Chapter 16: Return
POP!
It was as if a bomb had detonated inside him.
Mercenary Tao's body exploded in a shower of gore. Mountain Fiend, now missing an arm, one of his chakra butterfly wings shattered, was drenched in a spray of warm blood, his eyes wide with utter shock. He reached out a hand, as if to check whether he was caught in an illusion.
A somewhat old-fashioned pickup truck now stood where Mercenary Tao had been a moment ago.
[Main Quest: Assassinate Mercenary Tao. Status: Failed.]
[Penalty for Failure: Annihilation!]
Crimson text burned into view before Mountain Fiend's eyes. The adrenaline from the battle instantly turned to ice in his veins.
Flame Fiend reacted a split second later. A light flashed in his hand as he crushed an item.
[You have used the item: Scapegoat Doll. Transferring penalty…]
"Mountain Fiend, use your item! Now!" Flame Fiend roared.
But Mountain Fiend was still frozen in place. His pupils constricted as he realized the horrifying truth. "You idiot!" Flame Fiend screamed. "Don't tell me you didn't prepare a Scapegoat Doll?!"
The [Scapegoat Doll] was an extremely rare and special item in the Nexus, created by a mysterious organization known as [Destiny]. It could nullify the penalty for failing a mission. The side effect was that the user would receive no rewards from that mission, and would also lose a random third of their carried items. Nearly every high-level team made sure to equip their elite members with one to avoid losing them to a system penalty.
But Mountain Fiend had spent the funds the team had given him on more [Slave Shackles]. He had been confident in his own power, and he was teamed up with [Moon Fiend] and [Flame Fiend], two of the most infamous elites in the East Sector. He thought the mission was a sure thing. He never imagined that not only would he clash with Moon Fiend, but he would also somehow suffer the penalty for a main quest failure.
Mountain Fiend looked back at Flame Fiend, his face twisted in a mask of pure terror. It was the first time Flame Fiend had ever seen him with an expression other than a wicked grin.
So, this guy can feel fear after all… Flame Fiend thought. The next moment, Mountain Fiend opened his mouth, as if to scream for help.
POP!
His head instantly exploded. His headless body swayed for a moment before crashing to the ground, motionless.
[Your team member BG184652333 (Mountain Fiend) has died.]
A shudder ran through Flame Fiend. He couldn't believe his partner was dead, just like that.
While he treated Mountain Fiend recklessly in battle, often including him in his area-of-effect attacks, it was because they had worked together for a long time. He knew his partner had an incredible resistance to damage, and they had used this chaotic combo to kill many powerful enemies. His partnership with Mountain Fiend was the very foundation of his leadership in their new team; Moon Fiend was a lone wolf.
And now, Mountain Fiend had been annihilated… in a mission like this?!
He suddenly remembered the combat notification that had popped up while he was fighting Tao.
[ID# Ex051 has attacked The Nun. The damage was blocked by a barrier spell.]
"ID# Ex051? A special-ID Reincarnator!"
ROAR!
Flame Fiend instantly transformed into his full dragon form. A massive red dragon, over ten meters long, beat its wings and soared into the sky. He had to find that hidden Reincarnator!
[You have killed the important plot character, Mercenary Tao.]
[You have obtained 1 B-rank Singularity.]
[You have obtained 3000 Dimensional Points.]
[Your reputation with Mercenary Tao has been reset to zero.]
[Your standing with the Crane School faction has been permanently set to Hatred.]
[You have unlocked new Milestones: Insubordination, Betrayer, Villain.]
…
A flood of information scrolled past Kaito's vision. He was sprinting wildly down through the forest, his clothes torn to shreds by branches, his body covered in cuts and scrapes. But he felt no pain. His muscles were slightly swollen and his eyes had turned white; he was in the throes of one of his "episodes." He ran downhill at full speed, constantly changing direction to dodge the attacks from above.
Faster! Settle the rewards faster!
At that moment, a card glowing with a purple light materialized in front of him. He snatched it out of the air.
[You have obtained a Purple Drop Card.]
SHIIING!
He didn't have time to look at it. A fan-shaped wave of emerald energy lit up the night sky. Kaito gritted his teeth and leaped forward, throwing himself from a ten-meter-high ledge deeper into the valley below.
SLICE!
The forest behind him was neatly cleaved in two.
The destructive power of that swordsmanship was too terrifying. It was like watching someone slice a mountain like a block of tofu. Kaito had seen One Piece, but the anime version was nothing compared to experiencing it in person.
[Squad #64323 has lost one member. Optional Objective Complete.]
[You have obtained 1 C-rank Singularity.]
[You have obtained 1000 Dimensional Points.]
[Damage contribution to BG184652333 (Mountain Fiend) not detected. This has been judged a special elimination. No kill reward will be granted.]
[Squad #64323 failed to assassinate Mercenary Tao. Trial Mission II Complete.]
[Special Trial: Sin and Karma has been completed. Activating Karma Sequence.]
A searing pain suddenly erupted from Kaito's right hand. The crimson character for [SIN] flared to life, and he lost his balance, crashing hard onto the dry riverbed below. The intense pain vanished as quickly as it came. Kaito noticed intricate black and red patterns, like a tattoo, appear on the back of his hand before fading away.
[Trial Complete. Leave this world?]
[Yes / No]
CRUUUMBLE!
With the terrifying sound of a landslide, the green-robed man changed direction several times in mid-air, diving straight into the river valley. Kaito realized his pursuer had some kind of abnormal sensory ability; no matter how he used the fog and trees for cover, he couldn't shake him. He didn't know why the man was so obsessed with him, but he instinctively knew that if it weren't for the complex terrain, he would have been cut down in seconds.
ROOOOAR!
A massive dragon's roar echoed through the valley, and a giant fire dragon instantly evaporated the mist in the canyon.
Kaito's pupils constricted. He immediately made his choice.
[Yes]
SWOOSH!
A wave of sword energy passed through Kaito's body, but he was already turning incorporeal, like a phantom. Amidst the thunderous sound of the ground being split open, his form slowly faded away. The last thing he heard was the enraged roar of the fire dragon echoing through the valley.
Then, he was back in a pitch-black space. In front of him, a highlight reel of his time in the Dragon Ball world began to play.
It showed his calm demeanor when facing Mercenary Tao, his brutal murder of Abola to seize the money, his robbery of the gun shop, and finally, the moment he pressed the Omni-Capsule's button, recalling the truck and killing Tao.
[Reincarnator Ex051 has returned. Commencing settlement.]
[Calculating…]
[World: Dragon Ball Derivative World S2653]
[Special Trial: Sin and Karma]
[Trial Completion: 100%]
[Mission Completion Rating: A] (Note: Lowest rating is E, highest is SSS)
[Mission Rewards: 1000 Dimensional Points; 3 Character Attribute Points]
[Note: Karma Reincarnator Ex051's rank is below "Strong." Attribute points have been automatically allocated.]