vncnus Chapter 109
Chapter 109
Chapter: 109 Winning is always the dealer!
Tiffany trembled with rage.
However.
A few seconds later, as a high-ranking member of the Arashin-kai, she forced herself to calm down.
"Something's wrong..."
Tiffany spun around abruptly, looking behind her.
No one was there.
The gamblers who had entered before her were all gone.
Before her eyes, there was no such thing as a magnificent, glittering Fate Casino.
No legendary S+-Grade Slot Machine!
Only...
Endless darkness and mist!
"A TRAP!!"
Alarm bells rang furiously in Tiffany's mind.
'We've been deceived. This was never some high-stakes game!'
'This is an ultimate trap aimed at every single faction!!'
'Damn it! Who is behind this?!'
In a flash of lightning.
A face surfaced in Tiffany's mind—the man the Joker had kept staring at outside the door just moments ago.
Ye Desheng, standing beside the Foot-Spa Ghost, wearing a golden mask!
"That mask..."
The realization struck Tiffany like a thunderbolt.
'That bastard Joker!! He fooled every single one of us!!'
'His ability...'
'It was never Sequence 099: Thousand-Face Demon Lord!!'
Because Sequence-Type Abilities in this world are unique!
The same Sequence-Type Ability could never exist in 2 people simultaneously!
Which meant—
The Joker's ability was completely fake!
A smokescreen to deceive everyone!
And the one who truly possessed the 【Thousand-Face Demon Lord】 ability—
The former human Hospital Director of Seattle Mercy Hospital...
Was never dead!!
He had simply used Body Seizure and face-swapping to go into hiding!
Going so far as to disguise himself as a Prison Guard, blending in beside the Foot-Spa Ghost!
The instant Tiffany pieced it all together.
Without a moment's hesitation, Tiffany raised her hand.
【Sequence 067: Sovereign Rule】activated!!
"In the name of the King! An absolute rule is set!"
"【No attack may reach my body】!!"
The moment the words fell.
Thwish!
A Bone-Cleaving Knife came slashing viciously toward Tiffany's skull!
Yet, just as that razor-sharp blade reached no more than 1 millimeter from Tiffany's eyes—
Clang!!
The blade struck an invisible absolute domain and could not advance a single fraction further!
Through the glinting reflection of the blade so close to her face, Tiffany made out the true face of her attacker!
A Supervisor!
"Looking to die!!"
Tiffany's gaze went ice-cold as she issued a second Sovereign Rule command.
"In the name of the King!"
"【All who attack me shall suffer an equal force in return】!!"
Splat!!
The moment the rule took effect, that Supervisor suddenly went rigid all over.
Then, a massive bloody hole exploded open across its chest from thin air!
An invisible Bone-Cleaving Knife of identical force had pierced straight through its body!
"Awooo..."
The Supervisor's body crashed to the ground, twitched a few times, and went still forever.
Tiffany walked forward with a cold expression.
She kicked the Supervisor's corpse aside, her gaze falling on a rusty nameplate hanging from its ankle.
A number was written on it.
【15】.
"15th floor?"
Tiffany's brow furrowed deeply, the confusion within her growing heavier:
Every Supervisor bore the exclusive floor marking of its assigned level.
She had clearly stepped through the door from the 9th floor heading to the 10th floor casino.
How had she been teleported directly to the mist zone of the 15th floor?!
"Thousand-Face Demon Lord... what are you trying to do?!"
Tiffany scanned the impenetrably deep mist surrounding her, her expression growing more grave than it had ever been.
Because she had just realized—her prized sense of control had failed her here.
Right now, she was no longer the house that controlled the lives and deaths of gamblers.
Nor was she the "King" who could decree rules at will.
In this terrifying killing ground woven by the Thousand-Face Demon Lord himself...
She—just like her codename—had become a mere 【Gambler】on the board, to be slaughtered at will.
……
At the same time, on the true 10th floor. The Fate Casino.
At the center of the hall.
The man in the golden mask loosened his necktie.
And the Foot-Spa Ghost, which had been swaggering about downstairs just moments ago, now stood with its head bowed respectfully.
Following behind the man.
"Ahem... hmph!"
The man cleared his throat.
When he spoke again, his voice had completely changed.
No longer Ye Desheng's steady baritone—now cold and low.
"A bunch of fools."
He stepped forward slowly, coming to stand at the very center of the hall.
There, the Fate Slot Machine towered before him!
The man extended his hand, gently stroking the body of the Slot Machine.
"It's been a long time... old friend."
"Those self-righteous hunters, thinking a mere 5,000 Ghost Coins entry fee..."
"Would let them seize our position and take you away."
"But what they didn't know was..."
"In this casino that belongs to me, aren't they themselves nothing more than prey awaiting slaughter?"
He.
Was Ye Desheng.
Or rather, the one wearing Ye Desheng's skin—
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord!
The original founder of Seattle Mercy Hospital, and its true Hospital Director!
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord withdrew his hand, his gaze falling on the control panel of the Fate Slot Machine.
On it were 3 large red buttons, labeled respectively:
【Game / Management】
【Start】
【Confirm】
Click.
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord pressed the 【Game / Management】toggle button.
Beep!
The Slot Machine was forcibly switched to 【Management Mode】, which carried the highest authority.
"Are you ready, my doctors?"
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord's voice echoed throughout the hall.
The words had barely landed.
Rumble rumble rumble!!
Dozens of hidden doors along both sides of the casino swung open simultaneously!
Countless Ghost Doctors poured into the hall, each pushing a cart.
What those carts carried was nothing else.
But the piles and piles of fresh Gundam Parts they had harvested day and night across the 9 floors below, through frenzied slaughter of gamblers and patients!
The Ghost Doctors tipped all that flesh and blood around the Fate Slot Machine.
Hum!!
Accompanied by a burst of black radiance, those mountains of gore were instantly absorbed and converted by the Slot Machine!
Transformed into a towering hill of Ghost Coins!
At least several hundred thousand by visual estimate!
"Load the Ghost Coins."
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord issued the command coldly.
The Ghost Doctors immediately scooped up fistfuls of Ghost Coins, frantically feeding them into the fanged maw at the top of the Slot Machine!
Clatter clatter clatter...
A full 5,000 Ghost Coins were fed before the Slot Machine's first-round appetite was satisfied.
Click.
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord gripped the lever on the side of the Slot Machine, yanked it down hard, and simultaneously pressed 【Start】.
The icons on the screen began spinning wildly!
A few seconds later.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The 1st draw result came to a stop.
【Revolver】, 【Revolver】, 【Revolver】.
"Good luck—the first one's collected."
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord gave a cold smile.
Then came the 2nd pull.
Another 5,000 Ghost Coins fed in.
Ding! Ding!Hummm...
【Dice】, 【Joker】, 【Playing Cards】. No 3 matching.
"Failed."
"Continue."
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord's expression remained blank as he pulled the lever once more.
3rd attempt... failed.
4th attempt... failed.
5th attempt... failed.
……
All the way to the 10th attempt.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
3 matching 【Playing Cards】finally appeared!
"2nd one."
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord kept pressing.
And that hill of Ghost Coins built from countless lives was vanishing at a visible, rapid pace.
To the side, the Foot-Spa Ghost and those high-ranking Ghost Doctors stood and waited in silence.
They were waiting for...
A glorious feast belonging to the Cursed to begin!
Soon, on the 38th pull.
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord drew 3 【Dice】. More than half the Ghost Coin hill had already disappeared.
"3rd one."
Then came the 39th pull.
This time, as if the ultimate guaranteed pity had been triggered.
The icons on the screen barely spun at all before snapping directly into 3 【Joker】icons!
"Heh heh heh..."
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord let out a pleased laugh: "Heaven truly aids me—4th one."
What followed was an agonizingly long stretch of draws.
40th attempt...
50th attempt...
60th attempt...
All the way to the 66th attempt!!
The Ghost Coin hill had been nearly completely drained.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
3 【Werewolf】icons appeared on the Fate Slot Machine's display screen!
And at this very moment—
!!!
The entire Fate Slot Machine erupted in seven-colored light!
Simultaneously, its interior began playing a cheerful clown music-box tune!
While the Thousand-Face Demon Lord watched the horde of Cursed stirring restlessly below, and slowly raised his hand.
"5th one... all collected."
"The game, begins."
"My dear gamblers..."
"I hope you will enjoy this... absolutely unfair Real-Life Werewolf."
The next moment.
Clap!
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord's palm slammed onto the 【Confirm】button!
BOOM!!!
In that instant, the remaining half-hill of Ghost Coins in the hall evaporated completely!
Every last coin converted into terrifying energy to drive the rules!
Hum!
A beam of light flashed.
A 【Werewolf】mark materialized on the Thousand-Face Demon Lord's golden mask!
And the Ghost Doctors standing behind him lit up one after another as well!
Every single one bore the same 【Werewolf Mark】!
But behind him—
The Foot-Spa Ghost, which had long been lurking within the human camp, suddenly sensed something extremely wrong!
It looked down at the back of its own hand.
There was no【Werewolf】mark symbolizing the hunter that appeared there—instead...
It was【Villager】?
"Huh?!"
The Foot-Spa Ghost clenched its fists.
Only at this moment did its brainless mind finally catch on!
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord wanted to eliminate not only those outsider humans!
But also the Cursed gamblers like it—the ones who had won big in the casino and carved out their own territory!
He intended to use the Gundam Parts of every high-level being to complete the Slot Machine's final Special-Grade Evolution!
"ROAARRR!!"
The humiliation and fury of being utterly played ignited the Foot-Spa Ghost's rage in an instant!
It flew into a violent rage!
Savage black aura erupted from its neck, and the entire Fate Casino hall shook violently under that furious force!
Now that all pretense was shattered, just die!
The Foot-Spa Ghost transformed into a black hurricane and hurled itself straight at the Thousand-Face Demon Lord's back to kill him!
It would slay this deceiver and seize that S+-Grade Fate Slot Machine directly!
However.
Faced with the lethal charge from behind, the Thousand-Face Demon Lord didn't even turn his head.
He simply stood before the Slot Machine and sneered coldly.
"Foolish livestock."
Whoosh!
The instant before the Foot-Spa Ghost could touch him—
2 plumes of black smoke burst from behind the Thousand-Face Demon Lord!
2 figures radiating the same terrifying S-Grade fluctuations stepped forward to block his back.
One was a gaunt old man gripping a rusty medical electric saw in his hands.
An S-Grade Cursed, the Chief of Orthopedics.
And the other, was pushing a bloodstained hospital bed.
Upon seeing what this Cursed looked like—if Jiang Nan had been there, he would have recognized it instantly!
Because this female ghost in a Head Nurse's uniform...
Was the very same one who had harbored a secret infatuation for Jiang Nan, even hurling 2,000 Ghost Coins for his sake—the Bunny-Girl Ghost!
Her nurse's cap still had those 2 floppy bunny ears drooping beneath it!
The so-called Dealer had simply been her part-time role!
Her true identity was, in fact, the absolute core combatant of Seattle Mercy Hospital!
An S-Grade Cursed Head Nurse!
"ROARRR!!!"
The Foot-Spa Ghost didn't care who stood in front of it—it charged to tear them both apart!
The Head Nurse merely slapped the bloodstained hospital bed before her!
Hum!!
In an instant, the surrounding space transformed into white hospital corridors!
The Foot-Spa Ghost charging forward saw only a white flash before its eyes.
The next moment, it discovered in horror that its enormous body had been strapped to a hospital bed!
And directly above it was not the casino ceiling, but...
Empty sky hundreds of meters in the air!!
This was the Head Nurse's ability: Transport.
Combined with the domain—a terrifying forced spatial displacement!
Without noticing a thing, the Foot-Spa Ghost had been teleported—bed and all—directly into the airspace above the hospital building!
Without footing, with gale winds howling, the Foot-Spa Ghost's Wrath attack lost all its targets entirely.
And just as it reeled in terror, struggling to break free from the bed's restraints—
A gaunt silhouette, at some unknown point, had appeared hanging upside-down directly above the bed.
The Chief of Orthopedics!
He pushed up his blood-smeared reading glasses and yanked the chain of the electric saw in his hand.
Rrrrrrr!!
The saw, carrying a dismantling force that ignored all defenses, hacked toward the Foot-Spa Ghost's neck!
"AHHHHH!!!"
Accompanied by the Foot-Spa Ghost's final shriek.
This S-Grade Cursed was instantly dismembered by the Chief of Orthopedics into hundreds upon thousands of chunks of flesh, large and small!
Splatter splatter splatter...
A black rain of blood and shredded meat rained down from high above.
Through the Head Nurse Ghost's Transport domain, every piece fell directly into the cavernous maw atop the Fate Slot Machine!
Converted into Ghost Coins!
The Thousand-Face Demon Lord turned around, watching the Head Nurse and the Chief of Orthopedics return to his flanks, and slowly spread his arms wide.
"The feast, has begun."
And simultaneously.
A surge of rule-force swept through every floor of Seattle Mercy Hospital!
Every floor!
Every room!
Even those so-called "Safe Zones" believed to be absolutely secure...
All fell under the shroud of this force!
On the bodies of every human and Cursed and gambler living within this hospital—
Whether on the back of the hand or the forehead, each was instantly and forcibly stamped with various marks!
Among them were those marked 【Seer】.
Those marked 【Witch】.
Those marked 【Hunter】.
Those marked 【Villager】—in vast numbers.
But...
Not a single 【Werewolf】!!
This was no ordinary battle of wits.
This was...
A one-sided, crushing, bloody hunt—the Hospital Director's faction targeting all gamblers!
A 【Werewolf Game that was truly, fundamentally unfair】!
Only when all 4 standard games within this hospital—Revolver, Poker, Dice, and Joker—had been completely played to exhaustion!
After harvesting enough despair, would this ultimate killing game hidden deepest of all finally be activated!
At the same time.
The Fate Slot Machine would also, within this feast, reopen its 【Master Reselection Ceremony】!
As long as one could survive to the very end of this Werewolf Game—or directly slay the Slot Machine's current owner—
They could claim ownership of this Cursed Object on the verge of ascending to Special-Grade!
——————
Dear Patrons, based on your feedback, 8 candidate titles have successfully entered the final round!
Please vote for the title(s) you prefer! The top 5 will advance to the Book Test!
The candidates are:
【Apocalypse: Silent for Eighteen Years, All to Ascend to Godhood at This Moment】
【Word Spirit: With 6,666 Words, I Slash Through the Other World!】
【Transmigration: Becoming a God, Starting From Pretending to Be Mute for Eighteen Years!】
【High Martial: I Ascend to Godhood With Word Spirit, Slashing Through the Other World!】
【Eighteen Years of Silence Deep as an Abyss, One Word Spoken Startles Ten Thousand Gods】
【Apocalypse: Starting on an Eerie Island, the Cursed Were Scared Out of Their Minds】
【Transmigration: From Being Forced to Be a Mute, to Becoming a God】
【With One Word I Open the Ancient Path, From the Mute to the Supreme God!】
Bunny-Bunny