Chapter 151: The Beginning of War
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain forest, inside a tent.
Asagiri, Yuuki Asuna, Iwanaga Kotoko, and Kato Megumi were all squeezed into the same tent. The space was naturally cramped, but they had no choice. Kato Megumi had only managed to bring back one simple tent, so they had to make do.
"Chika and the others… they actually entered this Dungeon too…"
Yuuki Asuna sat with her back against the tent wall, her eyes complicated. She pressed her lips together, clearly wanting to say more, yet she stayed silent for a long moment.
"You're worried about the three of them?" Iwanaga Kotoko asked with a faint smile, seeing through her immediately.
"There's no need. Kaguya Shinomiya, Fujiwara Chika, and Hayasaka Ai might not have interacted with us much, but since they entered this Dungeon and became one of the first four Player teams to arrive here, it means they've already made a Player's resolve."
Kotoko's voice stayed light, but her meaning was firm.
"They don't need our help, and we have no obligation to help them."
"Mm. I understand."
Yuuki Asuna was kind, but she wasn't naïve, and she definitely wasn't the type to drown in self righteous heroics.
Fujiwara Chika was her good friend, but Asagiri, Iwanaga Kotoko, and Kato Megumi were her teammates. They were the people she absolutely had to protect.
All Yuuki Asuna could do was push her team to obtain the experimental data in the research base as quickly as possible. Once the clear objective was completed, every surviving Player would clear the Dungeon, and that naturally included Chika and the others.
"Still…" Iwanaga Kotoko turned to Asagiri, looking slightly puzzled. "Do we really need to break in from the main entrance? Even if Phantom can infiltrate silently, no matter how you look at it, that's the most difficult and dangerous route."
"On the surface, yes." Asagiri nodded, then shifted his tone.
"But precisely because it's the highest risk route, Sato is unlikely to choose it for his own breakthrough. That means, out of all four Player teams, we're the least likely to suddenly run into him."
"So it's to avoid Sato…" Kotoko murmured, thinking it through. Then she hesitated. "But is that really necessary? With our strength, dealing with him shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Killing him once or twice is easy," Asagiri replied calmly.
"But with Sato's individual combat ability, plus his immortality, trying to restrain him without simply killing him is hard, even for us."
His gaze stayed steady.
"And don't forget, if Sato really is like Crazy Mita and has been acknowledged by the system, then even if he hasn't officially become a Player yet, he'll have some understanding of Players. With that guy's personality, he wouldn't start a war like this without preparing thoroughly."
"So… we should avoid him?" Kotoko asked.
"Hm? Avoid him?" Asagiri smiled, and a sharp confidence rose from him.
"I'm being cautious because I care about efficiency. I don't want him interfering with our run."
His smile widened, full of momentum.
"But if we do meet inside the research base, then I'll just warm the wine and slay Sato."
Seeing his swagger, and hearing that dramatic declaration, Yuuki Asuna couldn't help retorting.
"Why are you so extreme? You were cautious and meticulous while planning, and now you're acting like a maniac. Your mood swings way too fast."
Asagiri shrugged, completely unapologetic.
"Isn't that normal? For Players like me who prioritize fun, a perfect speedrun is satisfying. But if I can't speedrun, I don't mind turning it into a massacre."
His tone stayed casual, as if he were talking about changing routes on a stroll.
"As for the annoying people blocking our way, we just eliminate them."
"That's true." Yuuki Asuna nodded, then her expression turned serious. "We should avoid unnecessary fights, but if we have to fight, we can't back down."
She paused, then asked curiously, "Still, are four Player teams enough? More Players should arrive later. Don't we need to coordinate with them too?"
"No need." Asagiri waved his hand and chuckled lightly.
"A disorganized crowd without strength won't help. They'll only get in the way of capable teams."
His voice turned colder.
"And the Players who arrive later will be exhausted and won't have time to recover. Even if they join the attack, at best they'll be cannon fodder to distract attention."
He leaned back slightly.
"Don't worry about them. For tomorrow, we sleep early and recover."
"Woohoo, bedtime!" Iwanaga Kotoko's face lit up with inexplicable excitement. She cheered softly.
"I want to sleep next to Leader."
"Is that really for sleeping?" Yuuki Asuna's cheeks warmed. She glanced at Kato Megumi, then decided there was no point pretending anymore.
"Putting aside the fact that all four of us are in one tent, we have a fight tomorrow. What if you exhaust your stamina tonight and mess up your condition?"
Kotoko pouted, looking wronged.
"I just want to be close to him and have him hold me while I sleep. What are you imagining?"
"Hehe."
Yuuki Asuna didn't believe her for a second. She shook her head firmly.
"No. If you really had that kind of self control, you wouldn't be you. Absolutely not."
Kotoko frowned, then immediately counterattacked.
"Then by your logic, I don't believe in your self control either. So you can't sleep next to him either, right?"
"Tch…"
Yuuki Asuna choked. After a beat, both girls turned their eyes to Kato Megumi, who had been sitting quietly the entire time, so silent she might as well have been transparent.
"Huh? Me?" Kato Megumi blinked, startled by the sudden attention.
She hadn't even spoken. How did the sleeping arrangements become her problem?
"Phantom, I trust you." Yuuki Asuna patted Kato Megumi's shoulder gently.
Kotoko nodded enthusiastically. "Right, right. It's decided. Leader sleeps on the outermost side, and you sleep next to him. Then there won't be any problems."
"It's nice that you both trust me, but…" Kato Megumi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Calmly, she looked at Asagiri. "Leader, do you have any objections?"
Asagiri answered without hesitation. "No objections."
Kato Megumi nodded obediently. "Alright then."
…
Meanwhile, in a dark underground room.
"Sato, are we really launching the attack tomorrow?"
Behind the metal table, a man wearing a dark green beret was calmly assembling gun parts. At the young man's question, he turned around and pulled the brim of his hat down with one hand.
His eyes looked kind when narrowed, and he wore a half smile. Yet the atmosphere around him was wrong. It was the kind of wrong that made your instincts scream, like the thing in front of you was not a man, but a predator wearing human skin.
"Tanaka, it has to be tomorrow."
Sato spoke with an easy smile as he checked the magazine in his firearm.
"I understand the sudden increase in the research base defenses makes you uneasy. But my plan has its reasons. You only need to trust me and follow my lead."
"I understand." Tanaka Koji nodded, then looked at the black mobile unit combat suit hanging on the wall, admiration clear in his eyes.
"You even managed to get something like this… If you wear that suit, you won't have to worry about tranquilizer rounds or stun weapons."
"Tranquilizers? Stun weapons?"
Sato's smile remained gentle.
Then his narrow eyes opened, and the light inside them was completely different from his expression. Cold. Violent. Sharp enough to cut.
"I didn't prepare this gear for the Anti-Ajin Special forces."
His voice stayed calm, almost amused.
"They're just fragile humans."
His gaze hardened, hunting intent rising.
"The target I want to kill… is the one with extraordinary power."
…
The next morning.
"It's raining."
Yuuki Asuna extended her slender, pale right hand, feeling the cool raindrops collect in her palm. She looked up at the cloud covered sky, gray and oppressive, then turned her eyes to Asagiri standing in front of her.
"It's been twenty four hours."
"Yeah." Asagiri nodded casually.
Then he lifted a dark gray mask and set it over his face. His voice dropped.
"Prepare for battle."
"Understood."
Yuuki Asuna drew her Exorcist Longsword from her inventory and fastened her dark red cloak. Iwanaga Kotoko equipped her brooch, her dark green sorcerer's ring, and her masquerade mask.
Kato Megumi had no disguise gear, but she still armed herself. A cursed dagger in her left hand, held in a reverse grip, and an Indian war axe in her right. The contrast gave her an unsettling beauty, half assassin, half berserker.
Just as the four of them finished changing into their combat equipment, a cloud of dust suddenly swept along the path in the distance.
Pocket Mita hadn't arrived yet, but words were already forming in midair, urgent and sharp.
"Player, Player! Someone has invaded the research base! It's starting!"
.....
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