*Crack!*
Fujino raised his wooden sword.
The wooden sword collided with the sharp blade.
He forcefully pressed the wooden sword down toward the eerie black figure.
However, the imagined scene of his opponent being overwhelmed and pushed back didn't happen.
At the moment he pressed down, the opponent also erupted with tremendous strength, pushing the wooden sword back.
'Their strength is greater than mine, even with my enhancements?'
Fujino was momentarily stunned, feeling the force transmitted through his wooden sword.
By all accounts, with his detective power boost of 220 strength and an additional 100 strength from a beginner's power card, his strength should be at 700% right now.
Based on his own rating, his strength was at the B+ level.
Could the opponent also be B+?
Or even A?
Thinking this, Fujino retreated a few steps.
"North Star, Thunder Bud!"
Fujino raised his wooden sword and charged straight ahead.
But just as he was about to strike, his opponent reversed their sword in a clever way, blocking his attack.
"Did they counter my move?"
Fujino quickly retreated to his original position, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
By all logic, the "Thunder Bud" technique he learned from the swordsmanship manual shouldn't have a counter in this world.
Yet, this opponent had clearly used a technique to counter it...
Realizing this, Fujino quickly understood what was happening.
He looked around.
This alley, if he remembered correctly, was where his parents were murdered.
The street outside the alley was deserted, and the buildings had lost their original color.
The street extended outward, but beyond it was nothing but darkness.
'I've fallen into an illusion…'
Fujino shifted his gaze back to the black figure, scrutinizing it carefully.
Everything confirmed his suspicion.
It wasn't that the opponent had overwhelming strength or incredible skill; he was trapped in an illusion constructed from his own memories.
The opponent clearly didn't know about the alley where his parents had been murdered. It was all built from his memories, and the darkness outside likely represented the parts of his memory that didn't exist.
As Fujino was lost in thought, the black figure charged at him again.
'Illusions are troublesome.'
Fujino gripped his wooden sword tightly as he sized up the black figure.
This time, Fujino didn't move, simply raising his sword to block.
If this was an illusion, he couldn't act recklessly.
After all, it was just an illusion. If his position in the real world hadn't changed and the illusion didn't restrict his movement, he could fall off the rooftop in reality.
…
The battle between the wooden sword and the blade raged on, but neither side could gain the upper hand.
In the middle of the fight, the black figure suddenly began to speak:
"You watched your parents die, yet you were powerless to do anything."
"Are you in despair? Are you suffering? Do you feel helpless?"
"I feel calm, I even want to laugh."
Fujino squinted as he observed the black figure.
"Calm? You witnessed your parents' deaths and you can still be calm?"
The black figure began to twist. "Stop pretending! You're in so much pain right now! No matter how strong you become, you can never escape! Give up! You will always be weak, powerless, and insignificant!"
"…"
Fujino quietly watched the black figure rambling on in its over-the-top monologue.
"Come on! Let me end your suffering!"
The twisted and twitching black figure raised its blade, walking toward Fujino with a smile.
Another fierce clash ensued.
"Tired yet? Angry?"
The black figure seemed tireless, its blade locked with Fujino's, while it continued its endless chatter: "Death will bring you peace. Rest in peace!"
Fujino held his wooden sword horizontally, his jaw clenched, a drop of sweat trickling down his temple.
Even though it was just an illusion, its combat prowess matched his own.
It could even replicate his sword techniques…
Physical exhaustion wasn't an issue, as his stamina could keep up.
But the incessant talking was mentally draining.
It was like an attack on his mind!
"I wonder if the system has a way to solve this…"
The system interface could still be opened.
The moment he opened it, he saw a large message appear in front of him:
[The host is currently trapped in an illusion.]
[Would you like to spend 10,000 yen to gain 10 minutes of time to break through the illusion?]
…
Under the scarlet moonlight, inside a mansion.
Koizumi Akako, dressed in a linen robe, furrowed her brow.
In front of her was a patched-up cauldron, from which a blue flame flickered.
The flame took the shape of a person, groaning in pain, its flickering like a weak candle flame on the verge of being snuffed out.
Inside the figure's stomach were two images: one of Kaitou Kid falling off a cliff, and the other of Fujino, shrouded in mist.
"Miss Akako!"
Behind Koizumi Akako, an old man who looked like a goblin appeared flustered. "Lucifer, he..."
"Lucifer! Answer me!"
Koizumi Akako shouted, "What's going on?!"
"Oh great heir, child of the moonlight!"
The flame known as Lucifer suddenly calmed, murmuring, "All things are illusions, and all are permitted! Those who pry into the hidden shall be punished by the hidden! The legendary figures of distant lands… knowing the prophecy and crossing the far…"
*Rumble!*
Before Lucifer could finish speaking, a thunderclap boomed from the sky.
A bolt of lightning, like a pillar of light, shot down from the dark night sky.
It struck the roof of Akako's mansion.
In an instant, the lightning hit Lucifer.
The lightning engulfed the patched-up cauldron.
When the light faded, the cauldron had been reduced to black dust.
Surrounding the dust were black scorch marks left by the lightning.
"Child of the moonlight?"
Akako stared at the remains of her cauldron, dumbfounded.
…
"Hah… it's finally over."
Fujino looked at the black figure in front of him, which he had beaten until it appeared to feel "pain," and let out a long sigh.
Just moments ago, after spending the 10,000 yen in the system, he suddenly received a mysterious power.
It was a brief white light, and though he didn't understand how it worked, when the light appeared, he felt a surge of strength.
Then he rushed forward and gave that thing claiming to cause him pain a good beating.
But what surprised him was—
As the black mist around the twisted figure faded, a face identical to his own was revealed.
(End of Chapter)