In the Ordinary Streets of Tokyo, I Awakened as a Player

Chapter 297: Forbidden Magic Crystal

Chapter 297: Forbidden Magic Crystal

Facing the katana swung by the Black Watch Commander, Asagiri merely pulled back to widen the distance, then quickly threw the Rope Dart in his hand.

"Clang!"

Unexpectedly, the Black Watch Commander seemed to have prepared for this. He blocked the Rope Dart directly with his katana, then reached out with his left hand and firmly grabbed the metal chain still swaying in the air.

A sinister smile appeared on his face.

"Got you..."

"Got you."

Hearing Asagiri’s words, the Black Watch Commander could not help but freeze.

Why are you stealing my line?

The next second, the Black Watch Commander felt a terrifying force surge through the chain in his hand. He did not even have time to let go before his entire body was dragged toward Asagiri.

And as his body was pulled into the air, Human Asura had already clenched its dark right fist.

"Shield!"

A thick shield formed from spiritual power blocked Human Asura’s fist just before it struck the Black Watch Commander.

The shield took Human Asura’s punch head-on, and fine cracks instantly spread across its surface. However, it did not shatter outright.

The Commander seized that brief moment to release the chain connected to the Rope Dart and quickly retreat.

"A shield-type spell..."

Before Asagiri could even begin searching for the Player who had just cast the shield spell, a barrage of ranged attacks rained down on the spot where he and Human Asura were standing.

"Boom!"

Amid the cloud of smoke and dust, both Asagiri and Human Asura dodged in time.

A golden light glowed in Asagiri’s black eyes as he scanned the Black Watch Players standing faintly within the smoke and dust, calmly calculating his battle plan.

Just like the question he had raised during the first stage of the game, Black Watch, this highly disciplined military organization whose members felt neither fear nor hesitation, had indeed become far more difficult to deal with after coming into contact with the Game and gaining the power of Players.

The Commander holding the katana had physical abilities only slightly inferior to his.

If this were a one-on-one fight, Asagiri was confident he could kill the opponent within twenty seconds.

But the current situation was not one-on-one.

There were support classes casting shields from the side, mages and archers providing ranged fire, Players with control skills, and close combat classes with enough combat ability that they would not be instantly killed.

The class composition of this Black Watch squad was simply flawless. They were like a specialized strategy team designed to challenge a BOSS, with no obvious weak link.

Most importantly, Asagiri felt that something about the current situation was off.

Yuuki Asuna, Kaguya Shinomiya, Iwanaga Kotoko, and Kato Megumi had to deal with eleven otherworld Players while occasionally being harassed by ranged attacks from the Black Watch Players. They were at a disadvantage.

Asagiri alone was facing ten Black Watch Players and was temporarily being suppressed.

Even if he used Man-Demon Mode right now, it would be difficult for him to kill all the Black Watch enemies in front of him before his stamina ran out.

But...

As long as Asagiri used Supreme Magic Bullet, he could directly reverse the tide of the battle.

The problem was that, in the last Dungeon, Black Watch had already learned that he possessed some kind of large-scale instant kill ability.

Yet in this battle, these Black Watch members seemed completely unprepared for Supreme Magic Bullet.

No, not only were they unprepared, there was even a strange feeling that they were deliberately wearing down his patience, hoping he would use Supreme Magic Bullet.

Black Watch had no morals. They were cruel, ruthless, and enemies that Asagiri and the others, as well as this world, had to eliminate.

But Black Watch was not stupid.

A combat method without any preventive measures did not seem like a plan they would come up with.

In that instant, several possibilities flashed through Asagiri’s mind.

Reflecting attacks.

Temporarily making themselves and their teammates invincible, like a group version of Iwanaga Kotoko’s Phantom Garment effect.

Thinking even more boldly, perhaps they had items capable of reviving themselves and their teammates, or something like the Hourglass of Reversal, an item that could reverse time but would not replenish a Player’s mental strength or stamina.

Such things might be able to counter Supreme Magic Bullet.

At the very least, from Black Watch’s perspective, they might believe such things could counter it.

Could it really be countered?

Asagiri was not going to gamble on that possibility.

There was only one way to verify it.

Human Asura’s body quickly dissipated, turning into strange dark red patterns that circled around Asagiri. At that moment, his eyes turned pure golden yellow.

A terrifying fluctuation of power spread through the entire area, enough to make people tremble in fear.

"Supreme..."

Hearing Asagiri’s words and seeing the dark red patterns surrounding him, the Black Watch Commander looked as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. His face filled with excitement.

He took out a bright purple, misty crystal ball from his item slot and smashed it heavily onto the ground.

[Forbidden Magic Crystal (Consumable Item, Red Epic Quality): When this crystal is shattered, it will cause the surrounding hundred-meter area to enter a Magic Restriction state for three minutes. Using any skill that consumes mental strength within this area will consume five times the original mental strength, and the effects of skills used by consuming mental strength will be reduced to one-fifth of their original power.]

"Go to hell, Shadow!"

After using this item, the Black Watch Players’ faces were filled with excitement.

Could they survive Supreme Magic Bullet with its power reduced to one-fifth?

That was not important.

What mattered was that an ability like Supreme Magic Bullet had to consume an astonishing amount of mental strength.

And if that consumption became five times greater...

Even if Shadow’s mental strength was high, he would definitely die from extreme mental exhaustion.

However, what the Black Watch Players did not expect was that the scene they had imagined, Shadow collapsing to the ground, did not happen.

Nor did any dark light appear.

The dark red patterns around Asagiri quickly dissipated. He stood there perfectly fine and spoke in a calm tone.

"So you had this kind of item? Interesting."

"How... how is that possible..."

The Black Watch Commander was shocked, his voice filled with disbelief.

"You were clearly preparing to use..."

"Who said I was going to use an ability?"

Asagiri replied with a laugh, his tone matter-of-fact.

"I was just bored and wanted to say the skill name to look cool. Is that not allowed?"

"You... actually..."

While Asagiri and the Black Watch Commander were talking, the Players on both sides felt the changes brought by the Forbidden Magic Crystal.

Iwanaga Kotoko immediately canceled Pale Domination to avoid excessive mental strength consumption. At the same time, before canceling the release, she also sensed the strange power suppressing Pale Domination.

As a Warlock, she could barely display any combat power within the area covered by the Forbidden Magic Crystal. Although her physical fitness had reached the human limit, that was not enough against enemies who were also Players.

Kato Megumi, who needed to consume mental strength to use her exclusive talent, was in the same situation.

Not only was her talent’s effect reduced to one-fifth, but the consumption had also increased fivefold, making it completely pointless to continue maintaining the effect.

Yuuki Asuna, being a Swordsman, was the least affected.

Although her sword skills also consumed mental strength, she could still fight using normal attacks alone.

As for Kaguya Shinomiya...

"Crack..."

The black-blue armor and Lionheart Shield slowly shattered, and pain appeared in Kaguya Shinomiya’s eyes.

Her Hundred-Armed Giant’s Bow, Shinju, and Lionheart Shield were not system-certified equipment. They were things she condensed through her exclusive talent by consuming mental strength.

Under the influence of the Forbidden Magic Crystal, Kaguya Shinomiya no longer had any weapons or armor to use.

Just then, Asagiri saw a Black Watch Player wearing gauntlets. The veins on his neck rapidly swelled, and his skin turned deep purple.

"Liberation... seventy percent power..."

"Another fighting skill..."

Asagiri knew that Liberation was similar to Pre-borrow. Both were abilities used by martial artists to enhance their physical fitness.

"So that’s it. This is your backup plan..."

At that moment, Asagiri understood Black Watch’s true plan.

Lure him into using Supreme Magic Bullet.

If he died from excessive mental strength exhaustion, that would naturally be the best outcome.

But if it failed, then the Black Watch member with Liberation and the Commander holding the greatsword, two Players with purely physical professions who were almost unaffected by the Forbidden Magic Crystal, would act as the main attackers and kill him before the magic restriction effect ended.

And right now, although Asagiri had interrupted the activation of Supreme Magic Bullet, he had still consumed some mental strength.

Furthermore, because Kayaba Akihiko was hiding underground, he could not try to escape the range of the Forbidden Magic Crystal. He also did not know how long the item’s effect would last.

If this continued, someone would die.

"Necro!"

Hearing Asagiri call her, Iwanaga Kotoko instantly understood.

She took a deep breath. A bright light appeared in her dark purple eyes, while strange dark red patterns also appeared across Asagiri’s body.

Iwanaga Kotoko could use Netherworld Summon to enter a state where she consumed no mental strength for one minute, essentially making her immune to the effects of the Forbidden Magic Crystal.

Meanwhile, Asagiri could enter Man-Demon Mode and fight with pure physical stats without using any skills that consumed mental strength.

The price was that if new enemies appeared later, Iwanaga Kotoko would be unconscious and unable to fight, while Asagiri’s stamina would be exhausted. Even using the Ring of Conversion to recover would bring serious consequences.

But now, this was the only way.

Just as Asagiri and Iwanaga Kotoko were about to use their trump cards, a figure suddenly rushed into the battlefield.

The speed he displayed in that instant was even comparable to Asagiri in his Human Asura enhanced state.

"Don’t attack. I’m here to help you."

The young man looked at Asagiri, first nodding slightly in greeting, then raised his left hand and brushed back his bangs.

"Black Watch is my enemy too."

.....

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