Chapter 180 Sugita Group ㉓
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Rewinding time just a moment-
Inside the walls of Leonis Castle in the Kingdom of Plaudix, a notice had been pinned to a particular door. It read:
”To those who yearn for and love the Hero, Sugita Kazuo: Pass through this threshold, and your heart’s desire shall be granted.”
A similar phenomenon occurred in the town surrounding the castle. However, that notice bore a darker message:
”To those who have had something precious stolen by the Hero, Sugita Kazuo, and harbor a grudge: Pass through this threshold, and your vengeance shall be realized.”
At first, most dismissed it as a cruel prank. Yet, those who opened the doors found them connected to an entirely different dimension. Despite their skepticism, they reasoned they wouldn’t die just by looking. If the notices told the truth, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. A few brave souls plucked up their courage and stepped through.
Beyond the doors lay a massive circular arena. Looking back, the doors remained, offering a clear path home. Once they realized they weren’t trapped, the masses began to pour through-some fueled by obsession, others by a burning, murderous spite.
* * *
”Ugh…”
My whole body is screaming in pain.
I was fighting Natsumi, and then…
I lost? Me? To a loser like Natsumi?
That’s impossible. This is Natsumi we’re talking about. He’s bottom-tier trash with zero talent and base-level stats.
Damn it… first thing I’m going to do is strangle that prick… Wait, my body won’t move. Am I still dreaming?
My vision swam as I forced my eyes open, only to find myself spread-eagled and bound tight.
…………
”WHAT THE HELL IS THIIIIIIIIIIIIS?!” Sugita shrieked.
* * *
Sugita bellows a line like some hammy actor from a silent film. Finally, the “Hero” is awake.
He’s currently bolted to an X-shaped rack¹. Since it’s a custom piece by Master Tatei, there’s no way Sugita is breaking out with his current strength.
As for our location: we’re dead center in the arena. As for what comes next… well.
I grabbed a magic amplification tool-shaped like a standard microphone-and addressed the crowd.
”Ladies and gents! The moment you’ve been waiting for!” I announced. “We are about to begin the public execution of this man: Sugita Kazuo!”
The audience erupted in a cheer that made the very earth tremble. They were starving for blood and circuses.
In old-world Europe, public executions were a prime form of entertainment. To a modern person, the idea is stomach-turning, but back then, people lived and died by the spectacle of a criminal’s end. Even the infamous witch hunts had that festive edge. No matter how miserable their own lives were, watching an execution let them think, “At least I’m not that guy.” They’d shiver with a twisted sort of joy, especially when the person on the block was a genuine piece of work.
That’s why they’re going wild. It’s a glimpse into the darker side of the human soul.
In this world, public execution is still top-tier entertainment. That’s why the energy is electric. Well, for everyone except one person.
Needless to say, that would be our guest of honor, Sugita.
”Ex-Execution?!” Sugita stammered. “You’ve gotta be kidding me! I didn’t do anything wrong! Where’s the trial?! You need a trial first!”
”A trial, huh? Oh, we had one,” I replied. “You were found guilty by a landslide. Sentence: Death.”
While Sugita was out cold, I’d made sure to broadcast his every atrocity to the crowd. This country already hates the “Heroes,” and half the people in these stands have had their lives ruined by him personally. It was a foregone conclusion.
”Besides, you say you ‘did nothing wrong’?” I said. “Everyone here already knows exactly what kind of monster you are.”
”I’m telling you, I didn’t-“
”Yeah, since the defendant clearly lacks any self-awareness, let’s refresh everyone’s memory on his rap sheet.”
I cut him off and turned back to the crowd. It was sickening to recap, but Sugita needed to hear why he was about to suffer.
”This man, Sugita, used his status as a ‘Hero’ to extort the innocent, using brutal violence to line his pockets,” I explained. “Whenever he saw a woman he wanted, he took her-regardless of whether she had a lover or a husband. Anyone who tried to stop him was beaten or murdered. He carried these same ‘Heroic’ acts into the Elven settlements, which ended in a total massacre.”
”Shut up!” Sugita yelled. “If I stole their girls, it’s because those guys were losers with no game! Don’t blame me for your shitty luck! Besides, Elves aren’t even human, so who gives a damn!”
The stadium exploded in a deafening chorus of boos at his pathetic defense.
”On top of that, he broke into my manor and slaughtered my staff, starting with my butler. He laid his filthy hands on Marguerite and Rieslett,” I continued. “He even had the gall to use my name while he kidnapped women to indulge his depraved lusts, assaulting anyone who got in his way. So, let me ask you all one more time… what should we do with this man?”
”That’s a no-brainer!” a man shouted.
”KILL HIM!” a woman screamed.
”Give me back my family, you bastard! Or just die already!” another voice cried out.
”DEATH PENALTY! DEATH PENALTY!”
The chant took over the entire arena, a rhythmic wall of sound.
”Well, there you have it,” I said. “Get it now?”
”This is bullshit! I’m not the bad guy here!” Sugita ranted. “It’s the weaklings’ fault for letting things get stolen! If you’re too weak to keep what’s yours, you deserve to lose it or die. That’s just how the world works! Weakness is the only real evil!”
”In that case, you’re the most evil one here,” I countered. “After all, I beat you into the dirt without breaking a sweat.”
”Screw you! You think you can do this to me?!” Sugita spat. “You’re the villain here, using violence on a Hero!”
Typical. It’s okay when he does it, but a crime when it happens to him. He’s the type who calls his own cheating a ‘romance’ but calls yours ‘adultery.’ A self-centered prick to the very end.
”If you guys do it, it’s a crime! If I do it, it’s my right! Learn your place, you morons!” Sugita laughed.
I let out a long sigh at his delusional ranting. The heckling from the stands reached a fever pitch. Can’t blame them; hearing that kind of logic would make anyone want to see blood.
”Sugita, you’re forgetting one very important detail,” I said quietly. “Sure, under the protection of the Hero Church, you’re untouchable in Plaudix. But this is Greedia. The Church has no power here. You understand… right?”
New country, new laws. We don’t have extradition treaties for ‘Hero’ war criminals here.
”So, Sugita, you’ve been sentenced to death. Resign yourself.”
”You piece of shit! Let me go! Let me goooooo!”
It was a pathetic, high-pitched howl. A true loser’s swan song.
Well, the audience is waiting. Time to start the show.
* * *
”Now, to kick off the execution, Sugita… I’ve placed three curses on you,” I said.
”C-curses…?” Sugita muttered.
”That’s right. Number one: The Curse of Frailty². It makes your body incredibly brittle. Not quite as soft as tofu, but enough that the slightest pressure will snap your bones.”
To demonstrate, I grabbed his right arm and gave it a light squeeze.
SNAP.
The sound of shattering bone echoed through the mic.
”AAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!” Sugita screamed.
”See? Just like that,” I said. “As for the other two… well, one is better shown than told.”
”Wha-? Wait- Agh!?”
I lunged forward and crushed his throat in my grip. There was a wet, sickening tear, and then-
”GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
I wrenched his head back until the spine snapped and tore free, dragging the spinal cord out with it. He died instantly, of course. But I wasn’t done. Using the rigid spine like a makeshift blade, I hacked both his arms off at the shoulders. Then, I drove my hand into his headless torso, splitting him open down to the navel like a piece of dry bamboo. His ribs snapped and his internal organs spilled out in a steaming, wet heap. Finally, I slammed his severed head back down onto the mangled remains of his pelvis.
Damn, even I have to admit-that was graphic. I almost expected to hear a deep voice shout “FATALITY!”³ from the rafters. Must’ve been my imagination.
Though, looking at this mess, “Fatality” is the only word for it.
Anyway, here’s the real trick. Sugita’s mangled remains began to knit back together, the blood flowing backward like a film being rewound.
”!? Gasp… haa… haa… I-I’m alive? What happened…?”
He sucked in a breath, completely restored as if nothing had happened.
”That’s the second curse: Death Penalty⁴,” I explained.
In gaming terms, a death penalty. Usually, you lose experience points and respawn at a save point. But since he’s still bolted to that rack, he respawns right back into my hands. He’s immortal now, in the worst possible way. He loses level progress every time he dies. He won’t de-level past Level 1, so he won’t disappear entirely, but it’s the same mechanic I have. Except while I gain a level when I respawn, he loses one.
And here is the punchline.
”You’re going to be executed. Over, and over, and over again,” I said, leaning in close. “You’ll die, and you’ll wake up. Again and again. So… to everyone here who has a grudge against Sugita: Don’t hold back. Give this man every ounce of the pain he gave you.”
Before the words were even finished, Carlos and a wave of others who had been ruined by Sugita stormed the arena floor. They were finally going to get their pound of flesh.
”Wait, you’re lying… I’m gonna keep dying?! No! Stop! STOP IT OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Sugita’s screams tore through the air, but no one was listening.
—
Summary:
Natsumi lures Sugita’s victims and admirers to an arena in Greedia via magic doors. Sugita is revealed to be restrained in the center, where he is publicly tried and condemned by the crowd for his countless crimes. Natsumi then executes him brutally, revealing a curse that forces Sugita to respawn infinitely to be tortured by his victims.
—
Trivia:
- The arena is located in Greedia, which is outside the jurisdiction of the Hero Church.
- Natsumi’s respawn mechanic actually grants him a level, whereas Sugita’s version causes a level loss.
- The crowd was separated into ‘lovers’ and ‘haters’ through different doors in Leonis Castle and the town.
- Sugita slaughtered an entire settlement of Elves, justifying it by claiming they aren’t human
—
Character Insight:
Sugita demonstrates a complete lack of remorse, adhering to a ‘might makes right’ philosophy until the tables are turned. Natsumi shows a darker, more sadistic side as an executioner, using his knowledge of game mechanics as a tool for eternal punishment.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Fatality’ comment is a meta-reference to the Mortal Kombat series, used to emphasize the visceral nature of the gore. The ending quote refers to a classic character catchphrase from ‘Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka’.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Sugita – Leader of the Sugita gang and main bully of Natsumi Sasaki. Comes from heavy police privilege—granddad’s the Superintendent General, dad’s a Superintendent—so every mess he makes gets swept clean. Lean build, sharp face, that cold “I know I can get away with it” stare. Wields the unique skill Steal (窃盗), which he used to mess with minds and control women. Even faked being the hero Sieben with a mask and a greatsword before getting knocked down to Level 7 after losing it all.
• 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.
• Tatei – Full name is Tatei Kozoo. Natsumi’s otaku buddy. Used to be tall and solid, now he’s 186 cm of skin and bones after anorexia wrecked him (52 kg, yeah, rough). Has the skill Materialization Alchemy and once crafted gear for the whole class. Ended up making the X‑shaped restraint stand used for Sugita’s execution—dark twist for a guy who just wanted to make cool equipment.
• Tate – Male Otaku friend of Reese. Gaunt and thin, wears glasses. Possesses Materialization Alchemy skill.
• Marguerite – Young girl with long, pale blue hair in a catatonic state. Possesses ‘slight’ buds for breasts. Daughter of the Master of Merchant Guild Foxia.
• Rieslett – Half‑Japanese, half‑Swedish girl with that forever‑young look—people keep mistaking her for her mom’s sister. Blonde (sometimes looks brunette under certain light). Outfit’s a clean mix: black cloak, white shirt, red ribbon tie, navy pleated skirt, knee‑highs, brown leather shoes. Works at Natsumi’s manor, got caught up in Sugita’s mess, and yeah… it didn’t end well.
• Carlos – The Knight Captain of the Plaudix Kingdom’s Royal Guard. He serves as an instructor and shows genuine concern for Sasaki. Currently a broken man, gaunt, skin and bones, with an unkempt beard. Husband of Elena and father of Farisa.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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