One signboard-like panel after another shot past Yorozu at incredible speed. Their numbers seemed to keep increasing endlessly, with no sign of where they would eventually lead.
But right now, all she could do was watch as an overwhelming surge of cursed energy erupted from Hakari's body.
There was no time to react and no chance to escape. The Domain Expansion swallowed both of them in an instant.
At the same time, because of the domain's guaranteed-hit effect, a flood of information began pouring into Yorozu's mind like scalding water from a boiling kettle.
Her entire body froze as the eye exposed through the damaged helmet of her Insect Armor lost all focus, and she practically crashed on the spot.
In that brief moment, all the information regarding the domain, Idle Death Gamble, was transmitted directly into her mind.
It was a pachinko-style domain modeled after the fictional work Private Pure Love Train. The objective was simple: match three identical numbers to hit the jackpot.
'He's... trying to gamble?'
Normally, Yorozu's battle IQ wasn't particularly high. A domain this complicated wasn't something she could understand at a glance. Fortunately, Saori's memories as a modern-day girl gave her enough knowledge to make sense of it. From the mountain of seemingly useless information, she managed to find the relevant details.
As the owner of the domain, Hakari could participate in a lottery-like game within it.
Starting from the Normal State, the player would generally go through a preview sequence before hitting the jackpot, with the preview phase effectively serving as the drawing process.
Hakari could choose between three types of previews: Pachinko Balls, Train Doors, and Consecutive Effects. The first two preview types each had three colors that represented different jackpot odds: Green, Red, and Gold.
Once the preview ended, Hakari could enter a Riichi State, meaning two matching numbers had already appeared. At that point, the actual performance sequence would begin, marking the final push toward matching all three numbers and winning the jackpot.
As for Consecutive Effects, there was no preview. Instead, a scene that would normally play only once would repeat itself three times or more. When the third rerun occurred, it would enter Riichi State, while a fourth rerun meant the jackpot had already been won.
Different performances also carried different probabilities. The audience, or player, would have varying levels of anticipation for a particular storyline, which directly affected the chance of winning. Even a low-probability Riichi sequence could still result in a jackpot if a bonus "Chance Booster" scene appeared during the performance.
As Idle Death Gamble continued operating and feeding information into Yorozu's mind, she learned something important: Hakari had already been in a jackpot state while fighting her earlier.
That explained the strange boost in power and the unnatural way his Reverse Cursed Technique had been functioning, because hitting the jackpot granted a reward.
After winning, the theme song of Private Pure Love Train, Admiring You, would begin playing. For the entire duration of the song, four minutes and eleven seconds, Hakari would receive an unlimited supply of cursed energy.
That was what had confused Yorozu earlier. An endless stream of cursed energy continuously flooded his body and protected him. As a result, even though Hakari himself could not properly use Reverse Cursed Technique, his body would automatically perform it through pure instinct.
Which meant that during those four minutes and eleven seconds, Hakari was virtually immortal.
The endless cursed energy supply allowed him to remain in peak condition even after the jackpot ended. In other words, as long as he kept hitting jackpots, he could continue using Domain Expansion indefinitely.
And now, since he was drawing again immediately after a jackpot, he would skip the Normal State altogether and enter one of two post-jackpot states: Probability Change Mode or Shortened Time Mode.
The former increased his chances of hitting the jackpot, while the latter shortened the performance duration, allowing him to make more draws within the same amount of time.
The post-draw states of Idle Death Gamble operated in a cycle. If the current round was Probability Change Mode, the next one would be Shortened Time Mode.
Of course, when entering the cycle for the first time, there was a seventy-five percent chance of starting with Probability Change Mode.
The last number Hakari had won with was 1. Since it was an odd-numbered jackpot, he had directly entered Probability Change Mode. That meant no matter which preview method he chose now, his odds of hitting another jackpot were significantly higher than before.
But Yorozu only cared about one thing. Unlike the Domain Expansions familiar to most sorcerers, the guaranteed-hit effect of Hakari's domain was completely non-offensive. Its sole purpose was to transmit information.
That meant she didn't need to use Hollow Wicker Basket to defend against the guaranteed-hit technique, nor did she need to waste a massive amount of cursed energy creating a domain to clash with his.
The chance of hitting the jackpot was only one in 239. Even with the increased odds from Probability Change Mode, there was no way he could enter a Riichi State in such a short time.
All she had to do was kill him before he won another jackpot.
The cursed energy flowing through Yorozu surged. Her Insect Armor, which had become somewhat battered during the fight, instantly repaired itself and returned to perfect condition.
"You don't have a chance of hitting the jackpot!"
Her wings beat once as she transformed into a streak of light and shot toward Hakari.
Without the jackpot bonus, his total cursed energy was inferior to hers. He also lacked the support of Reverse Cursed Technique. In Yorozu's eyes, he was now nothing more than a lamb waiting for slaughter.
"Don't say that to a gambler!" Hakari clicked his tongue in annoyance and charged straight at her while shouting back.
This time, however, his punch failed to land. Without infinite cursed energy reinforcing him, he couldn't maintain maximum output in every attack. Whether it was speed or strength, there were limits.
And that was exactly what Yorozu had been waiting for.
The moment his fist swung toward her, she wrapped both arms around his right arm and drove her knee hard into his abdomen.
"Pfft!"
The powerful impact forced a mouthful of blood from Hakari's lips, splattering across her armor.
Simultaneously, he clenched his left fist and slammed it into her side. But protected by her armor, Yorozu easily dispersed much of the impact.
Trading injury for injury was advantageous for her in the current situation.
Yet in the very next moment, the tide suddenly turned. Right before her eyes, Hakari seemed to fall into a brief daze for just an instant, then an overwhelming force blasted Yorozu backward.
Bang!
She looked up and heard a deafening crash.
Every muscle in Hakari's body tensed as though he had shattered an invisible pane of glass.
On that glass was the image of his injured state from moments earlier, and now not a trace of those injuries remained. Even the blood at the corner of his mouth had disappeared.
It was a Consecutive Effect.
For this domain activation, Hakari had chosen Consecutive Effects as his drawing method. When the performance began, his condition would return to exactly what it had been before the sequence started.
Now his face was filled with blazing fighting spirit as he pointed at Yorozu and roared, "Come on! Let's keep going!"
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