99 Deaths

Hiritsu stepped forward, his heart pounding as he approached the Mana Tester.

The moment his hand touched the machine, a blinding blue light surged outward. The entire testing hall fell silent.

The result was clear-his mana reserves were far beyond the top 100.

With his ranking secured, he prepared for battle.

His first fight was against Rank 100.

A one-sided massacre.

Hiritsu barely broke a sweat as he tore through each opponent-99, 98, 97... until he reached Rank 93.

Then, everything changed.

Just as Hiritsu was about to continue his climb, a hush fell over the crowd.

The testers gasped.

Tester 1: "Oh... finally, he showed up."

Tester 2: "Why didn't he show up when Akemi was fighting?"

Tester 1: "He overslept. Simple as that."

In the arena, Hiritsu turned to face his new challenger.

A boy stood there, barely awake, his posture lazy and uninterested.

The commentator's voice boomed through the stadium-

"IT'S HIM! KENJI!"

3... 2... 1... FIGHT!

Hiritsu's usual strategy was simple: study his opponent. Learn their patterns. Find their weaknesses.

But Kenji?

He didn't move.

Not an inch.

Instead, he raised a small wooden stick and lazily swung it forward.

Then, from the tip-

A single tiny fireball flickered into existence.

Weak. Slow. Meaningless.

Hiritsu couldn't help himself-he laughed.

"Is this a joke?"

Kenji simply released the fireball with no intent to kill.

No intent to win.

It floated forward sluggishly.

Hiritsu ignored it.

Instead, he focused on finding Kenji's weak spot. He dashed around the arena, testing different angles-

But Kenji still didn't move.

Not once.

It was as if he didn't care.

Finally, Hiritsu saw an opening. He slammed his hands to the ground, activating his earthquake spell-

BOOM!

The ground trembled violently around Kenji.

But then-

"DODGE THE FIREBALL, HIRITSU!"

Takuma's voice shook the arena.

Hiritsu's eyes widened.

The tiny, pathetic fireball had finally reached him.

And the moment it touched his skin-

Nothing happened.

At least, not in the real world.

Hiritsu's soul was yanked away.

His vision blurred.

When his sight returned, he was somewhere else.

A void.

A dark, terrifying realm filled with an endless emptiness.

He spun around, panic setting in-

Then, a voice spoke behind him.

"Yo."

Hiritsu turned.

Kenji stood there.

Untouched. Unbothered. Unstoppable.

"Kenji... where are we? Did Beelzebub do this?" Hiritsu asked.

Kenji smirked.

And before Hiritsu could react-

Kenji grabbed his head.

And in an instant-

Hiritsu died.

Then, suddenly-

He was back in the arena.

His body was intact. His wounds were gone. But-

The fear remained.

A cold sweat dripped down his forehead. His hands trembled.

No one knew what had happened.

No one except him.

And Kenji.

Before Hiritsu could even react, Kenji appeared behind him.

A whisper-

"I can summon 100 fireballs. That means I can kill you 100 times.

And each time...

It'll be more painful than the last."

Hiritsu's heart sank.

With sheer desperation, he lunged forward, daggers drawn-

Slash!

Miss.

Kenji dodged effortlessly.

Then, he did it again.

Another slow, weak fireball.

But this time, not just one.

Not two.

Dozens.

They floated toward Hiritsu from every direction.

He tried dodging.

He tried escaping.

But Kenji?

He just sat down.

And played with rocks.

He even threw one at Hiritsu's feet, as if mocking him.

It was disrespectful.

Hiritsu's rage exploded.

He rushed forward, aiming to knock Kenji out before the fireballs could reach him.

Kenji slept.

Literally.

Kenji stood before Hiratsu, his posture relaxed, his half-lidded eyes still carrying that sleepy, detached look.

But Hiratsu had had enough.

This guy had been toying with him, making a fool of him in front of everyone.

Kenji swayed slightly, as if drowsy. A perfect opening.

"Now's my chance!"

Hiratsu charged. His body tensed, muscles coiled as he prepared to end this in one blow.

But then-

A fireball appeared behind Kenji.

Small. Slow. Just like before.

But Hiratsu was already moving at full speed. He couldn't stop.

He had no way to dodge.

And then-

It touched him.

Hiratsu gasped.

His body was no longer in the arena.

Instead, he was pinned down. Cold, rusty iron shackles bound his arms and legs to the ground.

His breathing was uneven. His head throbbed.

"What... is this place?"

Then-Kenji's voice.

"You know, I don't like doing this..." Kenji sighed, sitting in front of him, legs crossed as if they were just having a casual conversation.

"But you left me no choice."

Hiratsu gritted his teeth. He pulled at the iron shackles.

They didn't budge.

"What the hell? This is just some rusty iron. I should be able to break it!"

Kenji smirked.

"Confused? You should be."

He leaned forward, his lazy expression never changing.

"You could break it in the real world... but here? You're powerless."

Kenji's hand reached down, gripping a rusted blade.

"So, where should I begin?"

The blade sank into Hiratsu's stomach.

Agony.

Hiratsu's body convulsed. His mouth opened in a scream, but no sound came out.

Kenji tilted his head.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

He dragged the blade upward.

Blood poured out.

Kenji sighed, shaking his head.

"You should've just given up."

Then-

Kenji tore Hiratsu apart.

Limb by limb.

And then-

Hiratsu died.

Back to the Arena

Hiratsu snapped back to reality.

His body was whole again. But the pain still lingered.

Sweat dripped down his face.

His hands trembled.

But before he could even process what had happened-

Another fireball hit him.

And just like that-

He was back in Kenji's world.

The Cycle of Death

Kenji chuckled.

"Looks like we'll be meeting a lot, huh?"

Hiratsu clenched his fists.

"I won't lose to you."

Kenji sighed.

"You don't get it, do you?"

He ran a hand through his messy hair before leaning forward.

"Everyone has limits. And I'm not talking about your willpower, or your 'spirit'-none of that foolishness."

Kenji's voice dropped lower.

"Your soul has limits."

Hiratsu's breath hitched.

"If you get sent here 100 times... you will die. Not just here. But in the real world, too."

Kenji raised a hand.

"And just so you know..."

A glowing countdown appeared in the air.

99.

"I already launched 99 fireballs at you. The moment you regain consciousness, they will all hit you at once."

Kenji's lazy smile returned.

"So, do you want to surrender? I can stop them for you."

Hiratsu gritted his teeth.

He was shaking.

His instincts screamed at him.

"I... I can't win."

But then-

He laughed.

Kenji raised an eyebrow.

"You dumbass." Hiratsu smirked. "You only launched 99 fireballs. Not 100."

Kenji blinked.

Then, he sighed.

"I see. You're one of those types."

Then-

Kenji killed him again.

And again

And again

And again

And again

And again

And again

And again

Till

The Final Fireball

Hiratsu gasped as he snapped back to reality one last time.

This was it.

The final fireball.

Hiratsu sprinted forward. He wouldn't let it touch him again.

Kenji yawned and raised his hand.

The last fireball appeared.

But this time-

It wasn't slow.

It was faster than the speed of light.

Hiratsu's eyes widened.

"No...!"

It was over.

But then-

Someone stepped in front of him.

The fireball slammed into their back.

Takuma.

Hiratsu's eyes widened in horror.

His mentor had taken the hit for him.

Takuma turned slowly. His eyes burned with fury.

And then-

He slapped Hiratsu.

Hard.

So hard that Hiratsu went flying.

His body skidded across the ground.

Takuma's voice boomed.

"You idiot! You were on the verge of death!"

The entire arena fell into stunned silence.

Then-

BEEEEEEP.

The match was over.

The tester's voice echoed.

"Hiratsu loses. Interference detected."

The final ranking appeared.

Hiratsu, Rank 94.

He had lost.