Chapter 364: A Hardcore Shooting Game!
"Hmm? Want to try playing that shooting game?"
Eating while strolling, Jashin-chan's eyes lit up as they passed a super-large stall. She enthusiastically raised the bamboo skewer in her hand and pointed to the side.
Ryohei looked in the direction she pointed—
[True Demon CS · Extreme Battlefield]
Winner takes all, losers... can also get prizes!
Hundred-demon battle royale, Jungle/City dual maps, a hundred-acre battlefield for you to gallop!
Rules: Half an hour per round! Triggering the teleportation device upon getting hit means instant elimination! Solo or team play available! Various resource points and traps are scattered throughout the map, a supreme trial of wisdom and courage!
Rewards: The "Kill King" will receive a mysterious ultimate grand prize! All survivors can get a participation prize; surviving to the end is victory!
Fee: 30,000 Yen/Demon
ULTIMATE WARNING: There are no false feelings on the battlefield, demon life has risks! You might really die; please bear all consequences yourself!
"Um... what does 'You might really die' mean?"
Ryohei turned his gaze to Jashin-chan, pointing at the eye-catching "Ultimate Warning" on the sign.
"It means literally what it says; what else could it mean?"
[・_・?]
Jashin-chan looked back at Ryohei with dot eyes, an expression of "Do you even need to ask?" on her face.
"Uh..."
Ryohei's mouth twitched, unable to help but complain:
"Are shooting games in your Demon World all this hardcore? There's actually a risk of death!"
"It's just this hardcore!"
Jashin-chan raised her chin slightly: "Our Demon World is different from your Human World! Your games of shooting toy targets are too childish, no passion at all. Unlike here..."
"So, want to experience it?"
Jashin-chan changed the subject and asked again.
"Pekola and I will protect Ryohei-kun, guarantee you won't get hurt."
Beside him, Lucoa held a skewer in her left hand and a grilled squid in her right, puffing out her chest confidently, her world-class fullness trembling slightly.
"Hmm..."
Ryohei pondered for a moment and nodded: "Then let's experience it!"
He wasn't very interested in such overly "exciting" games, but since he was here, it was a rare opportunity, so experiencing it wouldn't be bad.
"Speaking of which... if Yurine were here, she'd probably be quite excited."
As the group walked towards the registration desk, Ryohei paid the fee while smiling.
"That's for sure!"
Jashin-chan stuffed the last "Cthulhu" takoyaki into her mouth and mumbled: "When she gets killing frenzy, she might even take out her teammates!"
Ryohei took four teleportation wristbands from the staff and glanced sideways at Jashin-chan:
( ﹁ ﹁ )
"The teammate taken out would definitely only be you, and I seriously suspect you'd shoot her in the back first."
"That is something Jashin-chan would do." Lucoa licked her lips somewhat charmingly and interjected with a smile.
"Mn."
Pekola, quietly eating her snack nearby, nodded, using a short syllable to express agreement.
"...Cough, cough cough!"
Jashin-chan choked on her words.
She jerked her head back, clenched her fist, and pounded her chest hard, finally swallowing the "Cthulhu" takoyaki stuck in her throat with a gulp.
"Don't talk nonsense without evidence! Or I'll sue you for defamation!"
Jashin-chan shouted guiltily, the louder she shouted, the guiltier she felt.
"Tch—! Are you going to sue to Officer Tachibana?"
Ryohei distributed the teleportation wristbands to everyone and teased with a smile.
"..." Jashin-chan's face turned black. How desperate would she have to be to go complain to that perverted female officer?
"..."
The group ate and chatted at the CS stall, casually watching the live broadcast of the True Demon CS game.
A giant screen hung in the center of the stall, the image divided into several sections, displaying the fierce battle situations across the battlefield in real-time—
Some lurked in the jungle waiting for an opportunity, while others exchanged fire fiercely amidst high-rise ruins.
The left side of the screen displayed the remaining time for the round and a constantly changing "Kill Leaderboard."
"It's almost over."
"Mn."
Only the last three minutes remained until the end of the previous round...
When time was up, all surviving demons were collectively teleported back to the stall area.
Staff quickly stepped forward to collect equipment and teleportation wristbands, followed immediately by the award ceremony.
Ryohei leaned in curiously to take a look—
The so-called "Mysterious Ultimate Grand Prize" was choosing one from a pile of blind boxes.
Truly mysterious enough!
The "Kill King" of this round eventually opened the latest model of a Demon World fruit phone.
Ryohei felt it was okay; at least the ticket fee was earned back, no loss, even a profit.
The participation prize for the other survivors was a small magic crystal.
"Participants for the third round of 'True Demon CS', please go to the armory to collect weapons..."
Soon, the broadcast sounded.
Ryohei, Jashin-chan, Lucoa, and Pekola walked towards the area where the armory was located.
Everyone received a standard rifle similar to an AK, some bullets, a grenade, a smoke grenade, a tactical vest, and a helmet.
Staff holding megaphones explained the rules concisely.
Then, a magical light enveloped the venue—a hundred participants were randomly teleported to the vast CS battlefield.
Since Ryohei, Jashin-chan, Lucoa, and Pekola registered as a team, they were assigned to the same "spawn point."
And their landing spot...
Was a dense and deep Demon World jungle!
"Yoshi—!"
Wearing a green helmet and a tactical vest, Jashin-chan hugged her gun, pulled the bolt, and shouted excitedly like a little Japanese soldier: "Hunting time!"
Pew pew pew—!
Ryohei raised his gun and fired a few test shots at a nearby bush.
It was his first time touching a real gun; he had only played with air guns for shooting balloons before.
"Assigned to the jungle, huh..."
Lucoa looked left and right and asked with interest: "Where do we go next?"
"There's a resource point over there."
Pekola suddenly raised her hand and pointed in a direction.
"How do you know?" Jashin-chan looked sideways in surprise.
"Saw it."
Pekola answered calmly, her tone devoid of ripples.
"...Very good!"
Jashin-chan raised her head, patted Pekola on the shoulder, and said seriously:
"From now on, you are the scout of our team! Remember to notify us immediately if you spot enemies!"
"Okay." Pekola responded cooperatively.
"..."
The group maintained "vigilance" and advanced steadily towards the resource point.
Suddenly—
About ten brown vines erupted without warning, striking towards Ryohei and the others like venomous snakes.
In the blink of an eye, green vines broke out of the soil and pressed the brown vines back.
"Scared me!"
Ryohei was startled at first, then looked at Pekola and gave a thumbs up: "Beautifully done!"
The green vines were summoned by Pekola.
As the God of Harvest, she excelled at summoning vines for various tasks.
As for those brown vines, Ryohei had seen them while watching the live broadcast earlier—vines of a killer plant, considered one of the traps in this CS battlefield.
"..."
The group didn't stop and continued to advance towards the resource point.
Moments later—
Ryohei saw the supply crate, and at this time, Pekola suddenly said: "Three o'clock direction, one thousand meters, two demons are approaching."
As she spoke, she raised her gun and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Almost simultaneously, Lucoa beside her also quickly raised her gun and fired.
"Dealt with."
The notification of "First Blood" came from their wristbands.
"..." Ryohei and Jashin-chan were stunned.
It's over just like that?
They hadn't even seen the shadow of the enemies! Too fast!
The two were somewhat dazed for a moment...
~~~
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