novelraw Chapter 73: The Star Who
Chapter 73: The Star Who
"...I... want... you!!!" he shouted, pointing at the people in white.
More than two hundred participants were lucky enough not to face him in a single match.
And although they all lost before reaching the finals... their faces showed relief that they wouldn’t have to face this monster.
Most likely, this fear, instilled after the very first fight, influenced the outcome of every match.
"..." Seeing that he had set his sights on them, their faces turned pale once more.
Casually twirling his bloodstained scythe around his body, Mr. Nobody continued to chuckle.
They had to call in the cleaners after every fight he was in. However, even if the entire arena was scrubbed spotless, traces of every clash remained on the scythe.
Mr. Nobody had no skills in martial arts or the use of bladed weapons. To tell the truth, even the skills he did possess amounted to something strange.
After all, even the shaft of his scythe was designed to mimic a pole vault pole. No one in their right mind would use such a weapon.
Someone like him was never meant to take part in this.
And yet here we are.
"Meet... the first finalist—the Plowman!!!"
"I HATE YOU!!!"
"I HATE YOU!!!"
"I HATE YOU!!!"
Every person in the packed arena was screaming these words with foam at the mouth. They were tearing their own throats raw until they were hoarse.
"Whoa, whoa, aren’t you guys going a bit overboard? Sure, I play a little rough... But in the end... no one really got hurt, right? Then why do you all look like you’ve got rabies?"
"YOU’LL BURN IN HELL!!!"
"I’LL KILL YOU!!!"
"I’LL KILL YOU!!!"
"I’LL KILL YOU!!!"
People’s faces were red with rage. They were sobbing with indignation, resentment, and helplessness.
’Sunbathing? What’s the point of that when there’s a cure like this?’ he thought with a smile, breathing deeply. In truth, he was already starting to feel uncomfortable with the men’s reaction. It seemed things had gone too far.
Paymax’s trick worked perfectly. His body moved as if it knew his opponent’s maneuvers in advance, and he himself had become a cold, perfectly efficient killing machine.
Thanks to the sterile conditions Paymax had prepared in the Realm of ordinary people
, he truly had no equal here.
Of course, this was almost impossible to apply in real combat. It was only possible because Paymax had analyzed every opponent, and the fights themselves were close-quarters combat—a setting where everything depends on reaction time and physical ability.
’It’s almost a shame that this is only possible in this place and at this time. To be in the shoes of a book’s hero with an unbalanced skill is truly...’
"And his opponent..."
"Our last hope!!!" After a very long pause, the female commentator returned.
"Yes! Meet the second finalist— The Star who..." The commentator cleared her throat awkwardly, repeating her mistake once more. "The Star Who!!!"
The crowd erupted in shouts:
"Win, The Star Who!!! Please!!!"
"I beg you, punish that bastard!!!"
"Don’t give up under any circumstances!!!"
"I believe in you, The Star Who!!!"
Mr. Nobody raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. At first, he thought he’d misheard, but...
"...Is this real?"
It sounded absurd, but reality was even more absurd.
"Kh-h..." A boy with trembling legs stepped into the center of the arena.
In his shaking hands was the most ordinary sword.
It was the very same boy who had been sobbing at his feet just a few hours ago. His name was...
"...Pussyboy."
"U-ugh...!"
Mr. Nobody’s face twisted into a grimace.
"Are you one of those idiots who life never teaches anything? Or were you just born a brainless crybaby?" he said coldly.
"I-I-I..."
"Go home and do your damn homework! Give up, or I’ll..."
"N-no! I-I’ll f-fight!"
"...Are you completely fucking insane?"
For the first time in a long while, he felt genuine anger.
This kid seemed crazy to him. Who on earth would act like this in a situation like this?
How did he even make it to the finals?
He wanted to walk over and slap him hard across the face, but...
"It’s the finals!!! Are you ready?!!!" the commentator shouted.
"The Star Who!!!"
"Punish that villain!!!"
"Make him pay for what he did!!!"
"Win, The Star Who!!!"
Before he could do anything, the countdown began in the center of the arena.
*10*
"Damn..."
"I-I won’t let you down!!! I-I promise I’ll give it my all!!!"
The boy’s face was pale with fear, and his eyes were brimming with tears.
With every passing second, he trembled more and more.
"...What the fuck is this?" he muttered discontentedly, pressing his hand to his face.
"Mr. Nobody, I must remind you that before the Selection begins..."
"I remember. I remember perfectly well."
"Then what are you going to do?"
*5*
"...How the hell should I know."
It felt like he couldn’t bring himself to decide on a specific course of action.
He couldn’t make up his mind about his feelings or what he really wanted.
*3*
This boy can barely hold a sword.
"To hell with it. Can I still use that trick? I can feel my body twitching... acting weird."
*2*
"That’s a predictable side effect after so many fights. If you keep this up, your nervous system won’t be able to return to its normal functioning. You’ve got a couple of moves left. At most."
*1*
"...That’s all I’ll need. Inflict a fatal wound, but don’t kill him instantly. I want to see him choose to surrender."
*0*
"Understood."
"GO!!!" The commentator shouted.
From the looks of it, the boy didn’t even have a plan. He was still standing in place, trying to hold onto his sword and take a couple of steps. How did someone like him actually make it to the finals? Absurd.
"..." Mr. Nobody felt a surge of energy travel from his palm up his forearm to his shoulder and end at his shoulder blade. Without a word, he sprang into action.
The people in the stands watched the somersault with bated breath, as if anticipating the inevitable.
After sprinting twenty meters at full speed, Mr. Nobody began to spin the scythe around his body.
Next, he performed a 360-degree jump and let the scythe overtake him.
"..." Santi Mikalz watched with tears in his eyes as the bloody blade appeared above the head of the man opposite him.
Even at the very last moment, he was unable to overcome his fear and assume a defensive stance.
*Screech!* The bloody blade traced a semicircle diagonally through the air and entered the boy’s right shoulder.
However, the blade was so long that it sliced through nearly a quarter of the boy’s body diagonally.
The scythe cut through his flesh and ribs, and its tip grazed his heart.
"..." The boy collapsed to his knees.
Blood poured from his mouth in a violent stream, mixing with the trickle flowing from his slashed flesh.
He fell face down and began to choke on his own blood. You could see death creeping in his eyes.
A wave of anguished sounds swept through the stands, as if the people were experiencing this trauma alongside the boy. Cries could be heard.
"Hey, look at me." Mr. Nobody forced the boy’s fading gaze to rest on his face. "It hurts like hell, doesn’t it? It’s scary... You’re dying."
"..." Only a trickle of blood flowed from Santi’s mouth.
"But it won’t end there. Next time, you’ll die too. You’ll die, die, and die... I’ll make you feel this forever. Again. And again. And again. So tell me... do you want this??"
"..." A trickle of bloody tears ran from the boy’s eye.
"Then... do you want to give up?"
"..."
"Do you want to give up?"
His head fell into a pool of his own blood. That was a nod.
...
"Phew..." he sighed heavily, no longer paying attention to the crowd’s cries.
A lump of suffocating, unpleasant feelings had built up inside him.
What had happened would surely haunt him in nightmares, and the guilt would linger for a long time.
’At least, that’s it,’ he thought, watching as the effect faded, life returned to the boy. ’All that’s left is to shout that I surrender before he does, and...’
He — just like everyone in the stands — was certain what would happen next...
But the exact opposite happened.
"It’s... not over yet. Even if I want to... " Santi began in a hoarse voice, rising from his knees.
"..."
"I won’t give up!!!"
His eyes, brimming with tears, screamed this as they met the gaze that pierced his heart.
"...What?"
That voice sounded as if something inside him had just been torn out.