Chapter 60: In This Light, Ending All Suffering (End of Volume 1)
Li Youtai, Xu Jiazheng.
The scum who had tortured the brief life of that poor girl, their daughter, in Takakai's eyes, were worse than beasts, comparing them to beasts would only insult animals. Now, they had gradually lost their right to exist as the products of a horror story, and were starting to regain their human nature.
Of course, this does not mean they could survive, nor does it mean they could leave this place and start again as humans.
The power of the horror story had completely transformed them. Even if they regained their consciousness, as the power of the horror story slowly dissipated, these two would certainly collapse and disappear with the ruins, unable to survive any longer. Because of this awareness, they could not forgive their own daughter.
Why should you rest in peace?
Why should you be able to leave here and find peace, while I have to die here?
[I will... kill it...]
The woman screamed madly, her red-veined eyes looking up at the sky, crazed and trying to approach the door of Room 309, attempting to drag the girl who had just entered in.
Bang!
Then, she was kicked hard in the chest by Kaguya, her body twisted and falling to the ground, groaning in pain.
[No... Let me... Let me out!]
On the other side, the man yelled, rushing toward Takakai, intending to swing a fist. But Takakai grabbed his hand, slammed him to the ground, then kicked him between the legs, making him roll his eyes and scream in agony.
This was not a fight.
In fact, it was no different from a torture session.
Having lost the power of the horror story, Li Youtai and Xu Jiazheng, the ones who had once shoved boiling water into Takakai and Kaguya's mouths, now had no superhuman strength left except for enduring the blows. They were nothing more than two human-shaped punching bags.
Bam!
A brutal punch knocked the man down.
Takakai continued to stab the surgical knife down with force, splitting his head in two.
Even though the power of the horror story healed the wound immediately after, the pain was unavoidable, and he howled in agony. Takakai then dug his fingers into his eye sockets, crushing both eyes on the spot.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking rang out as Kaguya broke the woman's arms and legs for the third time.
Amid her miserable screams, the woman fell to the ground, writhing in helplessness. She tried to flee, but before she could get up, Kaguya's next attack came, plunging her back into an endless cycle of broken bones and recovery.
Maeda Miwa, who had been crying amidst the ruins earlier, was now stunned. At first, she had despaired, thinking she would certainly die, and paid no attention to the surroundings. But now, seeing Takakai and Kaguya beating the other two senseless, their actions almost like an art performance, Maeda Miwa couldn't understand the situation.
"The ruins have stopped rising, it seems the limit of these two is here."
After venting his anger with a fierce beating, Takakai raised his head to look at the collapsing ruins. It had stopped about one hundred meters from Room 309. He sighed, his face showing helplessness.
In fact, Takakai had also wondered whether the ruins would hold up until they reached Room 309. But seeing the current situation, even if he and Kaguya did nothing, those two couldn't make the ruins continue rising toward Room 309, and they wouldn't even be able to approach the curtain hanging below the room.
[Why... why are you stopping us?]
With small and large cracks beginning to appear on his body, Li Youtai looked up at Takakai and asked.
This man was nearing his limit. The human nature within him seemed to fully restore at this moment, but the remaining power of the horror story was almost depleted, causing his body to begin the collapse stage, just like the ruins.
[You two are heartless scum, why are you hurting us?]
The woman cried and screamed louder, as if suffering a great injustice, her tears flowing freely.
Of course, her body also showed similar cracks. It wouldn't be long before death completely claimed her.
"Harm you? What the hell are you talking about? I'm just dealing with trash. People like you are the most disgusting scum, not worth existing in this world. Since I can't survive and leave here, keeping scoundrels like you around is good, so you can't go out and harm others anymore."
Takakai chuckled lightly, speaking as he delivered a powerful kick to the man, sending him sprawling to the ground. He then turned to slap the woman who had collapsed on her knees, and kicked her in the face, sending her body rolling violently across the ground.
Kaguya, standing aside, was slightly tired from the fighting but quietly observed Takakai continuing to punish the two.
She didn't share the same thoughts as Takakai. For her, there was no intention of punishing any "calamity"; she was simply venting because she knew she was about to die. But now, she realized that using her fists to deal with others felt rather satisfying, perhaps a very effective way to release stress.
I wonder if Hayasaka feels the same when watching those strange stress-relief videos?
Boom! Boom! Boom——
The sound of the earth shaking echoed. The ruins had reached their final limit.
Takakai looked down, seeing the ground beneath his feet crack into large streaks.
"Looks like this is the end. Are you scared?"
He asked Kaguya, who stood next to him.
"What's the point of asking that? What about you?"
Realizing that the ruins were about to collapse completely, Kaguya's expression tensed slightly, but she maintained a tough demeanor, frowning as she responded.
"Of course, I'm scared. The two times I died before were extremely painful. If this one's the same, I really don't know if I can endure to make it to the fourth time."
Takakai sighed and shrugged, answering honestly. Then, he kicked the two people, Li Youtai and Xu Jiazheng, who were trying to get back up.
"…I'm scared too. I don't want to die here. But I don't see any way to save myself right now."
Kaguya lowered her head, sighed, and revealed her true thoughts.
She looked up.
Takakai silently stared at the light in the sky.
It was clear they had reached the final step, but the result was a failure just shy of the goal.
This feeling... it really was frustrating.
He didn't want to die.
Death... it was really too painful.
And each time he had to start over, it was a torment. Appearing and leaving that bloodstained city, feeling the increasing proximity to that bizarre city, knowing that after using up his twelve chances to revive, he would be permanently trapped there. Realizing this, he became even more fearful and reluctant to die.
But, he still thought that he couldn't abandon those who had truly helped him.
Takahashi Takakai didn't want to be a fool to the point of being good, so if Maeda Miwa couldn't keep up, then so be it. He wouldn't care about her life or death.
But Shinomiya Kaguya was someone who had truly fought alongside him, someone who had helped him throughout the journey. Despite her cold and sharp words, when it came to action, she was always trustworthy, making others feel they could rely on her. Therefore, he had no reason to abandon her and leave.
But still, he didn't want to die.
The pain of death, even with Takakai's strong will, he didn't want to experience it repeatedly.
So, I...
[Be patient, we will rescue you right away!]
He heard someone's voice.
The sound echoed down from above, shouting at him.
Takakai looked up and saw a rescue ladder being thrown down from the door of Room 309 above.
"Shinomiya!"
Takahashi Takakai shouted loudly, and Shinomiya Kaguya, realizing something, immediately reached out and grabbed the rescue ladder, which then pulled her up toward the brilliant white light above.
The second and third rescue ladders fell one after another, one landing next to Maeda Miwa and the other in front of Takakai.
Maeda Miwa, realizing she had been saved, quickly grabbed the ladder and was pulled up. Takakai let out a small sigh, then grabbed the rescue ladder, preparing to be pulled up as well.
Screech—
But Takakai's ladder didn't move immediately.
After Maeda Miwa's ladder was pulled up, Takakai's rescue ladder moved sluggishly, unable to accelerate.
"Honestly, I'm so tired of you people that I don't want to care anymore, and yet you all insist on pulling me back at the last moment?"
Turning his head, Takahashi Takakai stared down below. Li Youtai and Xu Jiazheng were clinging to his legs. His voice was cold.
It wasn't just these two.
Takakai also saw the severed black arm, the shattered porcelain doll, and other figures slowly emerging, seemingly creditors.
These monsters born from the horror stories, those doomed to perish due to the destruction of the core of the horror stories, were now clinging to him, either unwilling to let him leave or hoping to take this opportunity to do what was hopeless for them.
"Let me go, please, let me leave this place!"
"I want to kill her, I want to kill the one who harmed us!"
Li Youtai and Xu Jiazheng's bodies had shattered beyond recognition, but their screams still echoed, continuing to climb, trying to crawl over Takakai.
"Don't you want to die that badly..."
Takakai's lips slowly curled into a smile.
He released his left hand, gripping the rescue ladder with only his right hand, then lightly licked the corner of his mouth, looking at the watch on his left wrist. Then, his gaze, so cold it was no longer human, swept over Li Youtai, Xu Jiazheng, and the distorted and shattered figures below.
"Alright then..."
Takahashi Takakai slowly spoke:
"I will grant you immortality, how about that?"
The black watch on his wrist cracked open.
Before they could scream, the figures of the man and woman were sucked into the watch, along with the monsters behind them, all swallowed up.
They were nourishment.
The source of energy that could be absorbed after the core of the horror story was destroyed.
Yes, they would receive eternity.
Like a material, like fuel, it was the eternal moment in the blink of an eye.
Click—
The sound rang out as the watch's hand slowly turned backward from the number 3 to the number 2.
In the next moment, the rescue elevator suddenly moved upward, pulling Takakai straight toward the light, toward the door of Room 309.
"It's time to go, the exit is ahead."
In Room 309, the silhouettes of the rescue team stood there, and the leader turned and spoke gently to Takakai.
"Can't you leave?"
However, Takakai didn't leave immediately; he stood still, staring at the vague figure in front of him.
Xu Sheng.
Had he and the rescue team fully recovered?
"We've come too far, perhaps it's time we stopped and took a rest."
In response to Takakai's question, Xu Sheng chuckled softly and slowly replied.
"...Is there anything I can help with?"
Understanding everything, Takakai gave a small nod, no longer insisting, taking a deep breath before continuing with his question:
"No need. When this prison completely collapses, we will be able to go home. Everything will be over, and those who forgot us will remember everything. The tragedy of this apartment building will come to a close. We don't need to leave anything behind. Rest assured, there's nothing left here for you to worry about."
Xu Sheng's answer was calm, and the rescue team members beside him all nodded in unison, clearly having accepted this truth.
"I see, then, goodbye, and... thank you all."
Without saying anything more, Takakai left a formal thank you, then turned and walked into the brightly lit bedroom door.
The next moment, he stepped into the endless beam of light.
And Xu Sheng's final voice echoed in his ear.
"Thank you, for saving her, for saving everyone who was trapped here."
The final sound gradually faded.
Takakai couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Those words, without your efforts, without the struggle of the people before me who were here, relying solely on me, we wouldn't have made it this far.
But... it feels so good.
"Whoosh—"
With the sound of something breaking, Takakai turned his head, looking back.
He saw the ruined Shirakawa apartment building.
He saw people flying out from the building, no longer trapped here.
"Mr. Refrigerator," "Mr. Burned Corpse," those who stayed on the second floor, those who had voluntarily died in the rooms under Xu Sheng's decision to become a protective mechanism, the young rescue team members who had been stuck here and longed to escape.
All of them, in this moment, flew out from the apartment building and disappeared into the light.
Finally, Takahashi Takakai saw the poor little girl who had endured continuous torment.
The girl was now dressed in clean, beautiful clothes, no longer filthy, and her wounds had healed. She was walking beside a young man in a rescue team uniform.
The girl said:
"Big brother, I want to eat cotton candy."
The young man smiled and nodded, bending down to lift her up and sit her on his shoulder, then gently replied:
"Alright, whatever you want to eat today, big brother will buy it all."
They both laughed happily, together walking into the beam of light, until they disappeared completely.
Takakai continued floating in the light, until his consciousness was gradually overwhelmed by the endless light. Two gentle spots of light finally landed on him.
Before losing consciousness, he heard the voices of the little girl and Xu Sheng speaking at the same time:
"Thank you."
The next moment, in the flow of light, darkness suddenly spread.
A sharp sound rang in his ears.
A strange voice, unclear as to what it belonged to, suddenly echoed:
[Congratulations, you have completed the Dusk level instance: Shirakawa Apartment.]
[Congratulations, you have destroyed the Dusk level instance: Shirakawa Apartment. You have taken the first steps on the path to truth. We wish you will achieve your goal.]
[Player: Takahashi Takakai.]
[Conducting personal performance evaluation.]
[Your rating for this evaluation is: S.]
[Congratulations on achieving the highest rating for the Dusk level instance. Your reward has been issued.]
[We hope you will...zzz...achieve...zzz...]
The distorted voice finally became garbled by something interfering.
Takakai opened his eyes, and in his haze, he saw the cassette machine and the ruined room, where the machine was playing the tape found from Room 109.
Then, he heard a voice coming from the machine:
"I don't understand, what's the reason you helped me?"
Sanchez's voice, carrying some confusion, came from the cassette machine.
"Haha, it's just because of my sympathy and admiration for you, that's why I decided to help. Besides, a game that doesn't operate normally is very boring for us. If you can succeed, then of course everyone will be happy."
A strange voice, somewhat indifferent, with a suppressed chuckle, followed:
"I still don't understand, who exactly are you?"
Sanchez asked again.
The voice cleared its throat, was silent for a moment, then replied slowly:
"As for me, I'm just a very ordinary person."
"If you want to call me by a name, I think there's a nickname that fits quite well."
"Just call me KP. Heh heh, that's right, KP is my name. Got it?"
.....
Volume 1: The House of Whispering Corpses
The End