Free Web NovelChapter 323: Chapter 323: Descent of the Dead Realm
Chapter 323: Descent of the Dead Realm
On the other side, inside the Shinjuku Kabukicho entertainment district.
The glow of colorful neon signs illuminated the entire street. Heavily made-up hostesses supported drunken guests, while laughter, flirtatious remarks, perfume, and alcohol mingled together, filling the air with a decadent, rotten atmosphere.
"Have another drink~"
"Not today. Wait until the weekend. I’ll definitely come find you then."
"Then be careful on your way home. I’ve already called a taxi for you."
Just as one hostess was supporting a guest and preparing to send him to a taxi at the entrance of the street, dazzling red and blue police lights suddenly flashed in the distance.
Immediately afterward, several police cars ignored the street’s vehicle restrictions and drove in at high speed.
"Emergency situation. Everyone in the district, evacuate immediately. I repeat, emergency situation. Everyone in the district, evacuate immediately. This is not a request. This is a mandatory order. I repeat, all personnel in the district must evacuate immediately!"
"Eh?"
The hostess in the miniskirt heard the evacuation broadcast coming from the police car and could not help but sigh, her face showing dissatisfaction.
"Seriously? It’s right when the second half of the night is busiest. What’s been going on with public security in Tokyo lately? Something seemed to happen at the train station a while ago too..."
Hearing her quiet grumbling, the middle-aged male guest in a suit, his face flushed from alcohol, revealed a frivolous smile.
"If business can’t continue anyway... how about coming to my place and drinking there?"
"Oh, stop it. What are you saying?"
The hostess pretended to be shy and lightly tapped the man on the shoulder.
"That requires an out-call fee, you know."
Just as the male guest was about to reply, he suddenly felt that something was wrong.
But because he had drunk too much and his head was still dizzy, he did not immediately pay attention to it. Just as he wanted to continue flirting with the hostess, he saw her staring at the other side of the street, confusion appearing on her face.
"What... is that?"
The male guest turned his head.
When he saw the scene at the far end of the street, he first raised a hand and rubbed his eyes. After confirming that what he was seeing was not an illusion caused by drunkenness, his tipsiness was instantly shocked away.
A colossal jet-black ship, like a massive cruise liner, was slowly sailing toward them.
Despite being on hard asphalt, the ground beneath it was as smooth as the sea. Because the street was too narrow, the buildings on both sides were crushed into fragments as the giant ship moved forward.
At that moment, the once lively Shinjuku Kabukicho entertainment district fell into a deathly silence.
A few seconds later, panicked screams erupted throughout the street.
Everyone began fleeing in the opposite direction of the giant ship.
However, at that very moment, unknown objects resembling black seaweed sprouted from the ground.
The drunk male guest’s ankle was entangled by the black seaweed, and he fell directly to the ground. He struggled to get up, and the hostess subconsciously tried to help him. But in the next second, she saw the black seaweed pierce straight through his skin.
The man’s body stood up in a bizarre posture.
The eyeballs in his sockets rapidly bulged outward before finally being squeezed out by force. From his mouth, nose, and ears, trembling black seaweed grew continuously.
Seeing this scene, the hostess was so terrified that her entire body stiffened.
What she had not expected was that the man seemed to still be alive.
His mouth opened to the limit, as if he wanted to scream for help. But because it was blocked by the black seaweed, he could only let out low, muffled whimpers.
"Help... Help me!"
The hostess was so frightened that she collapsed onto the ground.
Watching the black seaweed extending from the holes in the man’s body draw closer and closer, she was nearly scared senseless.
"Sword Skill: Stinger!"
At that critical moment, a dazzling sword light flashed.
The black seaweed-like substance dissolved rapidly the instant it touched the sword light. The remaining portions seemed to feel intense pain and violently shrank backward.
"Eh?"
The hostess turned her head.
She saw a young girl wearing a dark red cloak, with a sword sheath hanging at her waist. Her face could not be clearly seen. The girl performed a beautiful sword flourish with the long sword in her hand before elegantly sheathing it.
Beside her stood a person wearing a black trench coat and a dark gray mask.
Although the hostess had no idea who these two people were, she realized that they had just attacked and repelled the eerie black seaweed.
She did not even care about standing up. She immediately begged,
"Save... save..."
Before she could say the word "me," the person in the black trench coat took out a pistol, aimed the muzzle at the sky, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three consecutive gunshots directly jolted awake everyone who had fallen into intense fear because of the eerie giant ship’s appearance.
"I’ll give you ten seconds. If I can still see you after ten seconds..."
Asagiri swept his gaze across the remaining survivors. A terrifying aura erupted from his body, making everyone feel intense fear and trembling.
"I will kill you all."
Once those words were spoken, the people who had been frozen in fear were driven by their survival instincts and immediately fled toward the far end of the street.
Seeing this, Yuuki Asuna could not help but reveal a slightly helpless smile as she looked at Asagiri beside her. freёwebnovel.com
"I have to say, although your evacuation method is rough, it really is the most efficient."
"After all, we didn’t come here to be heroes."
Asagiri put the gun back into his coat.
This was a weapon Miwa Ashikaga had prepared for him, Yuuki Asuna, and the others. Although it was an ordinary firearm that had not been certified by the system as equipment and could not play any role in dealing with Cursed phenomena, it could still be useful in a zombie-type Dungeon or during conflicts with other Players.
Yuuki Asuna nodded.
She looked at the dozens of people in the street whose bodies had been invaded by black seaweed, along with the few who were still breathing and struggling in agony. Pity surfaced in her eyes, but she knew these people were already beyond saving.
After taking a deep breath and steadying her emotions, she spoke softly.
"Necro, did you observe anything?"
Iwanaga Kotoko, who was on the rooftop of a building beside the street, heard Yuuki Asuna’s question through her tactical headset.
She raised her binoculars to observe the giant ship that had come to a stop, then replied,
"Judging from the distribution of the Cursed aura, this Black Giant Ship is the core of the Curse. That black seaweed is only a small portion of the Cursed power spilling from it, condensing into things that lack intelligence and only attack based on instinct."
"Based on the current information, an entity whose mere spilled power can cause ordinary people to die instantly is definitely not from a Stage 1 Dungeon."
Kato Megumi, who was on the same rooftop as Iwanaga Kotoko and Yamauchi Sakura, was also holding binoculars, but she was focusing on something different.
"The system prompt said the Dead Realm arrival area is a strip about two kilometers long. The Black Giant Ship is docked right in the middle of that strip. In other words... have all the people within one kilometer on the other side of the street already died?"
"Yeah, that should be about right."
Iwanaga Kotoko nodded first, then reminded Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna, who were standing in front of the Black Giant Ship.
"Shadow, Violet, be careful. Although this might be a Curse from a Stage 2 Dungeon, the source of the Curse is likely to gain strength from the deaths of hundreds or even thousands of people."
"Violet, I’ll go in alone."
Hearing Asagiri’s words, Yuuki Asuna paused slightly and hesitated.
"Eh... but..."
Asagiri waved his hand, cutting her off directly.
"It’s fine. I’ll leave a Persona outside the giant ship. If I encounter danger, I’ll use Castling to leave."
After saying this, Asagiri did not pause and immediately issued orders.
"March and Phantom, stay here and keep watch. If anything changes outside, notify me immediately."
"Necro and Violet, you two are responsible for scouting the surrounding area. If you find anyone still alive, no matter what method you use, make them evacuate immediately. We can’t give that source of the Curse any more chances to grow."
"Understood."
Compared to entering a Dungeon, this Trial had many advantages.
For example, Players did not need to remain in the danger zone the entire time. If they felt they could not continue, they could temporarily retreat from the Dead Realm’s range and make another attempt after adjusting. They could also use equipment like tactical headsets and firearms that could not be brought into a Dungeon.
However, there was a corresponding disadvantage.
There were no information prompts regarding the Dungeon descending as the Dead Realm. They only knew the area where the Dungeon would appear. As for the Dungeon’s specific nature and what dangers existed inside, they had to personally verify it.
After giving his orders, Asagiri wasted no time.
Looking at the giant ship, which was nearly seventy meters tall, he held the Cursed Rope Dart and stabbed it forcefully toward the pitch-black hull.
Clang!
After a crisp sound, the hull remained completely undamaged. It did not even have a scratch.
Seeing this, Asagiri immediately realized something and spoke calmly through the tactical headset channel to the other four.
"My full-force attack with the Cursed Rope Dart couldn’t damage the hull. That means this is a Curse from a Stage 3 difficulty Dungeon, and this Black Giant Ship itself..."
"Is the Curse."
.....
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