Chapter 171: Killing Kamiki Hikaru, Leading to the Reincarnation Deity

"Come to think of it, Kamiki Hikaru was ultimately destroyed by his own persona."

Miyako remarked with a sigh.

Hearing this, Haruto raised an eyebrow with interest.

"Destroyed by his own persona?"

She nodded.

"Yes, Kamiki Hikaru's public image was simply too perfect, whether in the industry or in front of the audience. He always played the role of a harmonious teammate, a respectful professional towards staff, and a dedicated performer to his fans."

"Kind, handsome, and easygoing yet incredibly talented, this kind of persona is hard to establish but once it's solidified, it attracts an immense following."

"For a long time, Kamiki Hikaru relied on this carefully crafted image to gain loyal fans. But once that image crumbled, those same fans turned on him in an instant."

"Other artists facing scandals might be able to lay low and make a comeback. But Kamiki Hikaru? There's no way he can recover. His career is completely over."

"I also heard that the company he established under his name had a business bet with another company. With Kamiki Hikaru's downfall, that agreement ended in complete failure, pushing his company to the brink of bankruptcy and liquidation."

Miyako shared everything she knew.

Hearing this, Haruto's lips curled into a smirk.

Good riddance. Time to pop the champagne.

However, despite Kamiki Hikaru's life plunging into ruin, there was still no unexpected twist.

Even though Haruto had been busy, he still checked the reports from the Foundation.

There had been no updates about Kamiki Hikaru.

This meant that even though Kamiki Hikaru had hit rock bottom, with his life now as bleak as a silent film...

The reincarnation anomaly behind him remained completely unresponsive.

That was why there had been no reports regarding him.

From the looks of it, despite having been reincarnated multiple times and dedicating each life to the entertainment industry...

His reincarnation had absolutely nothing to do with his career as an artist.

In that case... there was only one thing left to try, executing Kamiki Hikaru and observing the anomaly's reaction.

With that thought, and since he happened to have time, Haruto pulled up Kamiki Hikaru's file from the Foundation and set out to personally carry out the execution.

At that moment, Kamiki Hikaru was holed up in a cramped, dimly lit apartment, his appearance drastically changed.

Once, Kamiki Hikaru had been strikingly handsome, his ethereal aura turning heads wherever he went.

But now, his eyes were bloodshot, filled with red veins, heavy bags hanging under them, and dark circles so pronounced they looked as if he'd smeared on too much eyeshadow.

Clearly, he hadn't had a proper rest in a long time.

His disrupted routine and lack of proper nutrition had taken their toll.

His complexion was sallow, his body thin and frail, making him look as if he had aged ten years overnight.

In that dimly lit room, Kamiki Hikaru stared intensely at the computer screen, his bloodshot eyes wide open, his teeth clenched.

Displayed on the screen was news about Haruto.

"'Attack on Titan' concludes, 'Demon Slayer' releases—Genius Mangaka's talent remains undiminished!"

Beneath the headline was a striking image of Haruto, likely a screencap from a dating show, repurposed by a media outlet.

A handsome man with the label of a genius mangaka, it was a natural magnet for attention.

Kamiki Hikaru lashed out, kicking the desk.

But after neglecting exercise for so long, his body was nothing like before. Losing his balance, he tumbled backward, landing flat on his back.

His hand snagged on the curtain, and with a loud rip, it came crashing down.

Outside, the alley was pitch black. Even without the curtain, no light seeped in.

This was a dirt-cheap apartment, and expecting decent sunlight was nothing more than a fantasy.

"Damn it! It's all because of you! You destroyed everything I had!"

Kamiki Hikaru lay on the floor, screaming in rage.

He had always been on top because he had never faced any real setbacks.

But the moment he suffered a crushing defeat, he fell apart, his lofty attitude as a reincarnator vanishing completely.

Now, he was no better than an ordinary person; no, even worse. He was just another pathetic figure, curled up in the darkness, howling in frustration.

"Oh? All thanks to me, huh? I'm honored. Mind if I interview you on how it feels to have your life ruined?"

A sudden voice echoed through the room.

Kamiki Hikaru's eyes widened in shock.

In an instant, he scrambled like a frightened animal, scurrying to a corner of the cramped room, clutching his head in terror.

"W-What more do you want?! You've already taken everything from me!"

He screamed in panic.

Haruto's voice had been burned into his mind.

Just hearing it triggered an overwhelming, instinctive fear.

Unlike his earlier rage, the moment he saw the real deal, Hikaru shrank into a cowering mess, desperate to beg for mercy.

Watching the pitiful sight before him, Haruto's smirk faded. He casually opened the window and leaped inside.

"This is just disappointing. You're a reincarnator, aren't you? What's with the coward act? Didn't you ever think about gathering intelligence? Or using your life to get revenge? You can reincarnate, can't you? At least act like a proper villain. Otherwise, the girls you killed will have died for nothing."

Haruto felt nothing but disgust and disappointment.

A reincarnator.

Twisted mind or not, evil or not, at the very least, act the part of a true villain. If he could reincarnate, why not use that ability to gather information and set traps?

Or reincarnate, bide his time, and build up power to take revenge?

Hell, he could even try using his own life to take Haruto down with him and then just reincarnate again.

But no, he just curled up in a corner, sniveling like a beaten dog.

What about the girls he had killed?

Would their deaths be completely meaningless?

Exposed for what he truly was, Hikaru's terror turned into madness.

"No! How could you know?! How could you possibly know I'm a reincarnator?! This is impossible! An illusion! This is all an illusion! Hahaha! Right! I'm a reincarnator! How could I ever fail?!"

Watching him descend into madness, Haruto felt a wave of nausea.

Truly revolting.

He was so disgusted that he nearly gagged.

This kind of garbage didn't even deserve to be called a villain. It was best to just remove him from the picture.

With a casual flick of his finger, Haruto sent a droplet of blood mist straight into Hikaru's forehead. Instantly, the unrestricted Blacklight Virus began multiplying and spreading inside him.

Within a blink, it devoured Hikaru's brain cells, rapidly expanding throughout his body.

With a dull thud, Hikaru collapsed.

But he wasn't dead yet.

Even with his brain cells consumed by the virus, traces of his consciousness remained.

He could clearly feel the horrifying changes taking place in his body.

He could even sense something new growing in his mind, gnawing away at his remaining awareness.

This process would continue until the Blacklight Virus completely reconstructed him and erupted from within.

On the ground, Hikaru's body began to bloat and distort.

Bone spikes, ghoul-like kagune, and writhing tentacles sprouted from his form.

Then, those grotesque appendages twisted further into indescribable shapes, swelling larger and larger.

And the moment it reached its limit, Hikaru's body exploded, bursting into a cloud of blood mist.

Haruto casually waved his hand, gathering the scattered mist into a single mass before erasing it.

Hikaru, dead.

Then, Haruto stood quietly, waiting.

Time ticked by, second after second.

Suddenly, in one fleeting moment, he sensed an abnormal fluctuation.

"Za Warudo!"

[The World] activated.

Everything around him turned gray as time itself came to a halt. The river of time had been forcibly stopped, freezing everything in place.

Haruto leaped out of the window, traversing a few rooftops before arriving deep in the mountains.

The sun was setting, casting a crimson glow across the horizon.

On a small hill within the secluded forest, Haruto saw a girl dressed in a black nun's habit.

She looked around twelve years old, her messy medium-length hair loosely draping over her back. Surrounded by countless ravens, they fluttered about her as if drawn to her very presence.

Black feathers were frozen midair, seemingly on the verge of landing in her outstretched hand.

But what stood out most were her eyes.

They seemed devoid of emotion, not quite dead but unsettlingly vacant.

To an ordinary person, just gazing into them would send chills down their spine.

Haruto's eyes lingered on the girl, then shifted to the black feather hovering in the air, just about to fall into her hand.

His brow furrowed slightly.

Snapping his fingers, time resumed, though at an extremely slow pace, so much so that the falling feather barely moved.

Haruto stepped forward, facing the girl.

Her empty gaze turned to meet his.

"Why let him reincarnate? He was just trash."

Haruto's voice was calm as he asked.

The girl looked at him for a brief moment, then turned her gaze back to the black raven feather.

"…Mission."

She answered.

Haruto's frown deepened.

"Mission? What kind of 'mission'? Murdering bright, promising young girls one after another?"

Hearing this, the girl hesitated for a moment before shifting her gaze back to Haruto.

"I don't know. But it was his mission. I had to let him complete it."

Haruto sighed.

"Can we get rid of this cryptic nonsense already?"

This time, the girl didn't respond.

Clearly, even as a so-called "riddle-speaker," she had no real answer.

Haruto gave up on questioning her further.

"What if I kill him?"

He gestured toward the falling feather.

It was obvious, it represented Kotaro's soul.

"I will let him reincarnate again. Until he fulfills his mission."

The girl answered plainly.

Haruto shook his head.

"No, not that kind of death… Whatever, it's hard to explain. I'll show you instead."

In the next moment, Haruto's irises shimmered with brilliant colors, resembling a rainbow in motion.

Then, he extended his finger and lightly traced it over the descending soul of Hikaru.

There was no sound. No immediate change.

But from Haruto's perspective, his fingertip had just traced over an almost imperceptible thread—

A thread of death.