Genocide Reality

TL Note: I changed the chant of the magic they shout. I remembered the narration saying the spells were moon runes. So, I will include the furigana reading from now on.

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I descended the stone staircase into the dungeon with Kazuha in tow.

Near the entrance, there were no signs of orcs or goblins. An open treasure chest lay on the floor.

“Did someone enter ahead of us?”

It seemed that the Student Council had made significant progress exploring from the first floor to the second.

To avoid running into other groups and potentially causing trouble, I decided to take the shortest route down.

Meeting humans here would be more troublesome than monsters, so I wanted to pass through quickly.

My bad premonition may have come true, as we entered the hall, armed men came out from in front of us.

“Oops, this is a dead end.”

A guy with hair dyed blonde, brandishing a longsword, blocked my way.

There is also a fat, hulking man with a face that would look somewhat better on an orc, a sharp-eyed skinny guy, and a little guy with bucktooths and a rat-like face.

When I feel a presence and turn around, four more people appear from that direction.

Four from the front and four from the back, a total of eight people.

These guys were in confrontation with Nanami’s party earlier.

Just as I was thinking that, the blonde-longhair opened his mouth. As I thought, this guy is the leader.

“Shinjo kun~n, I wonder what happened to that ferocious rabbit woman~”

“Oh? We left her in town.”

The obnoxious tone of his voice annoyed me, but I had no reason to hide it, so I told him.

I wanted to avoid trouble, but this atmosphere didn’t make me think they’d just let us pass.

“Heh heh heh, this suits me fine. If it weren’t for that monster rabbit woman, I wouldn’t be afraid of Shinjo-kun.”

It seems that he is under the mistaken impression that Ussa is the only one who is strong.

After all, they won’t be convinced unless I show them the difference in our strength. Well, that’s okay, these guys piss me off so much, and I had been planning to deal with them eventually.

I’ll lightly threaten them, and if they still don’t listen to me, I’ll break a bone or two and make them back off.

I grabbed the scabbard on my back and readied myself to draw my sword at any moment.

“Heh, another girl with you again.”

“Hey, isn’t this Kazuha, the class president? Uhehe, she’s got a really nice body, I’ve been wanting to do her for a while now.”

From behind the long-haired guy, Scrawny and Shorty make a nasty chorus of cheers, and Kazuha is shaking her legs in fright.

They looked at Rindou Kazuha as if licking her, and all of them smiled in a vile manner.

I know they are going to attack me, they are probably trying to get back at Ussa for what she did to them.

But were these guys really planning to go after girls from our own class?

No, maybe I was being too naive to think they wouldn’t target women.

Even in the city, where negative acts are not allowed, Kazuha was dying.

Once you step out of the town into the labyrinth, it is a lawless zone where you can do whatever you want.

Nine days had already passed since the transfer, and the fact that no murders or rapes had occurred in public was enough to make me think that Nanami’s student council must have been very good at managing the situation.

It was about time for those whose restraint had been pushed to the limit by Nanami’s student council to start coming unhinged.

If these guys had already lost their sense of morality, then talking to them would likely be futile.

I’ll still try to say it.

“Boys, this is your last warning. If you don’t want to die, leave us alone…”

“Ooooh, I’m afraid!” “Hahahaha, he’s still bluffing in this situation!”

It seems my warnings were for naught after all.

The blond long-haired guy spoke, his tone suggesting that this was his best attempt at compromise.

“Shinjo, we were in F class together, and I appreciate the fact that you lured Kazuha out of town. If you give up the girl quietly, I’ll even strip you of your clothes and beat you up. Hehe, after we’ve all had our fun, I’ll even let you have yours.”

This conversation was going nowhere.

I kept quiet and assessed the distance between myself and the eight surrounding individuals.

I’m getting stronger, but this is the first time I’m taking on eight armed men.

If it were just me, I could probably take out the enemies in front of me and breakthrough. However, today I had a liability with me.

With this number of people, I needed to be fully prepared to kill them if I wanted to win.

The question is, can I really kill someone now when I haven’t slain anyone yet… I will.

If I had to kill to avoid being killed, then I should kill.

It was just like what I had been doing in the dungeon all along.

“Come on, Shinjo-kun, just get on your knees and beg for your life already!” “Hehehe, eight against one, you don’t stand a chance.” “If you don’t want to die, you better behave!”

Those were my lines.

If only you guys weren’t so foolish, we could have avoided this bloodshed.

“Hah…”

A deep sigh exhaled from my chest.

Along with it, I let go of my humanity. I was a blade ready to kill. If I couldn’t become that, then I would simply die.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

A scream rose. The four men behind me swarmed Kazuha, holding her and trying to carry her off.

The sound of the men’s lewd laughter and the tearing of Kazuha’s skirt echoed.

“…You really crossed the line, huh?”

The battle had begun, and my mind cooled instantly.

I drew the ‘Solitude’ that I carried on my back in a swift motion, pouring my determination into it.

The intimidating one-meter blade gleamed with ferocity. The four guys in front, including the golden-haired delinquent, seemed slightly taken aback by its presence.

However, the men who were trying to assault Kazuha and had surrounded her remained focused on their actions, aggressively grabbing her, pulling down her skirt, and attempting to remove her leather armor.

Even in the face of the enemy’s blade, they only thought about satisfying their own desires.

They were incredibly foolish.

Responding to Kazuha’s screams as she was being swarmed by the men, I swung my long sword indiscriminately.

The men swarming around Kazuha were exposed.

With a single flick, I slash at their backs and shoulders.

Blood splattered dramatically, accompanied by screams.

Not only the two who had been struck, but also the remaining two who had surrounded Kazuha, let out pitiful cries and crumpled to the ground.

Too weak, I guess these guys are decoys.

The real threat was the golden-haired delinquent and his companions.

As expected, just as I launched my attack on the side surrounding Kazuha, the blonde-haired delinquent and his group simultaneously rushed me.

I narrowly evaded the swift strike from the golden-haired delinquent, who was wielding a longsword.

“Kuk…”

“Oryaaaaaah!”

I intercepted the hefty battle axe swung by the tall and burly, obese man with my sword.

Metal scraped against metal, producing an unpleasant sound.

He was quite powerful; that was a substantial blow.

I barely managed to deflect the heavy blow by twisting my body and jumping diagonally backward.

Sparks flew in the air.

As I landed, I swiftly moved to attack the sluggish giant, who was still in the midst of swinging his battle axe.

I raised my sword high and delivered a powerful diagonal slash with all my might, utilizing the spring in my entire body. It was a move I had practiced countless times, swinging at a rate of one strike per second.

“Too slow!”

“Gyaaaaah!”

The slow-moving, huge fat man, still unprotected with his battle axe still down, was cut down deeply from the shoulder.

The Solitude, which can never be marred, can slash through even iron armor when wielded with sufficient strength.”

I slashed deeply with the intention of killing him, but he had enough time to scream, which meant he wouldn’t die.

His thick layer of fat provided some protection?

Taking the momentum, I slashed at the arm of the little guy with the short sword who was on the right side of the giant. It felt like cutting tofu. He was just a weakling.

However, there were still enemies remaining. I repositioned myself cautiously, ready for the next attack, but strangely, no one came forward to assail me.

Despite everyone having their weapons ready, it seemed that the enemies couldn’t react to my speed.

Thinking how slow these guys really were, I slashed upward at the tall, thin guy on the left.

The armor worn by the tall student was made of sturdy steel, and it didn’t shatter, but with a crunch, his chest plate crumpled, and his tall body bent into an arch, slamming against the wall.

No matter how tough the armor, it’s useless if the person inside hasn’t trained properly.

There were only three of them left.

I kept my sword pointed at the guys who had collapsed in fear, ready to strike from behind.

“Hey, what are you doing, use your magic to support me!”

Finally, the blond guy gave orders. The two who had been terrified seemed to regain their composure upon hearing his voice and began chanting the Fireball magic.

So these guys are magicians, huh?

Projectiles are good, but magic is a bad idea here.

If these had been well-aimed arrows or throwing knives, I might not have been able to dodge. In that case, they could have dealt me a solid blow, especially when I’m off-balance.

Attack magic in GenoReal only goes straight. Limiting the angle of its attack considerably.

There is no avoiding it in the narrow passage, and if you use a huge high-level attack magic, you will surely hit the target, but there is no way a small, lower-level fireball would hit me.

I passed between the two fireballs, which were flying at such low speeds that I could see them, and I slashed the two magicians.

With a satisfying slicing sound and a feeling of resistance, a bright red splatter of blood scattered. Then, the men’s deep “Gyaaaa!” followed, belatedly.

I plan to kill them all anyway, but for now, if I can render them incapacitated, that’s enough. Whether they live or die doesn’t matter.

Well, now all that’s left is the blonde longhair.

“Hii!”

With only the leader, the blond guy, remaining, the short one who had his hand cut screamed and exposed his back. He probably intends to run away alone.

His judgment was a little slow. I’ve already decided to kill them all, so I won’t let him escape now.

“Midor Ia Foi(Intermediate Flame, Fly)!”1

I calmly chant an intermediate class fireball magic.

While it’s an attack that can be avoided if you calmly duck or dodge, if you try to flee recklessly, it’s bound to hit.

“Gyaaaaah!

The short one, who was hit by a fireball on his back, was engulfed in flames. He fell to the ground, rolling in agony.

The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and although most of the fire went out when he rolled on the ground, he continued to suffer from severe burns.

“Well, now all that’s left is you, blondie!”

“Wait, wait… Hear me out!”

My heart froze as the blond guy dropped his longsword and raised his hands. Does he really think surrender is an option at this point?

After surrounding us as a group, and realizing they couldn’t win, now he wants to surrender. I was thoroughly disgusted.

“This is utterly boring, the banality of evil, isn’t it?”

“What’s that?”

These guys are students from the same class as me in the advanced school, so they should at least have the basic knowledge. But do they not even know about Hannah Arendt?

They only focus on their school studies and never bother to think for themselves, which is why they end up doing such foolish things.

“Why did you guys attack me and Rindou?”

“It’s not like that! I never intended to attack you guys! It was them, they did it on their own!”

Blonde-longhair turned against his fellows who were moaning after being cut down by me and spat that out.

That’s your argument after you’ve surrounded us?

“It was Kato! Kato told us to do it!”

“Don’t lie, I never said anything like that!”

The wounded guys cursed in foul language, blaming the blond guy named Kato for giving orders.

Well, I know he’s the leader, but in the end, it seemed like anyone could have initiated the attack, not necessarily because someone ordered it.

In addition to the rusty smell of blood in the air, there was a pungent ammonia odor that stung the nose.

The men writhing on the floor had probably lost control due to the shock of being cut. If you don’t have a strong stomach, these things happen.

They are pathetic men. They attacked me even though they were not prepared to be cut themselves.

When I asked them why they attacked me, they explained that they just did it because they were in the mood. Claiming they were only following orders, and that they weren’t to blame.

Could there be any room for leniency towards these small-time villains who lack clear motives and are swayed by the situation, unlike conscious wrongdoers like Jinguji, who act with full awareness of their evil deeds?

It is impossible!

People like them, who can attack others without any motive and simply go along with the situation, are the very essence of evil that must be dealt with first.

Jinguji and the others are still human beings with a sense of purpose.

Conscious evil can, under certain circumstances, transform into conscious goodness. I despise guys like Jinguji, but he might have served as a force to restrain idiots like these.

I think the Student Council’s organization is a load of bull.

However, Jinguji and Nanami and I, our beliefs may differ, but it doesn’t mean anyone is unequivocally right.

In comparison, these guys who attacked people have already become absolute evil, no longer human. They’re like beasts, devoid of intelligence.

I no longer consider them the same as human beings. That’s why I have no qualms about dealing with them.

“I understand. So basically, you’re saying there’s no value in keeping you alive.”

“S-Stop it. Help, please, help!”

Hearing my voice, which echoed from the depths of the earth, the blond guy hastily pressed his face against the ground and rubbed his forehead against the cold stone floor.

He asked me to kneel and beg for mercy, but he’s doing it himself, so I won’t intervene

“Alright, then let’s give you a chance at survival. Blondie, use this rope to tie everyone’s hands together and restrain them.”

I pulled a rope from my backpack and instructed him to tie everyone’s hands, creating a chain of restraints.

“What are you planning to do…”

“Just get on with it! Everyone! Once the restraints are done, you can use potions for treatment.”

The blond guy restrained his comrades and began using potions for recovery, while I comforted Kazuha.

She looked terribly frightened, likely because she had been grabbed by the men and almost had her clothes torn off.

“Are you okay, Rindou?”

“Shinjo, I…”

Perhaps due to being forcefully pulled by the men, her hair accessory had been torn apart, leaving her long hair disheveled.

Her skirt had been cruelly torn off, but her upper body was mostly intact.

I hadn’t equipped her for such a situation, but fortunately, she had been wearing leather armor.

I took off my ‘Mantle of Diminishing’ and placed it over Kazuha’s shoulders as she tried to hold back her tears. I’ll let her borrow it for a while.

“…The dungeon is dangerous, you know. If you’re scared, you can go back to town.”

“No, I still want to go. I’m sorry, I’m slowing you down.”

Tears were in her eyes, but Kazuha still asked me to accompany her without crying. The decision to go or not was up to Kazuha.

Returning to the town at this point won’t change anything. Now, it’s time to deal with these guys.

I prodded them with my unsheathed sword and threatened them, leading them to the ‘Abyss’ near the staircase to the surface. While I dragged those who couldn’t move.

I had intended to kill them if they tried to escape, but for some reason, they didn’t even attempt to flee, even though they knew they would be executed.

We were still close to the safety of the town, and the entrance to the ‘Tartarus’ was ahead.

It was foolish of them not to seize the chance to escape as a group when the timing was right.

“All right, blondie. Drop your friends into this pit.”

“Please, don’t kill us…”

“Even if you fall into this pit, you won’t die. Just do it!”

“Ugh, sorry guys.”

Following my orders, the blond-haired guy kicked his companions one by one into the abyss, and the men tied with ropes fell one after another.

Some resisted desperately, trying to pull themselves up with the ropes.

Despite my orders, the blond guy was slow to act.

I prodded him with the tip of my sword, and only then did he begin pushing his friends into the pit.

I see, for these guys who wouldn’t listen to words, it would have been much easier to get them to obey from the beginning like this.

I can understand why Jinguji was trying to scare me into doing what he wanted me to do.

“Hey, Kato, stop it, please!”

“Sorry, I have no choice… I was told to do it, it’s not my fault.”

“Kato, you bastard!”

“I’m sorry!”

The lanky student who had resisted until the end was fiercely berating Kato. He desperately clung to the edge with his bound hands but couldn’t withstand the weight of the others who had fallen and eventually slipped down.

I wondered what the names of those who had just fallen were. Most of them seemed to be from the same F class, since I barely recognized their faces, but I couldn’t remember their names at all.

Well, it doesn’t really matter.

I’ll never meet them again anyway.

After dropping all seven of them, it was finally Kato, the blond-haired guy’s turn.

“All right, Kato. You also need to descend into this pit. You can take all your weapons and belongings that are here with you.”

“Shit, no way… Please spare me. I did everything you told me to do!”

“What are you saying now? After dropping your comrades, there’s no way you’ll be pardoned.”

“That’s terrible! Right, I’ll be Shinjo-san’s loyal follower, I’ll do anything. So please, just spare my life!”

I don’t want a rapist as an underling, even if he kneels down to me.

The moment they attacked me, it was over for them.

These people have become demons who attack humans. Once they cross that line, we have no choice but to kill them all.

A bear that has tasted human flesh must be exterminated. Giving them a chance to survive at that point is already showing mercy.

“Listen up, below this is the tenth underground floor, but there’s a water source where you’ll fall. There have been cases where beginners like you survived and returned. If you go down and untie your friends’ ropes, and if all eight of you help each other and thoroughly explore the surroundings, there’s a chance you might make it. If you want to survive, prove that you’re worth it.”

I tried to warn him, but he wouldn’t listen to me and kept saying, “No, please spare me!” I got impatient and grabbed him by the neck and kicked him into the abyss.

Following the screaming blonde Longhair’s fall, I tossed his belongings and his sword into the pit.

“At that rate, most likely eight or nine out of ten won’t make it.”

No, you’ll die for sure.

I’m not lying about the possibility of survival, though.

If I didn’t have the knowledge of GenoReal, even I wouldn’t be able to get down to the tenth floor now and be sure to return.

What makes survival in a critical environment is the strength of will to survive.

They don’t have that, so I’m sure they will all die in an ugly altercation.