Chapter 175 Hagimoto Masaki ② (Sugita Group ⑱)
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Hagimoto Masaki stood before me, ostentatiously twirling his massive scythe overhead. It was a pathetic display, meant only to flaunt a strength he didn’t truly possess.
To me, it was just a performance.
Honestly, I was appalled when he suggested becoming an ally. After the relentless torment he put me through, he had the nerve to suggest we “let bygones be bygones.” Those aren’t words a predator should ever say to his prey. I briefly considered forcing Hagimoto to violate Hidaka until he died of a heart attack, but that would have been far too much pleasure for a man like him. I decided to stick to the original plan.
As for Hagimoto’s power, I’d measured it during our last encounter. In a fair fight, he might have been a challenge. But I had no intention of fighting fair.
”Think you can mock me?! Die!” Hagimoto screamed.
He swung the scythe in a wide, horizontal arc. Slow. I could track the blade’s trajectory with ease; even Zayed’s flying swords moved faster than this. Without a hint of panic, I activated my skill.
I caught the tip of the oncoming blade between my thumb and forefinger.
”Wh-huh? What the hell is this?!” Hagimoto gasped.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to catch it. He let out a strangled cry of disbelief.
”Wait… Wait, wait, wait! Natsumi, your strength was supposed to be drained! You were desperate just to stay alive last time! How are you doing this?!”
”I wonder,” I said, a predatory grin spreading across my face.
I had traced “Warmonger,” a Unique Skill possessed by Orcus. It quintupled my parameters during combat. While it couldn’t entirely negate Hagimoto’s debuff, it suppressed the effect by half. Even at fifty percent, my stats far outclassed his. No matter how hard he pulled or pushed, I didn’t budge an inch.
Looking at it closely, the weapon was a piece of work. I tried to use Appraisal. It failed-some kind of concealment was at play. I opted for my newly unlocked Unique Skill: “Eyes of Truth³.”
As a skill of the Pride category, it saw through all deceptions. No matter the concealment, the truth was laid bare. It was essentially the ultimate evolution of the Appraisal skill.
The scythe’s name was “Grimm Reaper⁴.” In game terms, it featured armor penetration and guaranteed critical hits. That explained the deep wounds I had suffered previously.
”Damn it! Move, damn you! Let go!” Hagimoto yelled.
”Hm? Oh, sorry. I was just checking the specs,” I said. “Impressive weapon.”
I shoved the blade back toward him and let go. The sudden momentum sent Hagimoto stumbling. He barely managed to keep his feet, his face contorting with rage.
”You’re just Natsumi… Stop looking down on me!” Hagimoto ground his teeth. He had stopped using the mocking suffixes. The smugness was fading into desperation. “Then I’ll just strip away the rest of your strength! Weakness! Rust! Slow!”
He unleashed a barrage of Curse-Spirit magic. “Weakness” to sap my power, “Rust” to erode my defense, and “Slow” to kill my agility.
”Now… die!” Hagimoto shrieked.
He swung again, exactly as he had before. And exactly as I had before, I caught the blade.
”Why?! Why won’t you go down?!”
”Oh, right. Sorry,” I replied. “I forgot to mention-status ailments don’t work on me.”
”Gluttony” had simply devoured the debuffs as they landed. Hagimoto’s Unique Skill, “Sariel’s Protection⁵,” apparently didn’t count as a status ailment, as that was still active. “Gluttony” wasn’t entirely omnipotent, it seemed. Still, it was more than enough.
In fact, I was the worst possible match for someone like Hagimoto. His skill set specialized in weakening the opposition, much like a curse-user. And based on the name…
”Is that really it?” I asked. “If you’ve got something else, you’d better use it now, Ha… gi… mo… to…”
”Stop mocking me! Fine! I didn’t want to waste this on a piece of trash like you, but I’ll show you your place!”
A massive clock face materialized in the air behind Hagimoto.
”I’m done holding back. This magic leads only to the grave. Death Sentence⁶! Your life has five seconds left!”
The second hand on the ethereal clock reached the 55-second mark and began to tick.
”Five… four… three… two… one… zero!”
The hand struck twelve.
”He’s dead! Hahaha! You’re finally dead! Serves you right, you pathetic loser! That’s what you get for acting tough!” Hagimoto cackled.
”Hmm. And who, exactly, is dead?” I asked quietly.
Hagimoto’s laughter cut off into a wheeze. “I-I just… How? How are you still standing?!”
”I told you, status ailments don’t work on me,” I said, stepping forward. “‘Death Sentence’ is just a status effect that triggers heart failure at a set time. It’s useless.”
”Bullshit! That’s impossible! This is the power of a God!”
”God or not, if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work,” I said. “Anything else?”
”M-Monster!” Hagimoto turned on his heel, his face twisted in terror.
I wouldn’t let him run. Using “Time Compression⁷,” I instantly appeared in his path. I was getting called a “monster” quite a bit lately.
”Eek!”
”Don’t run now,” I said. “Hidaka didn’t. Anyway, it’s my turn.”
I drew my twin daggers, holding them in a reverse grip. “For someone like you, these should be plenty. Let’s go.”
I lunged into his guard and slashed. Hagimoto was too slow to react. He took the hit full-on, but because of his defensive skill, it wasn’t a lethal blow.
”Gah! Dammit… it hurts…”
”Just ‘it hurts’?” I mused. “I put a fair bit of weight into that swing.”
”Weight? …I see! Hah! I get it now!” Hagimoto’s confidence surged again as he realized the damage was minimal. “The damage is reduced to a hundredth! I still have a chance! I can still win!”
”I prefer it that way, actually,” I said, a slow, dark smile creeping across my lips. “It means I can cut you over and over and over again. I can make this last.”
Hagimoto turned pale. “No… stay back! Natsumiiii!”
He swung the scythe wildly. The movements were massive and easy to read. Once I stayed inside his reach, the long-handled weapon was a liability. He was in my world now-the world of the dagger.
”Can’t you use a single martial art, Hagimoto? You’re just a slave to your skills. You’re actually weaker than Hidaka was.”
”Shut up! I’m not weak! I’m stronger than Hidaka! I’m stronger than Sugita! I have to be!”
”Sugita is one thing, but Hidaka actually mastered his tools. I respected that much about him,” I said.
In the beginning, I had been the same-drunk on skills I didn’t understand. I could respect people like Mihiro or even Hidaka for actually training. Hagimoto was just a child with a loaded gun. Even with my “Sieben” stats, I’d never beaten Sebastian. It took grueling training with him and Mihiro to finally master my own abilities.
”You don’t even know how to use a martial art. Let me show you one. ‘Bloody Rose⁸‘!”
I unleashed a flurry of slashes. The martial art was named for the way it made blood spray like falling petals. Hagimoto became a canvas of red. Because his defense was so high, the wounds weren’t deep enough to kill him-which was exactly what I wanted.
”Aaaagh! It hurts! It hurts! Make it stop!” Hagimoto shrieked.
The pain was real, even if the damage was low. He dropped his scythe and collapsed, writhing on the ground. While he was distracted by the agony, I used “Snatch⁹” to rip “Sariel’s Protection” right out of his soul. Now, he was truly defenseless. But I wasn’t finished.
”Please… I’m going to die… I don’t want to die…” he sobbed.
”You don’t want to die?” I repeated. “But you killed me. Twice. You murdered me and now you beg for your own life? How convenient.”
I looked down at his shaking form.
”Since you’re so afraid of the end… I won’t kill you.”
”R-Really?”
”Yes. But you are going to wish I had. Pride’s Radiance. Judgment Bolt. Gluttonous Darkness. Envy’s Flame. Wind of Greed. Slothful Ice. Tidal Lust.”
Magic representing the Seven Deadly Sins manifested around me, swirling into a single, terrifying mass of energy.
”What… What is that?!”
”Deadly Sins Magic: ‘The Seven Deadly Sins¹⁰.’ Normally, the sheer output would vaporize you instantly. But don’t worry-I’m going to pull my punches.”
”You can’t ‘go easy’ with something like that!”
”Oh, I can. And the best part? This magic is permanent. It lasts until you die. Do you realize what that means, Hagimoto?”
The color drained from his face as the realization hit him.
”No… stop… please! I’m sorry! I’ll apologize! Anything!”
”Did you ever stop when we asked you to?” I asked coldly.
”I…”
”You understand now. Then burn and freeze. Be carved and consumed for all eternity in Eternal Stasis¹¹. ‘Infinite Hell¹²: Seven Deadly Sins.’”
I unleashed the spell, modified by my Unique Skill “Infinite Hell.” This Wrath-category skill ensured that no matter how much damage an attack dealt, the target would never die. Combined with the Seven Deadly Sins-which dealt continuous, elemental damage-it created a loop of perpetual agony. Even if his body failed, his soul would continue to feel the torment.
”GYAAAAAAAAAAAH! I’M DYING! I’M BURNING! IT’S SO COLD! I’M MELTING! AGHAAAAA!”
Hagimoto would scream forever. No one would be able to get close enough to end his suffering; the only way out was to kill himself. I wondered if he would ever figure that out. By the time he did, he would likely be nothing more than a broken soul.
”I DON’T WANT TO DIE! PLEASE! GYAAAAAAH!”
”Kaha! Kahahahahaha!” I laughed, the sound echoing through the area. “Suffer! Suffer for eternity! You think a quick death would satisfy me? Not a chance! Kahahahahaha!”
I stood there, bathed in the light of his eternal torment, and let out a howl of pure, mad joy.
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Summary:
Natsumi confronts Hagimoto, one of his former bullies. Hagimoto attempts to use various debuffs and a ‘Death Sentence’ skill, all of which fail due to Natsumi’s immunity to status ailments. Natsumi then uses ‘Infinite Hell’ combined with ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ magic to trap Hagimoto in a state of eternal, non-lethal agony as revenge.
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Trivia:
- Natsumi’s ‘Warmonger’ skill quintuples his stats but only during combat.
- Hagimoto’s scythe ‘Grimm Reaper’ bypasses armor and always crits.
- Status ailments are ineffective against Natsumi because of his ‘Gluttony’ skill.
- Natsumi stole Hagimoto’s protection skill using ‘Snatch’ mid-fight.
- The ‘Infinite Hell’ skill prevents the target from dying, regardless of damage received
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Character Insight:
Natsumi shows a darker, sadistic side in this chapter, specifically choosing a punishment that denies the victim the ‘mercy’ of death. He explicitly notes his lack of respect for Hagimoto’s lack of training compared to Hidaka.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author uses RPG mechanics (armor ignore, crit, status ailments) to ground the power fantasy in a logic system that the reader can track.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• 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. Wields a large scythe named Grimm Reaper and possesses the Unique Skill Sariel’s Protection.
• Masaki – 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.
• Hidaka – 182 cm, 79 kg muscular man—ex-Sugita gang member and Kendo club alum, now Hero-class wielding Holy Sword Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi and Unique Skill
• Zayed – Leader of the Dragon’s Jaw bandit group. Known as Flying Sword. Handsome with long blue hair and deep features.
• Natsumi – The protagonist. Height 168 to 171 cm, weight 57 to 59 kg. He has a baby face, but he hides his eyes with his bangs. He was bullied by the Sugita gang just because his name sounded like a girl’s name.
• Orcus – A former orc born from Yuko Oshiro and an orc. To be exact, he is a High Orc Brave. Now a ‘Rakshasa’ and Natsumi’s subordinate after being defeated. Over 190cm tall, muscular, bronze skin, messy long red hair. Wild, masculine features.
• 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.
• Mihiro – Post-gender swap of Yuki Chihiro: Height 160 cm, B-W-H: 82-55-80. Futanari. Short haired black hair, handsome.
• Sieben – Young man with black hair and a mask covering his eyes. He purchased Honoka and Ria.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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