Tokyo — Ikebukuro.
Inside an abandoned theater.
The once-grand auditorium had long fallen into ruin.
Posters peeled from the walls, revealing cracked bricks beneath.
The stage was buried under layers of dust.
The air smelled of mold and decay.
Only a single beam of sunlight fell through a hole in the collapsed roof, illuminating the center of the hall.
A man in a wrinkled suit sat quietly among the empty seats.
His tie hung loose.
His hair was slightly disheveled.
In his hand, he held a small wooden gavel.
He tapped it absentmindedly against the armrest.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
His eyes were hollow.
Exhausted.
As if the world itself had long since lost meaning.
In front of him lay the corpse of a massive cursed spirit.
Its grotesque body slowly dissolved into black particles.
"…How boring."
The man sighed.
"In modern society…"
"People still resort to barbaric killing games."
His name was Hiromi Higuruma.
Once a lawyer.
A man who believed deeply in justice.
Until he saw the truth of the legal system.
He remembered the faces of his clients.
The innocent people convicted by manipulated evidence.
The guilty walking free because of technicalities.
The courtroom speeches filled with beautiful lies.
Who does the law protect?
Justice?
Or the people who know how to manipulate the rules?
That question had burrowed into his heart like a thorn.
Impossible to remove.
Impossible to ignore.
Then—
The theater doors creaked open.
Creeeak.
Sunlight spilled inside.
Dust floated through the air like drifting snow.
And a figure stepped through the doorway.
A young man wearing a black trench coat.
His silhouette was slender.
But the presence surrounding him was unmistakable.
Higuruma stopped tapping the gavel.
He looked up.
A faint glimmer appeared in his tired eyes.
"Oh?"
"Another visitor."
He stood slowly.
Dusting off his suit.
"Are you here for my points?"
He asked calmly.
"Most players are."
Yagami Sora stopped a few meters away.
He studied the man silently.
The aura surrounding Higuruma was unusual.
Not murderous.
Not hostile.
It was something else.
A rigid devotion to rules.
And a quiet despair toward the world.
The despair of someone whose ideals had been crushed by reality.
Yet whose belief in justice still refused to die.
"I'm not interested in your points."
Yagami Sora said.
"I came to talk."
"Talk?"
Higuruma chuckled softly.
"In a game designed for killing…"
"Someone wants to have a conversation?"
"That's unusual."
But then—
His eyes sharpened.
The shadows behind him twisted.
Something massive emerged.
A gigantic figure resembling a judge.
Clad in robes.
With a blank face like a courtroom statue.
Judgeman.
Higuruma's voice became cold.
"Before we talk."
"I need to confirm something."
"Have you killed anyone?"
Yagami Sora met his gaze without hesitation.
"Yes."
He answered calmly.
"Many."
Higuruma nodded slowly.
"Then there is nothing to discuss."
"Regardless of the reason."
"Murder is murder."
"In my court…"
"All murderers are guilty."
He raised the gavel.
And struck.
THUD!
"Domain Expansion."
Deadly Sentencing.
The world changed instantly.
The ruined theater disappeared.
In its place—
A vast courtroom appeared.
Mahogany benches.
Tall columns.
Cold judicial lighting.
Higuruma stood behind the judge's bench.
Looking down from above.
Yagami Sora stood in the defendant's seat.
Behind him—
Judgeman loomed silently.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Court is now in session."
Higuruma's voice echoed through the chamber.
"Defendant."
"Yagami Sora."
"You are charged with multiple counts of intentional homicide."
Judgeman raised a scroll.
The accusation appeared.
Higuruma stared down coldly.
"How do you plead?"
Yagami Sora glanced around the courtroom.
Carefully analyzing the domain.
Interesting.
This was not a lethal domain like most.
Inside Deadly Sentencing, violence was prohibited.
No cursed techniques.
No physical attacks.
Victory was decided through trial.
Through argument.
Through judgment.
A domain built entirely on rules.
"…Fascinating."
Yagami Sora murmured.
Then he raised his head.
Looking directly at Higuruma.
A faint smile appeared.
"Not guilty."
Higuruma's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And why is that?"
Yagami Sora's smile deepened.
"Because…"
"The people I killed…"
"…deserved it."
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