Chapter 155

Episode 155. Break down (1)

"My boss... is a monster."

And with that, words began to spill out of the Clown's mouth.

"He existed from the beginning of time. He is nicknamed greed itself. Everything he wants, he must have. And everything he craves, he must eat."

"......."

"They say that as he came people were created in the worlds of mortals. Transcendents affect mortals in one way or the other. And those who find pleasure in adultery, those who steal out of greed, tyrants that seek to capture and grasp everything in their hands, all originated from my boss."

"......."

"You could probably say that his biggest influence was... gambling and drugs. Such acts of damaging your own body to seek extreme pleasure all originated from him."

The moment the Akashic Records nudged his inner self, the Clown's face became blank, and he began to lay out everything he knew.

According to his description, his 'boss' was evil itself. It was hard to believe that one Transcendent could create all of that. What was he made of? And what were his values to affect the worlds of mortals to such a degree?

"Well... Good for creatures like us, right? If he didn't exist, we would have lived our whole lives unaware of such pleasures. And if I didn't know... I wouldn't have become a Transcendent. I decided to become one because I hated growing old day after day, waiting for death. I didn't want the pleasure to end, so I became a Transcendent. Hahahaha......."

"......."

Creatures like this could also become Transcendents. It wasn't just the good beings with strong beliefs that transcended. Creating an image took a lot of effort, but the unknown something that transformed ordinary beings into immortal entities just cared for the result, not the process.

Basically, it didn't distinguish between good and evil. Or, to be exact, you could say that there was no definition of good and evil at all.

'...It's a human construct, after all.'

There was no such standard. If you met the requirements, you could become a Transcendent.

I looked at the Clown as he rambled on about his principles. Although he looked normal, he was a wreck.

A Transcendent whose image was broken was just like a machine without power. From now on, the Clown would start to constantly doubt himself. He would question why clowns existed, and he would end up asking himself why he existed.

And that would be it. But it would take some time for that to happen.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?"

"I understand now that your boss is very remarkable. But I still don't think I can make a deal with you. You've lost my trust. And... as I said earlier, I'm not that interested in you as a game host anymore."

"W-what... wait......."

"But if you help me with something, I might change my mind."

That time was when the Clown was the most vulnerable and weak. And I was going to use it to manipulate him as I wished.

'His boss isn't someone I can deal with directly yet.'

I lacked information. At the very least, I needed a chance to see him from afar. And the easiest way to get that chance was to use this guy.

I met eyes with the Clown, who was staring at me blankly. I slowly opened my mouth.

"I would like to meet your boss. Since you've started a Game, your boss will probably start one soon. If he doesn't open a Game while his subordinate is hosting one, he might lose his customers. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, yes. You're right. Our customers move in search of Games, rather than their hosts......."

"Then give me a chance to view your boss' Game. I'm not asking you to let me watch for free. I'll bid the appropriate amount of money. And after I view his Game, I'll decide whether or not to sell my World to you. They say his Game is old-fashioned....... But it might suit me just right and end up being very entertaining, don't you think?"

"W-well... I'm afraid that's not possible. Not just anyone can view my boss' Games. It's not a matter of how much you bid... You need to be a trustworthy VIP member ......."

"VIP... Games here have VIPs? But I heard from a senior Transcendent who never participated in any Games that he viewed your boss' Game. Are you... lying to me, by any chance?"

I baited him. The only senior Transcendent I knew was the Traveler, and I had never heard of the Games or the boss from him. So this was just an assumption I made based on our conversation—a bait.

If he took the bait, good. And if he didn't, I could just feign innocence, saying that I misheard it. It was the perfect move.

"Uh....... N-no way. Why would I lie to you?"

The half-dazed Clown took the bait. Just by glancing at his eyes, I could see that his words weren't honest.

Okay, let's dig deeper.

"Perhaps you don't trust yourself. Maybe you're afraid that the boss will outshine you, and I might think his Games are more interesting than yours. You could be afraid that I might abandon you─"

"T-that's nonsense!"

"That's just how people who like attention are like, right? They worry about losing attention and do everything they can to receive more. That's how clowns are from the world I'm from....... Are they different here? Or does your name, the Clown, mean something else?"

"......."

The Clown's face hardened. I had succeeded in driving him to the edge of the cliff. He couldn't answer any of my questions, because the moment he did, he would be contradicting his image. In the end, there was only one thing he could say.

"I've never thought so about my boss' Games. And... whenever I host Games, I always think I'm the best! Most definitely. Even if you view my boss' Games ten, or a thousand times, you'll end up thinking of my Games. They aren't comparable. Anyone can enjoy my Games, but my boss' Games are so boring that only old-fashioned guys like them!"

His voice became firm. I had certainly hit his nerve. His eyes were bloodshot. You could think that he had regained his powers, but that wasn't the case at all.

To me, it looked like he was pushing himself, burning brightly right before his light went out. A fire that was bright at this moment, but would eventually die out because there was nothing else to burn. That was the Clown's role.

'It doesn't matter.'

A dying flame was still a flame. And a flame that blazed by burning itself could cause serious damage to its surroundings.

From now on, he would be a loyal weapon of mine. A weapon that would tell me how to dig up hidden information on his boss and teach me how to completely rip him apart.

"Okay. I trust you. So you can get me a chance to view your boss' Game. I knew you could."

I smiled faintly at the Clown, who was huffing in anger. I touched his face. His makeup had melted down and was smudged. I rubbed it and covered the bare parts of his face, fixing his messy Clown makeup somewhat. But the lighter makeup would disappear in an instant if it touched even a little bit of water.

'Barely hold on like that.'

The moment I fixed his makeup, the Clown's angry face changed, and he smiled faintly. I glanced at him and tapped his back.

"You look like a mess. Why don't you get going? You need to get me a seat at your boss' Game....... And if you end up being in charge of my world, you'll have to plan how to proceed with your Game."

"Oh, yes. I, I, have a lot to do. But I must send back the people gathered over there......."

"I'll take care of it. It wouldn't look good for you to go back. And I have a pretty influential sponsor. I'll persuade them nicely and send them home so that your image won't break apart."

"Oh. Thank you. I, I'll get going then!"

And with a clumsy farewell, the Clown ran off.

"......."

For a while, I watched him go. And I turned my head and spoke only after I confirmed that he was completely gone.

"I suppose he's gone for sure?"

I wiped off the fake expression from my face. And then I narrowed my eyes.

"Then, I can get started."

The stupid Clown was so out of his mind that he couldn't even clean up the stage he set up. I was done dealing with him, and now it was time to start the 'first job' I had originally planned.

* * *

Crack.

I turned my wrist and took out a long stick.

Thump. Thump.

And I walked without hesitation, leaving the alley and coming back to the bar's entrance.

Thud!

"W-who's making all this noise!"

"Ugh... What's going on!?"

I forcefully kicked the door open. The Transcendents reacted sharply. Listening to their voices, I slowly closed the door.

Clank. With the sound of a lock turning, the inside of the bar became isolated from the outside. And I stroked the stick I took out.

At the same time, the stick peeled apart, and a bright light burst out. A colorful light. It was my strongest weapon that I brought from my world—the Mirage.

The brilliant weapon caught the attention of a few Transcendents that had been complaining—even Transcendents like things that were beautiful on the outside. The Transcendents became transfixed by the Mirage, which was shining so brilliantly that no jewel could dare shine in its presence. And I didn't miss that chance.

"One."

Crack.

"...Huh?"

A straight line stretched out from the shining stick, and the head of the Transcendent who was standing closest to me flew off. Red blood splattered, and the bar fell silent. Looking at the stunned Transcendents, I lowered myself and got ready to fight.

'Anyone who hosts world Games should die, but guys like you who welcome and enjoy the Games also deserve to die.'

According to my plan, anyone involved with the phrase 'world Games' couldn't survive. It was the fundamental 'cause' that devastated my world and made humans suffer. I was going to wipe them out, along with everyone who made them happen.

"W... what, you punk─!"

A Transcendent yelled, surprised. Instead of replying, I swung the Mirage in my hand and moved on. Yes, I was just a rookie Transcendent.

And right now, a single rookie Transcendent was going to clean up all of the trash gathered here.

Crrraaack.

"Two."

Every single one.