[World-Crossing Gate progress +8%]
[Ding! "Protagonist Killer (Red)" triggered. Do you wish to plunder his existence?]
"Wuhu~ almost missed it, but what a haul!"
Takumi stomped down hard one more time, his face brimming with the joy of a great harvest. Seeing the prompt, he immediately chose to refuse.
If he selected existence plunder, he would replace the other person on every level—essentially rewinding back through that "protagonist's" entire life, reliving it until the present moment. But Issei Hyoudou's life had nothing worth stealing in Takumi's eyes.
With his refusal, the panel continued to pop up new information:
[Ding! Acquired traits: Boosted Gear (Purple), Heart's Desire (Green), Protagonist's Halo (Green)!]
Glancing at his three new traits, Takumi quickly browsed them.
[Boosted Gear (Purple): One of the Sacred Gears, forged from the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig.]
[Heart's Desire (Green): The wealthier the woman, the easier she'll fall for you.]
[Protagonist's Halo (Green): Your fortune, potential, and so on receive a small boost.]
"So the Protagonist's Halo is only Green? Lower quality than I expected."
Considering how complex this world was, Takumi let it go. After all, there wasn't just one "protagonist" in existence.
In reality, his internal musing lasted less than a second outside. When he looked up again, his gaze met Donaseek's shocked expression. Watching Takumi suddenly appear and stomp Issei Hyoudou's head like a watermelon, Donaseek was stunned. But once he sensed Takumi's aura, his eyes turned cold.
"A demon? No… you also carry a human scent. You're a half-blood demon. Who is your master, and why would they let you run loose here?"
His low, gravelly question was met only with Takumi's silence.
The moment he sensed killing intent, Takumi knew talking was pointless. He stepped forward, one stride after another, closing in on the floating Donaseek.
Black feathers drifted down from above as Donaseek's bloodlust swelled.
"No answer? Or perhaps you have no master. That makes you a stray demon. Hahaha~ that means I can kill you freely and still claim a divine reward!"
At the mention of "rewards," Takumi's gaze turned even colder. This was one of the world's so-called "rules": when heroes, magical girls, and the like killed "evil," they received rewards. The form of the reward shifted with public perception, but at present it came as points.
Points could be spent to grant wishes—wealth, immortality, resurrection, and so forth. The bigger the wish, the higher the cost.
Before being expelled from the Hero Village, Takumi had slain a few monsters and earned three points. With just those three points, he had exchanged for thirty million yen. But once exiled, the "rules" no longer recognized him, so even when he fought afterward, he got nothing.
And now it seemed Fallen Angels hunting demons also fell under the rules' judgment. Which meant… this was truly a fight to the death.
Magic surged through his body as the Sacred Gear [Boosted Gear] manifested instantly!
A crimson gauntlet enveloped his left hand, a resplendent emerald gem set on the back. From the moment he obtained the trait, Takumi understood all its abilities—and could wield them freely. The only limitation was how much his body could withstand.
"Boosted!"
The gem glowed, and in that instant, his strength doubled! At his current physique, he could double his power once every eight seconds.
"Not good!"
Sensing his aura spike, Donaseek launched an attack. But just as his Light Spear formed, Takumi had already leapt skyward.
Boom!!!
The tiles of the park exploded under his explosive power. His figure shot forth like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, reaching Donaseek in a flash.
In panic, Donaseek thrust his Light Spear. Its sharp brilliance radiated scorching heat and a holy force that made demons tremble.
But Takumi didn't dodge. He tanked the strike head-on.
The spear that should have easily pierced a demon's body only sank two inches into his shoulder blade before shattering under brute force!
Donaseek's eyes widened in disbelief, momentarily forgetting to evade. Takumi seized the chance. His arm, bonelessly flexible, lashed out like a whip toward Donaseek's face.
"Serpent Bone: Whip Fist!"
His swinging arm cracked through the air like a whip, and his fist already surpassed the speed of sound—only to accelerate further in that instant!
Two overlapping layers of supersonic force collided, like tidal waves merging into a single devastating surge.
His fist smashed into Donaseek's face with a shockwave that detonated on impact. The bone of his skull shattered, as if hundreds of grenades had gone off at once.
The visible shockwave rolled outward, carrying a deafening sonic boom that shook the park to its core.
Boom!!!
Donaseek plummeted like a meteor, crashing hard into the ground. His facial bones collapsed inward, vision fading to black, consciousness slipping.
"H-how… how could this be…"
Takumi's aura was that of a mere Intermediate Demon. Donaseek wasn't the strongest among Mid-rank Fallen Angels, but with attribute advantage, suppressing an Intermediate Demon should have been effortless. How could someone resist his Light Spear with nothing but flesh?
Takumi offered no answer. He strode quickly toward Donaseek.
"Boosted!"
The gauntlet gleamed again, doubling his strength a second time!
His aura now rivaled that of a High-Rank Demon, burning and surging, making Donaseek's battered body shiver instinctively.
Without hesitation, Takumi slammed down a single crushing punch.
Squelch!
Donaseek's head burst apart, leaving nothing but a useless corpse—just like Issei Hyoudou.
[Ding! Random plundered trait: Fallen Angel Bloodline (Green)]
[Fallen Angel Bloodline (Green): You are of the Fallen Angels, with ordinary potential.]
In an instant, potent light surged within him, weaving together with his magic. But the magic that once devoured battle aura now proved more aggressive than light itself—swallowing it completely.
Black Fallen Angel wings sprouted from his back… only to vanish just as quickly.
"As they say, some people's starting point is where others can't reach even in a lifetime."
Before his demon bloodline awakened, all his training hadn't even pushed him to the level of a Low-Rank Fighter. The day his bloodline awakened, he instantly became a Low-Rank Demon.
In the years wandering since, even without [Power of Beasts (Blue)], he had reached the level of an Intermediate Demon. And now, with [Fallen Angel Bloodline (Green)] added on, Takumi felt it wouldn't be long before he broke into High-Rank Demon territory.
...
If we reach 100 Power Stones this week, I'll release a mass drop of 10 chapters as a thank-you for your amazing support!