Chapter 100: Sleep Paralysis
[Detecting severe physical damage to Reincarnator Ex017. Treatment difficulty: High.]
[Detecting severe spiritual damage to Reincarnator Ex017. Treatment difficulty: High.]
[Detecting divine power erosion. Treatment difficulty: Extreme.]
[Treatment requires 1 B-rank Singularity and 23,500 Dimensional Points. Heal?]
"...Minimum treatment."
The dying woman returned to her private space. Half of her body was still missing, and arcs of golden lightning still flickered over her wounds, her spiritual power completely unusable. With a thought, she appeared in a massive cathedral. Holy music echoed, and numerous nuns in white robes were cleaning and praying. The moment [White Mask] appeared, she was noticed.
"Well, well. Did our little White Mask get bitten by a fish?" a playful voice called out. A blond-haired man in a casual shirt floated down to her. He knew she had been toying with [The Fifth Element]. Seeing her in this state, it was clear she had miscalculated.
[White Mask]'s face was cold. She said nothing. At the far end of the hall, the Priest, who had been facing the altar, turned around. He held a bible, and his body radiated an intense, holy light. As the light washed over [White Mask], her body began to mend.
"My Lord. I was careless and was ambushed," she said, her head bowed.
The Priest's face was perfectly average, a face that would never draw attention in any crowd. "White Mask, there is no need to explain. The clash of those chosen by Fate is, in itself, a part of Fate. You did not lose. That was simply destiny."
[White Mask]'s expression flickered, but she said nothing more.
[Main Quest Stage 3: Exorcise the King of Cursed Spirits. Complete.]
[Reward: 1 A-rank Singularity, 10,000 Dimensional Points.]
[Main Quest has been completed. Leave this world?]
The information appeared before Kaito Shirogane's eyes, but his brain was unable to process it into readable content.
Geto Suguru looked at the "Mercenary Tao," who was now as rigid as a statue, his face still frozen in that arrogant, mocking expression. "Hah. You really are just like Satoru," Geto mused. "Only when you're not moving are you even remotely easy on the eyes."
Kusakabe, covered in blood, walked over. He had no Innate Technique, and his reliance on swordsmanship meant he always took a beating. He was lucky to be alive. "What's wrong with this guy?" He didn't know Kaito, only that Geto had brought him here and that they had some kind of secret plan. A plan that, apparently, had worked. Kusakabe looked out at the now-quiet city, the barrier gone, the sinister aura finally dissipating, and let out a long breath.
Tap, tap, tap…
Shoko Ieiri walked over, her expression as indifferent as ever. She wound up and punched Kaito directly in the stomach. His body toppled over like a board.
"Got my revenge," she said, lighting a fresh cigarette and looking up at the sunlight that was finally breaking through. Geto raised an eyebrow. "So, you're planning to save him?"
"Save him?" Shoko scoffed. "In his current state, can you even call him 'alive'?"
Her punch hadn't just been for payback for him sending her flying hundreds of meters. She had used it to inject her Reverse Cursed Technique, to diagnose his condition. She knew that if it had just been Geto, the best outcome for today would have been a few less casualties. That man had been driven by a self-destructive impulse. Then again, so was she.
The irony was that the two of them, who had been seeking death, had survived. Gojo, who had never once considered his own mortality, was truly dead. And this arrogant bastard, who wore the exact same expression as Gojo, was now a living corpse.
The world really does pity the weak, she thought.
Geto propped up Kaito's rigid "corpse." His heartbeat and pulse were almost gone. His body temperature was at a level no human could survive. And his cursed energy... it had completely vanished.
"Who cares," Geto said, as if it were a matter of no concern. "I'll just treat him as a new Cursed Spirit I'm refining." But his eyes betrayed a different, more complicated thought. This guy… he's even a problem when he's dead.
Kaito looked at the sea of people in front of him, and frowned. He didn't understand what was happening. He clearly remembered completing the [Taizan Fukun Ritual], calling upon the god, and clearly expressing his ambition to seize its power. He knew it wasn't a dream; his memory of that exhilaration was too real. He had never had such a wonderful dream in his entire life.
Therefore, the problem was with his current situation.
"Hey! Can anyone tell me what's going on?!" Kaito shouted, his voice echoing in the white, empty void. The "people"—an endless river of shades—simply shuffled past him. No one looked at him. They all seemed to be following some unknown law, some system, as they marched in a single, silent line.
Kaito looked at the scene, and a rather unpleasant idea came to mind. Am I really dead? Is this the Underworld? And these… are these the souls of the dead?
"HEY! I'm asking again! Can someone please explain?!" He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, a sound so loud it would have carried for kilometers in the real world.
Still, no one responded.
Kaito sighed and looked down. He was a man who respected order. But for that to happen, someone had to tell him what the order was.
Kaito suddenly swung his arm, his fist connecting with the face of a woman with disheveled hair.
POW!
The woman instantly fell, then slowly faded away. This confirmed his theory. These were not people. He stepped into the line. The other shades continued to ignore him, shuffling past. He grinned.
When the rules of a new place are unclear, and you want to find out what they are, your only option is to cause trouble.
If you cause enough trouble and no one comes to stop you, that probably means... you are the rule.
He looked at the endless line of souls and solemnly raised his fists.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
A continuous sound of impacts echoed. He kept a running count. After he had destroyed about a hundred of the shades, he felt his body grow heavier. He continued, and after a thousand, his body felt incredibly heavy, his punches slowing. Sometimes, it took more than one punch to destroy a shade.
Kaito wasn't afraid of a bad change. He was only afraid of no change.
He redoubled his efforts, slaughtering them by the thousands.
Finally, after he had counted past thirty thousand, his body had become so heavy that he could barely even move. He stood, trapped. No matter how hard he tried to control his body, nothing happened.
Kaito was enraged. A red flame began to burn within him. Move! Move!
When a human loses control of their own body, it creates an intense, primal fear. This was the legendary "sleep paralysis" (ゴーストベッド - ghost pressing on the bed). You are clearly aware, but some thing is holding you down, and you are completely, terrifyingly helpless.
But Kaito didn't feel fear. He felt rage.
THUMP!
THUMP! THUMP!
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
A sound like a drumbeat, starting soft and growing louder, until it seemed to shake the very foundations of the void.
"MOVE!" he roared. The drumbeat became so fast it merged into a single, continuous roar.
SPLASH!
Kaito suddenly shot upright, gasping for air. His body was glowing red, his muscles so swollen with power that he had shattered the bathtub he was in.
Shoko Ieiri pulled her hand back and stood up. She looked at Geto, who was staring at Kaito with equal astonishment.
"Well," Shoko said. "He's alive."
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Guys We cross the 1800 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 1900 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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