Back to Reggie.
"Contractual Re-Creation…"
Reggie's whole body was limp, yet he still forced himself to pull out a few receipts from his chest and activate his technique.
"Ah… finally back to life."
This time, unlike before, no physical object appeared. But Reggie, who had been lying on the ground stood up again, the sweat and blood on his face gone, his whole body looking refreshed.
What he had just used were non-material contract receipts.
He couldn't use Reverse Cursed Technique, so instead, he used contracts from a high-end hospital room nearby, along with a contract for rest in a presidential suite at a luxury hotel.
The moment the contract was fulfilled, it was as if he had already received treatment in the hospital, rested for several days, and then gone to relax in a luxury hotel.
In other words, he had fully recovered.
"You're really strong. How about this, let's work together. You can take the lead…"
Even though he had recovered, Reggie still didn't think he could win.
After waking up in this era hundreds of years later, he hadn't even had the chance to enjoy the "fun" Kenjaku had talked about. There was no way he would risk his life in a meaningless fight.
He came here for excitement, yet he hadn't even seen it. Dying here would be pointless.
Recognizing the gap in strength and making the right choice; that was the smart move.
And one of his principles was simple. If words could solve it, then don't fight. Especially when facing someone stronger.
"Sorry. What I need is your points."
As Mukuro walked forward, a trident slowly formed in his hand, dragging along the ground as sparks scattered behind it.
'A construction technique? No… that's not it…'
Reggie was stunned again. There had been no trace of cursed energy when the weapon appeared.
"Then let's make this interesting. Life only comes once. If I can't avoid this fight, at least let me go out in style."
"Contractual Re-Creation!"
Reggie threw out two receipts, which turned into two long blades in his hands.
Clang!
Close combat broke out instantly.
Even with dual blades and closing the distance as much as possible, Reggie's fierce attacks had no effect. Meanwhile, Mukuro defended without much effort, gradually pushing him back.
Crack!
With a sharp sound, both blades shattered, and the trident pierced straight through Reggie's abdomen, blood pouring out.
"Let's die together!"
"Contractual Re-Creation!"
In the next moment, Reggie suddenly pushed forward, letting the weapon pierce deeper through his body.
At the same time, he grabbed onto Mukuro's arm tightly, then lowered his head and bit a final receipt from the bundle around his neck, activating it.
The receipt flew into the air and transformed into an entire two-story building, about forty square meters in size.
This was the largest object Reggie's cursed energy could handle, and through the technique, he had poured nearly all of his remaining cursed energy into it. The weight itself didn't change, but the force of impact would stack with his cursed energy.
This was his one and only trump card.
Holding tightly onto Mukuro's arm, his feet dug into the ground as he prepared to face this final strike together with him.
At least on the path to death, he wouldn't be alone.
"Third Path: Ibaraki Dōji."
With his strength, Mukuro could have broken free instantly or dragged Reggie away with ease.
But this was a game, and games should be played properly.
The number in his right eye shifted to "3," and from beneath the ground, a massive demonic hand burst out, radiating a sinister aura as it crushed the building into dust.
The debris didn't even have time to fall before it disappeared completely as the technique lost its effect.
"Good work."
After Mukuro spoke, the faint figure behind him faded into nothingness.
"A shikigami? What exactly is this guy…"
Reggie was still in a daze, but before he could react, Mukuro had already pulled his arm free from his grip, and the trident vanished as well.
Only the wound in Reggie's abdomen, still pouring blood, reminded him that everything was real.
Thud!
Mukuro walked past him.
Reggie instinctively tried to attack, but his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.
There was a limit to how many similar contracts he could store. He no longer had any hospital or luxury hotel contracts left.
What awaited him now… was only death.
"Kogane, transfer all my points to that guy."
After understanding the situation, Reggie stopped struggling, summoned his Kogane, and tried to use Rule 10.
"Understood. Transferring now… huh?"
Even as its player faced death, the Kogane still wore its usual cheerful smile, but when it tried to transfer the points, something felt off.
As a "manager," it should have been able to see a player's information at a glance, yet no matter how many times it looked at Mukuro, it couldn't find any matching player data.
Even those who were wrapped into the Culling Game from the beginning would at least have the option to join or not.
Kogane's brain short-circuited.
'So that's it… no wonder he brought that dead weight along, and didn't kill directly…'
Seeing this, Reggie roughly understood.
"Fushiguro-san… I'm done…"
At that moment, Amai came down from the upper floor and walked toward Mukuro, his steps unsteady.
His face was pale, with faint blood vessels in his eyes. He had probably thrown up earlier.
'To survive… I have to kill…'
If it was just getting beaten or something like that, he would never kill for his own sake, but the Culling Game was a fight to the death.
Giving him the chance to kill… in a way, Mukuro was saving him.
He could only keep telling himself that, over and over, hoping it would make things easier.
"I refuse—"
Pshk!
If he had to die at the hands of someone strong, Reggie could accept it, but being finished off by someone this weak? He would rather kill himself.
However, as he raised his trembling hand, a blade thrown by Mukuro sliced it off, making even death by his own hand impossible.
"The Culling Game is just Kenjaku's facade. If someone like you enters, it will only speed things up. It will bring the end sooner…"
Reggie gave up struggling and spoke before dying.
The Culling Game was meant to continue endlessly. But with people like Higuruma and Kashimo scattered across different colonies, and now with someone like Mukuro entering, there was no way the game could continue.
Because from the very beginning, it was a complete domination of the weak by the strong, and those outside would prevent more weak players from entering.
So in truth, the Culling Game only had two possible outcomes.
One, its purpose was to end.
Two, Kenjaku still had another "bomb" waiting. He was simply waiting for the right moment.
"That has nothing to do with me." Mukuro curled his finger, signaling Amai to finish it.
"Think of it as a final act of goodwill from someone about to die."
Reggie smiled and had the still-confused Kogane transfer all his points to Amai.
Then, he spoke his curse.
"Even if the points aren't going to you, you're still one of the beneficiaries. Please… I hope you're toyed with by fate, and in the end, die like a clown."
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