Chapter 169 Hidaka Keiji ④ (Sugita Group ⑫)
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I lock my focus on him. I won’t let a single twitch of his muscles escape me.
The roar of the crowd and the blaring announcements fade into a dull hum until I can’t hear them at all. I’ve already swapped my blade from Raikiri to Murasame. Sasaki stands with his right side forward, settling into a low guard. We are both locked in defensive stances. Slowly, agonizingly, he inches closer. He’s about to step into my reach.
Honestly, compared to the chaos from before, this exchange is eerily quiet. But the tension? It’s on a completely different level.
For both me and Sasaki.
The proof is written all over his face – he’s more serious than I’ve ever seen him.
This tension… I can’t get enough of it. Back in the day, I’d beat Sasaki to a pulp under the guise of “sword practice,” but a real kill-or-be-killed fight has to be like this.
Hurry up and let me cut you.
Your flesh.
Your bones.
Your life.
Every single part of you, Sasaki!
Finally, Sasaki stepped into my strike zone. My hunger was about to be satisfied! Wearing a grin I knew looked sadistic, I drew my blade and swung through in one fluid motion. He couldn’t have seen the draw; Sasaki didn’t even try to dodge.
I got him!
Or so I thought. But there was no sensation of my blade biting into him. Instead…
”GUAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
A white-hot agony tore through me, screaming from my right flank up to my left chest. The sheer intensity made me drop my sword, and I collapsed to one knee.
”Tch. Was it too shallow?” Sasaki asked, clicking his tongue.
Impossible. My timing was perfect; I had him dead to rights. So why am I the one taking damage? And he calls it “shallow”? This agony – it should be a massive wound. I shouldn’t even be able to stand. In fact, from the spot where I was hit, a torrent of blood should be –
It wasn’t.
It was a paper-thin cut at best. Barely a scratch. I’ve been thrashed as a brat and wounded plenty of times since coming to this world. A tiny nick like this shouldn’t be a big deal.
”Oh my, oh my,” Sasaki said, mocking me. “It’s barely a scratch, yet you’re hurting that much? What’s the matter? Is this… your first time being cut?”
”Shut… up,” I muttered. “I don’t… get it either.”
”I bet you don’t,” Sasaki replied. “After all, I’m the one who laid the curse.”
”What… did you say?!” I asked, my voice cracking. “What do you mean!”
Forgetting the pain for a second, I tried to lung at the sneering Sasaki, but he dodged me effortlessly.
”Hey, have you noticed anything weird happening to you guys lately?” Sasaki asked. “Like… becoming impotent, for instance?”
”!? No way!” I shouted.
”Yes way,” he said.
Sasaki explained it all with terrifying calm. He had placed a curse on us that triggered the day after he “died” back then. For Sugita, a curse of impotence. For Hagimoto, he’d rigged it so he’d suffer nightmares every single night. And for me…
”I gave you the Curse of Agony,” Sasaki said. “Even the slightest prick feels dozens of times more painful. The physical wound stays the same – so even a scratch feels like you’re being ripped apart.”
Isekai… back in Japan, I never believed in stuff like curses. But in this world of magic, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.
”By the way, ‘Curse Spirit Magic’ and my ‘Curses’ are totally different,” Sasaki added. “That magic is just a debuff. Mine is the real deal. You can imagine the results.”
I knew Sasaki hated us, obviously. But I never imagined he could actually curse us. That curse was steadily eating us alive. For the first time, I saw Sasaki as something truly terrifying.
”Still, I was in a bad position for a counter, so I only got that little nick on you. Even after using Time Compression. You’re pretty tough,” he said.
He was “praising” me, but he still looked down on me with utter contempt. I didn’t have the luxury of playing around anymore. Cold sweat poured down my face. I had to kill him – kill him so he’d never come back. I had to get away from this freak right now.
”Come to me… Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi!”
I dismissed Murasame and summoned a new blade. One of the three Divine Regalia, the Holy Sword of the East: Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. With this, I’d end him for good. It wasn’t a katana, so I couldn’t use my Katana Skills, but my One-Handed Sword skill was high enough.
And yet, Sasaki… broke into a look of pure ecstasy.
”Kuh! Kuhahaha! That’s it! I was waiting for you to pull out something that wasn’t a katana! ‘Snatch’!”
Shit! I forgot he had that skill! What did he take? My Unique Skills? No, the sword was still in my hand. Then what?
”Hidaka, I’ve officially stolen your ‘crutch’,” Sasaki said.
”My… crutch?” I asked.
”Yeah. Let me show you. Come, Nenekirimaru.”
Sasaki summoned a new weapon. It was a massive blade, an odachi over three meters long. He swung that giant slab of steel like it weighed nothing. Then, he took the “Dragonfly” stance. For an amateur, he looked way too natural.
Wait… what he took… what I lost was…!
”You guessed it,” Sasaki said. “I took your Katana Mastery.”
”Uwaaaaah! You… you bastard!” I screamed. “Give it back! That’s my technique! Everything I built up! Give it back!”
”No – thank – you,” he replied.
”You piece of shit! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you until there’s nothing left!”
”Kill me until there’s nothing left, huh?” Sasaki asked with a hollow smile. “By the way… who told you that you could ‘completely kill’ me?”
His smile made my blood turn to ice.
”I wonder… were you talking about me? Tee-hee~”
”Huh? What? Kodama-chan…?” I stood there, paralyzed.
Still holding that stance, Sasaki had transformed into Kodama.
”WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!” the announcer screamed. “Unbelievable! Player Seven has turned into a girl! What is happening?!”
”So, the Kodama from back then was…” I started.
”Yep. It was me,” she said. “Oh, and that stuff I told you back then? Totally a lie. Even if I get killed by a Holy Sword… I just pop right back up. He-he-he.”
A lie? You’re telling me I can’t kill him? I’m just a total clown in this game.
”…What happened to the real Kodama?” I asked.
”Real? I’m the one and only Kodama Satomi,” she said.
”Don’t screw with me!”
”I’m not. Down to the last detail – heart, body, memories – I am her. Well… as for the original… I ate her. Heh.”
”You… ate her?!”
He’s dangerous. This guy… is insane.
”Oh, but don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t eat you, Hidaka. Although… I am going to make you hurt so bad you’ll wish you were dead!”
”Wait, hold on,” I said. “There’s no way you can swing that giant sword with those skinny little arms -“
”Look, I might look like Kodama right now… but my ‘Stats’ are still my own. You get what that means… right?”
I understood. No matter what he looked like, he was still Sasaki. He had Sasaki’s power.
”Well then, here I go… ‘Infinite Hell’… ‘Jigen-ryu: First Strike’… CHESTO!”
With a high-pitched shout, she closed the gap in a heartbeat. She was faster than me. Her sword speed was on a completely different level. I didn’t even have time to flinch before the blade slammed into my body.
”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!”
My eyes bulged, a silent scream trapped in my throat. An agonizing pain, like every bone in my body was being pulverized, surged through me. Trying to escape the pain, I let my consciousness slip away into the dark.
—
Summary:
Hidaka attempts to finish Sasaki with high-level weapons but discovers he is under a ‘Curse of Agony’ that amplifies even minor scratches into extreme pain. Sasaki reveals he has been cursing the entire group since his supposed death. In a final shock, Sasaki steals Hidaka’s Katana Mastery skill and transforms into Kodama, revealing he ate the original girl and remains the dominant combatant.
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Trivia:
- Sasaki has been alive and watching them for a long time.
- The pain Hidaka feels is disproportionate to his actual physical damage.
- Sasaki used ‘Time Compression’ just to land a tiny scratch.
- The ‘Snatch’ skill can steal mastery/technique, not just physical items.
- Sasaki-as-Kodama claims to be immortal even against Holy Swords
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Character Insight:
Hidaka’s overconfidence in his ‘cheat’ skills becomes his downfall as Sasaki systematically strips him of his technical foundation. Sasaki displays a level of planning and cruelty that exceeds simple revenge, moving into psychological and physical torture.
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Behind the Scenes:
The use of ‘Jigen-ryu’ and ‘Chesto’ are nods to real-world Satsuma Domain swordsmanship known for its extreme offensive power and distinctive battle cries.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Sasaki – The protagonist, 168–171 cm and 57–59 kg, with a baby face hidden by black bangs. Once bullied and thought dead by the Sugita gang, he now fights as the gladiator Seven. Wielder of Snatch and Time Compression, he’s the hidden source of many curses and a shapeshifter. Dressed in green scale armor with a blood‑red muffler, he wields dual longswords.
• Hagimoto – One of the members of the Sugita gang who actively bullied Natsumi. At first glance, he looks like a cool, smart guy with glasses, but he is actually vulgar and has a foul mouth.
• Sugita – Sugita Kazu. The leader of the Sugita gang and the primary bully of Natsumi Sasaki. His grandfather is the Superintendent General and his father is a Police Superintendent, so the two of them covered up all his crimes. Because of this, he does whatever he wants wherever he goes. He has a lean build, sharp features, and a calculating gaze. Possesses the ‘Steal’ (窃盗) skill and uses it to brainwash women.
• Hidaka – A 182 cm, 79 kg man—muscular, once a member of the Sugita gang and Kendo club. Now a Hero-class warrior wielding the Holy Sword Ame‑no‑Murakumo‑no‑Tsurugi and the Unique Skill “Magic Sword.” Once a violent delinquent driven by sadistic urges and revenge, he now fights under a lingering curse, torn between power and madness.
• Lil – One of the heroines. Height 166 cm, B-W-H: 90-56-90. She is a top-tier beauty with long indigo hair down to her waist, a large scar on her abdomen and sharp golden eyes. She has wolf ears and a tail.
• Kodama – Kodama Satomi—a tanned, bleached‑haired “gal” and self‑proclaimed fan of Chihiro. Skilled in Lightning Bolt sorcery with stats surpassing a Gargoyle’s despite low melee ability. Once an escapee with Yuki and Kijima’s sister, she suffered under Sasaki —whose female form later mimics her appearance, claiming to have “eaten” her.
• Satomi – A self-proclaimed fan of Chihiro. A bronzed girl with bleached hair.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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