I Was the Supporter of a Popular Dungeon Streamer, but the Power Harassment Was Too Much, so I Quit. I’m Useless Anyway, so It Shouldn’t Be a Problem, Right? Huh? The Views Are Dropping Like Crazy? - 36

Chapter 36: Anything Goes

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Iizuka extended the handle of his axe, expanding his attack range. He swung the lengthened axe around.

“ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA! Where’d all that confidence from before go, huh?!”

I deflected each and every strike with my prosthetic arm, carefully parrying them.

“It’s almost time, huh?”

“Kh…!”

Iizuka’s breathing started to grow ragged, and his attacks slowed down.

“You still never think about pacing yourself, huh?”

“The hell did you say?!”

Back then, no matter how recklessly Iizuka charged in, Kisaragi was always there to cover for him. But now, Kisaragi wasn’t here. Guess it was time for him to realize just how much he depended on her…!

“【Dragon Chains】!”

I unleashed my chain magic from my left hand.

“You idiot! Magic doesn’t work on this cape!!”

The chain didn’t go for Iizuka, but instead shot past him, latching onto the vending machine behind him.

“Here we go!!”

With both hands, I yanked the chain, pulling the vending machine toward me.

“What?!”

The heavy machine slammed straight into Iizuka’s back.

“—!!?”

“That cape only resists magic. It doesn’t do a damn thing against plain old physical attacks. There’s always a way around things.”

As Iizuka doubled over in pain, I closed the distance and thrust my prosthetic arm forward.

“Shield Axe!!”

Iizuka enlarged his axe, creating a wall between us.

“Heh! Looks like your follow-up failed—”

“Don’t underestimate me!!”

I slammed my prosthetic arm into the axe. The impact sent both the axe and Iizuka himself flying.

“Gahh!!”

Iizuka was pinned under the massive axe. He shrank it down to the size of a knife and gripped it in his right hand.

“You punched my axe?! H-how the hell… What kind of strength does that bastard even have…?!”

Just as Iizuka got back to his feet—

“【Phantom Motion Mirage】”

I created a duplicate of myself. I sent the clone charging forward, while I used its shadow as cover to sneak closer to Iizuka.

“You bastard!!”

Iizuka extended his axe like a halberd and sliced clean through the clone.

“A clone?!”

The moment the illusion vanished, I leapt out of the shadow and drove my prosthetic fist into Iizuka’s gut.

“Urgh!!”

I grabbed his cape with my left hand and ripped it off before seizing him by the throat with my prosthetic arm.

“Y-you…!”

“【Eightfold Bind】”

Eight black wedges pierced Iizuka. As long as these wedges remained embedded, Iizuka wouldn’t be able to change his location. He could move his limbs, but he couldn’t change his position. Even if I removed my prosthetic hand from his neck, Iizuka would stay suspended in midair.

“Uoooooohhh!!”

Desperately resisting, Iizuka enlarged his axe and swung it down. I easily caught the axe with my prosthetic hand and—

“【Moonlight Thunderstrike】”

—I unleashed a lightning strike from my free left hand, hitting Iizuka’s right arm directly. His grip loosened, and the axe slipped from his hand.

“…T-This can’t be happening…!? W-Why am I  losing to the likes of you…!?”

“This is a hundred times more anticlimactic than I expected. It seems Kisaragi’s support was more significant than I thought. I only ever saw you fight with Kisaragi by your side, so I didn’t realize… Without Kisaragi, you’re this weak, huh?”

Iizuka clenched his teeth so hard it seemed they might break, but no matter how furious he got, he could do nothing. His OOPArts were out of reach, and his mobility was completely sealed.

“Haha… Haha…! You must really be into Koyuki!”

Since he couldn’t move, Iizuka resorted to attacking me with words instead.

“Too bad for you! That precious Koyuki of yours… She’s already defiled!”

“What?”

“I bought her! You really think I didn’t do anything to her!? Loli girls aren’t my thing, but screwing around with her to kill time wasn’t half bad…!”

“Iizuka… I know you’re trying to piss me off, but do us both a favor and stop spouting such pathetic lies.”

“W-What!?”

“I know just how much of a coward you are. Sexual crimes are considered major offenses in the Labyrinth City. If you had forced yourself on Kisaragi and she reported it, her debt would be erased and you’d be facing severe punishment. I don’t believe for a second that you’d take such a risk just to lay your hands on her.”

“…!?”

For a moment, Iizuka faltered, realizing I had seen right through him, but he quickly forced a grin.

“Hehe… Sure, you got me there… But y’know, even if sexual crimes are serious charges, assault charges here are nothing compared to them.”

The Labyrinth City had its own independent legal system. Inside the labyrinth, lawlessness ran rampant. The fear of monsters and traps often pushed people to their limits, dulling their judgment. Many ended up crossing the line in moments of extreme stress. Before proper laws were in place, rapes inside the labyrinth were frequent, especially cases where stronger Seekers assaulted their Supporters. Since there were some monsters with inclinations toward sexual assaults, offenders found it easy to shift the blame to monsters. Because of these factors, strict laws against sexual crimes were established.

On the other hand, violence was treated far more leniently. To survive in the labyrinth, intense training was essential. If every injury sustained in training led to lawsuits, proper training would become impossible. In this city, corporal punishment was widely accepted under the belief that it was necessary to cultivate strong Seekers and Supporters.

“Did you know? You ever wonder why she always hides her face?”

Two of the wedges restraining Iizuka vanished. He was definitely stalling for time. I knew that, but I deliberately listened anyway. I had always been curious about why Kisaragi insisted on hiding her face. Besides, even if he broke free, I could capture him again in no time.

“It’s because I beat the shit out of her face! She started covering it up to hide the swelling. Even when the bruises were gone, hiding her face became a habit! Hilarious, ain’t it?!”

“…!”

No way. To think someone actually treats their own Supporter like that… !

“Man! Her face was all puffed up like a pig! It was priceless!”

“That’s another ridiculous lie. There’s no way—”

“It’s not a lie! Want proof? I’ve got photos on my phone! That little bitch, all beaten up, flashing a peace sign!!!”

Disgust.For the first time in my life, I felt true, overwhelming disgust. Mia was trash. She was abusive, stingy with rewards, and constantly spewed insults while making no effort herself. Until recently, I had thought she was the worst partner imaginable. But there was someone even worse than Mia. So much worse than Mia seemed almost tolerable in comparison. 

So this is how low a human being can sink.

“…Enough.”

I released 【Eightfold Bind】 myself.

“Oh!”

Freed from his restraints, Iizuka dropped to the ground, landing on his backside.

“Haha… Haha! Your skill wore off, huh?! You dumbass! You fell for my stalling hook, line, and sinker! I won this round! Now we’re back to even—”

Iizuka looked at my face and fell silent.

“…Anything goes.”

I had no idea what kind of expression I was making. But I knew for certain it was a face I had never worn before in my entire life.

“…Anything goes, as long as I don’t kill you, right?”

Though my entire body boiled with rage, my mind remained chillingly calm. Indeed. I was calculating how much I could torment Iizuka. 

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