novelraw Chapter 108 : The Gambler’s Calculations
Chapter 108 : The Gambler’s Calculations
Chapter 108: The Gambler’s Calculations
That silver coin traced a graceful arc through midair.
At last, with a crisp “ding.”
It landed steadily back into Sakamoto Ryuji’s palm.
Heads up.
“Hu……”
Abe Qingtian collapsed limply onto the ground, gasping for breath in great gulps.
Cold sweat soaked through his expensive hunting robe.
He touched his own neck, confirming that his head was still attached to his shoulders.
The wild joy of surviving a catastrophe even made him forget his earlier humiliation.
He raised his head and looked toward Sakamoto Ryuji.
That man in the floral shirt suddenly looked far more agreeable in his eyes.
“Tha… thank you.”
Abe Qingtian trembled as he struggled to his feet, wiping the bloodstains from his face.
“I will remember this kindness.”
“I…”
“Shh.”
Before Abe Qingtian could finish speaking, Sakamoto Ryuji raised a finger and pressed it to his lips.
“Don’t talk.”
He walked step by step toward Abe Qingtian, his boots crunching against the gravel with sharp cracking sounds.
That signature, inscrutable smile hung on his face.
“Abe-san, did you misunderstand something?”
Abe Qingtian froze for a moment.
“Wh… what?”
“I saved you, not because you’re a teammate.”
Sakamoto Ryuji stopped in front of him, so close that they could hear each other’s breathing.
“And not because I want to be some kind of savior.”
He raised his hand, and the pitch-black muzzle of the gun naturally pressed against Abe Qingtian’s forehead.
The icy metallic touch instantly sent the heart he had just calmed shooting back up into his throat.
“W… what are you doing?!”
Abe Qingtian stared in terror, eyes wide. “Don’t joke around! Now isn’t the time for internal strife!”
“That monster is still watching from above! We need to work together! Only together can we live!”
“Together?”
Sakamoto Ryuji tilted his head, as if he had heard something hilarious.
“Work together with who? With you?”
“A piece of trash who only knows how to kneel and beg for mercy, and treats teammates as sacrificial offerings?”
Sakamoto Ryuji withdrew that carefree smile, let out a sigh, and a trace of pity surfaced in his eyes.
“Abe-san, this game was never a team competition from the very beginning.”
“This is a probability game.”
He pointed toward Asahara Shoko, who radiated boundless oppressive might above them.
“The probability of defeating that monster is zero.”
“Even if all of us add up together, it’s still zero.”
Abe Qingtian trembled all over, his teeth chattering.
“Th… then what exactly do you want?!”
“I want to win.”
Sakamoto Ryuji said it as a matter of course.
“Since I can’t win against that monster, then I’ll just have to win another way.”
The corners of Sakamoto Ryuji’s mouth split open, revealing stark white teeth.
“As long as I kill enough people, I can escape this place and live the life I want.”
“The previous 【Mad King】 was killed by me.”
“【Sword Saint】 was finished off by me.”
“And with you added…”
His finger rested on the trigger, slowly applying pressure.
“No! You can’t kill me!”
“I’m an Onmyoji! I’m useful! I can…”
Abe Qingtian’s pupils suddenly shrank.
“Too late.”
Sakamoto Ryuji cut off his plea.
“At this gambling table, the chips have already left your hand.”
“In your next life, remember not to place your hopes on others.”
“Goodbye, Onmyoji.”
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
Clean. Decisive.
A bullet spun as it drilled into Abe Qingtian’s brow, kicking up a spray of red and white blood mist.
Abe Qingtian’s expression froze.
Disbelief and deep terror still lingered in his eyes.
His body went limp and toppled backward.
Thud.
The corpse slammed into the dust, kicking up a cloud of gray grit.
【Player 【Gambler】 has killed player 【Onmyoji】】
【Current remaining players: 6】
……
The entire Imperial Palace hall once again fell into deathly silence.
Everyone stared blankly at this scene.
“Y-you… what are you doing?!”
Tsuchimikado Rin was the first to react. She let out an angry shout, the tip of the miko blade in her hand pointing straight at Sakamoto Ryuji.
Chen Mo’s expression also darkened to a frightening degree.
“Personal victory.”
In Chen Mo’s mind, one line of the game rules instantly surfaced.
【Personal Victory: Kill more than half of the players to obtain personal victory.】
This madman!
“That’s right.”
Sakamoto Ryuji aimed the muzzle of his gun at Tsuchimikado Rin, that infuriating smile once again hanging on his face.
“Since faction victory is hopeless, then we can only fight for personal victory.”
“Right now, I already have three heads in my hands.”
“【Mad King】, 【Sword Saint】, and this 【Onmyoji】.”
“Kill three more, and I win.”
His gaze swept over Chen Mo, Tsuchimikado Rin, and Hattori Heizo.
“You three—who wants to let me kill you first?”
“Keep dreaming!”
Tsuchimikado Rin roared angrily, her figure flashing like lightning as she charged toward Sakamoto Ryuji.
“Kagura·Wild Dance!”
Countless wind blades howled out, completely engulfing Sakamoto Ryuji.
However.
Sakamoto Ryuji merely tossed a coin lightly into the air.
“Tails—evade.”
Ding.
The coin hit the ground.
Tails.
Sakamoto Ryuji’s body twisted instantly into a bizarre posture.
All the wind blades brushed past his body, not a single one able to touch him.
“Pretty good luck.”
He smiled as he put the coin away.
“But this time, I don’t have time to play with you.”
He suddenly dashed toward the side door of the Imperial Palace hall.
“Trying to run?!”
Chen Mo and Hattori Heizo moved at the same time.
The dual guns in Chen Mo’s hands spewed tongues of fire, shooting straight at Sakamoto Ryuji’s back.
Hattori Heizo, meanwhile, slipped into the shadows, trying to intercept from the side.
However.
Sakamoto Ryuji’s speed was astonishingly fast.
He was like a ghost, weaving through the hail of bullets.
All the bullets seemed to have eyes, avoiding his vital points.
Hattori Heizo tried to intercept from the shadows, but Sakamoto Ryuji seemed almost prescient, always evading a step in advance.
“Farewell, everyone.”
Sakamoto Ryuji’s voice echoed through the air, filled with mockery.
“I hope that next time we meet, you’ll still be alive.”
“Bang!”
He kicked the side door open with one foot, his figure instantly disappearing beyond it.
“Damn it!”
Chen Mo slammed his fist into the wall, producing a dull thud.
Sakamoto Ryuji’s absurd luck was simply unsolvable!
“Chase!”
Tsuchimikado Rin roared, charging forward first.
Chen Mo and Hattori Heizo followed close behind.
However.
Just as they were about to rush out the side door—
Rumble——!!!
The entire Imperial Palace suddenly began to shake violently.
Asahara Shoko’s cold and majestic voice once again resounded throughout the entire hall.
“Mortals, where do you think you’re going?”
“God says—”
“Radiance endures forever!”
Golden light erupted once more, enveloping the entire Imperial Palace.
A terrifying pressure descended again.
The three of them were instantly crushed flat against the ground.
“Damn it!”
Chen Mo ground his teeth. He knew Asahara Shoko would not let them leave so easily.
The punitive alliance completely collapsed.
……
Midair.
Asahara Shoko looked down at those struggling figures below, like ants, and a trace of playful amusement appeared on his face.
“Think you can escape?”
He extended his hand and gently clenched it.
Rumble——!
The top of the Imperial Palace actually began to collapse!
Countless chunks of stone and steel rebar poured down like a torrential rain.
“Despair, mortals!”
“God’s game shall be ended by God!”
……
Neon Metropolis, in some inconspicuous corner.
Sakamoto Ryuji leaned against a wall, gasping for breath.
He had several abrasions on his body, but none were fatal.
He pulled a cigarette case from his pocket, took one out, and lit it with trembling hands.
“Damn it… this bunch of lunatics…”
He looked at the towering flames in the distance and the continuously collapsing Imperial Palace, a trace of lingering fear flashing in his eyes.
“Good thing I ran fast.”
He took a deep drag and blew out a perfect smoke ring.
“Now, I’ve got three heads in my hands.”
“Kill three more, and I win.”
His gaze drifted toward the distance.
“Heh heh…”
“I hope you can escape—don’t get killed by that charlatan god.”
A cruel smile curved at the corner of Sakamoto Ryuji’s mouth.
“My luck has never disappointed me.”
“This game—I am destined to be the winner!”