Chapter 56: We are the Same Type of Stand!
In the real world, Natsuya knew that striking someone's spine or vitals blindly was a one-way ticket to a manslaughter charge.
But this was a game.
Lethal takedowns versus non-lethal takedowns were as clear as the difference between pressing [Left Click] to attack or [F] to interact. He just had to follow the highlighted lines and zones provided by the System. It was a simple choice between a red prompt and a blue one.
After his casual explanation, Natsuya didn't stop. He transformed into a swift gale, flowing between the possessed civilians.
Thanks to the enhanced visual HUD from his Medicine LV.2 and Anatomy LV.2, Natsuya had plenty of processing power to select the most efficient non-lethal "shutdown" for each NPC.
To Dojima and the demon, Natsuya's movements were terrifyingly precise.
Against a civilian holding a rock: a single knife-hand strike to the carotid sinus. The man went limp instantly.
Against an attacker swinging a wooden beam: a slip past the clumsy strike, followed by a leg sweep and a precision thumb-press to the nape.
Against a third: a perfectly measured palm-heel strike to the jaw, snapping the head back and inducing an instant "Stun" state.
Natsuya didn't use a single sword form or drop of raw mana. It was pure kinetic efficiency—precision striking and joint manipulation, aided by the combined buffs of [Medicine], [Anatomy], and [Insight].
The entire process took less than four breaths. He moved too fast for the demon to recalibrate its "puppets."
"You bastard! How dare you—Gwah!"
Tsuchi was reeling with shock and rage.
What kind of Slayer is this?! Normally, heroes hesitated when hostages were involved. This guy just ignored the "human shield" logic and went straight for the manual override. Doesn't he care if they crack their skulls on the machinery when they fall?
The demon stared at Natsuya, searching for a trace of hesitation or guilt. All it saw was a mask of cold indifference... and a flicker of something it couldn't quite place.
Was that... excitement?
What is this guy? This style of acting—so cold, so efficient, so utterly detached from others...
"My dear swordsman," Tsuchi chuckled, a distorted sound. "You and I... we are the same type of creature."
Natsuya: [?]
"Gwahahaha! We are both beings driven by our own desires, longing to destroy everything in our path! I can see it in your eyes—you don't give a damn about those people."
"I can tell that compared to saving them, you are far more obsessed with the act of 'The Kill'..."
"Or rather, you simply crave the process of destruction itself."
Natsuya immediately countered: "Bro, our character models are completely different. Don't group me in with you."
A humanoid mass of tumors versus a top-tier player avatar that's a solid 10/10 in the Far East? Not the same league.
"Instead of the lives of others, you are drunk on the pleasure of the slaughter, aren't you?" the demon pressed.
Well... Natsuya thought. He's not entirely wrong. Saving side-quest NPCs is usually just a side-effect of going for the '100% Completion' Achievement.
"When you enter a new place, you always feel the urge to smash the jars and break the furniture, don't you?"
Okay, yeah, that's also true. Looting and 'pot-smashing' is basic JRPG etiquette.
"Even if they were human, as long as they were your enemies, you wouldn't hesitate to swing your blade, would you?"
If an enemy is a Red-Name Unit with a health bar, who cares what their race is?
The demon saw the confirmation in Natsuya's eyes. Its rage vanished, replaced by a twisted, manic joy—the joy of finding a "kindred spirit."
"I knew it! You're just a killer wearing a human skin. The only difference is that I've embraced my desires while you're still shackled by 'morality' and 'codes'."
Its voice took on a seductive, magnetic tone. "What a waste, swordsman. You aren't like these mediocre humans. In your world, there is only the logic of combat and the joy of the kill. We are essentially the same!"
"Become a Demon."
"I can introduce you to 'Those Lords'... with your talent, mastering a Blood Demon Art would be child's play! You would gain power far more direct and primal than any Breathing Style! You might even surpass me and join the Twelve Kizuki!"
"An eternal body would give you infinite time to pursue the peak of combat arts and pleasure. As long as you have the strength, you can kill humans or demons alike. No one could set limits on you. No one could judge you."
Beside them, Dojima looked at Natsuya with a trace of worry.
Lord Tsuguko... surely he won't be swayed?
The demon watched Natsuya's face, trying to read the answer behind that calm expression.
Natsuya finally spoke: "Wait, was the opening cinematic that short?"
He was clearly starting a long villainous monologue, so of course I hit the Skip button.
The fast-forward only lasted a few seconds.
Tsuchi: "..."
(What did this kid just say? Is he actually spacing out during a recruitment pitch?)
"Swordsman... opportunities for immortality don't come twice."
Natsuya ignored him. He sheathed Master Kang the Third and unclipped Wind-Breaker from the other side of his belt.
"I already told you, slashes are useless against me!"
More tumors dropped from Tsuchi's body, inflating into a larger circle of clones. The demon sighed with faux disappointment. "Since you reject my kindness... die here."
"Slashes are useless?"
Natsuya inspected his fist-blades. He adjusted his grip, letting the curved edges sit flush against his forearms. They looked less like blades and more like reinforced gauntlet plating.
He dropped his center of gravity. He assumed a completely different stance.
I could try hitting him with the flat of the katana or the pommel, but I cherish my swords. I don't want to break Master Kang or Jinmai on this freak.
I really need to ask the smiths for a whip-sword or a pure blunt-force Nichirin weapon later...
But for now...
The rhythm of his Breathing became deep, heavy, and resonant.
The imagery of Lightning, Water, and Wind receded like a tide, replaced by a crushing sense of density. It was as if Natsuya had become one with the earth beneath the factory.
"If slashes don't work... then I'll just stop 'slashing'."
Standard attacks ineffective? Then it's time to unlock my true potential!
"Bankai: The Unseen Blade is the Deadliest—Shadow Blade Mode." (Note: Natsuya is just rambling anime quotes at this point.)
[Stone Breathing!]
Natsuya gripped the handles of Wind-Breaker. The floor tiles beneath his feet shattered.
The next second, he launched like a railgun projectile.
It wasn't a Stone Breathing "Sword Form." It was Natsuya's own application of force logic, backed by his stats and experience.
A Fist.
An iron fist wrapped in a shroud of invisible pressure hammered into the demon's skull with the force of a falling mountain.
DONG—!!!
The sound wasn't flesh hitting flesh; it was the tolling of a heavy bronze bell being struck by a siege ram.
Tsuchi's head deformed instantly. His body was blasted backward, the viscous tissue of his frame rippling violently away from the point of impact, spraying slime in every direction.
What... happened?
Tsuchi lost his memory for exactly one second. Then he snapped back.
Fists?! This swordsman put away his sword and is punching me?!
The demon scrambled to stabilize its body for a counterattack. But Natsuya gave him no room to breathe. A relentless rain of heavy, penetrating punches followed.
Slashes could be dodged by splitting. But pure concussive force and penetration couldn't be "voided" by fission.
Shockwave Penetration!
Dantien Focus!
"Become a demon? That sounds like a speedrun to a Bad Ending," Natsuya's voice cut through the air. "I'm here for the True Ending."
Fists, elbows, knees, headbutts...
The small clones, barely knee-high, were popped like bubble wrap. They were reduced to puddles of twitching, uncoordinated slime.
"Besides, if I become a demon, I can't enjoy the sunlight, can I?"
What's the point of a Life-Sim/Farming game build if you can't go outside during the day?
He slipped a strike, twisted his hips, and whipped his right arm out like a lash. A precision hook caught the demon in the temple.
"And most importantly!"
Natsuya's voice was crystal clear despite the rhythmic thud-thud-thud of his assault.
"I'm a hardline Human Supremacist player. My ethics and ideology are always set to 'Humanity First'."
"Why would I switch classes to a man-eating freak like you?"
Tsuchi's pupils vibrated violently under the barrage. His consciousness was flickering. If he didn't do something now, he would be beaten into a permanent "Stun-Lock" state.
"YOU BASTARD! I DON'T UNDERSTAND A WORD YOU'RE SAYING!"
Tsuchi roared, stopping the production of small clones. He funneled all his remaining mass into a single, massive tumorous wall in front of him.
"TRY BREAKING THROUGH THIS!!"
The wall acted like an organic shield. Meanwhile, the demon's main body, now much smaller, began to liquify and squeeze toward the gap under the workshop door.
Talk big, then retreat. Standard Boss phase-change, Natsuya thought.
"Thinking of logging out?"
Natsuya's [Insight] was active. He planted his feet. Power surged from the ground, through his hips, coiling like a drawn bowstring.
He lunged with his entire body into the massive fleshy shield!
[Iron Mountain Lean!] (Tetsuzanko)
The massive explosive force detonated. The meat-shield was blown apart into a spray of fluid and scraps.
WTF?! Tsuchi's mind went blank. He tried to speed up his escape through the crack. If I survive this, I will murder this swordsman!
But a hand wrapped in invisible wind was faster.
Natsuya's fingers hooked like talons into the viscous main body of the demon.
Grapple Move!
His fingertips tore through the outer membrane, hooking into the muscle and the semi-hardened bone structure that hadn't yet liquified.
"Get back here!"
With a violent yank, Tsuchi was ripped out of the shadows and slammed onto the floor. Terror finally overcame the demon.
"No! You can't kill me! Slashes don't work!"
Natsuya's eyes went cold. He stepped in, leading with his elbow.
MAN!
A zero-fluff Heart-Piercing Elbow, backed by the combined power of all his Breathing Styles and body mechanics, hammered into the dead center of the demon's torso!
[HEAVY] [PENETRATION] [EXPLOSION] [FLOW]
Holy sh—
The demon's body arched like a shrimp. His eyeballs nearly popped out of his sockets. He collapsed onto the floor, his muscles twitching uncontrollably, his face a mask of agony. He couldn't even trigger his Blood Demon Art anymore.
Wait... swordsman... where is your Nichirin Sword? Where is your pride as a samurai?!
"D-Damn... you..."
The demon wheezed, struggling to form words.
"You win... but so what... my clones... in the other buildings... will kill the hostages immediately! You can't save everyone! Gwahaha..."
He waited to see the "Heroic Regret" on Natsuya's face.
He was destined to be disappointed.
☆☆☆
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