Chapter 178 - But That's a Loser's Mindset

Hakari flexed the brand-new left arm, cracking the knuckles one by one. Gate Five felt amazing. But the strain on the body was still way too much. No way was Hakari spending half a month in bed after a single fight. Better to finish this at the most familiar rhythm. Hakari pressed both palms together, middle fingers and index fingers crossed into an extraordinarily complex hand seal.

Vast, ferocious Cursed Energy detonated outward in every direction with Hakari at the center.

"Domain Expansion — Idle Death Gamble!"

CLATTER CLATTER CLATTER!

The abandoned dockyard vanished in an instant. In its place: an enormous underground casino packed wall-to-wall with pachinko machines, every surface blazing with neon. Electronic chimes and the ringing clash of coins flooded the entire space. The Sure-Hit rule activated. The Domain's ruleset was shoved directly into Kashimo's mind, like a manual force-loaded straight into the brain. Probability Shift.

In this state, the next reward is guaranteed to be the jackpot. Hakari stood at the center of the Domain, one hand tucked in a pants pocket, the other flicking at the blond hair hanging over one eye. The pose was absurdly, unapologetically cocky.

"Welcome to my home turf, old relic."

Hakari grinned, flashing two rows of white teeth.

"See that? The moment I spin the jackpot, I'm unkillable. Even if you blow me to pieces, I'll put myself back together."

Kashimo laughed, cold and sharp.

"Nonsense!"

A finger jabbed toward Hakari. "You're not immortal yet! Kill you before you hit that so-called jackpot and this Domain collapses on its own! A bet? That's a cheap little trick. Not worth mentioning."

Hakari shrugged.

"The whole thrill of gambling is that uncertainty — teetering right on the edge between life and death."

Hakari strolled over to one of the pachinko machines and gave the cabinet a pat.

"A little gamble brightens your day. Life's the same way. Who can say what the next second holds? Luck is one of the most important parts of strength."

"Profound."

The lightning wreathing Kashimo's body surged back in a furious, crackling torrent.

"I hope you're still this mouthy when I drive my fist through your heart!"

BOOM!

Kashimo threw all caution aside and charged straight at Hakari. Inside this Domain, stalling for time was suicide. Kashimo had to destroy Hakari's body completely before the jackpot landed. The two clashed again. This time, Kashimo abandoned all defense. Pure life-for-life. Every last scrap of Cursed Energy converted into maximum-voltage electric discharge, every collision aimed at burning out Hakari's nervous system.

BANG! BANG! CRACKLE!

Even with Gate Five's physical reinforcement, Hakari started falling behind under that suicidal, all-or-nothing assault.

Is this person insane?

Hakari cursed inwardly. The paralysis crept in stronger and stronger. Hakari's movements developed a faint, telltale sluggishness. That single instant of vulnerability, Kashimo seized it and refused to let go.

"Got you!"

Both hands slammed together, palms aimed dead center at Hakari's chest. The massive electric charge built up across half the fight was released in that one moment, without a shred of restraint.

"Die!"

BOOM!

A thick pillar of blue lightning drove straight through Hakari's body. Hakari convulsed violently, eyes rolling back. No scream came out. The terrifying high-voltage current knocked Hakari out cold on the spot, and the body toppled straight backward.

"It's over."

Kashimo stood there panting, staring down at Hakari collapsed on the ground. But the expected sight of the Domain crumbling never came. The pachinko machines kept flashing all around, wild and relentless. The electronic chimes grew sharper, more frantic.

"What's going on?" Kashimo's head snapped toward the large screen.

The spinning reels were whirling at blinding speed. At that same moment, a strange light flashed across Hakari's body on the ground. Time seemed to glitch. One second ago: charred black, unconscious. Then it was as if someone had pressed rewind. The scorch marks faded rapidly. The rolled-back eyes snapped back into focus.

"Pseudo Rollback?" Kashimo's eyes went wide.

The Domain could perform a probabilistic time reversal under Probability Shift. Hakari exploded up from the ground, gulping down huge mouthfuls of air.

"Damn. Almost went to meet my great-grandmother. That electric shock was absolutely no joke."

Hakari wiped the white foam from the corner of the mouth and looked up at the screen. Ding! Ding! Ding! Three sevens locked in place. Perfectly still. Golden streamers and confetti erupted in a frenzy across the entire Domain.

"JACKPOT!"

A deafening cheer crashed in from every direction. Then an outrageously catchy, intensely rhythmic J-pop track exploded through the Domain like a physical force. Riding the beat, Cursed Energy inside Hakari began pouring out at a mind-bending rate. Vast. Limitless. Completely ignoring any ceiling, cycling on in an infinite loop.

"Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes!"

Hakari twisted with excitement and broke into a dance right there on the spot, wildly catchy, almost comically ridiculous. Every single move landed on the heavy beat. Arrogance cranked to the absolute maximum.

"4 minutes and 11 seconds! During that window, I cannot die!"

Hakari stopped dancing and looked across at Kashimo. Gate Five. No more holding back. Hakari moved first.

BANG!

Before Kashimo could react, a full-force punch landed square in the chest. The crack of ribs rang out clean beneath the BGM. Kashimo spat blood and went flying like a cannonball.

"Too slow, old relic!"

Hakari's voice came from directly above. Both fists clasped together and hammered down hard onto Kashimo's back.

BOOM!

Floor tiles shattered. Kashimo was driven straight into the ground. The next two minutes were entirely one-sided. Defense was unnecessary. Every time Kashimo's lightning connected, the Reverse Cursed Technique running on infinite Cursed Energy healed it instantly. Even if half the skull got blown off, within 4 minutes and 11 seconds it would grow back in a fraction of a second.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Every punch landed on flesh. Kashimo was driven back again and again, drenched in blood, struggling to stay upright.

"You..." Kashimo dropped to one knee, breathing in ragged heaves.

Eyes locked hard on Hakari rolling the neck to the beat, the fanaticism in that gaze still had not died.

"4 minutes and 11 seconds."

A cold snort. Kashimo wiped the blood from the corner of one eye.

"Once that time runs out, your immortal body gets cancelled."

Hakari stopped. "Oh? So what — you're going to run?"

The corner of Kashimo's mouth split into an arrogant curve.

"But that is a loser's mindset!"

➤ Next: Gate of Wonder