The Final Desperation

Genji sheathed [Muramasa] and used it as a cane to push himself up. His legs trembled, but he forced himself nevertheless. Right now, he was in a town full of corruptors, and trying to rest was a death sentence.

He walked over to his equipment and packed everything up. Then he spent the next couple of hours sneaking around until he finally made it out of the town. Fighting his exhaustion, Genji found a remote location and fell asleep.

When Genji woke up, he felt his entire body become sore. Many muscle fibers had torn when he had pushed his body like that. Thinking back to the battle, Genji felt extremely lucky that [Muramasa] had been sharp enough to behead the troll before it could use its Burst Heal. If it hadn't, he would have had to give up on the boss. Thankfully [Mursamasa] didn't disappoint.

What this fight taught him was weapon choice matters. Although the fuhai-boshi had a high damage multiplier, he needed to slash into the creatures to make use of the effect. Also, Genji's fighting style is based on lethal attacks so it might be better to use a sharp blade like [Muramasa] instead of the dull fuhai-boshi's. 

Having a trusty blade like that should allow him to finish the fight faster, resulting in less damage. It is a logic of a good offense is the best defense. No fancy tricks are needed. Why defend when you can dodge and kill your opponent before they can do anything? At this point, Genji started realizing his preference for weapon styles. Genji shook his head and pulled up the notifications for killing the boss.

[You have slain a Boss Troll]

[You have gained 5000 coins]

[Your maximum energy increases by 7]

[You have obtained Orb of Corruption]

[Orb of Corruption]

Rarity: epic

Type: consumable

Effect: Upon use, gain +5 con and +4 str for 30 minutes

Side Effect: You will continuously take corruption damage until you are cured

Note 1: All converted creatures are forced to protect this cursed object

Note 2: A clumsy imitation of something grand

Description: An orb that spreads corruption, transforming all creatures in its range into monsters that can't leave its area of influence. Losing this source of power will result in a slow death for these pitiful creatures.

 

Seeing this description, Genji realized what the weird feeling he had felt was. The creatures he fought in the town were quite weak compared to others of the same rank. At the time, he hadn't noticed this as he avoided them or killed them instantly. As for the mini-bosses, he hadn't even fought them. Now that he thought back to the fight, Genji realized the final boss was kind of clumsy. Other than some instinctual movements, the timing of the skills was less than optimal.

For example, the Stomp and Burst Heal skills. Why couldn't it have used the instant kill skill when Genji approached it? Why would it wait until Genji weakened it? As long as it gets one good hit, Genji would have been dead.

Then there's the healing skill. Why did it wait until it got low to use it? With how long the fight had lasted, the troll would have gotten a second use of it. That's not to mention it could have used it in the middle of the bullet rain.

If it had done that, Genji wouldn't have been able to behead it at the end. Lastly, there's the throwing skill. The whole time Genji was shooting at the creature, it didn't bother fighting back at all. It was almost like the creature wanted to die. Reaching this thought, Genji was shocked at the discovery.

"No way! Could the corruptors have retained their original consciousness as humans?"

Genji took a sharp breath. This really made the orb a cursed object. What a scary realization.

"Now the name is starting to make sense. Troll of Grief. It's grieving over the monster it has become. Over what the town has become."

Genji discerned that the EverRealm's naming hides a different story. A story of their past.

"But if there truly were so many layers to this, could this be said for all prompts?"

Although Genji wasn't sure about the answer, he resolved to analyze the prompts as if that were the case.

 

---

 

On this particular day, Kazuya got a visitor at the cafe. Not from anyone that he knew, but someone who specifically came to look for him.

"Hello, what can I get for you today?"

He greeted the man in a red business suit. It's a quirky outfit, but he's not one to judge. The man didn't respond and just looked at Kazuya. After a few seconds, Kazuya was about to speak again when the man spoke first.

"Bonjour sir. You must be Kazuya. I've heard much about you."

The man reached out for a handshake.

"Uhh, thanks?"

Kazuya didn't know how to respond to this. Whatever the case, this man is an eccentric one.

"May I know if Madam Soken is here?"

The person mentioned the name of one of his coworkers with familiarity. 

"No sir. She's out right now."

Kazuya didn't know what the man wanted with her, but he felt obliged to keep the matter contained.

"Is that so? Then can you get someone to meet me?"

Kazuya didn't know how to answer this question. He's too new to this place to say anything definite. Thankfully, Langeth came out from the back just in time.

"Pierre," when Langeth saw the person, gnashed his teeth. "I told you not to come here."

This was completely unexpected for Kazuya, both the hostility and Langeth's reaction. Langeth isn't normally one to show his emotions so strongly. The reaction is so intense that Kazuya suspects they might have some history together.

"Don't be like that, Langeth. I only came to meet your new friend," Pierre greeted him with a friendly voice.

"Stay away from Kazuya, you psycho," yet Langeth was having none of it.

"I see that you're the same as always," Pierre said in fake sadness before turning to Kazuya.

"Since I'm unwelcomed, I'll take my leave. Before I go, here's my card, Kazuya. If you're ever curious about life as a mutant, I can answer some questions."

Pierre then bowed to him before walking out.

"Who's he?" Kazuya asked Langeth.

"Pierre Francisco, the leader of the Dark Eaters, a branch of the Dark Forces."

"Dark Forces?"

"Mutants that have detached from society and formed their own circle. They use their powers to fulfill their interests. Don't worry about it."

Kazuya can tell Langeth doesn't want to continue the conversation, so he stopped. There's no point in forcing it when Langeth is so against it.

This incident would have passed normally if Kazuya hadn't seen something after his shift – a man with dove wings running on the nearby rooftops, clutching a duffle bag in his arms. The man was fast and quickly disappeared from Kazuya's view. The event was so brief that he would have missed it if he hadn't been looking in that direction out of coincidence.

"What was that all about?"

Kazuya paid head to the phenomenon and entered his apartment. Yet this mysterious person made multiple appearances in the following days. When he left in the morning, the man would zoom by. When he leaves work, he would be carrying his duffle bag. It was a strange sight, but Kazuya was never able to catch up to the person to ask.

"Langeth? I saw a mutant recently."

Eventually, he decided to ask Langeth about it, hoping to get an answer.

"That's normal. Now that you have been exposed to this side of the world, you will notice these things more often now."

"But he's been running on the roofs every time I saw him."

"Don't worry about it. Mutants like to run on roofs a lot. It's very convenient to get around." Langeth brushed him off.

While Langeth said that, Kazuya knew differently. He's been observing the roofs a lot recently and other than the winged man, there hasn't been anyone else. That's why he felt Langeth was hiding something. This feeling only became more evident when he thought about his response to the Dark Forces.

Why did Langeth have such a strong reaction? What is he hiding about mutants? These questions swelled up in his mind until he can't bear it anymore. He wants answers, but Langeth doesn't want to give them. Then he thought about Pierre's card.

"He said he can answer some questions, right?"

Kazuya found the wrinkled business card in his laundry bin and called the number on it. A few rings later, someone picked up.

"This is Pierre Francisco speaking."

"Hey Pierre, this is Kazuya. You gave me the card at the cafe."

"Ah yes, Kazuya. What can I help you with?"

"It's like this. I have some questions I want to consult you for."

"I don't mind but what about Langeth? He seems to be your guide."

"That's the thing. Langeth seems reluctant to talk about this so I am hoping you can tell me."

"Of course. How about you come to this address sometime and we can talk over lunch?"

"Thank you. I will be over tomorrow since that's my free day."

"No problem. Bye now."

On the other side, Pierre hung up with a wide smile on his face.

"He fell for the bait."

 

---

 

"The next day, Kazuya rang the doorbell of an extravagant mansion. Not going to lie, it was intimidating when he matched the address to this place. It was a luxury that he had never seen before.

The door opened, and a maid greeted him.

"You must be Sir Kazuya. Master Francisco is expecting you."

'Master? So this is how rich people live their lives.'

The maid led him to the grandest dining room he had ever seen. Seated at the head of the table with a handkerchief tucked into his collar was Pierre, in his signature red suit. Pierre looked up and smiled at Kazuya.

"Kazuya, so glad you could make it. Come, have a seat."

Pierre gestured to a chair next to him. Kazuya awkwardly shuffled over and took a seat.

"Uh, about-"

"Don't worry. Let's enjoy our meal. For lunch, we have Escargots de Bourgogne and Gratin Dauphinois as the side dish. For dessert, we will have Boule de Berlin," Pierre spewed out a series of complicated names that Kazuya didn't understand.

But judging solely from the names, Kazuya felt that every dish was extravagant, perfectly matching the opulent ambiance of this place. Pierre clapped his hands, and the servants brought over a few platters covered with round lids. They set the plates down and removed the lids, revealing the delicate dishes underneath.

Kazuya gaped at everything. This display was far grander than what he was used to.

"What's wrong? Is this not to your liking?"

"Uh, no. It looks lovely," Kazuya didn't want to leave a bad impression so he awkwardly picked up the fork and spoon, doing his best to use the unfamiliar utensils.

"I'm glad you like it. I couldn't fathom serving something that doesn't appeal to my guest."

This left Kazuya with no choice but to clumsily imitate Pierre's mannerisms. Right now, he had no idea how to eat the snails, so Pierre was the only one he could reference. Using a pick, he extracted the flesh and placed it in his mouth. A rich flavor engulfed his tastebuds, causing him to squint in enjoyment. The taste was so good that he couldn't resist savoring the lingering taste.

As weird as everything looked, they were truly delicious. Realizing this, all his hesitation faded and he dug in with unforetold enthusiasm. By the end of the meal, Kazuya let out a satisfied burp. The next moment, he realized what he had done and hurried to apologize.

"Sorry about that. Everything was-"

Pierre interrupted his frantic sentence with a laugh.

"No worries. As long as you enjoyed it. How about dessert?"

When Kazuya heard that there was more to the meal, his mouth started watering in anticipation. Everything had been so delicious that he was eagerly looking forward to the upcoming after-meal snack.

Soon, the servants brought a doughnut-like pastry over, dusted with powdered sugar. A teacup was set down and red tea poured in. Everything looked amazing, but Kazuya was unfamiliar with the eating method. Can he eat this with his fingers or would that seem inappropriate? 

He looked over to see Pierre breaking a chuck off with his fork and sipping his tea between bites.

"When in doubt, follow the master."

Kazuya copied Pierre's motions, and his eyes lit up. The aromatic tea was a perfect complement, washing down the sweetness of the cream filling.

"So, what are you curious about?" Pierre asked about the purpose of his visit after they finished.

"Can you tell me about the dark forces and how mutants live?"

Pierre fell silent for a few minutes, and Kazuya didn't interrupt his train of thought, recognizing the complexity of this topic. He's here for a favor so he'll respect however much the host wants to reveal. Eventually, Pierre came to a decision.

"How about I show you?"

"W-what do you—"

Suddenly, a wave of intense dizziness hit Kazuya, blurring his vision and overwhelming him with fatigue. His consciousness began to slip away as the sedative in the food started taking effect. The last thing he remembered was his head hitting the dining table and a smiling Pierre.

"Sleep well, Kazuya."

 

---

 

Kazuya woke up with a pounding headache and the sounds of loud cheering echoing around him. As he rubbed his head, he surveyed his surroundings—a bloody coliseum, the best way to describe it.

"It seems our contestant has regained consciousness. Now, let's introduce our fighter for the night."

A creaking sound emanated from the opposite side as a large, rusty metal door slowly lifted. Emerging from the dark hallway was a girthy man with a pig's head, dragging a massive cleaver behind him.

"Welcome our three-time champion, Blood Orc!"

"Blood Orc! Blood Orc!"

"Blood Orc! Blood Orc!"

Chants of the name reverberated through the crowd. Kazuma struggled to stand, his legs trembling with weakness.

"What's happening?" He mustered some strength and directed the question at the announcer.

"Place your bets, folks! Who knows, luck might favor you tonight."

The crowd erupted in laughter at the joke.

"Blood Orc! Blood Orc!"

"Hey! Answer me!" Kazuma yelled at the announcer, seeking an explanation.

"Let the fight begin," the person ignored him and started the fight.

The pig-headed man raised his weapon and swung it recklessly toward Kazuma. Stunned by the sudden aggression, Kazuma's body instinctively moved, narrowly avoiding the strike. However, he wasn't completely unscathed; a cut appeared on his leg.

"What are you doing? I don't want to fight you!"

*Oink huff*

The man ignored Kazuma's plea and lifted the cleaver again. Kazuya managed to get to his feet just in time to evade the next swing, though another cut marred his leg.

Feeling the pain, fear gripped his mind. The grim reality of his situation began to dawn on him. This man was out for blood. To worsen matters, Kazuya's body hardly responded, leaving him practically defenseless.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?"

Kazuya's mind was shutting down from despair, yet his body reacted differently. His forearms started narrowing and sharpening into blades. He clumsily dodged another attack as carapace shells started forming on his biceps.

"And he dodges another one! Will this contestant stand a chance, or will he end up like the others?"

'They don't treat me as a human at all,' dark thoughts surfaced as he chopped at the pig man's arms.

The man ignored the attack, allowing Kazuya's arm blades to gouge down to the bone yet the man didn't flinch. It was like he didn't even feel the pain.

Then the unwieldy cleaver came up again as Kazuya jumped back. This time, the man stopped swinging down with the cleaver and tucked his elbows inwards, making small swings with his waist.

Kazuya kept his distance as the man approached him. Every step forward was met with a step backward. Soon, it became a game of cat and mouse, with Kazuya running around the rim of the arena while the pigman struggled to catch up.

"BOOOOOOO!" Seeing this scene, the crowd expressed their dissatisfaction. They came here to see a slaughter, not a circus.

"Piggy, drop the weapon and rip him apart!" an obese woman yelled into the arena.

Hearing this, the pigman followed the suggestion and extended his hands. Then, under the surprised eyes of Kazuya, fur started to grow on the back of his hand as his fingers morphed into sharp hooves.

The man leaned his shoulder down and charged at Kazuya, who attempted to dodge. The key word here was "attempted." His left arm was caught in the attack and slammed into the arena walls. The arm blade cracked, and the intense pain of his arm being crushed pierced his murky thoughts. The man grabbed the mangled arm and yanked hard, ignoring the cuts that resulted from the action.

As Kazuya stumbled, the right hoof came down and hammered his chest. Once, twice, thrice. Kazuya spat out a mouthful of blood and weakly raised his right arm to block the next strike.

*Snap*

Another intense pain coursed through his arm as it bent at an unnatural angle. Kazuya mustered his remaining strength and kicked at the stomach. The pigman flinched but didn't release his grip. He continued smashing Kazuya's chest a few more times before throwing him toward the center of the arena.

Then he walked over and stomped a few more times on his stomach.

*Crack*

Another intense pain raced through his chest. Every time he breathed in, he felt the broken ribs poke at his fragile lungs. It was like someone had stabbed needles into his chest.

Seeing Kazuya had stopped moving, the man walked back to get his cleaver. Kazuya turned his head to see the man struggling with the unwieldy weapon.

*Stomp stomp*

A strong vibration accompanied every step, causing his face to tingle uncomfortably, but he was too weak to do anything about it — too weak to even move. The only thing he could do was watch as his executioner approached him with that brutal weapon.

'Is this how it ends?'

*Stomp stomp*

"It seems like it." 

*Stomp stomp*

"I bet Risa will be sad to hear about this."

*Stomp stomp*

"There's so much I wanted to do."

*Stomp stomp*

"So much I wanted to see."

*Stomp stomp*

"Are you going to give up?" A different voice suddenly sounded. This was not Kazuya's voice, but a resembled his. Its tone was grimmer as if reflecting the darkness inside of him. A side more practical and less innocent than his normal self.

"But what choice do I have?" His voice was helpless. Kazuya was reluctant to let things end like this, but there was nothing he can do about it.

"How about letting me take control?"

"..."

*Stomp stomp*

The man slowly raised the cleaver, casting a large shadow over Kazuya's face.

"Your answer?"

"Go for it," Kazuya answered in defeat as the cleaver came down on him. 

*Crack shatter boom*

Yet before the edge could cut him, a loud crack erupted from Kazuya's back. More specifically, the carapace near his tailbone. In a flash, Kazuya shot out from underneath the blade, spinning multiple times before landing on his feet. His arms morphed back, and his legs began emitting smoke as they healed at a lightning-fast rate.

As for what propelled Kazuya, the answer lies in a long furry tail that suddenly sprouted from his tailbone.

Kazuya coldly looked at the pigman as he struggled with his cleaver again. Kazuya snorted and launched himself at him, just in time to intercept another strike. Before the blade could connect, Kazuya smacked the ground with his tail and drifted above the cleaver. He then delivered a powerful kick to the man's neck.

The kick sent the man flying backward, slamming into the walls and disarming him. Smoke burst up before the pigman charged out with his morphed hooves, raised to kill. Kazuya jumped over the man, bouncing off the shoulder to land behind him. Then he slammed the man again with his tail.

*Boom.*

The man removed himself from the wall and ripped his shirt to reveal his well-toned chest.

*ROAR*

After letting out this roar, fur sprouted around his body as long tusks grew from his jaws. His hooves elongated, becoming claws, and his shoes ripped apart as cloven hooves formed around his toes. The rest of his shirt shredded as his muscles swelled. By the end of his transformation, the pigman was more pig than man.

Seeing this, Kazuya tensed up and prepared himself as a strong wind blew against his face. Sensing the threat, his tail elongated and absorbed the attack. Kazuya took a few steps back to absorb the impact, causing the ground to crack with each step.

*Grunt grunt snort*

The man uppercut his tail, forcing Kazuya to kick back in defense. The man took the hit but didn't budge, opting to make another swing. Kazuya backflipped away and heard the sound of the fist smashing into the man's own chest.

"He's a tough one."

The boarman charged towards his tail, causing Kazuya to spit out another mouthful of blood. Kazuya took a few steps back to gather speed. As he approached, he propelled himself off the ground and began spinning. He smashed his tail into the man's arm, attempting to knock him out with a kick. However, things didn't go as planned, as the man grabbed his leg.

*Snort*

As the man prepared to slam Kazuya hard into the ground, a second tail grew out and pierced through his neck. This sudden change caused the man to freeze and release his grip. Kazuya quickly pulled his feet away just in time to witness the man falling to his knees. Then the man collapsed to the ground, a puddle of blood forming around the wound