Chapter 212: Atrocity
"Damn it, damn it, damn it..."
Lee Chae-rin clutched her abdomen, the icy sensation of seawater washing over her internal organs making her heart clench with anxiety.
Although her current body was not nearly as fragile as her original one, her mind and senses were still human.
She then felt a surge of joy as she felt her heart begin to regenerate.
The chaos in her thoughts made it impossible for Lee Chae-rin to think clearly. She had to use all her willpower just to maintain her sanity, and her Haki's intensity had plummeted.
Splash!
The sound of someone entering the water was terrifyingly clear. Lee Chae-rin's heart trembled. She knew that Mercenary Tao—no, that Kaito Shirogane—would not let her go.
She thought back to the Dragon Ball world. He'd had no enhancements then, hadn't even known how to hide his serial number, and could only flee from her sword like a rat.
If only she hadn't tried to capture him alive, if only she hadn't wanted to enslave him...
Regret, like a cold snake, coiled around Lee Chae-rin's heart, squeezing.
Then, she felt a surge of indignation. Logically, her actions hadn't been wrong. In this damned Nexus, a solo player always has a limit, no matter how well they perform in the [Paper], [Mortal], or even [Strong] tiers.
The further you go, the more you run into Reincarnators who are just as strong, just as talented, each with countless abilities.
A solo player's adaptability and offensive range just can't compare to a mature team.
Just like her: even though her individual combat power was higher than Flame Fiend's, she was constantly being chased down by his team.
She had known for a long time that even with the smooth start her real-world advantages had given her, she couldn't survive a dangerous "game" like this on her own.
That's why she'd recruited [Kyung]. That's why she'd wanted [Mercenary Tao].
These talented individuals were the pieces she needed to survive to the end.
Yes. Unlike her indifferent facade, Lee Chae-rin was afraid of death. She was terrified of death.
As a woman born with more wealth than most families could earn in generations, how could she not be?
Her calmness in battle, her cruelty, her sharpness... it was all just a front, propped up by the belief that she would never lose, that she would never die.
Her fights had always been asymmetrical.
In her mundane life, and as a Reincarnator, Lee Chae-rin had always had an unfair advantage.
But after entering this world, she had felt the disparity.
Mercenary Tao, after just a few missions, already had a degree of immortality and high-speed regeneration, making him incredibly hard to kill. She had failed to take him down, and had instead been cornered by Enel, Flame Fiend, and Critical Point, all of whom he had lured.
And then, in a direct confrontation, he had killed her.
The pain and terror of her heart being destroyed... it was still seared into her mind.
Whoosh!
The water churned. Mercenary Tao was pouncing like a beast. Lee Chae-rin, in no state to fight, immediately used [Moonwalk] underwater.
The explosive stomps turned her three-meter-plus body into a torpedo, shooting through the depths.
Staying underwater would avoid stray gunfire, and the Devil Fruit users in the Navy couldn't follow. Besides, in most cases, underwater combat made Reincarnators hesitate.
Countless tales existed of a superior force being turned on and killed in the chaos of a water battle.
But unfortunately, Mercenary Tao was not the type to hesitate.
Lee Chae-rin stomped again. The intense change in water pressure made her scales crack, her organs taking damage.
This was the other benefit of underwater movement. An explosive burst of speed would also damage the user's body. Even another Reincarnator with a broken Agility limit, if they tried to match her speed without her special body, would be crushed by the pressure.
Bang!
Lee Chae-rin moved at extreme speed.
The next moment...
BOOM!
A violent shockwave erupted underwater.
"Koff... pff!"
The immense water pressure, combined with the shockwave, ruptured Lee Chae-rin's lungs, and she choked on her own blood.
She turned her head, only to see a dark figure less than two meters behind her.
Her pupils trembled. He vanished. The next instant, a massive force struck her from behind.
Boom!
A powerful, penetrating force shot through Moon Fiend's body, forming a white column of water.
Moon Fiend's forward momentum was stopped. Kaito Shirogane's arm was buried in her body, and he was latched onto her. He had used [Life Return] to seal his orifices. He was much more resistant to the deep water.
And because he had broken his Constitution limit, his defense was now stronger than Moon Fiend's.
He had stopped her with a [Devil Lance]. But he didn't follow up with [Setsuna] and [Death-Taint] to finish her off like he had with Flame Fiend.
Kaito Shirogane had realized that most of the Reincarnators in this world had already fled. After the Black King's arrival, the Nexus had given them an exit, and they'd taken it.
This meant he couldn't gain any extra team battle points.
While he wouldn't lose anything for his negative score, for Kaito, no extra profit was a loss.
At the same time, with the other Reincarnators gone, he now had a chance to... properly... deal with one of the so-called "Four Fiends" of the Nexus.
Splurch!
Kaito Shirogane ripped his hand out, tearing a massive chunk of scaled flesh with it.
"Aargh!"
Moon Fiend spasmed, her scales flaring. A wave of danger pulsed. Kaito crossed his arms.
The black scales shot out like bullets.
Pff-pff-pff-pff...
Keng-keng-keng!
Kaito instantly activated [Tekkai]. His body vibrated as if hit by machine-gun fire, but this level of attack could no longer harm him.
The superficial wounds healed before they even fully formed.
Moon Fiend, on the other hand, had just made her defenses even weaker.
Kaito Shirogane grinned savagely and tore another chunk of flesh from her back.
The sea was instantly dyed red. Moon Fiend's back muscles were ripped away, revealing her mutated, giant skeleton.
Moon Fiend swung her arms backward, her elbows bent, a sword-light glowing. But Kaito, with [Pre-Initiative], instantly twisted and deflected her long arms, grabbing them and pulling them back.
He stood on her back, yanking her arms. Her movements slowed. She began to sink.
Kaito put his strength into it and snapped her arms.
CRACK!
This still wasn't a lethal blow. Kaito's eyes were half-open, calmly sensing her muscles. The [Dragonslayer] appeared in his left hand.
Pff!
Swinging the greatsword underwater was sluggish, but the terrifying force still severed Moon Fiend's scale-less limbs.
This brutal method of attack only further excited the Satsui no Hado within him. His hands began to tear at her flesh faster and faster. His initial plan—to scare her into giving up her resources—had devolved into pure, unadulterated torture.
A smile Kaito himself wasn't even aware of spread across his face, his killing intent surging.
Lee Chae-rin's pupils trembled. She felt... as if she was back in her sea of consciousness. And an unprecedented cold was enveloping her soul.
Am I... dying...?
I'm really... dying...
The concept of [Death] was clearer than it had ever been. Even clearer than when her heart had been torn out. At least then, she'd had her [Unyielding] trait, and she'd been trying to kill him.
But now, in the deep sea, she was just a piece of helpless meat, being torn apart.
She remembered her childhood, a visit to a slaughterhouse. The pigs, de-haired, tossed on a table, dismembered piece by piece, until only useless bones and organs were left.
No... I don't want to die like that!
I DON'T WANT TO DIE!
Thump-thump!
Moon Fiend's heart, as if spasming, suddenly beat erratically.
Thump-thump, thump-thump-thump-thump!
In an instant, her heart rate surpassed its limit. In Kaito's perception, her mutated, swollen heart was beating so fast it was about to explode.
Moon Fiend felt time slow down. The water became thick as tar. Her neck twisted, almost 180 degrees—a movement that should have been impossible.
She realized... she was becoming a better fighter.
Pff!
Her cellular activity spiked. Her severed limbs grew back.
Her heart pounded. She had a feeling... Maybe... I can live?!
"Ha~"
A strange sound. Moon Fiend thought she was hallucinating. She tried to focus her whitening eyes... and saw bubbles rising from the sea.
Kaito's body was expanding. With every heartbeat, he grew, until he was the same size as her.
Crack.
Kaito grabbed her newly-grown, swollen arms. And, in Moon Fiend's despairing eyes, he slowly... bent... and broke them.
Her hope was extinguished.
She was falling. Her pure white sea of consciousness was appearing. She knew... once she fell in, once she was controlled by that monster's mind again... she would be truly, permanently annihilated.
In this moment of life and death, using the bullet-time-like senses of her new state, her whole body trembled. Not just her brain, but every cell was fighting to live.
"...Spare... me..."
Boom!
A massive waterspout. Two giant figures shot from the sea and landed on the surface. Kaito was still in his small-giant form.
He held the slender monster by the neck.
"Give me what you think will make me let you live. Remember, you only have one chance."
Moon Fiend lay on the water, her body ravaged by the Satsui no Hado, her back a bloody, torn-open mess.
[Warning, QO60833805. You are attempting to enter a Servitude Contract with another Reincarnator. Upon agreement, they will be able to control your resources, intervene in your resource allocation, and you will be unable to defy their commands. Do you wish to proceed?]
Lee Chae-rin lay on the sea. In that moment, the proud heiress of the financial conglomerate... died.
(End of Chapter)