"Why don't we play a game?" The stranger wore a twisted smile.
"A game?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Tuziku shouted.
"We have questions we wanna ask you! We're not looking for any trouble!" Giō insisted, keeping his weapon aimed at the man.
The stranger chuckled.
"I'm not looking for any trouble either... I simply proposed that we play a game!" He grinned.
"Tch! Quit screwing around already!" Kutcher snapped, pointing his blade at the strange man.
Prīōra watched the stranger with a troubled expression.
Something's definitely not right here!
Tuziku slowly approached him.
"I'm sorry, but we didn't come here to play any games with you!"
He continued advancing, keeping his eyes fixed on the stranger.
Suddenly—
"Hahaha!"
The stranger burst into laughter.
"THE GAME HAS ALREADY BEGUN!!"
Without warning, he turned and sprinted away.
"Wait! Hold on a second!" Tuziku shouted.
But after only a few steps...
The stranger vanished.
!!!
The entire group stood there, baffled.
"What the hell?!" Giō exclaimed.
"Where did he go?!" Prīōra's face was filled with confusion.
Suddenly, Tuziku took off after him.
"I'm going after him!"
"Tch! Wait for me!" Giō grumbled before chasing after Tuziku.
"Geez, Tuziku!" Prīōra whined.
"Let's go, Kutcher!" she shouted before running after them.
"Wait, you guys! Don't go charging in so blindly!" Kutcher warned.
But Tuziku, already ahead of the others, continued charging forward despite his warning.
This guy hasn't gone anywhere!
I can still feel his presence nearby.
He's still here!
Tuziku gritted his teeth and charged headfirst toward the presence only he could sense.
But suddenly—
Fwsh!
Tuziku vanished.
"What the hell?!"
Giō, who had been running right behind him, rushed toward the spot where Tuziku had disappeared.
However—
Fwsh!
The assassin vanished as well.
Prīōra, who had been following behind them, abruptly came to a halt.
"Tuziku! Giō!"
"The two of them just vanished... What's going on here?!"
Panic began to consume her.
Meanwhile, Kutcher had remained at a cautious distance, watching everything unfold.
"Oh no... I tried to warn those idiots!"
"Prīōra, get away from there!" he shouted.
But it was already too late.
Suddenly...
A hand emerged from thin air and grabbed Prīōra by the arm.
"KYAAAAHH!!"
She screamed as the mysterious hand yanked her backward.
What is this?!
SHLING!
"Prīōra!"
Kutcher immediately drew his blade and rushed toward her.
"Prīōra, hold on!"
He leaped into the air, raising his sword above his head as he prepared to sever the arm holding her.
"KUTCHER!!" Prīōra cried out one last time.
But just before Kutcher could bring his blade down—
Fwsh!
The mysterious hand gave one powerful tug, pulling Prīōra into the space from which it had emerged.
She vanished.
FWOOSH!!
Kutcher's blade sliced through the air with tremendous force. The impact sent a massive cloud of dust erupting from beneath his feet.
"DAMN IT!!" he roared in frustration.
"Tuziku... Prīōra!"
Suddenly—
DOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
FWSH!!
"What the—?!"
Kutcher's jaw dropped as an enormous, dark cube slowly materialized on the valley floor.
The colossal structure measured approximately one hundred meters in both length and width, radiating an unbelievably ominous aura. Its massive form completely blocked the path leading deeper into the trenches of No Man's Valley.
"What is that thing?!" Kutcher struggled to comprehend what he was witnessing.
"Don't tell me..." he muttered.
Is that where Tuziku and the others disappeared to?!
That guy...!
He tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword.
"Guys... I promise you all..."
"I'm going to get you out of there!"
Kutcher's expression hardened with determination.
Meanwhile...
Inside the mysterious cube...
Prīōra, the last of the group to arrive, was still struggling to make sense of what had happened.
"Oww... Where the hell am I?"
She slowly rose and cautiously observed her surroundings.
Whoa... What is this place?
Her confusion soon gave way to curiosity as she took in the bizarre scenery.
She stood inside a vast, entirely white room with no visible ceiling, windows, or doors. Games and toys filled every corner, creating a bizarre contrast with the desolate wasteland outside.
"What is this...?"
A grin slowly spread across her face.
Suddenly—
"Prīōra!"
Tuziku's voice called out from nearby.
"Tuziku! Where are you?!" she shouted.
"Over here!"
Prīōra followed the sound of his voice and soon found him standing beside Giō.
"You guys!" she exclaimed in relief.
"Where the hell are we?" she asked.
"I don't know..." Tuziku replied. "I was running when I suddenly appeared in this room!"
"Same here!" Giō added.
"I think we're in some kind of different space or something..." Tuziku muttered, scratching his chin as he examined the unusual surroundings.
"A different space...?" Prīōra repeated.
"It's not actually a different space!"
A familiar voice suddenly corrected them.
"Who said that?!" Giō shouted, startled.
Suddenly...
The stranger from earlier emerged from behind an arcade machine.
"It's that guy from earlier!" Prīōra exclaimed.
"So he really does have an Abyssal Ability!" Tuziku clenched his fist, his expression turning stern.
"What is this place?" he demanded, shooting the stranger a hostile glare.
Clap! Clap!
The stranger clapped his hands, drawing the trio's attention.
"Welcome..."
"To my very own..."
"GAME WORLD!!"
He flashed a confident smirk.
Tuziku and Prīōra stared at him in stunned silence.
"Game World?!" Giō repeated, visibly annoyed.
"As the name suggests..." the stranger continued. "This is a space created for the sole purpose of playing games!"
"And in this space... I control everything!"
He paused, allowing his words to sink in.
"You may not be aware of it yet, but the three of you are already participants in one of these very games!"
He grinned.
"What are you talking about?! And who the hell are you?!" Tuziku demanded.
The strange man let out a soft chuckle.
"Who I am... is of no relevance to you!"
"But if you must call me something, then you can call me..."
"THE GAME MASTER!!"
He announced the title in a dramatic voice.
"The host and creator of the Game World! And also..." His grin widened. "...a participant in the upcoming game!"
Meanwhile...
Outside the Game World...
With Kutcher...
Cling! Cling!
CLING!!
Kutcher desperately struck the enormous cube with his sword, trying to break through its surface.
"Damn it!"
He lowered his blade, struggling to contain his frustration.
"What the hell is this thing?! And what the hell is it made of?!"
He examined the surface.
It's as hard as iron...
He clenched his teeth.
What the hell is going on down here?
Nevertheless... I have to get inside this cube!
Kutcher tightened his grip on his sword, his expression burning with determination.
CHAPTER 79 END!