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October 7, 2018
Tokyo Colony No. 1 — Culling Game
A young man stood in the middle of a deserted street.
His eyes slowly scanned the surroundings, observing every corner and every abandoned building.
On the outside, he looked calm.
On the inside…
It was complete chaos.
Sukuna?!
That Sukuna?!
The name echoed in his mind like a death knell.
Not just anyone.
It was Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses.
Eric took several deep breaths before finally managing to calm himself down.
Apparently, I possessed the body of a civilian who refused to evacuate…
What a genius.
According to the fragmented memories of this body, its previous owner had been a completely delusional otaku, convinced he would awaken powers like the other participants in the game.
Eric let out a small sigh.
What an idiot…
An ordinary civilian had no chance against sorcerers.
And to them, I'm basically an easy target.
Putting his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, Eric began walking down the silent street.
The priority was simple.
Find a weapon.
Even if it was something mundane.
Fortunately, an abandoned barbecue restaurant stood just ahead.
The doors were open and the interior completely empty. The owner had probably evacuated when the colony was sealed.
Eric entered the establishment with calm steps.
Behind the counter, he found what he was looking for.
A boning knife.
He picked it up casually.
"I'll borrow this."
The moment his fingers wrapped around the handle of the blade, the sword-shaped tattoo on the back of his hand glowed faintly.
An invisible energy flowed through the knife.
The structure of the metal reinforced itself.
The blade seemed to gain weight… presence… meaning.
The weapon had been existentially elevated.
Now, in Eric's hands, that simple knife was no longer just a kitchen tool.
It had become a Pseudo–Noble Phantasm.
Eric observed the blade for a few seconds.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Interesting…
Suddenly a voice appeared.
"So… how long are you going to hide? Feeling shy?"
Silence lingered for a few seconds.
Then came footsteps.
CRACK.
Something like a blur rushed toward Eric as the restaurant's windows shattered.
By instinct, Eric raised the knife in front of his neck.
CLANG.
Half a second later, something struck the blade.
From the impact… it was probably a whip.
Though Eric couldn't see it.
Damn.
Curses are created from the accumulation of cursed energy generated by human emotions.
Ordinary people are usually incapable of seeing them.
Except in three situations.
And I don't qualify for any of them.
Which means…
He was fighting an invisible enemy.
"What a troublesome situation…"
Eric dodged another strike.
"Now this should be that cliché moment where the main cast shows up to save me… right?"
Thanks to the skill Celestial Knight, his instincts were extremely sharp.
Even without seeing the enemy, his weapon mastery allowed him to react purely on reflex.
After a few seconds of staying on the defensive, Eric made a decision.
He took a deep breath.
Gripped the knife tightly.
Closed his eyes for a moment.
Then opened them abruptly.
"Secret technique of the Joestar family…"
He turned around.
And sprinted at full speed.
"RUN AWAY!!!"
Eric ran without looking back.
Who would be stupid enough to fight something they couldn't see…
…and couldn't even touch?
Pride?
Honor?
Can you eat that?
Of course not.
So screw that.
Even if he was technically incapable of dying, Eric could still feel pain.
And he was absolutely certain of one thing.
Dying probably hurts like hell.
Eric's figure grew farther and farther away.
The curse remained standing in the middle of the street.
If it could speak, it would probably say only one thing.
"What the hell was that?"
---
Eric only stopped running once he was sure he was far enough away.
He tucked the boning knife into his waistband.
The moment he let go of the weapon, the state of mental clarity disappeared… and the exhaustion finally caught up with him.
Even so, it wasn't as overwhelming as he had expected.
Leaning against a wall, Eric closed his eyes for a moment and scratched his head while organizing his thoughts.
Today is October 7th…
In five days, around 3 p.m., the tenth rule will be added.
And on October 16…
Sukuna will take over Megumi Fushiguro's body.
Eric let out a small sigh.
Mahoraga and Sukuna together…
That combination is a disaster.
My current strength isn't nearly enough to be relevant in that battle.
He crossed his arms while thinking.
Maybe I should come up with a plan to prevent Sukuna from taking Megumi's body.
Even if I stop it this time…
Sukuna will probably find another opportunity.
And that would only put a target on my back.
The target of Ryomen Sukuna himself.
While Eric was deep in thought, something cut through the air.
A black blade flew silently toward his neck.
Without holding a weapon, his senses were far less sharp.
He only noticed the attack when it was already too late.
The blade was only a centimeter away from his throat.
"Huh?!"
CRACK
The dagger pierced through his neck.
Before Eric could even react, a male figure appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye, pushing the weapon even deeper into his throat.
Eric tried to pull the boning knife from his waist.
The attacker noticed immediately.
With a quick movement, he stepped on Eric's hand, crushing it against the ground and preventing any reaction.
Eric struggled for a few seconds.
His body tried to fight.
His muscles contracted.
But blood was already pouring out in large amounts.
Strength left his body.
His vision began to darken.
A few seconds later…
All signs of life disappeared.
Eric's body became completely still.
Silence took over the street.
Then something appeared.
A small insect-like creature materialized in the air.
Its face was covered with symbols resembling a skull.
It was a Kogane.
A mechanical voice echoed.
[You gained 1 point for eliminating a civilian.]
The man sighed.
"Hah… seriously? Another civilian?"
He scratched the back of his neck, clearly irritated.
"That makes nine already."
He looked at the body on the ground with complete disinterest.
"Satou-san is going to mock me again…"
A small frustrated smile appeared on his face.
"I still haven't killed a single sorcerer."
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