Otherworld TRPG Game Master - Chapter 332



332 – S6. The Erased Zone of the Ruined City ~■■ Sleeping Under the Rubble~ -1

Where does what’s erased go?

–

“Withdraw the light, close your eyes. ‘Blackout.’”

Immediately after the incantation, the sky turned pitch black, leaving only the full moon. The sky’s light unnaturally refuses to reach the earth. The world is dark.

And only the crimson-red magic of the witch is clearly visible. A rotating, scarlet sphere forming a circle. You can feel that each strand of that spiral holds immense power.

“‘Crimson Moon’s End: Charge.’”

She slightly lowered her altitude with the red sphere floating above the moon. Is she planning to keep us in check so we can’t interrupt her as she prepares a powerful, high-level spell?

A slender finger points at us.

It’s coming. The premonition of ‘Subtraction.’ A declaration of existence, erasing all information within its trajectory is coming…

-We need to gather our strength. Let’s not be swayed by the likes of ‘Golden Keys.’

“……Huh?”

*Thwack!*

“What are you spacing out for!”

“Keck!”

Aisha’s side kick sends me flying. And at the spot where I was standing, a 30-centimeter diameter crimson flash slammed down. The information that formed the ground was shaved off, leaving only a translucent frame in an instant.

My mind snaps to attention.

It looked like an unrendered part of a game. The phenomena that appear are slightly different from the outside ‘Subtraction’. Is it amplified because it’s inside Yuna’s sublimation zone?

Inside the ‘Tower of Illusion’, reality and illusion are interchangeable. Therefore, ‘Subtraction’ which removes information, could have the same effect as material erasure within the tower.

If I get hit directly by that, I’ll end up like a cube steak.

The provisional ‘Dark Yuna’ is riding a broom and unleashing ‘Subtraction’ bombardments from high above. How am I supposed to fight her? Think. Think…

Think…

“……”

*Thwack!*

“What are you spacing out for?!”

“Kuek!”

Once again, I’m kicked in the side by Aisha, and I tumble across the ground. ‘Subtraction’ sweeps past. If I had stayed still, it would have been on a trajectory to sever my right arm.

“Are you under some illusion magic or something?! You’re about to die, where the hell is your mind, Mima!”

“Kueeehk.”

“Answer me in human words!”

That’s an unreasonable request.

I clutched at my head with sticky, squelching front paws. A hazy, unidentified video kept replaying in my head.

-Yuna used up all the keys! Yuna betrayed us!

-No, that’s not it…! I wouldn’t do that! Everyone, please believe me. I was protecting the golden keys…!

Slander and accusations taking place in a damp prison. It must be a past video, Yuna’s memories.

The ‘Great Beast’ has the ability to sense people’s despair or pain. It’s presumed that, due to that power, I am able to glimpse Yuna’s past history remaining in this area.

The world intermittently shifts into a collection of vibrant colors. Among them, there’s a section that’s particularly dark and gloomy. If I stare into that space, I’m sucked into Yuna’s past.

Seeing Yuna’s struggles, I feel like I could cry.

If you were to call it a blessing or a curse, it’s a blessing. If I can understand her past, it could give me solid hints to climb the Tower, and… I could also think of words of comfort for Yuna in advance.

But it just so happens that this is a battle situation.

It’s like I’m intermittently getting blindfolded, I’m going to die. If it weren’t for Aisha, I’d already be in four pieces.

“…Dad, is your function broken? What’s the problem!”

“Krrrk…!!”

I mimed covering my eyes with my front paws. I can’t see in front of me.

“Ah, 『Despair Sight』?”

It seems like Aisha has also figured out what I’m struggling with. Right, the original 『Great Beast』 is 1% extracted from ‘that thing’ in my head. My daughter should have the same function too.

My daughter explained it as if she was teaching her old dad how to use the latest gadget, who was fumbling with it.

“That, um… There’s a switch about 30 centimeters behind your head, in the air! You know what it feels like, right?”

I understand.

Click.

When I turn off the internal switch, my vision clears and stays fixed. Good, now that the problem’s solved, it’s time to act. Snap out of it, you crazy wizard. I need to give it my all right now.

Dark Yuna is preparing a great spell. I won’t come out of this well if that’s completed, and even before it is, the situation isn’t good. 『Subtraction』 is falling like rain now.

How am I supposed to deal with that Dark Yuna floating so high up?

“Evil Dragon, you can’t beat Yuna. Unless it’s her true form.”

“Don’t get cocky, if Mima was in peak condition── Shit, 『Dragon Scale Citadel』!”

“『Subtraction』.”

Kuung.

Chwajajajajak-!

As Aisha stomped her foot, a wall woven from dragon scales rose from the ground. Immediately after, 『Subtract』 collided, and the dragon scales quickly began to creak.

Tteudeuk, deudeudeuk.

I hurriedly drew Abraham’s pistol from my waist—damn it, this slimy, webbed foot is so damn inconvenient. I miss my five human fingers!

Churuluk!

I drew out tentacle-like things from my limbs, wrapped them around the pistol, and aimed. With the full moon behind, I targeted the left eye of the fluttering Dark Yuna in the sky.

Even if my body has turned into a monster, my head remains the same. Wind speed okay, direction okay, predicted hit rate 100%. I pull the trigger!

Tang──!

“Ah.”

With a single exclamation, Dark Yuna’s head snapped back. Like she’d been flicked on the forehead.

I know very well that Dark Yuna wouldn’t fall with just that, so I comfortably yelled,

“Krueeak?”

Did I get her?

“──『Subtract』.”

“Ket!”

There was no way.

I twisted my body acrobatically to avoid the three 『Subtract』 beams flying toward me. Twisting my waist three and a half times in place, I evaded the rays. I’m slowly starting to understand how to handle this boneless body.

Even while dodging, my eyes are fixed on Dark Yuna. That shot was to grab her attention, and to see how she defends against attacks.

If she’s the kind that relies on technique, there’s room for penetration. Please, don’t let it just be pure, stupid brute defense. Don’t crush me with pure stat differences.

* * *

Thud.

As Dark Yuna blinked, the pistol bullet, warped and stopped by her cornea, dropped with a *thud*. Like some kind of Superman shit. This is, no matter how you look at it, just plain *tough*.

Aisha, compensating for my inability to use magic, pointed out the details.

“Mima, it’s a thin repulsion field covering her entire body. To break through with physical force, you’d need to swing something the size of a building. You got a plan? You gotta have a plan, right?”

There was an old, venerable method, but it wasn’t something I could use right now.

*Beeeeeeep!!*

An ominous sound. I coiled my legs like springs, gathering momentum. Using the spring’s acceleration, I scooped up Aisha and threw us both to the ground, rolling.

A red beam of annihilation grazed my back, shaving off a little skin.

Rolling and tumbling, I thought. If Dark Yuna had only increased the diameter of her 『Void』, this fight would already be over. If she’d fired a beam 50 meters wide, what chance would I have had to dodge?

Even if some grand magic is being prepared…

But she didn’t. Instead, she’s only attacking with small-caliber 『Voids』, as if trying to torment us…is this for some psychological reason?

If so, let’s poke her.

I’d panicked when I heard Yuna say she didn’t like me. She’s the same. I haven’t tried it yet, but if I say I really hate Yuna, she’d burst into tears on the spot.

So I’d just have to close my eyes and hurl insults at Dark Yuna. I’m still unsure of what exactly she is, but she has to be deeply connected to Yuna.

But I’m in my giant beast form, unable to speak, so I had no choice but to ask Aisha. I placed my paw on her skin, tapping out my intention in morse code.

Tell her what I’m saying. Yuna is… Yuna is a little less pretty!

“This crazy mage says they never liked your mug! How do you even go around with that face? Oh, so *that’s* why you never leave your tower and shut yourself away?”

“……..”

Yuna is, Yuna is petite!

“I don’t know what you can even *do* with that flat chest. You can’t possibly use it to appeal to anyone’s feminine side, can you? Put your hand on your chest and think about it. Although, you wouldn’t have a chest to put your hand on… Ah, why are you attacking me, Papa!”

“When did I ever say you could go that far!”

While our wicked daughter’s words tore at my heart, Dark Yuna, dead serious, placed a hand over her own chest and spoke.

“First of all, Yuna is pretty. Second, Yuna is Yuna, so she’s not small-chested. She can switch between both states. And last, she’s more modest and beautiful than that scrap of tattered cloth worn by a piece of a fallen dragon.”

“That was some crazy mage who forced it on me, you b*stard!”

“Yuna knows you chose that outfit willingly on this floor. You even debated picking up and putting down that garter belt—”

“Crazy mage! Release the binding of the Golden Hoop, right now—!!”

What’s the big deal about you getting pissed off.

Right, the way to counter Ascendancy is to activate Ascendancy of our own. Dragon scales and a pistol alone won’t win in a power game, nor can they break through the repulsion field.

‘That thing’ might be sealed within my head, but ‘its power’ itself remains outside, like a backup on a cloud server.

That’s why even the dark mages could open the tool box through the evil god’s statue, and even the dragon scales Aisha wears are abilities downloaded from the server.

Meaning, if I just give permission, Aisha can use Successive Ascendancy.

“……….”

I temporarily release the Golden Hoop’s block on accessing the 『Evil God’s Toolbox』. Go wild, Aisha!

*Click.*

The sound of a lock releasing came from the necklace around Aisha’s neck, and a red warning light began to glow. She stretched her hand towards the sky and shouted.

“Successive Ascendancy, 『Gear: Heroine』!”

*Crack, crunch!*

Parts of the 『Tower of Illusions』 broke away, and from the gears filling the empty space, a pink beam of light descended towards Aisha. The power to shift and move the world begins to exert its influence.

Every movement was delicate and precise. It made the 『Heroine』 used by the Succubus Queen feel like a randomly swinging tree branch.

“Heroine target designated, crazy mage and Aisha! Primary target, that b*tch in front of me. Oh Gears, my name is Deceit and Chaos. Move the world according to the script!”

Click-clack-click!

Gears grind ferociously, the world shifting violently.

–

[Heroine: The Mad Mage, Aisha]

[Woman in Love: 『Yuna』]

[Initial Setup: 『Yuna』 suddenly realizes her affection for the mad mage, Aisha. She knows this feeling will accelerate her demise. But for the sake of love, is it not alright to shatter herself…?]

#1: Hesitation, and the Beginning of Love.

“『Subtract』.”

Beeeeeep──!!

“Kyaaak!”

“Uwaaak-!”

We were sent sprawling across the ground again. I even lost a slimy leg in the process. I was expecting some hesitation with the attack, but 『Heroine』 effect my ass, Aisha!

“The effect definitely worked! She’s in love with us right now!”

Then why the hell is she Subtracting us without a moment’s hesitation, to the people she loves?

Of course, I did chew up the 『Heroine』 that the succubus queen had used, and then spat it out. I drew on a sadist’s mindset of ‘killing as an expression of love’ to maintain my offensive momentum, though.

Did Dark Yuna process things like that so quickly as well?

Flash. A red light blazes again. She muttered quietly.

“Because I love you, I must eliminate you. If there are too many people I love, Yuna will be hurt someday. That cannot happen.”

“……What is that? Is that saying you don’t want to gain anything because you don’t want to lose it?”

“Yuna doesn’t want to attend your funerals. So, Yuna will make it as if you never existed in the first place. If I don’t love, then it won’t hurt.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

So, is that why it’s called “Subtraction”?

To avoid getting hurt, to erase it all away?

Aisha gritted her teeth.

“Damn it, Mima… let’s just punch a hole in the outer wall of the tower and escape. The ‘Heroine’ is a tool predicated on buying time with love, so most of her offensive abilities have long cast times. We won’t last until they’re done.”

But I can’t get out. Because I’m wearing the ‘Great Beast’ skin, Aisha might, but there’s no way I’m leaving the tower.

Aisha, how about using a different tool?

“I can’t use them simultaneously. It takes time to switch. Have you forgotten, I’m only at 7%! And, their ultimate move is about to hit us!”

” ‘Crimson Moon’s End : Charge’.”

Gooom──

Pitch black darkness swirls in, sucking everything into itself. It looks like all creation is being compressed towards the red moon.

This is dangerous. Yet, even in this situation, for some reason… my thoughts about “Subtraction” don’t stop. It’s almost like I’m thinking about it on instinct. Maybe there’s a way out here, I think.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

What happens to the things erased by “Subtraction”?

Up until now, I’ve assumed they simply vanish. Like they were never there in the first place, their information erased from the world for good.

But the unsettling feeling I’ve had throughout this battle makes me think maybe that’s not the case. Especially with Dark Yuna using only small-scale “Subtractions”.

Why isn’t she using a large “Subtraction”? Why is she aiming at my limbs, fighting like she’s trying to slowly ‘cut me up’ and kill me?

Dark Yuna is restricting my abilities, trapping me and even going to the lengths of putting the ‘Great Beast’ skin on me, showing how wary she is of me. Let’s assume all of this is to get rid of me ‘safely’.

What if— what if the targets of “Subtraction” aren’t immediately erased? Like a computer, what if they’re thrown into some sort of trash can?

So, what if completely obliterating them is ‘dangerous’?

“Krrrk…”

“Huh, why? Did you get a good idea?!”

I cut off one of my index finger tentacles and tossed it to Aisha. She looked bewildered, but seemed to assume I had a plan, and carefully tucked it into her pouch.

But Aisha, this is more of a gamble than a plan.

If it works, we can win. But if it doesn’t, I don’t even want to think about it. If you get a bad feeling, run, even if you have to do it alone.

“Wait, wait Mima! You… Hey, Mima! Papa-!!”

Beeeep──!!

I contorted my body, thin and long, to meet the incoming 『Subtraction』. So that the red beam could swallow my entire existence.

And then I throw myself forward.

“……..!!”

The eyes of Dark Yuna widen. It was a clear sign of shock, no matter who looked at it. In that moment, I was certain my gamble had succeeded. 『Subtraction』 was consuming all the information that comprised me.

Along with a ringing in my ears.

I was, thus, erased.

–

The past Yuna, whose emotions I glimpsed, was brave and kind. She stepped forward to lead the children. She tried to carry the banner.

The current, passive, and gloomy Yuna… was caught up in the bio-experiments of mad mages, and her shining parts had been worn away.

I want to believe that it was never truly lost. Not something that can never be recovered, but merely sleeping somewhere.

And so, on a fine day.

I hope that Yuna Yurensto Violetiris can gather up all the good things she was tired of carrying, and laugh truly happily.

Now.

Where do the erased things go?

A place where clumps of information lazily swirl. Where things swallowed by the “Subtract” drift in disarray. Where modern buildings and wastelands abut each other, and colossal monster models orbit coconuts like satellites, while roads and streetlights wave like tides in the sky.

Right here. Let’s temporarily call it the “Erasure Zone.”

“KRaaaH⋯⋯!”

I’ve arrived. My hunch was right. Operation success! I gave myself a standing ovation of self-praise.

I had wondered where the unused portions of the session went. Woo Chae-rin and the Petit Colossal Monster came from the explosive Stellaria, but how were the unused bits kept?

Behold, that huge, radiant colossal monster in the sky!

From noble mtl dot com

Dark Yuna only uses the parts she needs, completely eliminating the rest with the “Subtract.” So I couldn’t possibly use them. And so… I was able to confront the colossal monster’s main body like this!

I’ll take it all! I’ll absorb it and become the complete “Colossal Monster.” And once I escape this “Erasure Zone” through the body part I gave Aysha…!

Then, a voice that shouldn’t be heard broke through.

“…A colossal monster? No, it’s small. And it’s moving.”

“Kuek?”

“Could it be Mima?”

I turned my head and saw a familiar face: familiar glasses, a familiar pink ponytail, and a familiar – about to burst – business suit, a chic woman.

Yuri Lanster was staring blankly at me, her limbs disjointed.

She thought for a moment and said.

“Did you come to rescue me?”

“KYaaaK-!!”

I grabbed Yuri’s cheeks and stretched them sideways, my rage bubbling over. She was also hit by “Subtract” and ejected here, right? She said she’d follow immediately, that she wasn’t going to be a burden!

“Mimaaa, that hurrts.”

“Screeeeeeech!”

You said to leave it to me and go, you moron──!!