One circle. Two circles. Three large circles.
Each of them surrounded by a thick, transparent wall.
Mike had fallen into one of them without being able to catch himself.
But he was not alone.
The multitude of burning bodies had unfortunately fallen with him.
Slightly stunned, they no longer moved.
Mike — "200? It's increasing?"
The number on the ground, which had initially been 100, had now surpassed 200.
It kept increasing with each new body falling into the circle.
The size of the circular platform did the same.
The more bodies arrived.
The more the number increased.
The more the platforms expanded.
And those who did not fall into them continued their run into the void.
「Mike — "It looks much deeper than the place where I fought you…"」
Staring at the void, mouth wide open.
「Voix ? — "Mike, focus… there's something more important…"」
「Gekidō — "Con-cen-tra-tion!"」
A thin silence settled in his mind before the Voice shattered it.
「Voix ? — "Anyway… I'm going to check on Rhéa's condition."」
「Gekidō — "I want to come too!"」
「Voix ? — "No, you stay here. I can feel that Mike is going to need you!"」
Clap clap clap
Sparks flew in all directions beneath the applause of the only burning body that had stood back up.
Warai-gami — "Wow, I'm getting it everywhere. This isn't a very practical body."
The only one with speech.
The only one who stood out from the others.
Warai-gami — "So! Have I finally got your attention?!"
Mike tore his gaze away from the void and fixed it on the silhouette of that individual.
Mike — "Yes…"
Warai-gami — "Good, then I'll keep it simple… Give up this infernal descent, it's nothing but suffering and sorrow, and let me kill you for good!"
Mike — "Shut up! You're already using a body that isn't yours!"
Mike's jaw clenched and he hurled his words before even realizing it.
Mike — "Heh, Gekidō doesn't speak for me!"
Warai-gami — "Easy, easy, easy. The info we've been given is already shit. Oops, I meant useless."
Placing a hand in front of what served as his mouth, in a fake show of dismay.
Warai-gami — "Let's not add more problems."
Mike — "I refuse your offer!"
Mike replied promptly, brows furrowed.
Approaching, knife first.
Warai-gami — "Who told you that you— Is it raining? Don't tell me that…"
Mike — "It's raining inside?"
A drop struck them directly.
Both turned their gaze toward the previous floor.
As the rain of bodies began to fade, a second one joined it.
Just as red as the first, but much finer, smoother, smaller.
A single liquid. The one that healed every wound.
「Gekidō — "You don't have a choice! Smash them all!"」
He was right, and Mike knew it. The stage was set.
A large circle bordered by a slightly raised wall, serving as an arena.
The bodies created by Gekidō, which seemed to have escaped his control. Capable of burning anything that came into contact with them.
The Warai-gami, who had proudly declared his intent to take his life.
And finally, that red rain announcing that every wound would be healed…
Mike — "This is messed up…"
Warai-gami — "Shit, shit, shit, shitty liquid! Shitty floor! Shitty building! Shitty body!"
The Warai-gami was apparently stomping on one of the bodies on the ground, crushing its head completely until exhaustion.
Warai-gami — "You're going to get up! Filthy shit! Filthy thing!"
「Mike — "He's not right in the head."」
「Gekidō — "In the end, he might be funny, that thief. But I don't approve of what he's doing to them."」
The bodies slowly stood back up.
A horde. A multitude. An army.
Advancing toward a single point: Mike.
Warai-gami — "About time! Get rid of that kid for me!"
A wide smile. He went to lean against the opposite wall.
Warai-gami — "Brr, why is it cold! This really is a shitty body…"
The incandescent army advanced with heavy steps.
「Gekidō — "Let's go! Aim straight for the neck!"」
A first body approached Mike, preparing to strike.
Mike didn't give it the chance: he made a circular motion, the knife aimed at his enemy's neck.
But no head fell—the knife got stuck inside it.
「Gekidō — "Put more force into it!"」
The body struck Mike on the right shoulder.
Burning part of his clothes, his skin, reaching down to the muscle tissue.
Mike still completed his knife motion, the enemy's head falling to the ground, vanishing into fine embers.
Ding
Mike — "Guh"
He placed his hand on his shoulder with difficulty.
His eyes widened slightly.
「Mike — "I've practically got nothing left already… But the pain is still there…"」
His muscle tissue recomposed itself.
The reddish rain was already taking effect.
His wound would soon be nothing more than a bad memory.
[249]
「Gekidō — "Oh, it went from 250 to 249! I told you we have to kill them all! In any case, they're weaker than me. If I'd seriously hit your arm, you'd have lost it instantly."」
「Mike — "Seriously? Then…"」
A piercing blow from behind ran straight through him.
Chest pierced, Mike staggered, collapsing to the ground, coughing up blood.
「Mike — "I don't feel their heat coming… Even now, I'm not warm… I'm… in way too much pain…"」
His eyes grew heavy.
He brought his hand toward his chest.
His consciousness drifted away.
「Gekidō — "Mike! It's thanks to my jacket, but now's not the time to fall asleep!"」
He stood back up with all his strength… his chest sealing shut.
Warai-gami — "Die, die, die! Why do you keep getting back up?"
The lunatic stomped his foot, alone in his corner.
「Gekidō — "Ignore that idiot, we've got better things to do! Focus all your strength into a single point. And cut."」
Mike turned around abruptly, a knife strike in the same motion.
But again, the knife stopped, stuck in the neck.
Mike — "Rah"
He added a second impulse to the strike. The head fell, vanishing.
[248]
The same cycle repeated.
He took a hit, barely managing to dodge it.
He brushed death, and his body regenerated thanks to the reddish rain.
Rain that completely covered him.
[247, 246, 245, 244, 243]
Each burn tore more blood from him.
[242, 241, 240, 239, 238]
Each wound tore piercing screams from him.
Forced regeneration spared none of the pain.
[236, 234, 232, 230]
Heads fell two by two.
His vision blurred, his attacks became less and less precise…
[228, 226, 224, 222]
Mike — "Ha ha… How many have I taken down? 50? 100?"
He staggered…
Panting…
His body intact nonetheless.
Warai-gami — "Boring, boring, boring! All of this is terribly boring. Only your will keeps you from falling… and it's unstable… but it still lets you cut…"
Clap clap clap
Warai-gami — "In the end, it's fun! Put all your will into your knife and CUT!"
Mike — "Why are you helping me?"
Warai-gami — "Technically, I was sent to kill you… But that's going to be impossible with this body, and you seem fun."
Smiling proudly, he kept watching the scene.
Mike tried to concentrate as much as possible.
His head was buzzing.
The smells blended together.
The smell of bodies like burnt bread.
Mike — "Bread… it disgusts me. It has to be cut…"
[220, 215, 210, 205]
The acrid smell of the drops streaming over his body.
Mike — "Cut! The rain is slowing me down… It has to be cut…"
[200, 190, 180, 170, 160]
The smell of his own flesh recomposing after each blow received.
Mike — "I smell so bad… It has to be cut!"
Pointing the knife at his own body, he prepared to slit his throat.
「Gekidō — "Mike, don't do that… They're the ones you need to cut."」
His hand froze at the very edge.
Mike — "Ah… right… I'll eat… something…"
[150, 125, 100]
The smell of his blood, which he had spat so much.
The arena reeked of that disharmonious mixture.
The walls seemed to bend slightly.
In great splashes, the scene might have seemed unbelievable—but it was reality.
「Gekidō — "I really underestimated you… But I've done worse, I went into a volcano with no chance of survival."」
「Mike — "All… your… fault… It has to be cut…"」
[75, 50, 25]
Mike — "Cut…"
He had gone from extreme difficulty to simple gestures—imperfect but sufficient.
Cutting his enemies with complete ease.
His strength hadn't increased for all that; on the contrary, his arms were heavy…
His hands were slipping.
His body could collapse at any moment; all sensation had vanished.
[20, 15, 10, 5]
Mike — "Cut…"
There weren't many bodies left.
The last ones approaching ended just like the others.
[1]
Clap clap clap
He had finally left his slightly cracked wall, resuming his applause as he approached Mike.
Warai-gami — "Bravo, bravo, bravo! In the end, you managed to focus on cutting what shouldn't be… I congratu—"
Mike — "Cu—t… Hrkk-BLRRAA-Glip"
Warai-gami — "Ah, my head! I had a lot of fun! Just remember my name… No. - 4—"
One last head fell to the ground, vanishing before he could finish his sentence.
Ding
[0]
Mike, vomiting, had delivered the final blow that tolled the knell of the end.
On the ground, sensations slowly returned to him.
His head wavered…
Mike — "Cu— ah, there's nothing left to cut…"
Crik crik crik
With a tremendous racket, the circular platform descended at great speed.
「Gekidō — "Only 2 circles left!"」