The sound was impossible to describe.
For a brief instant—
The air seemed to vanish.
Then it rushed back violently.
The man charging forward with the iron pipe suddenly froze mid-stride.
His body hung in the air.
Suspended.
Like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Then—
Bang.
His body burst apart.
Like a balloon pierced by a needle.
Blood exploded outward.
A red mist spread across the rooftop.
Fragments of flesh and bone scattered across the concrete.
No warning.
No resistance.
Not even a scream escaped his mouth.
The players who had been laughing only seconds earlier froze instantly.
Their expressions remained twisted with arrogance—
But their eyes filled with horror.
Warm blood splattered across their faces.
The metallic smell of fresh blood filled the air.
Thick.
Suffocating.
The iron pipe clattered onto the ground.
Rolling slowly.
Stopping at the feet of the man holding the fireball.
The sound echoed loudly across the silent rooftop.
Like a hammer striking a coffin.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
"…What…"
Someone whispered.
His voice trembled.
"What… just happened?"
No one answered.
Because every pair of eyes was now fixed on the same figure.
Yagami Sora.
He still held his finger extended.
A faint smile rested on his lips.
That smile was worse than a monster's fangs.
Because it carried no excitement.
No cruelty.
No hatred.
Only indifference.
As if he had simply crushed an insect.
"Eleven."
Yagami Sora said softly.
"Remaining."
His voice was calm.
Quiet.
But to the others—
It sounded like a death sentence.
Each word pierced their bones like ice.
"M-Monster…!"
One of the players screamed.
The man with the fireball immediately turned and ran.
Points?
Kills?
Rewards?
None of that mattered anymore.
Only one instinct remained.
Run.
Run from the monster.
Run as far away as possible.
The others snapped out of their paralysis.
They scattered instantly.
Like ants after their nest had been destroyed.
They shoved each other.
Cursed.
Some tripped and crawled desperately across the ground.
Fear squeezed their throats.
Crushed their lungs.
Someone even began sobbing as he ran.
But behind them—
Yagami Sora's voice echoed calmly.
"Running?"
His eyes turned cold.
"You entered the game."
"You chose to kill."
"Then you should be prepared to die."
He raised his hand.
Then pressed his palm downward.
"Vector Manipulation."
"Atmospheric Pressure Control."
BOOM!!
The air above the rooftop collapsed.
An invisible force slammed down.
Like a mountain dropping from the sky.
The escaping players were crushed instantly.
CRACK!
CRACK!
CRACK!
Their knees shattered against the concrete.
The sound of breaking bone echoed across the rooftop.
They were forced to the ground.
Pinned down by overwhelming pressure.
Some tried to crawl.
Others tried to scream.
But the invisible force held them down like nails hammered into wood.
Their faces pressed against the rough concrete.
Their eyes bulged.
Blood vessels burst inside their pupils.
"S-spare me…!"
The fire-wielding sorcerer struggled to lift his head.
Tears and snot ran down his face.
"I don't want to die!"
"I just wanted to survive!"
Yagami Sora walked toward him slowly.
Each step echoed calmly.
He looked down at the man.
"You want to live?"
His voice remained emotionless.
"The people you killed wanted to live too."
"That's the rule of this game."
"You picked up the knife."
"So you must accept being stabbed."
He raised his foot.
Then stepped down.
Thud.
Like crushing a cockroach.
The man's skull collapsed.
The system notification sounded immediately.
[Ding!]
[Player defeated.]
[Points gained: +5]
Another.
And another.
[Ding!]
[Player defeated.]
[Points gained: +5]
[Ding!]
[Player defeated.]
[Points gained: +5]
The notifications continued.
Until silence returned.
A few seconds later—
The rooftop was quiet again.
Only corpses remained.
And the thick smell of blood.
Yagami Sora glanced at the system panel.
[Current Points: 60]
"…Not bad."
He flicked his hand slightly.
As if shaking dust from his fingers.
Then he looked toward the depths of the ruined city.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Because deeper inside the colony—
A much stronger cursed energy was rising.
Players.
Different ones.
Older ones.
Reincarnated sorcerers from ancient eras.
Yagami Sora stepped to the edge of the rooftop.
"So…"
He smiled faintly.
"Let's see how strong the 'ancient sorcerers' really are."
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