My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! Volume 14 Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

It's very disappointing to think that you can just hide behind me like that!

Van and another person landed on the rooftop of the half-destroyed pyramid.

Originally, the rooftop seemed to have been a square, but now it had become a rectangle with half the size. The two landed near the center.

"Hi there. I'm Mitsuki, the Great Sage who oversees the other sages. This mask may be impolite, but please forgive me. I didn't care before, but it seems that there's an issue with revealing my face in front of a large crowd."

The person in the mask, Mitsuki, spoke in a gentle voice. It was impossible to determine his age due to the mask, but his voice sounded like a young boy's.

"Shall I explain everything now? Oh, is it okay for me to take charge here?"

"It's fine. Let Grandpa do as he likes."

When Mitsuki asked, Vann responded with a hint of exasperation.

Originally, Vann had created and operated this underground quest. It was likely that he was supposed to be in charge of the event taking place during the last quest.

Scattered adventurers began to gather in the center. Hanakawa and his companions also approached Mitsuki.

Some kept their distance, perhaps out of caution. The Great Sage's voice could be heard even from afar, so there might not be a need to get closer just to listen to the explanation.

"I see some familiar faces here..."

Among those who left an impression on Hanakawa were Evon, dressed like a witch and responsible for the massive multiplication of the Philosopher's Stones, whom he had met on the beach.

Others were from a previous world encounter at the Tower of the Gorge. There was a woman with an unusually high degree of exposure and a lanky, tall young man. They hadn't been on the beach, so they must have come from a different route.

The woman at the tower had been emitting rays of light in all directions, making her seem dangerous. The young man didn't seem to be that special, and Hanakawa felt a slight affinity for him.

"Can't see Succubus sister's figure, did she fall out?"

"Isn't that the case? She was strong, but she wouldn't have survived if she got caught up in the pyramid's collapse."

"That's true. Well, everyone is said to be cheat-level strong, but it seems that many have survived... In the end, isn't it more amazing that I, who survived, am still alive compared to those who died?"

"It's like fortune falling from the shelf, gaining fame through injury, or the old man and the horse! Hanakawa's ability has a zero possibility of leading to this result!"

"Well, you're using those phrases slightly wrong... But aside from that, there are also non-human beings here."

These were also people not present on the beach, and they seemed to be a party including non-humans.

A boy with horns on his forehead, a giant man with rock-like skin, a slender man with three pairs of eyes, a woman with her long hair covering her face and reaching her feet, and a black-haired boy in a T-shirt and jeans made up the group of five.

"I remember seeing the horned boy. He was among those who first received the Philosopher's Stones. Could he be one of the so-called Golbagon Four Heavenly Kings?"

Six people and one creature were assigned the seven Philosopher's Stones. Hanakawa was one of them, and the horned boy was also there.

"Hm? Aren't parties limited to four people? It looks like there are five of them..."

"Just because they're together doesn't necessarily mean they're in the same party, right?"

"That's true. There's also the possibility that one of them is a familiar."

Strictly speaking, it could also be asked what the deal was with Vann, who appeared on his own to protect the sky. It might have been a waste to worry about it.

"Ah, someone else is coming... right?"

Carol looked behind Hanakawa with a puzzled expression. Intrigued, Hanakawa turned around.

"Wha-!"

The unexpected presence startled Hanakawa.

This world had been reset, and time had been rewound. It was possible for people who had died in the previous world to appear here. However, Hanakawa never thought that it would come here.

It was a grotesque creature.

It had a human shape, but its entire body was black and sharp like a blade. It was a sinister monster that seemed to embody murderous intent, and Hanakawa recognized its existence.

"Hedgehog... why are you here!?"

It was the monster he had encountered in the gorge when he was taken away by Sage Aoi.

"Wait, Luu-tan? What's going on!?"

Although the impact of Hedgehog was overwhelming, there were four women behind it.

The goddess Luu, her daughter-like Hylko, an elf girl, and a warrior-like woman.

Hedgehog was supposed to be targeting Luu, but no matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem to have any hostility towards her now.

"I'm curious about what's going on, but... it's better not to disturb the gods."

Hedgehog was, as it appeared, a very belligerent being. It was impossible to predict what might happen if they approached carelessly. Hanakawa discreetly hid behind Carol.

"It's very disappointing to think that you can just hide behind me like that!"

Led by Hedgehog, Luu and the others also approached Great Sage Mitsuki.

"Hey there. You're going by Luu now, right? It's been quite a while."

"Mitsuki..."

The nature of their relationship was unknown. However, Hanakawa sensed an extraordinary atmosphere between them. Luu showed an expression mixed with love and hatred.

"There may be a lot we want to say, but can we set that aside for now? If you attack, I'll just run away. If Luu participates properly in this game, I'll make time for us later."

With that, Luu seemed to be satisfied for the moment and said nothing more.

"Well, it seems like some people are arriving late. Should we wait a little longer?"

"I think it's fine not to wait. If they can't make it to the rooftop in this situation, they probably don't qualify to participate."

Originally, the final battle was supposed to begin when seven Philosopher's Stones were gathered here.

However, there are now more than seven Philosopher's Stones. It's probably impossible to proceed according to the original specifications at this point.

"Alright. Congratulations, everyone here has earned the right to challenge the final battle in the last area. To keep things moving, we're setting a deadline. Coming late won't be allowed... although there's no point in telling that to those already here."

It seemed that most of the people on the beach had arrived, and there were also those who had come from other routes. A considerable number of parties had gathered here.

"The original rule was for everyone to go to the antechamber area in the order they arrived, but the entrance is broken. So, I'll explain the rules here."

The same explanation would be given to Yogiri, who wasn't here.

"The final area is even higher up, above the clouds. It's the Sky Castle Field, so of course, there's a castle, but it's not that important. We're going to have a tournament. How many people are here now?"

"70 parties."

"Just fight each other, and if you win, you'll move on to the next round. When half of you advance, we'll start the next round. Since it's an odd number, let's have 32 parties advance to the second round. That makes six rounds in total. Well, if you can defeat Takatou Yogiri in the meantime, it'll end there."

The main goal is to defeat Yogiri and reset the world. There's no point in continuing after Yogiri is defeated. However, having a knockout competition seems to stem from the desire to see various battles out of curiosity.

"...Well, depending on how we handle it... we might be able to... do something!?"

Although Ryoko and Carrol were strong, they couldn't be called cheats. If they fought against the people here, the possibility of losing without a chance was very high.

"...This is... a problem. I was hoping to at least join up with Takatou-kun..."

Ryoko had a serious look on her face.

"Hahaha! If Takatou-kun is aiming to win, joining up with him would only get us killed by him, right!?"

"That's not something to laugh about! Hey! Is it possible to withdraw from this now!?"

Hanakawa hastily approached Mitsuki.

"You say some funny things. It's amusing, so could you just participate as is?"

Mitsuki's expression couldn't be seen behind the mask, but from the tone of his voice, he seemed genuinely amused.

"Ah, wait! Losing doesn't necessarily mean dying, right? I mean, it wasn't explicitly stated that we're going to kill each other!"

"That's true. I don't particularly want to see people die either, so I think it's fine if you compete in a way that both parties can agree on."

The rules for winning and losing were as follows:

Rules can be decided upon during a match.

If no agreement on rules is reached, defeating the entire opposing party counts as a win.

Declaring defeat or surrendering is also allowed.

"Van-kun, can you prepare the entrance for us?"

"Sure."

As Van snapped his fingers, a flat object rose from the floor. Its surface was pitch black, likely similar to the gate that had been inside the pyramid.

"Entering this gate will take you to a random location in the final area. We've made sure that the spawn points won't be too close to each other. Once everyone is ready, we'll start."

Van explained.

"Hey, wasn't there something about getting a reward for being early?"

The one who asked this was a boy with horns.

"Yeah, I said I'd enhance your abilities. But, isn't it inappropriate to discuss what kind of abilities in a place like this?"

"I don't need any abilities. Instead, I have a request."

"What is it? If it sounds interesting, I'll listen."

"You guys have a friend with glasses, right? I want to kill that guy. Tell me where he is."

"By glasses, do you mean Shirou? He's in the restricted area, but players can't go there. How about this: Let the Sage related to Cavern Quest participate in the last boss quest?"

"Grandpa?!"

Van seemed genuinely surprised, as if this was unexpected news.

"That works. If I advance, I'll definitely get to kill him at some point. Plus, it'd be great if I could kill you too."

The horned boy glared at Van.

He must hold a grudge against Van for implanting the Philosopher's Stone in him.

"You must be bored, right?"

"Well... I don't really care about managing the game anymore."

"And even if you lose and die, the world will be reset, and everything will be back to normal."

Mitsuki spoke very casually. To him, the world being reset seemed like a foregone conclusion. He appeared confident that, no matter what happens, Yogiri will eventually die and the world will return to its previous state.

"You say that so casually... Well, if it makes Grandpa happy, I don't mind."

Although Van was surprised, he didn't seem to take it too seriously.

"Hey, can I join too?"

A young man wearing a full-body suit spoke up.

The suit was made of a smooth material not found in this world, with hard components placed in various locations.

To Hanakawa, it looked like a sci-fi battle uniform or a sleek spacesuit.

"Yeah, but since you're asking, I guess you have a request other than abilities, right?"

"Well, yeah. My power is pretty large-scale. If I use it properly, I could blow up an entire planet, but it doesn't seem suitable for one-on-one fights. I just wanted to make sure it's okay to defeat multiple enemies at once."

"I see. Regardless of whether that's actually possible, it would make the elimination rounds meaningless. So let's have the battles take place in a separate space where they won't affect anything else. Can you make that adjustment?"

"I can do that. We already have a system in place for dividing channels. As for when the battles begin... How about when the distance between parties is within ten meters?"

Van answered Mitsuki's question.

"Well, it's easy to imagine a situation where multiple parties are within ten meters at the same time, don't you think?"

"It's a hassle to decide on every detail, so I'll judge exceptions on a case-by-case basis and handle them appropriately."

With that, Van headed towards the black gate. He passed through the thin, flat gate and disappeared.

Next, the adventurers went through the gate as well.

To gain an advantage, they should go through the gate first, check out the final area, and devise a strategy. But no one seemed to be in a hurry. They just politely took turns passing through the gate. They must be confident that they can counter Yogiri's abilities and kill him.

-- All we wanted to do was regroup with Takatou, so how did we end up in this situation?

Where did it all go wrong?

Looking back, there seem to be several points for reflection, but for now, there's no choice but to go with the flow.

Hanakawa entered the gate.

On the other side, they found themselves in a forest.

"I thought it would be a fantastical place above the clouds, but it doesn't seem that way!"

"The people who went in before us aren't here."

"That's true, but... Why is the Great Sage here as well?"

Hanakawa, Ryoko, and Carol were all together, so the teleportation must have been done on a party basis. However, Great Sage Mitsuki was also with them.

"I said I'd enhance your abilities. It's not a conversation to have in public, so I thought I'd do it individually."

"Ha-ha, we'll take it if it's available, but wasn't it for the first ten people? We were pretty late, I think."

When Hanakawa and the others reached the rooftop, almost all of the surviving adventurers were already there. The only ones who arrived later than Hanakawa were probably Lou and his group.

"That's true, but there were quite a few people who said they didn't need it."

"They exist! They do!"

"That's why the turn came to you guys. There are two abilities left. In the order of arrival at the rooftop... it's her and you."

Whether he remembered it or could access that information, Mitsuki thought for a moment and then pointed at Carol and Hanakawa.

If it's based on the order of arrival at the rooftop, that would be the case. Carol had gone ahead with the rope key, and Hanakawa had been carried by a thread, arriving before Celestina and the others.

"Well, what kind of power do you want?"

"Hmm..."

Carol began to think. It's natural that she wouldn't be able to make an instant decision when told she could receive a power.

"Can you decide within five minutes? The battle is about to start, so we can't wait too long."

"Wait! Does that mean two people have to decide within five minutes!?"

"You can just think about it for yourself, right?"

"Well, yes, but! Is any kind of ability acceptable?"

"It's fine, but don't forget the purpose. It's ultimately to defeat Takatou Yogiri, so I might not accept a completely irrelevant ability."

"Then, is it not allowed to change the world so that I become the most handsome man in the universe, and doing naughty things with me becomes the greatest pleasure!?"

"Somehow, I'm starting to feel like it would be better to kill you sooner rather than later..."

Ryoko looked at Hanakawa as if she were looking at garbage.

"Alright, I've decided! I want the ability to nullify any power! Even if it's a power given by the Great Sage, I want to nullify all of it!"

"Alright."

"With this, I can nullify any power that round garbage, I mean, Hanakawa wishes for after this, right?"

"That's right. Those are the rules. Now, take a look at this for a detailed explanation."

Mitsuki handed Carol a small piece of paper.

"Wh-what the!? Then, I can't overthrow those who have oppressed me so much and make Ryoko-tan and Carol-tan understand!?"

"It seems that going to the rooftop first was the right choice since I had a bad feeling!"

"Then, what kind of ability should I choose!?"

"Hmm... From the look of this, there are various restrictions, so Hanakawa, you might want to think a little more. Well, even if you try to do something to us, it's invalid!"

"Restrictions! Wasn't any ability allowed!? Isn't it unfair to bring that up afterward!?"

"Even if you say that, logically contradictory things can't be realized, and it's impossible to infinitely procure energy, right?"

––What should I do here? I wasn't thinking too seriously, but should I choose an ability to kill Takatou? If I defeat him, will the Great Sage help me with my life afterward? But, no matter how much I think about offensive abilities, I'll only be counterattacked! If I want to capture Takatou, do I need to be cunning? No, I shouldn't try too hard. Would an ability to avoid becoming Takatou's target be better? In that case, would a versatile ability be better? Would that be more adaptable? But that might be a jack-of-all-trades, and there could be unexpected pitfalls. There are restrictions, too! And resources? I don't even understand that! Aaaah! I can't do this without more time to think! Anyway! Whether Takatou returns or dies, what's important to me is what happens afterward! In other words, an ability to survive until the end, and a power to live advantageously after that! But what am I supposed to do with that!?

"Time's up, huh?"

"...Huh?"

"I don't want to keep everyone waiting any longer, and waiting for you is getting boring."

"What!? Then, what will happen to my ability!?"

"I'll give you an ability I chose at random since it would be pitiful to have nothing. Can you check how to use it with this?"

Mitsuki handed over a memo.

As Hanakawa took it, Mitsuki's figure disappeared.

"Last Boss Quest, final stage, first round begins!"

Letters appeared in the sky, and a voice announcing the start came from nowhere.

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