Chapter 161: Sato's End
The instant Human Asura appeared, it lunged forward and pinned down Sato's IBM and Tanaka Koji's IBM with both hands.
The biggest difference between an IBM and a Persona was simple.
Asagiri could cancel and resummon a Persona at any time, in any condition. But once an Ajin created an IBM, they could not actively make it collapse and dissipate. Which meant that once an IBM was controlled, they could not create another one.
"Was I seen through…"
Sato frowned. Using the distance he had created from Asagiri, he raised the M4A1 in his hands again.
This time, he did not aim only for Asagiri's head. He aimed at his arms, his legs, his abdomen.
Even if that black trench coat could block bullets, it could not protect every inch of the body.
But just as Sato was about to pull the trigger, a dangerous premonition surged through him.
He dodged sideways on instinct.
A heavy Indian war axe cut past the outside of his shoulder, missing by a hair.
Kato Megumi did not look discouraged.
She had already known, from the system's special hint, that someone in this Dungeon could detect her even while her exclusive talent was active. The swing aimed at Sato's shoulder was a test. If it worked, great. If it did not…
"King's Gambit."
The Kato Megumi in front of Sato vanished.
And what appeared in her place was…
"Got you."
Under Sato's shocked gaze, Asagiri had already switched positions with her and seized Sato's wrist.
At this moment, the Persona Asagiri had equipped was Human Asura. The grip strength was monstrous, far beyond what a normal human body could ever produce. It was about to crush the bones in Sato's wrist.
If it were an ordinary person, the pain alone would have forced them to drop the rifle immediately.
But Sato had long since grown used to pain.
More than that, being cornered like this flooded him with a thrill he had not felt in a long time.
Bang!
He forced his finger down on the trigger.
His wrist was held, so he could not aim for anything vital. Still, the muzzle dipped and the bullets raked across Asagiri's calves as he shifted.
Even with physical stats beyond human limits and resistance against bullets, the rounds from the M4A1 were no joke. They embedded into his calf muscles. The impact made cracking sounds echo from both legs.
"Now you should obediently let go…"
Sato smiled, about to mock him.
Then his smile faltered.
Even with both calves broken, Asagiri's eyes did not change. He did not let go.
His grip tightened further.
Crack.
Asagiri crushed the bones in both of Sato's wrists by force.
Sato's hands went numb. His fingers spasmed uselessly. The rifle slipped free and hit the ground.
"Mr. Sato!"
Tanaka Koji immediately tried to aim and fire at Asagiri.
But a deep red cloak flashed into view.
Then a blade of light.
Yuuki Asuna, her Exorcist Longsword enhanced by Wind Blessing, severed Tanaka Koji's arms cleanly.
On the other side, Kato Megumi saw Nagai Kei finish resurrecting and stagger upright. She threw her war axe straight into his chest, sending him flying back several meters.
"Undead Touch."
Only now did Iwanaga Kotoko move.
Pale ghost hands surged from the ceiling, the walls, and the floor, wrapping around both Asagiri and Sato.
Undead Touch was an area skill that did not distinguish between friend and foe. Asagiri knew that, but he did not dodge.
Instead, after crushing Sato's wrists, he grabbed Sato by the neck with one hand. With the other, he dislocated and crushed Sato's jaw, ensuring that even if Sato had poison hidden in his mouth, he would not be able to swallow.
The entire sequence took less than five seconds.
When the pale hands touched his body, Sato felt dizziness and exhaustion slam into him so hard it suppressed even the pain. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes.
He understood instantly.
These ghost hands were draining his mental strength without directly harming his body.
His consciousness began to scatter. His vision blurred.
"Is this… the feeling of defeat…"
In that hopeless moment, Sato's narrow eyes snapped open.
Excitement flowed through them.
He forced his gaze into the black eyes beneath Asagiri's mask and spoke with all his strength, voice muffled by his broken jaw.
"Tanaka!"
Tanaka Koji, his arms already severed, opened his mouth and used his tongue to push out a small object that looked like a remote. He clamped his teeth down on it and pressed the red button.
"Leader!"
Iwanaga Kotoko's horrified cry was cut off by the flash of fire that erupted from Sato's abdomen.
Even Yuuki Asuna, the fastest among them, could not react in time.
Boom!!!
The TNT explosive Sato had swallowed beforehand detonated.
Flames swallowed the corridor. Even the thick alloy walls buckled with a roar. Asagiri's body began to tear apart under the explosion.
Sato's final awareness locked onto Asagiri's eyes.
He felt proud.
He wanted to see it, the panic, the unease, the fear in a prey's eyes at the last second before death.
But there was none of what Sato expected.
Instead, there was something he could not understand at all.
Pity.
What was this man pitying?
Sato did not have time to think further. Darkness swallowed his vision.
When his consciousness returned, his body would not move.
Asagiri was still standing there, perfectly intact.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
A strange sound echoed, like the hands of a clock moving.
Even stranger, everything around Sato began to reverse at terrifying speed.
Time returned to one minute ago.
Thud.
Nagai Kei and Tanaka Koji, still disguised as dead mobile unit members, watched Sato suddenly collapse.
Their expressions changed instantly. Tanaka Koji rushed closer.
"Mr. Sato, what's wrong?!"
Sato wanted to pull out a gun and kill himself. One death and resurrection would restore him to full condition.
But he could not control his body at all.
He wanted to tell Tanaka Koji to kill him, but he could not.
The drowsiness and exhaustion were beyond what his willpower could fight. His vision blurred until he finally closed his eyes and fell into total darkness.
"Is this… failure…"
Nagai Kei seemed to realize something and tried to raise his gun toward Sato.
He never got the chance.
A terrifying force hit him, and his body flew out.
Tanaka Koji did not have time to react either.
A cold flash.
Yuuki Asuna severed his head in one clean strike, slicing straight through the mobile unit helmet. Her movements were fast and precise. She used the tip of her sword to pry open his mouth, picked out the bomb remote he had been holding, and caught it neatly on the blade.
"Undead Touch."
Iwanaga Kotoko, running so hard that her prosthetic leg broke again, did not care. She activated her skill on Sato's unconscious body without hesitation.
This time, Sato had no chance to flip the table.
"That was close."
Asagiri looked down at Sato lying on the ground and spoke calmly.
The moment Asagiri died, the Hourglass of Reversal triggered.
Its effect was simple and brutal.
Time rewound one minute. All Players retained their memories from before the rewind. Dead Players revived. All injuries sustained within that minute vanished completely.
But mental strength and stamina did not recover.
The key point was that Players kept their memories, but they did not get their lost stamina or mental strength back.
Sato understood what had happened.
But his mental strength had already been drained too deeply by Undead Touch. He could not even remain conscious.
Tanaka Koji and Nagai Kei were not Players. They did not understand anything. From their perspective, Mr. Sato, who was fine a moment ago, had suddenly collapsed.
And even if Sato's mental strength had recovered and he could try again, the outcome was already sealed.
A tactic like swallowing a bomb and hiding it in his body was useless now that Asagiri and the others had seen it once.
A few seconds later, a notification pinged on the phones of Asagiri, Iwanaga Kotoko, Kato Megumi, and Yuuki Asuna.
[Player Sato's spirit has been completely destroyed. Sato's Player identity has been stripped. As the target Player belongs to the current Dungeon world and did not carry a phone with the system app installed, no lottery can be conducted. Additional compensation will be issued after this Dungeon.]
"Phew… we did it."
Kato Megumi finally let out a breath.
Still uneasy, she drew her dagger and cut Sato's throat. Black particles rippled and repaired the damage, but Sato's eyes did not open. His body did not move.
He was alive, yet empty. Like a vegetative state.
Kato Megumi nodded lightly.
"Yes. We succeeded."
.....
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