Chapter 16: Cult's Collapse
The Beach's main exit was a churning vortex of chaos, the sandy shore scarred with footprints and littered with broken crates, the air thick with the acrid sting of burnt rubber and glowing ash. Kirito's boots sank into the sand, each step a battle against the shifting ground, his t-shirt clinging to his sweat-soaked skin like a second, suffocating layer. The ocean's roar clashed with the shouts of cultists, their voices a jagged cacophony that grated against his ears. Above, a neon sign flickered erratically, its sickly green light casting long shadows across the turmoil. Hatter stood on a raised platform, his heavy pendant pulsing with a furious, crimson glow, his wild eyes glinting with unhinged rage. The cultists, a sea of desperate faces, surged forward, their loyalty fraying like a worn rope.
"Traitors!" Hatter bellowed, his voice a thunderclap that shook the air. "They escape me no longer! Stop them!"
Kirito's heart slammed against his ribs, his pulse a frantic drumbeat as he scanned the crowd. Sweat stung his eyes, blurring the edges of his vision. "Too many to fight. Hatter's lost it, and his goons are one bad vibe from mutiny," he thought, his sarcasm a thin veil over the dread twisting his gut. His fingers grazed the phone in his pocket, its faint vibration a secret lifeline, the Visa Clock's red glow ticking relentlessly on his wrist.
[SYSTEM: HOST STATUS.]
[STRENGTH: 5. AGILITY: 7. STAMINA: 6. SYSTEM POINTS (SP): 660.]
[SYSTEM: QUERY: INITIATE 'VISA PHANTOM' (COST: 50 SP)? TARGET: CULTIST FOCUS. SKILL: ILLUSORY VISA CLOCK (+1 DAY).]
"Give them a shiny distraction. Something to chase that isn't us," Kirito commanded silently, his thumb brushing the phone's screen.
[SYSTEM: VISA PHANTOM ACTIVE. ILLUSORY VISA CLOCK DEPLOYED. TOTAL SP: 610.]
Kirito adjusted his wristband's display, the fake extra day shimmering across the cultists' clocks like a mirage of salvation. They froze, their shouts turning to frantic gasps as they clawed at their wrists, fighting each other to confirm the anomaly. Usagi moved like a shadow, her boots kicking up clouds of ash that stung the cultists' eyes, her scar catching the neon's pulse as she carved a path. Kuina flanked her, her cigarette's ember a defiant spark, her lean frame a barrier against the most aggressive pursuers. Arisu clutched his sketchpad, his charcoal-smudged fingers trembling as he scanned for escape routes, his eyes darting like a trapped animal's.
Hatter's pendant flared brighter, his charge cutting through the chaos, his boots pounding the sand with manic purpose.
[SYSTEM: HATTER'S RAGE LEVEL: CRITICAL. THREAT ANALYSIS: HIGH.]
[SYSTEM: PURSUIT DETECTED. ERROR: 'PARTY'S OVER, HERO.' RUN FASTER.]
"Thanks for the motivational speech, System," Kirito thought, his legs burning as he sprinted, the sand dragging at his feet.
Usagi became their shield, her staff a blur as she delivered precise, non-lethal shoves, each one sending a cultist stumbling back, their cries lost in the din. Kuina's strength held the line, her body a wall, her cigarette dropping ash as she blocked a burly cultist's lunge. Kirito's voice sliced through the noise, his quip a desperate spark. "Party's over, Hatter! Go count your chips!"
A deafening groan split the air. The platform, its metal corroded by meteor dust and seismic tremors, buckled under Hatter's weight, collapsing in a plume of smoke and twisted steel. Hatter vanished in the wreckage, his pendant's light snuffed out, the cultists descending into a frenzied mob as their leader fell. The team seized the opening, sprinting through the gap, their breaths ragged, their unity a lifeline in the storm.
The Beach's lurid glow faded to a distant smear as they collapsed among the wasteland's ruins, the cracked asphalt cool against their overheated skin. The stars dimmed under an ash-heavy sky, the Visa Clock's ticks a quiet rhythm in the silence. Kirito's chest heaved, his t-shirt damp, his phone hidden in his pocket. Usagi sat beside him, her boots scuffed, her scar faintly pulsing as she caught her breath. Kuina lit a new cigarette, its flame briefly illuminating her defiant grin, while Arisu sketched absently, his hands shaking.
[SYSTEM: ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCK: GRIEF GUARDIAN. CONDITION: ESCAPED SOCIAL COLLAPSE WITHOUT LETHAL FORCE. REWARD: PERMANENT SKILL—LIE DETECTOR (0 SP COST). SP GAIN: +100 SP. TOTAL: 710.]
Arisu's voice trembled, his sketchpad clutched tight. "This wasteland… it's too empty. No patterns, no cover. It's a trap we can't predict."
Usagi nodded, her breath sharp, her machete resting across her knees. "It's like the games are waiting to ambush us."
Kuina exhaled a plume of smoke, her grin soft but steady. "It's freedom, Arisu. No Hatter, no cult. Just us. We're tougher than whatever's lurking out here."
Her warmth eased the tension, a shared glance sparking quiet resolve. Kirito leaned back against the rubble, his voice low. "She's right. We just toppled a wannabe king. Let's see what this wasteland's got."
He pulled a stale protein bar from his pocket, splitting it four ways. The mundane act—chewing the gritty, tasteless bar—grounded them, a fleeting moment of normalcy amid the chaos.
The dawn's pale gold crept over the ruins, painting the asphalt in soft hues. Kirito's phone glowed with a strange symbol—a single black die, its neon pulse a new challenge.
[SYSTEM: PUZZLE INITIATED. COST: 0 SP. OBJECTIVE: MAP WASTELAND SURVIVAL STRATEGY.]
Usagi's fear sharpened, her voice tight as she brushed ash from her boots. "What if the games get harder? No more cheating our way out."
Arisu sketched a crude map, his hands steadier now. "We need a plan, not just survival. Something to counter the unknown."
[SYSTEM: ESCAPE VICTORY REGISTERED. SP GAIN: +50 SP. TOTAL: 760.]
Kirito's quip sparked defiance, his grin tight but real. "New map, new win. We crushed a cult. Let's roll the dice on this wasteland."
Their footsteps crunched on the ash-dusted ground, the black die's glow a beacon as they moved deeper into the ruins, their unity a shield against the looming threat.
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