Otherworld TRPG Game Master - Chapter 277



Chapter 277 – The Wrong Path -5

The senses of a master, having accumulated enough experience, reach realms that ordinary people cannot perceive. They can even read the ambiguities of victory rates in battle, the probability of their own fists landing.

Thus, as Yuli Lanster and Namgung Cheong-hwi prepared for their final clash, they felt it.

“……..!!”

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“……..This is.”

A warning from instinct.

Now was not the time to be toying with that brat in front of them / Now was not the time to be competing with that iron-like strong woman before them.

When disaster strikes, animals hastily seek shelter, and before humans clash, evacuation comes first. The two turned their heads toward the source of the impending crisis.

There, a doppelgänger stood, its face obscured by a mask.

“I know the self-loathing that flows beneath the surface of the violet. ‘Infinite Play: Purple.’”

Zzzzzzzzt.

With a crackle of noise, the mask shifted to a familiar shade of purple. And from the doppelgänger’s hands, a chilling light burst forth.

A light of incomprehensible hue.

Namgoong Cheong-hwi felt only a sense of urgency, unable to grasp what it was, but Yuri Lanster could see it clearly in an instant. It was a prelude to an attack she knew all too well.

The declaration of the Purple Mage’s seasonal rite.

“That’s ‘Subtraction’… How could that fake use Yuna’s fable?”

“So what does that ‘Subtraction’ do?”

“If it hits, you’ll be nine-tenths dead, so bow your head first!”

Piiiiiing──!!

Colors sprayed forth. A beam that erased information shot out in all directions. The sight of a mad wizard rolling on the ground in terror was visible.

We must do the same.

Blame.

“…Ugh!”

Yuri Lanster pushed Namgoong Cheong-hwi down and rolled across the floor. As ‘Subtraction’ passed by the spot they had just occupied, the ants crawling on the ground lost all the information that constituted them and perished.

If it even grazes us, that would be our fate.

“T-thank you.”

“This is no time for gratitude. I just happened to catch you.”

“Huh?”

Yuri Lanster seized a handful of Namgoong Cheong-hwi’s hair and lifted him up. The events that would unfold next were clear in her mind, prompting Namgoong Cheong-hwi to shut his eyes tightly.

Bang bang bang──!!

Three strikes against the floor. Leaving a small crater in the pavement, Namgoong Cheong-hwi fainted, courtesy of a professional’s skill.

This is no time to waste. Whatever has happened, the moment the fake used Yuna’s fable, it was already a major emergency.

It seemed Yuna, who had been holding back the onslaught, had reached the same conclusion. Even if collateral damage occurred, dealing with the doppelgänger came first.

In the distance, a hue similar yet different shone brightly.

Tadat.

We must join in as well. Yuri Lanster dashed into the midst of the battlefield, where ‘Subtraction’ was flying in from all directions.

The fragment has no soul.

Without a soul to be colored by emotions, there can be no fable.

A car without an engine cannot physically roll, can it? So, if we think logically, it’s not that it manifested a fable without a soul…

“…It created its own soul!”

“Either way, it sounds like a ridiculous story?!”

“I hate this reality too! ‘Desire Flame,’ tank it!”

Ssssss──!

A serpent of flame, as large as a house, blocks the path between the doppelganger and us. However.

Beeeeing──!

It vanishes. The core information that constitutes the magic flies away entirely, and the flames simply become flames, scattering into their natural state. That majestic presence is stripped away in the blink of an eye.

“What kind of absurdly overpowered fable ability is that!”

“What do we do, oppa?!”

“It can’t shoot infinitely. I hope not. We have to find a way to sneak in a level 3 Flame Angel into that guy’s head…!!”

Think, think.

But whether there was any leeway was uncertain. What was pouring down now was a barrage of ‘Subtraction’ that rivaled a disco ball. Compared to the original, its power and precision were clearly diminished.

But the original was so high in caliber that even a nerfed version was terrifyingly formidable. Whether it was 9999 damage or 999 damage, a unit with 100 health would be wiped out in an instant.

It seemed Yuna sensed this emergency as well.

“‘Subtraction.’”

From the opposite sky, Yuna’s subtraction flies in with pinpoint accuracy. How about that, you b*stard, Yuna and your ‘Subtraction’ are completely in a superior-inferior relationship…

Zzzzt. The color of the mask changes.

“I know, the small hope swimming in blue light. ‘Infinite Play: Blue.’”

And the fable that manifests from the doppelganger’s hand is Rodelus’s ‘Magic Hardening’…!

Within a radius of 100 meters, Yuna’s ‘Subtraction’ gains substance. The solidified ‘Subtraction’ looks like a white pillar.

But it has merely gained physicality; the nature of ‘Subtraction’ hasn’t disappeared. It’s just a difference between being hit by a stone instead of a laser. Using a fable like this is utterly meaningless…

“I know, the hero’s tale hidden in ash. ‘Infinite Play: Gray.’”

Dududud, Kwang-!

A massive blade shoots up diagonally from the ground. It’s Bennett’s ‘Protection’!

Kagagagagak──!!

The trajectory of Yuna’s ‘Subtraction’ is deflected by the protective gauntlet, soaring into the sky. I’ve seen dodging and rolling to counter many times, but this is the first time I’ve seen ‘Subtraction’ blocked head-on.

I understood.

This is an extension of the “Fable Block” that the creature used.

Understanding the nature, values, and past of the target deeply, it simulated the torrent of those emotions and replicated the fable as it was.

Thus, we can directly use the fables of the precious people known to me and my doppelgänger. The fables of the session players.

I know this isn’t the time to say such things.

“…I’m really, really jealous!”

“…This isn’t the time for that?!”

Honestly, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, so I threw out a joke.

The ability to reproduce a player’s emotions and replicate their fables means there’s no need to bring in the current fables. And unfortunately, I have two fables in my memory that possess incredibly powerful physical force.

I quickly hugged Selvier and planted my legs into the ground, shouting to those around me.

“First, prepare something to support your body, whether it’s the ground or a pillar!”

“『Infinite Play: Heavy Blood』.”

As expected, it appeared.

Creak, creak, creak──!!

As the doppelgänger drew an arc in the air, the space split along its trajectory, creating a gravitational pull in the area. It was the gravity manipulator that Shicel once possessed, 『Obligatory Convergence』.

At the same time, a fierce wind swirled, tearing through the doppelgänger’s skin. It was Elaine’s fable, 『Bloodstorm』.

Kwahahahaha──!!

If you get sucked in by the gravity, you’ll be ground up in an instant.

“Uh, my body is starting to float, big brother?!”

“Is just planting my legs in the ground not enough…?”

If that’s the case, should I cut off that casting before we get ground up, using the speed of being sucked in? As I was racking my brain in this dizzying crisis, someone caught our bodies, which had begun to float, and set us down.

“Yuri!”

It was Yuri Lanster, who had joined us after finishing the battle. A skilled technique of the Heavenly Weight.

“This is quite troublesome, isn’t it?”

“It is troublesome, extremely troublesome!”

“It’s alright, Selvier. Mima will manage somehow.”

Yuri tossed me a confident smile. Isn’t that a bit heavy on trust…?

No, right. I can just do it. I’ll save everyone, and I’ll collect the price with taxes attached. There’s no ability without a weakness. There must be a chink somewhere.

The inverted gravity pulls all projectiles above the doppelgänger’s head. Since Rodellus’s 『Magic Hardening』 is probably still active, even if I shoot a 『Subtraction』, it will get sucked in.

I need a single arrow that can pierce through all of that.

I pondered. I pondered deeply. At the end of that contemplation──.

Caw, caw, caw.

It felt as if the laughter of crows echoed in the air.

In the storm she had conjured, the doppelgänger, bloodied and wounded by her own hand, cried out loudly.

“Look! I am this powerful! I can defeat everyone, and I’ve even obtained a fable!”

“……..”

“I am more ruthless and tenacious, willing to use any means necessary! Unlike the frivolous original, who cracks jokes even when cornered! So, the odds of eliminating ‘it’ are in my favor!”

And she was prepared for that.

She could stake her life on it. She was ready to grind people down and set the world ablaze to stop ‘it.’ If that were the case, then it was she who could bring happiness to those around her.

The doppelgänger asked in a voice laced with metallic tones.

“Shouldn’t I be the real one…?”

To this, Yuli Lanster replied.

“Why do you want to become a mad sorcerer?”

“I wanted to be not just a mere clone… but an independent human being!”

“Do you understand? Was it called a counseling module? ‘Heart’ has decided to exist independently as ‘Heart.’ Hmm, you look as if you’ve never even considered that.”

“……..”

Right. Heart was granted independence.

If the doppelgänger had resolved things through conversation rather than causing this chaos, it might have been different. Yuli pointed that out.

“If you had simply wanted to exist as ‘you,’ our Mima would have acknowledged that. Why are you taking such a troublesome and roundabout path?”

“But what I want to be—it’s that. I wanted to be there!”

In the place of the ‘real Mima,’ alongside Yuna and Yuli, the ones she loved.

To this, Yuli Lanster coldly adjusted her leather gloves and said,

“Then hurry and be absorbed by him. Wouldn’t that mean you are always with us?”

“…That’s.”

“The very notion that you must become someone else is flawed. If you’ve separated, you should simply exist wholly and live your own life. I don’t understand why you cling to this. Were you afraid of Miji?”

“……..”

Yuli acknowledged her existence but firmly denied her approach to life.

The doppelgänger gasped as if pierced through the heart.

Beside her, the loose figure of Akshin-chan stood.

—

An absolute being that mocks the world, a wicked dragon that revels in shaking fate as if it were a game. A fragment that has fallen away from it. Akshin-chan.

Behind her, thousands of years of wrongdoing pushed her forward. It was the inertia of life. Having walked this path for so long, she found it impossible to stop or change direction easily. The Evil God-chan naturally believed she had to be the ‘Evil Dragon.’

She thought she must return to being the ‘Evil Dragon’ at any cost. Living now, with a leash around her neck, was a humiliation, and she had to bite the neck of the mad sorcerer to regain her freedom.

Even now, knowing the path of virtue, she felt the same.

Hadn’t she already crossed a river that could not be turned back? Would it not be meaningless to change direction now? She kept repeating this to herself, hesitating.

And now, she had the chance to capture her doppelgänger in her gaze.

The doppelgänger was born from the mad sorcerer, yet it was different. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was different, but it became clear through the words of Yuri Lanster.

The doppelgänger.

At some moment, had it separated from her, fearing the competition for love that would leave the original, Mima, and Yunayuri behind? Had it been afraid to seek its own path in life?

So, had it chosen the easier path of trying to take what belonged to others?

It was painfully ugly, like looking into a mirror. Evil God-chan bit her lip, filled with self-loathing. Still, the path that was not ‘Evil Dragon’ felt confusing and frightening. She no longer knew what she should become.

Yet.

It would be wonderful to move forward.

It had been a long, long torment. A very long detour.

Evil God-chan spoke to the doppelgänger, hinting at her thoughts.

“…Hey, fake Mima.”

“Don’t call me fake!”

“How about just giving up? Right now, Mima would probably forgive you. What else could you do…? Just turn her into a TS? There wouldn’t be any casualties. So, I mean, come with me…”

Now, there was a way back.

The doppelgänger looked at Evil God-chan in disbelief. Had she come this far only to leave her side?

With a gaze full of desperation, the doppelgänger tried to persuade her. Please don’t leave my side. But Evil God-chan only looked at her with sunken eyes.

In that moment, Evil God-chan’s notion of ‘together’ and the doppelgänger’s notion of ‘together’ diverged.

Creak. He ground his teeth, spewing forth his anger.

“Are you betraying me too, even you! Fine, I don’t need any of it! If you want to push me into a barren wasteland, I’ll turn everything to ashes and at least clutch the remnants──!!”

Are you going there?

Evil God-chan frowned at the now-glimmering “Gingoa.” A vicious pain coursed through her spine, gnawing at her mind. Cold sweat dripped down, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

With the tightening leash around her neck, Evil God-chan gasped and said,

“‘Fable Block’… It’s something you can use when you deeply understand the target…”

“You…”

“I know you well. We’re so similar, just a hair’s breadth apart.”

“Stop, stop it──!!”

Creeeak.

Before the “Long Orphan” could fully activate and tighten its grip on her breath, the Evil God-chan lightly moved her hand. Distorting emotions, she interfered with the doppelgänger’s fable.

It wasn’t a skill so rudimentary that one could mimic it upon sight. It wasn’t perfect. But for the level of “interference,” it was more than sufficient.

Creeeek──!

Moreover.

Even if it was a fable mimicking another fable, ultimately, it was one’s own emotions that triggered it. The heart of the fake Mima, now fully aware of her complete severance from the Evil God-chan, was suddenly filled with emptiness and lethargy.

And thus, a gap was created.

Dissonance resonated from the newly formed soul. The fake mad sorcerer staggered, spitting blood. “Magic Solidification,” “Bloodstorm,” and “Obligation Convergence” all wavered chaotically.

Then.

The mad sorcerer began to chant.

“Shadows cast beneath my feet, darkness peering through the wardrobe’s crack, the solitude of a pitch-black night.”

“──Ha, hahaha! You can’t even remember? ‘Parsimony Manifestation’ doesn’t work on me! I can endure as much as I want!”

A pitch-black arrow floated above Mima’s hand. He grinned wickedly and turned the arrow’s direction… towards his own head.

“I won’t shoot the initial shot at you, you b*stard. ‘Parsimony Manifestation.’”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯?!”

Blood splattered.

“Parsimony Manifestation” struck Mima’s head directly, and he staggered as if he had been hit by a hammer. Then he began to chant once more.

“Shadows cast beneath my feet, darkness peering through the wardrobe’s crack, the solitude of a pitch-black night.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯!!”

Only then did the fake Mima understand his intent.

“Parsimony Manifestation” was an arrow that gathered and shot the negative emotions and pain of the session participants.

By shooting it into his own head and then reciting the chant again, the pain would be contained within the arrow, and with each cycle repeated, the amount of malignant information contained in the arrow would double.

It was a means to unleash power on-site without collecting malignant information.

⋯⋯If only he could endure that pain!

“‘Parsimony Manifestation.’ Ah, damn⋯⋯.”

Pah-!

With his second foot, he shot towards his own head again. That made it four times.

“⋯⋯This is absurd. Last time, you fell from just one of my ‘Parsimony Manifestation’ shots. That was just bravado. You must have reduced the malignant information contained in the arrow. There’s no way you can endure this much!”

The fake Mima cried out, but the veins standing out on the real Mima’s neck, his bloodshot eyes, trembling muscles, and flowing blood were undeniable signs of excruciating pain that could not be dismissed as mere acting.

Mima chuckled, drooling as he laughed.

“Well, are you curious about how I’m holding up? ‘The Heartbreaking Dark Arrow.’”

Kuwung──!

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

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“Ah, ugh… my head, my head is going to split. This isn’t something I can do twice.”

Eightfold.

Zzzzt. Zzzzzzt.

The black arrow gripped in Mima’s hand seemed to swell in size and menace, almost resembling a stake. The doppelgänger trembled in fear as it gauged the malignant information contained within that arrow.

The mad sorcerer mumbled, his tongue loosened.

“Hey, when I throw out a joke… it’s an effort to find joy even in this filthy, sad situation. Hardships are bound to come in life, right? If we can still laugh during those times, wouldn’t it be a bit better…?”

“You…!”

“I’m not you, so I can’t empathize with your pain. But I know that it’s the wrong path. You tried to kill my friends and take my life. So I prepared.”

It was aimed.

Before the flickering arrow, burning black like a flame, the doppelgänger felt a vivid sense of death.

“Cleanly, if you take this hit and endure, I’ll consider it mitigating circumstances. You b*stard. The shadow cast beneath your feet, the darkness peering through the closet cracks, the solitude of the pitch-black night…!”

“Stop, stop…!!”

Eightfold.

“‘The Heartbreaking Dark Arrow’──!!”

────!!

The arrow was shot without a sound. A blackness that seemed to swallow the space writhed forward. The fake mad sorcerer used every means at his disposal to block it.

But the mental barrier crumbled to dust, and even the returning abilities of the trickster, after the end of the ‘Interference of the Evil God,’ could not stop it.

The bloodstorm settled, defying gravity. It neither hardened nor scattered.

Just before impact, in that final moment, the fake Mima turned her head instinctively to look at the Evil God.

Their eyes met.

” I… am…”

Was it a curse of betrayal, or resentment for not choosing me? The Evil God averted her gaze slightly, afraid of the emotions that might arise.

Did he feel something in that last moment?

Instead of the poisonous feelings that had consumed him until now, he wore a faint smile, tinged with a hint of softness. The Evil God could read much from that gaze.

With a silent farewell, the black arrow shattered the soul.

The fog dispersed, and the chaos settled.

The commotion caused by the fake mad sorcerer came to an end, just like that.

It’s a complete mess.

The last fable of that fake was grand. A few buildings were blown away, and the pavement that had suffered all day was in such a state that it needed to be completely redone.

The fragment… absorbed. To be precise, it was absorbed. The information that had been swirling in the air naturally found its way back to its rightful owner.

That guy had cleanly vanished.

Perhaps… it was the soul’s fault. The fact that he had created a soul for himself ended up being his downfall, leading not just to grogginess but to complete annihilation.

I don’t know what he was thinking in his final moments. However, there was something—information about a black magician I didn’t know—left neatly tucked away in a corner. I decided to call that enlightenment.

He should have done that much earlier, the b*stard. I lightly bowed my head to offer my condolences.

With this, I’m 100% ready. The heart has become independent, so it’s no longer me; I should exclude it from the percentage calculation.

I don’t know what kind of reaction occurred inside the fake, but one thing is certain: there was a birth of a soul. If I study this trace… perhaps I could reach the realm of soul creation.

I approached the squatting Akshin-chan next to the shattered debris. She looked a bit dazed, so I placed my hand on the top of her head.

“…What’s up?”

“I’ll be bringing the soul tomorrow, so brace yourself.”

It meant I’d let today slide, so she could relax.

Then I squatted down beside Akshin-chan. She flinched a bit, as if feeling uncomfortable, but soon relaxed her body.

Then, out of the blue, she asked, as if feeling the need to say something to break the awkwardness.

“…How did you do it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Enduring the Parshimhyeonjeon. It’s powerful enough to make the fake’s consciousness evaporate, yet you’re still standing strong after taking three hits to the head… that’s strange.”

“Oh, that… well, there’s a trick to it. I created clones in my head.”

Thanks to the crow Mimah, I came up with that method.

I split my consciousness to utilize each part as a temporary independent entity. Just like the separated Mimah fragments, even if the resources were limited, the divided mind blossomed anew.

So, I held hands with the modules in my head, and we all endured together. If I were to take a hundred hits, it would be manageable if we shared them one by one.

-Stop amplifying! This is enough, you mad core!

I could hear the crow’s piercing cry.

At the same time, I entrusted the process of amplifying the feedback Parshimhyeonjeon to someone else. I patted my chest and cheerfully summarized.

“It’s the power of bonds and friendship!”

“…”

After a long silence, Akshin-chan suddenly said this.

“I’m going to give it a name. My name.”

“…What’s your name? What is it?”

“Aisha.”

“If I ask what it means, will you tell me?”

Aisha stuck out her tongue in a playful gesture, a textbook-like pout that looked drawn in a picture.

“Are you going to give it to me? You’re just teasing.”

“If you tell me, I might consider reducing the punishment for tomorrow.”

“I’d rather die.”

What kind of embarrassing meaning could be hidden in that name…?

The city, which had been wrapped in silence, began to stir awake. The thought of dealing with this major incident and getting scolded by Irid made my head spin…

Once everything is settled, I’ll go back. And I plan to have a wild time. In my warm and cozy haven, the Academy.

The long journey has come to an end.