It is about the walled area on the other side of the Bartolk Woodlands. The gate in Astel opened and a human corps has emerged from inside.

I instinctively leaned forward.

– Speak in detail.

– Yes. Their number is unknown, but it can be confirmed that it is not inferior to 200,000.

– What!?

The number of soldiers that the Demon King Army can mobilize is at most 20,000. If I give orders to various places to dispatch troops, it will be close to 50,000, but… the Elf Army has 30,000 men and the Dark Elf Army 20,000… in terms of numbers, we’re overwhelmingly at a disadvantage.

However, since our opponents are humans, we can repel them even if our number is inferior, can’t we?

– The problem is that there are reports that humans become Berserkers in battle.

Adra raised his eyebrows with a twitch.

– What? They become Berserkers?

– Yes. Therefore, they exert unimaginable power for a human being. After all, they are humans, so their bodies are fragile, but they are a little troublesome. It appears that they will keep fighting without any care while destroying their own bodies, and even if they lose their arms or legs, they will advance while crawling.

Berserkers are literally warriors who lose reason and keep fighting. It’s common for Orcs, but not so much for humans.

– There are some people whose fighting spirit was weakened by their eeriness and strange pressure… they are extremely troublesome… beings──

Grasha bares his fangs as if being unable to stand the joy of fighting.

– Isn’t it interesting? Hey, King-sama. Let’s go kill them right now!

Satanachia frowned as if feeling offended.

– My report is not over yet. Please be quiet. Oh… the boss of the humans is a man who calls himself the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven. Even though he is human, he has terrifying power. He also gained total control of the town of Astel almost by himself.

Does that mean that Ichinomiya wasn’t exaggerating at all? How much did he level up?  I’m horrified to think that there are 14 of them.

– Watch the movements of the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven and the Berserker Corps. Also, be prepared to mobilize the Demon King Army.

– Understood.

– Yes!

– Alright.

– Yeeees.

After hearing each reply, I think of the next measure.

– It sounds necessary to get the help of Ulriel and Zeragiel again….

If that is the case, Satanachia said, turning her gaze. 

– I will send out a messenger fairy. What should I tell them?

– I see… tell them to make the Elven troops stationed in the Bartolk Woodlands watch over the Berserker Corps. To send an urgent message as soon as they leave the town of Astel. Also, tell them my intention of visiting them soon.

Understood, Satanachia said, and bowed respectfully.

The Berserker Army sounds pretty strong. It could be a three-way battle with the 2A Guild. If that happens, no one must die.

Even these guys──,

I stared at the four Hellzekter.

In the event of a war with the Berserker Corps, there will be a dispute over who will take the lead. It may be time for a sudden farewell with these guys.

I may not be able to see them tomorrow.

I had a sudden idea.

– … It’s also a good idea to go somewhere while going the long way round.

Forneus opens her mouth wide and wears a radiant smile.

– Really!? Hooray! A trip with Hell-sama!!

– T-that is impossible, Forneus. W-we are not going for fun.

Satanachia, who says that, looks restless already.

– Sounds good! Will we be travelling while having a light training and sending rebellious barbarians flying!?

– Leave the itinerary arrangements to the Vampire Corps.

It seems that Grasha and Adra aren’t as dissatisfied as I thought they would be.

To make as many fun memories as possible.

To spend time together with them as long as possible.

I was behaving unlike myself; I was immersed in such a sentimental mood.

 

Go back to Volume 7 – Prologue

Go to Volume 7 – Chapter 2