Hayate chuckled internally, feeling ridiculously cliché after uttering the cliche line, "If you want to leave alive, answer my questions." He couldn't help but feel like he was playing the role of a villain from a cheesy 90s cartoon show.
If any of his friends had overheard him, they would have undoubtedly mocked him mercilessly, and he would have been the butt of their jokes for days to come. He could almost hear his friends' voices in his head, criticizing him for his cheesy lines. It was a good thing they weren't here to witness this embarrassing moment.
Hayate then glanced at the group in front of him and evaluated them, analyzing the effects of his spells. It appeared that they were all trembling, their eyes wide with terror, which meant that his [Fear] spell was working as intended. Since the spell had worked and based on their reactions, they were definitely a low level, below 15.
"Alright, they're definitely low-level, likely below 15. That's good news for me. But let's hope things don't escalate to a gun-shooting situation – I don't want any bullet holes in my body. I guess this could be a chance to try out some new ideas I've been thinking about."
Hayate secretly rejoiced in the fact that they were most likely low level and that he wouldn't be severely injured even if they started shooting guns at him. Despite not wanting the situation to escalate to such a dangerous point, he couldn't help but feel a bit excited since it presented the perfect opportunity to test out some other things he had been contemplating.
Hayate observed the group in front of him, noticing their extreme fear. It seemed almost over-the-top, as if they had encountered a ghost. He couldn't help but wonder if he truly appeared that daunting. Initially, he had assumed they might mistake him for a cosplayer, but that didn't seem to be the case here.
Hayate, playing the role of an intimidating figure, decided to break the silence before any of them could muster the courage to speak. He wanted to maintain an aura of mystery and power around himself.
"You humans came in here unannounced," he said addressing the group directly. His voice echoed through the room, adding to the intimidating atmosphere. "You should know that uninvited guests are not appreciated"
"Now, I'm feeling generous today. Instead of ripping you apart, I'll give you one chance to answer my questions. Who are you and who send you here. You have 60 seconds."
This was the perfect question. He had been worried about being spotted by the government and getting into trouble for his careless flying around after he was isekai-ed into the future so there was a chance they could be from them, he also thought they could have been civilia--...no, seeing these people had guns and armour, he knew they were likely not civilians so who were they? It was time to find out.
As the 60 seconds neared its end, Hayate took note of the continued lack of response from the group. Fifty seconds had ticked by without a single word spoken. Growing tired of the silence,he decided to apply a bit more pressure.
But before he could, he was interrupted by a shrill scream that pierced the air. His gaze snapped to the one who had cried out, and he realized it was a young woman, likely in her early twenties, clad in a black suit like the others. Startled, he immediately noticed that she clutched a handgun, with its barrel pointed directly at him.
Hayate was taken aback for a moment, surprised by the young woman's resistance to the spell. Having cast the de-buff spell on them, expecting them to remain paralyzed by fear, but this one seemed to be fighting against it. Interesting, he thought.
He observed the woman for a moment longer, silently trying to determine how she was able to resist the spell he had cast. It was possible that her willpower was stronger than the others, or perhaps she had some sort of resistance to magic. Either way, this was an unexpected complication.
Hayate approached the young woman, who screamed with each step he took. The piercing noises were starting to become more than just annoying — they were actually beginning to hurt his ears. However, he maintained his composure.
Hayate reached out and gently grasped the young woman's right hand, noticing how small it felt in his grasp. He had no ill intentions towards her, but he had planned to cast a spell on her to learn more. However, before he could do so, the situation escalated rapidly. The woman fired her handgun at him, unloading the entire magazine in his direction.
Hayate's heart skipped a beat as the bullets from the handgun flew towards him, their sound like a series of sharp whistles. Despite now being in the body of his high-level character, he couldn't help but react with fear. After all, he wasn't a seasoned warrior accustomed to being shot at. This was his first time experiencing such a situation, and it was downright terrifying.
And as the 12 bullets struck him, each one ricocheting off his body without causing any harm. Thanks to his immunity to piercing damage, the bullets were rendered useless, effectively bouncing off him like harmless projectiles. As they clattered to the floor.
On the inside, he could still feel the initial jolt of fear, but he knew that he was practically invincible to any ordinary bullets. However, even he knew his immunity had its limits. If a arrow or a bullet had been fired by someone with a level above 90, it could have harmed him. But for now, he was completely safe.
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Meanwhile One of the men in the group, agitated and concerned for their safety, shouted at the young woman who had just fired the bullets without a second thought. "What the hell are you doing, SACHIKO!" he exclaimed. "Are you even sane? We're all afraid for our lives here!"
Sachiko stared at the man who was Kazu, her eyes looking mad and crazy. She was having a breakdown.
Kazu mentally grumbled as he observed Sachiko's condition, recognizing that she was having another breakdown. He had experienced her breakdowns before when she felt overwhelmed, but this was definitely the worst possible moment for it to happen.
Kazu glanced over at Hiroshi, who looked like he was on the verge of throwing up. He had to prioritize getting Hiroshi out of harm's way. If anything happened to Hiroshi, an employee of the mega-corps, it would be a big problem for him. Kazu knew that the mega-corps would not hesitate to take drastic measures if any harm befell their representative.
Kazu's gaze shifted to the demon towering over him. It looked beyond furious, and blue chains were now materializing from its hands. In that moment, Kazu believed his life was about to come to an end.
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Hayate, feeling shaken from witnessing Sachiko firing her gun, wasn't taking any chances. He quickly cast a 4th tier spell called [Mana Chains] which costed 8mp per use. This spell was ineffective against player characters but useful when used against monsters. The spell caused blue chains to materialize and wrapped around its target, rendering them immobile and levitating them three inches off the ground. This prevented them from crawling, ensuring they were completely incapacitated.
The duration of the spell was 10 minutes, which Hayate believed was more than sufficient for his purpose. Even though the humans in front of him were not monsters, his spell would still be effective. Hayate repeated the name of his spell, "[Mana Chains], [Mana Chains], [Mana Chains], [Mana Chains], [Mana Chains], [Mana Chains], [Mana Chains], [Mana Chains], [Mana Chains], [Mana Chains]." each casting targeting a different person. With 10 targets and the spell being a single-target only, it was necessary to cast it multiple times.
From Hayate's hands, ten sets of blue chains shot out, each pair wrapping around a member of the team and incapacitating them. Their firearms clattered to the floor as they were rendered immobile by the spell, hanging a few inches off the ground.
Hayate then paused, for but a moment. Hayate strolled over to where the fallen weapons had landed on the ground. He knelt down and picked up one of the guns, examining it for a moment.
Hayate knew little when it came to firearms, but the gun he was now holding in his hands appeared to be a rifle of some sort. The design and style were foreign to him, and he found the level of innovation quite impressive. Suddenly, the rifle slipped right out of Hayate's grasp. He stared at it in confusion, wondering why he had dropped it so easily. He wondered if he had accidentally activated some sort of special ability, or perhaps the rifle was heavier than he expected.
Hayate pondered silently, He was confident in his own strength, but the fact that the rifle had simply dropped out of his hands confused him. Perhaps there was another factor at play here, one that he had not anticipated.
That's when Hayate had a sudden realization. Back in Hollow, his class was the final evolution of the basic mage class for demons, called [The Vile Omen Mage]. Since he was a mage, he had been limited to using staffs, gloves, accessories, robes, and other similar items that didn't affect gameplay. Anything designated as a weapon, such as swords, bows, guns, etc was off-limits to him except magic weapons and enchanted weapons. Therefore, it made sense that the gun must have been categorized as a weapon, preventing him from using it.
Hayate wanted to verify whether his assumption was correct, so he attempted once more to pick up the rifle he had dropped. However, within just two seconds, it slipped right out of his grasp again.
Hayate became a little frustrated as he saw the rifle dropping from his hands once more. It seemed that he truly couldn't use the firearm, which was unfortunate.
Hayate sighed heavily and then walked away from the rifle, moving his focus towards the man who had previously shouted at the girl.
He scrutinized the man carefully, noticing that his right hand seemed to be a prosthetic or artificial limb. The man looked to be trying to calm himself down, but it was an evident effort in futility. Hayate disrupted the silence and said: "Your time to answer my question is over."
The man remained suspended in place unable to move, trapped by the chains Hayate had cast on him; had he the liberty to do so, he might have been on his knees, grovelling before Hayate, desperate for mercy. However, Hayate didn't particularly like the idea of people grovelling before him.
The man mustered the courage to speak, his voice trembling as he addressed Hayate. "Please forgive us," he began, referring to Sachiko's previous actions, "we're truly sorry for aiming that at you. We're just mercenaries, that's all."
"Who hired you?" Hayate asked— no, Hayate demanded to know.
The man appeared reluctant to utter a word. Hayate had expected an immediate response, so the sudden silence was a clear indication of hesitation. After a full minute of excruciating silence, Hayate let out a heavy sigh. Despite his reservations, he reluctantly decided to use another method to extract information. He looked at the man in front of him and casted the spell [Dominate], hoping that force would yield the desired result.
The man's eyes went blank and he succumbed to temporary unconsciousness. Then, Sachiko seeing Kazu abruptly stop moving broke the silence and shouted at Hayate once more while starting to cry.
"Y..Y..YOU FUCKER...YOU KILLED HIM.." In her mind, Hayate had taken Kazu's life.
Hayate was taken aback at first. Killing? Him? The idea was completely bonkers. Hayate couldn't help but chuckle internally.
"Me? Kill him? Why would she think that?"
Hayate found the notion utterly absurd.
Hayate had been cautious about using spells that could harm humans, and that was because he himself is a human… or at least he had been until a few hours ago. Although he was now in a stronger body, he didn't want to bring harm to any of them.
Despite the immense power he now possessed, Hayate was still a human at heart, and the thought of causing harm to fellow humans went against his nature. Even if these people were his enemies, he didn't want to needlessly cause them pain or suffering.
In addition to not wanting to bring harm to others, Hayate had a second reason for refraining from revealing himself fully to the government or military. It wasn't that he was afraid or intimidated, but more that he didn't want to show his cards before he had a better understanding of their strength and capabilities. Especially now, knowing that World War III had happened, Hayate was cautious about confronting the authorities until he was certain of their strength. Even if Japan had no official army, in the past and probably even now they have a powerful ally like the United States meant that there was likely some military presence in the country.
And also there was no need to rush. He had all the resources he needed right in front of him, and no one would be around to interrupt his plans. Unlike before when he had mind-controlled a random civilian in a city like Neo-Tokyo, he currently was in a secluded and empty area, in the privacy of his own home.
But hayate did clench his fists as Sachiko's shouting was getting on his nerves so he casted [dominate] on her too, Rendering her speechless and unconscious. Hayate couldn't help but smile slightly at the momentary respite from her shouts. He then looked at kazu and asked him the same question once again "who hired them and why had they come here."
Kazu spoke in an robotic emotionless tone, "The man on the far left of the room (Hiroshi) is employed by the Kusonoki Conglomerated, he's the one who hired us," he informed Hayate. "We were going to assassinate several individuals organizing riots against the Kusonoki Conglomerate in Yokohama."
Hayate breathed a sigh of relief as he heard Kazu's explanation, being relieved to hear that the group wasn't there for him personally, but was on a mission to eliminate rioters in Yokohama.
But now there was another problem, what should he do with them? He wondered aloud, scratching his chin in thought. Letting them go was not an option, given that they had seen him use magic. If they were allowed to leave, they would undoubtedly reveal the truth, posing a significant danger to him, Nor could he simply imprison them indefinitely.
The idea of killing them crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it, the act of taking their lives, as it didn't sit well with his principles. What on earth was he going to do with them
Hayate's thought's were interrupted once more when one of the men from the leftmost corner of the room spoke, Hayate looked at the man from the leftmost corner of the room, the one who was the employee of the megacorp.
"What happened to her and Kazu?"
The man asked nervously.
"they are fine," Hayate responded to the man's question. "I haven't done anything harmful." He tried to keep his tone casual.
The man's eyes widened slightly as Hayate spoke,
"You haven't done anything? But she looks..." he trailed off, gesturing towards Sachiko...."nevermind....are..you..going to kill us all?"
"I haven't made a decision yet," hayate responded, maintaining a neutral tone.
"What would you do if i let all of you go?"
Hayate asked the man.
The man's eyes widened as Hayate inquired about his hypothetical scenario of letting them all go. He considered the question for a moment before replying.
"I...i...." His voice trembled slightly. "I...w..would..report this..to..my..seni--..no..i.. wouldn't... reveal anything.."
"You were about to say something else just now," hayate pointed out.
The man's face paled slightly at Hayate's observation, realizing that his attempt to downplay his true intentions had been noticed. He was clearly caught off guard by Hayate's sharp eye. "I..I..was just..um… I.." he fumbled for words, his composure faltering.
"I WON'T SPEAK ABOUT THIS TO ANYONE EVER!"
Hayate's eyes narrowed, his instincts telling him that the man was not being entirely truthful.
"I don't believe you," Hayate replied
"No, please.. I swear...I'll...be your slave for life! Just let me go!" the man pleaded, desperation seeping into his voice.
Hayate inwardly grimaced as the man offered himself as a slave in exchange for his own freedom. It was a ridiculous notion, and Hayate had no interest in any kind of slavery. He shook his head, the disgust evident on his face. "I'm not interested in enslaving you," he said firmly, dismissing the ridiculous proposition outright.
His shoulders slumped, and he seemed even more defeated than before. "...just let me go..I'll get rid of these people, I'll make it seem as if bandits attacked us and all of them died and i was the only survivor, and I'll stay quiet about all of this."
The man's words were like a spark that ignited a fire among the team of Kazu. They had been silent spectators thus far, but now their frustration boiled over.
"You think we're just disposable tools, just things to be eliminated to save your own damn skin?"
"you're willing to blame this on bandits and leave us hanging? You Bastard!"
"You just want to throw all of us under the bus?" one of them seethed.
"You guys are just mercenaries," Hiroshi began, his tone matter-of-fact, "what difference does it make if you've worked for the Kusonoki Conglomerate multiple times? You should be grateful that you get to be sacrificed for my safety."
Hayate, growing tired of the heated argument between Hiroshi and Kazu's group, shouted abruptly, "SILENCE!" His voice echoed through the room, making everyone fall silent in an instant.
Hayate moved towards Hiroshi, his gaze steely and his expression resolute. He stood in front of Hiroshi, who was bound by the chains hovering above the ground.
"I've changed my mind," he declared, addressing the bound man. "I'm not going to release you just yet But I won't kill you as well," Hayate said, hiis words sending a shiver down the spines of the captives. "I intend to use you all as test subjects first,"
Hayate then raised his hand and placed it firmly on the head of one of Kazu's team member, The man's eyes widened in shock as he felt the subtle brush of Hayate's hand against his head.
"[Erase]" Hayate said, the magic word causing a faint ripple through the air around him.
"Erase" was a 3rd tier spell, a prank spell to be exact which costed 5 mp. In "hollow" it worked differently, depending on the type of target. When cast on players, the spell would make parts of the map and journal entries disappear. There was also a 50% chance that the spell would erase any current quests and objectives from the player's log, forcing them to start it over again.
When used on NPCs, the spell made them forget they were aggroed on something and for monsters it would make it so that they forgot any one skill or spell that they had.
In real-life however, things didn't really work the same.
The man's mind grew hazy as his consciousness slowly began to slip away. Where was he? What was he doing?! Nothing made sense as his thoughts swirled inside his brain, confusion and panic coursing through him. He didn't understand anything. The man suddenly passed out, his body going limp.
Hayate observed the man who had passed out with a sense of mild surprise. "Huh,..that wasn't supposed to happen..." he murmured softly, scratching his chin.
Hayate repeated the experiment on another team member, his hand once again raising up to the person's head. He said the word [Erase] once again.
The man seemed a little more resistant this time, not immediately passing out like the last one. He stood there, his eyes glazing over as he struggled to stay awake.
The man looked around frantically, his eyes darting from Hayate's intimidating appearance to his wings and the rest of his body that he could see. "Where...where am I? Are you cosplaying or something?" The man questioned.
Hayate felt a bit happy, to think his gamble worked. He had come up with the idea of testing the spell earlier while he was contemplating his options, and it seemed to have paid off.
"Well...so it doesn't work exactly as I thought it would," Hayate thought, observing the man's reaction. "It seems to have different effects here than it does in the game..interesting."
There were a lot of details that he was eager, no, required to know about how the spell functioned. How much memory did it erase, till how far back etc., etc. But now, he could just erase their memories and be done with it.
Hayate looked at the man who had been affected by the spell and asked, "Do you remember what happened before you passed out?"
The man shook his head to say no and then looked around him, his eyes widened as he looked around and saw his teammates, bound in blue glowing chains, and some clearly fainted. Panic washed over him, making him struggle against his binds in an attempt to free himself. "What...what is happening??" the man spluttered.
Hayate raised his hand towards the man and cast [Dominate] on him too, causing the man to pass out just like his comrades. After the man went quite, Hayate's face lit up with elation. "It really works! It really does erase memories," he exclaimed, a bit of excitement filling his voice. He couldn't wait to explore the finer details of the spell later.
Hayate turned his attention from the two unconscious men to the remaining six who were still conscious. He counted them in his head, mentally noting that now there were six people left. 5 mercenaries and the megacorp employee.
Hayate moved from his spot to where Sachiko and Kazu the leader of the mercs were, still conscious, and casted [erase] on them to make them pass out. He then moved to the remaining five mercenaries and did the same. All of them now fainted, leaving only the megacorp employee who was conscious.
"You're the only one left now," Hayate said and moved closer to the employee, looking at the man.
"I suppose I'll make you forget too," Hayate declared, raising his hand once more. He was going to cast Erase on him.
Hayate's hand was hovering above the employee, ready to cast Erase on him, when an idea struck him. He hesitated for a moment, considering a different approach. "Actually," Hayate said slowly with a bit of curiosity "I was wondering something.."