Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Protagonist is Not Alone
“Where am I…”
Kanade slowly pushed himself up from the ground.
The scenery around him astonished him.
He clearly remembered that he should have been in the basement of the Special Circle SEMA.
He had dragged Chika into that pure white room deep in the data room.
Then Chika had made a wish on the bell in the wooden box—
But now, Kanade found himself outside on a street.
The fading light of dusk bathed the empty street, as if draping a layer of golden gauze over the long road.
The buildings on both sides cast long shadows in the slanting sunlight, appearing particularly quiet and desolate.
This scene made Kanade reminisce about the day Nagi went missing.
This was a Kawano City dominated by dusk.
“…Is this another world? By the way, where’s Senpai Amamiya?”
Kanade placed his hands on his knees, pushing himself up with difficulty.
His gaze swept around, but he didn’t see Chika.
However, a distant sound of footsteps drew Kanade’s attention.
The source of the sound—
Was the silhouette of a girl running in the sunset, her waist-length black hair swaying with her steps.
The lovely face of the girl was now filled with fear and unease, her dark eyes frantically darting behind her.
Chasing her from behind was a white figure, facing away from the setting sun.
A pure and innocent white miko outfit, a meticulously crafted, grotesque fox mask, and an oddly inhuman gait.
“The Miko of the White Spirit.”
The black-haired girl seemed to notice Kanade standing in the middle of the street, a flicker of joy crossing her anxious expression.
“Kanade-kun! Save me—”
At that very moment.
A wind blade swung from the miko’s hand, tearing into the girl’s back.
A large amount of blood splattered onto the lonely street.
…..
…..
Special Circle SEMA branch in Kawano City.
The building was constructed from special materials, boasting an extremely high resistance to impact.
It could even withstand the shocks caused by battles involving esper users and fantasy monsters.
But at this moment, the disturbances caused by the two ACE fighters made the entire building tremble perilously.
From this epicenter, violent vibrations spread throughout Kawano City.
“Earthquake!?” Many citizens near the Special Circle SEMA mistakenly thought it was an earthquake.
This strong shaking continued to ripple into the center of Kawano City…..
Inside the Special Circle SEMA.
Alice, in her half-dragon form, broke through the floors between levels, driving her bloody dragon claw into Motokatsu’s chest.
But it was blocked by the luxurious sword in Motokatsu’s hand, which had an intensely game-like design.
The two bodies collided in mid-air, and the immense impact sent a whirlwind that blew away all the desks and chairs in the surrounding offices.
With this, they managed to create some distance.
The information Alice had just learned from Motokatsu made her increasingly anxious.
If what he said was true, then Kanade and Chika had already entered another world…..
Motokatsu seemed to sense Alice’s restless thoughts and comforted her, “Don’t worry, they can’t ‘die’ over there.”
The authority of dusk.
This was an authority recorded by both the “Academy” and the Special Circle SEMA.
However, the honorifics Motokatsu had just chanted did not match Alice’s memory of the authority of dusk.
“Mist,” “Desire and Cost,” “Illusion.”
None of these were powers of dusk.
No one understood the authority of dusk better than Alice, for the one holding that authority was—
“Though I don’t mind, are you really okay with dragging this out?” Motokatsu provocatively spoke.
“Whether it’s the children who have already gone to the dusk world or my abilities, time is always on my side~”
“ACE Hero” Motokatsu Kazushi.
The ability “Growth Correction.”
This is a very common ability of heroes in Japanese RPG games.
In typical RPGs, it means that the hero gains more experience points than ordinary characters after each battle.
Additionally, the attribute increases from leveling up are also greater than those of ordinary characters.
This concept has been explored in various manga and novels derived from hero-themed narratives, ensuring that the protagonist “hero” is the strongest in the team.
While it may not be as intuitive as game values, in reality, people would accumulate various experiences and skills through battles.
Therefore, the effect of “Growth Correction” in reality is—
Once the person enters battle mode, for a certain period, their learning ability and adaptability become extraordinarily exaggerated.
All techniques and attacks would be seen through at a glance, and the same attack could hardly be effective against them twice.
At the same time, they could learn their opponents’ techniques in an instant, uncovering their flaws and weaknesses.
The longer the battle drags on, the more trouble they would fall into.
The nature of his abilities led to the formation of teams centered around him, filled with a plethora of “cannon-fodder” personnel.
By continuously sending his subordinates to their deaths, he could achieve substantial Growth Correction while perched in a position of absolute advantage facing fantasy monsters.
But if it were just that, it could still be considered a tactical consideration.
Motokatsu Kazushi’s greatest twisted pleasure was his obsession with pursuing dramatic “counter-kill” effects.
Even in situations of absolute advantage, he was fond of playing the role of being at a disadvantage, caught in a life-or-death crisis.
After making his companions suffer and even sacrifice, he would then stage a “protagonist’s” reversal, satisfying his twisted desires.
He was scum who regarded the lives of his companions as trifling and was a sadistic hero.
“Let me tell you one more bad news: if you keep dragging this out,” Motokatsu wore a playful smile.
“Your comrades might have already made wishes to the White Spirit in the illusion, becoming beings like me~”
“When the time comes, will you still be able to raise your blade against your comrades like before?”
…..
…..
In the dusk-filled street.
Kanade silently looked at the corpse of the girl lying before him.
A white fog rose from all directions, enveloping Kanade’s solitary figure.
“Child, make your wish—”
“I can make you and the girl you love most be together forever—”
“…..Thank you.” Kanade slowly spoke, extending his hand towards the corpse of the black-haired girl—
Then abruptly grasped the bell within the corpse and crushed it forcefully.
“Thanks to this farce, I finally understand—”
Kanade raised his head, his golden eyes glowing with magical energy, devoid of focus.
His perspective came from DD-chan floating above him.
Before Chika made her wish on the bell.
To escape the murderous gaze of Motokatsu.
DD-chan activated her power.
Kanade’s perspective had long switched to that of DD-chan.
Even after waking up in this world, it was the same.
From DD-chan’s perspective.
The figure of the black-haired girl was merely an illusion formed by dense fog, her true body being the bell suspended within her.
“So even knowing it’s fake, the moment Nagi’s figure fell before me, my heart ached as if it would crack open.”
A black flame ignited in Kanade’s heart.
“These days, if you want to commit fraud, at least be a bit more professional, with some reasonable setups.”
DD-chan nodded in agreement: “Even some suspected carbon-based lifeforms are better at deceiving than you….”
DD-chan’s gaze fixed on the White Spirit Miko standing before Kanade.
She was different from the previous two he had encountered.
Her degree of beastification was not high, and she had a tall, slender figure.
Moreover, she knew how to use illusions to entice Kanade to make wishes, showing a much higher level of intelligence than before.
The moment the White Spirit Miko realized her plan had failed, she suddenly raised her hand, sending a wind blade towards Kanade’s head.
But he dodged with a sidestep, missing by mere millimeters, the wind blade brushing past his bangs.
The golden light in Kanade’s eyes traced a brilliant light trail.
“What?!”
DD-chan, witnessing this scene, couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
“If it’s a 1V1…” Kanade murmured softly.
DD-chan recalled the scene when Kanade was first attacked by the doppelganger.
Back then, Kanade had just been introduced to the extraordinary world and hadn’t even undergone Alice’s training.
Yet, he had managed to frequently evade the doppelganger’s attacks.
“I will make you regret your desecration of Nagi—”
Kanade remembered Alice’s guidance during the summer vacation.
He channeled magical energy from within himself, injecting it into the silver ring on his right hand.
The ring began to transform into particles of light, finally condensing into a silver blade in Kanade’s hand.
From DD-chan’s perspective, this was a third-person battle.
“(…In fighting games, I’m definitely not Kanade’s match…)”
The protagonist of “Star Pull 2” is not just one.
