Mururunsoft
Online/Offline Compatible Roguelike MO Action + Online Versus Action.
Taka's Memory
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The Delirium Killer – Chapter 1
I instinctively looked up when I noticed a long shadow swaying on the ground—just in time to see a steel beam slip from a crane and plummet straight toward me.
Someone screamed, but I didn't move. I could have dodged it easily, but on a whim, I decided I wanted to try swatting it away with my arm.
Fixing my gaze on the beam rapidly descending under the pull of gravity, I released the strength I usually kept suppressed. As I raised my right arm, a deafening metallic clang echoed through the air.
The result? Nothing much. My body didn't budge an inch. The steel beam bent severely and crashed to the ground. A faint bruise began to form on my arm, but there wasn't even a scratch, let alone a fracture.
* * *
Cold winter wind whipped against my cheeks at the construction site of an elevated roadway, where work was progressing at a frantic pace. Other workers gathered around me, eyes wide in shock, staring at me as if I were some kind of monster.
I glanced down at the steel beam and let out a sigh.
"Hey now, don't look at me like that. We've got a deadline, right? Let's just pretend none of this ever happened, yeah?"
Saying this, I casually lifted the steel beam and forcefully bent it back into shape. The groan of twisting metal split the cold air and rang in our ears.
Everyone stood frozen for a moment, but eventually, they exchanged silent nods and returned to work as if nothing had happened.
I too returned to work, suppressing the smoldering desire within me. I kind of liked this job—but even then, I was bored.
* * *
I was born with the power of bodily enhancement. When I activate it, I can exhibit tremendous strength for a short time, and my body becomes nearly invincible. If I felt like it, I could probably lift a small truck. Of course, if people found out about this ability, things would get complicated fast. That's why I usually keep it hidden, but I don't hesitate to use it when the situation calls for it.
With this power and my large, muscular frame, I can handle any physical labor with ease. I know I'm not that smart, but it's never really caused me trouble. Still...
If I was born with a power like this, there must be something more fitting for me out there. With that vague thought in mind, I continue to spend each day in dull emptiness.
* * *
That evening, on my way home, I stopped by my usual bar and drank until I was full. When I left, the cold night air pleasantly cooled my flushed face.
Even a steel beam couldn't kill me—this truth hit me again, and I walked the night streets in a tipsy haze of invincibility.
That's when I heard it.
"I've had enough! Aaaahhh!!"
Suddenly, a man's angry shout and a girl's scream echoed from an old wooden house. Still staggering, I walked over and peeked through a sliding window that faced a yard overrun with weeds.
Inside, a middle-aged man was raising a metal bat over a girl, who looked like a scared middle schooler, cowering in fear.
Without thinking, I ran, leapt over the low rotting fence, and kicked through the window. Cold night wind rushed into the room. The man turned, his face a mixture of shock and rage.
Fueled by alcohol, my body moved on instinct.
As the man swung down the bat and lunged at me, I grabbed the tip mid-swing, twisted it out of his hands, and slammed the handle into his side.
He collapsed to the floor with a thud, groaning as he glared up at me.
"Calm down, old man. Is she your daughter? Families are supposed to get along, y'know?"
After saying that, I looked at the bat in my hand and activated my power. A creaking noise echoed as the metal twisted.
In my hand, the bat crumpled and shrank until it was about the size of a baseball.
"See this? If you think about calling the cops on me, you'd better consider the consequences."
I tossed the metal ball aside and glanced at the girl. She was staring at it with puffy, tear-filled eyes peeking through her slender fingers—not just in fear, but with a complex mix of emotions.
* * *
The next night, as I passed by that same house, I stopped in my tracks.
The front door slid open, and the girl I had rescued came running out. She had a bulging light-blue backpack stuffed full of belongings.
"You were the one who helped me yesterday, right? Thank you so much! I've decided to run away from home."
Her face was full of determination—nothing like the scared girl from the night before. She eagerly asked about my abilities, her eyes shining with curiosity.
Being thanked didn't feel bad. To show her, I tore off a nearby bakery's aluminum sign and crushed it into a ball with my power. But for some reason, she scolded me and made me uncrumple it. As she stared at the wrinkled sign, she murmured,
"Is that a bruise on your arm? Can I see it?"
The girl noticed the bruise on my arm—the one I'd gotten when the steel beam fell—and gently placed her hand over it. In that moment, her hand began to glow with a soft green light, and the bruise on my arm quickly faded away.
I was stunned. There were others like me—with powers?
"I've had this ability too. I've used it to heal myself from my father's abuse. But lately… it's only made things worse."
As she spoke, I looked closely at her. She had straight black hair that reached her waist and a fox-like face with sharp, clean features. She still looked young and innocent, but it was clear she'd grow into a stunning beauty someday.
"I'm going to stay with my aunt for a while. I hope we meet again."
The first person I'd ever met with a power like mine.
"Yeah… maybe, if we get the chance."
Though I felt a little reluctant to part ways, I turned my back and quickly walked away.
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The Delirium Killer – Chapter 2
What if some billionaire somewhere was hosting a game where reckless participants fought to the death? Lose and you're done for—but if you win, you get filthy rich. With my power, I'd have that in the bag.
I was entertaining that dumb fantasy while taking a piss inside a portable toilet. It had been a few months since then, and the season had shifted to early summer. I was still working at the same elevated highway construction site. Honestly, this job didn't even count as a workout for me. I kept hoping something interesting would happen already.
When I stepped out of the toilet, I noticed a commotion. Under the crimson evening sky, the foreman and a few workers were arguing with someone. Did some drunk guy wander past the barricade? I headed over to take a look.
That's when I saw her—a little devil. She looked like a blonde girl with an oversized head. Clad in a black robe, with demon-like wings flapping from her back, she was floating in the air. I instinctively categorized her as a "little devil."
"I definitely felt an Arcana reading from over here! You guys have pretty good bodies, I'll admit—but I'm not interested in plain old humans."
She was talking cheerfully, almost playfully.
"Have you seen anyone using abnormal powers lately? They've gotta be nearby... Oh!"
Our eyes met. The others turned to look as well.
"There you are! The muscle guy! I've been looking for a human just like you!"
Flapping her wings, the little devil zipped over and started circling me.
"Mmm-hmm. Just as I thought—an insane amount of power! You must've been so bored hanging out with normal humans, right? Wanna become the next Devil King?"
What the hell is this kid talking about? Is she nuts? …But still—'Devil World'? I've never seen a creature like this before. Maybe a world like that really does exist?
I asked her, "Kid. I might know what kind of power you're talking about. But what's this 'Devil World' supposed to be?"
"Ahaha! Even your voice is rugged and cool! I love it! That settles it—I'm making you the next Devil King!"
She ignored my question completely and just got more excited. Can I even have a normal conversation with this thing?
"I brought you a present from the Devil World, just for the new Devil King!"
From inside her robe sleeve, she pulled out something black and thin. It looked like a card, dimly glowing and wrapped in jet-black flames.
"If you use this, you'll get a crazy power boost. Ready? Here we go!"
She rushed at me, card in hand, and pressed its corner against my chest. It didn't stop at my thick pecs—it sank straight into my flesh.
"What the... ngh!?"
Did it reach my heart...? A heavy force surged through my entire body, and I lost all sense of where I was standing—
Rampage. Unleash. Kill...
"Ugh... What the hell did you do to me...!?"
"Oh wow, you're still conscious? You really are different from normal humans! If you're gonna be the Devil King, you've gotta have a strong mind too!"
"But hey, I bet you're just dying to let loose right now, huh? This isn't the time to hold back! A true Devil King should be able to crush humans like scraps of paper!"
"Ooh! I'll show you how it's done! Watch closely—"
She opened her mouth wide. Though her body was small, her oversized head housed massive, blade-like fangs.
"Bon appétit!"
Suddenly changing direction, she shot toward the foreman, passing right through him from chest to back. A gaping hole was left in his torso.
"See? Easy, right? Humans are so fragile."
She said this, her blood-smeared mouth still chewing on a heart. A person... died? For real?
The thick stench of death hung in the air. The voice of the black card whispered inside my mind, turning that scent into madness, and the forbidden hunger within me only grew stronger.
I...
"UVOOOOAAAAHH!"
I grabbed the entire portable toilet—box and all—and hurled it at the fleeing crowd.
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The Delirium Killer – Chapter 3
Killed. Killed. Killed—
I kept reliving the sensation, over and over. The crunch of bones, the tearing of flesh, the burst of blood in the air—every detail pushed my exhilaration to its peak.
Whenever the little devil activated a light-blue card rimmed in silver, we would instantly warp to a location far from where we were. And there, I would indulge in pure slaughter. My long-suppressed power reveled in this unrestricted release of violence.
"Okay, let's move on to the next one, Lord Demon King!"
She beamed with excitement.
"We're broadcasting your exploits on the Demon World's monitors. You're already a total star over there! Sure, there's another candidate, but she's all cryptic and weird. Personally, I'm way more into your style!"
Apparently, the Demon King's time was nearly up, and they were now looking for a successor. Tradition dictates that the next king is chosen not from the Demon World's own citizens, but from humans.
"Usually, getting from the human world to ours is super hard! You have to burn through dozens of Arcana of Transfer, or use an Arcana of the Gate—super rare stuff. But this time, we lucked out—found a sweet little opening, and saved a ton!"
As we passed through the warped corridor of interdimensional space, the little devil chattered on. Soon, the exit came into view. Our destination this time was a campsite.
"A hockey mask and a campsite? Feels like this should be a movie."
Right now, I was wearing a hockey mask. I didn't want my face on a wanted poster, and it helped protect me from blood splatter. Besides, it just... fit the vibe.
"Hey. Gimme the thing."
"You got it! One Arcana of Delirium, going straight into those magnificent pecs of yours, Lord Demon King!"
The card, wrapped in jet-black flames, sank into my chest.
This card was amazing. I thought I'd been living freely, doing whatever I pleased—but turns out, I'd been holding back more than I realized. With this, I could finally unleash my real self. I was starting to feel genuinely grateful to this little devil.
"Oh, but heads up—we've only got three more of those left. So, like, use them wisely, okay?"
Damn... That took the edge off a bit.
Night had fallen over the campsite. In front of me stood a row of tents. If there's an audience, I might as well put on a show.
I yanked a tree—at least fifteen meters tall—out by the roots, and swung it like a giant broom. The tents collapsed like paper, crumpling under the weight. No idea what happened to the people inside.
From the untouched tents, panicked campers came scrambling out. Good. Time to sweep them up too.
"Stop! You're the killer they've been reporting on the news, aren't you!? Why are you doing this!?"
A woman stepped forward without hesitation. It was too dark to make out her face from a distance, but I didn't care. I swung the tree without mercy. She went down instantly, her body torn and battered by branches and leaves.
"Lady… I get that you wanted to be brave and stop me, but that's not courage—that's just suicide. You don't charge an elephant barehanded, do you?"
"…That voice…"
I froze. I thought she was unconscious—or already dead. But her body began to glow faint green, and just like that, she stood up as if nothing had happened. She rushed toward me.
"I knew it…! Did you really think a mask could fool my eyes?"
I was stunned again. Long hair. Fox-like features. It was her—that girl.
The madness that had been boiling in my brain cooled in an instant.
"Tch… You again."
"You know your power isn't enough to kill me. Someone like you—this dangerous—shouldn't drag others into your mess."
"Don't. Just stay out of it already."
"Wait! Please, wait!"
I leapt away, putting distance between us.
"Lord Demon Kiiing? You're not gonna kill her?"
"…I don't do things I don't wanna do."
The little devil pouted, staring back at the now-distant campsite.
"Hmph… Beeeh!"
Sure, I liked her face. But I probably wouldn't see her again.
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The Delirium Killer – Chapter 4
It had been several days since that incident. I was still carrying out my random killing sprees.
With the chirping of cicadas in the twilight forest behind me, I stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing down at the town below, painted in shades of crimson. There it was—today's target: the shopping mall.
A perfect place. Crowded, lively. The ideal stage to unleash carnage and delight those so-called "audiences" of the Demon World.
"So hey, I've been wondering… why do we always avoid attacking in the daytime?"
"Can't be helped. Most of the people watching Lord Demon King in action absolutely hate the human world's daylight. Sunset's fine, though. By the way, wanna use the Arcana of Delirium?"
"…No. Not today. I'll go as I am."
I wanted to save the remaining cards. Even without them, I had trained myself through visualization to reach a comparable state. A knockoff version of the "Voice of Darkness."
Still, I took the card just in case and stuffed it into my pocket. Then, I leapt onto the roof of a nearby house, dashed across rooftops, and landed in front of the mall entrance. Before the automatic doors could slide open, I shattered them with a kick. The buzz of chatter and background music rushed to my ears.
A mall in some town I didn't even recognize. The atrium extended up to the third floor. To my side, a clothing store, with a mannequin in a light summer dress standing in a cheerful pose.
There were plenty of people. Families, students, the elderly… It was a weekend evening, after all. A smorgasbord of prey.
"Hey! You there in the mask! Stop right now!"
A security guard shouted as he ran up to confront the sudden appearance of a hulking figure in a hockey mask.
"Hmm... Second floor… Nah, I bet I can reach the third."
Without hesitation, I activated my power and hurled the guard upward—toward the third-floor balcony encircling the atrium.
The guard's body screamed through the air, a wordless cry—somewhere between a scream and a moan—as he climbed ever higher, shooting up through the atrium. Just before his head reached the ceiling, his body rotated midair, drawing an arc toward the third-floor railing. A dull thud echoed as his abdomen slammed into the railing. Then, he slid off headfirst and crumpled onto the floor.
The air across the entire floor changed. And then, in the very next moment—
Screams. Panic. Shouts. A tidal wave of chaos erupted all at once. Perfect. A splendid start.
I began my rampage without mercy. Screams filled the air. The stench of blood clung to the corridors. The mall's bright lighting made the scene even more vivid. Just the way I like it.
And yet…
I was too strong.
Maybe the effects of my power had started bleeding into my natural physique. Even without activating it, ordinary people were like paper to me—I could tear through them with ease. This wasn't a fight anymore. It was routine. Would the Demon World's audience really be satisfied with this?
Was it because I hadn't used a card? Somehow, the thrill just wasn't there.
"Show me more blood! More, more!"
I roared to fire myself up and continued the massacre. Corpses and injured bodies began piling up. Blood pooled across the tile floor. Sirens wailed from afar, growing louder by the second. Still had a few minutes to go wild.
!?
Suddenly, I felt heat on my back. Instinct kicked in. I leapt sideways and spun around. A massive blast of fire roared past, skimming my field of vision. Two figures stood before me: a girl in a cat-shaped mask with ash-brown hair tied in twin tails high on her head, and a scrawny boy with bandages wrapped around his head, covering his eyes. High schoolers, maybe? The boy looked pale.
"Servant of the devil! Come at me! I'll stop you right here!"
The girl shouted and fired another blast of flame. So, she's the ability user.
I dodged and grabbed a mannequin dressed in a summer dress from the nearby shop, then hurled it at her. But she stepped aside effortlessly. Quick for someone that petite.
"Well, well... so I've got myself an ability user. I've been waiting for this."
I raised my fist and charged.
Then—
"Huh? Wait, what...?"
The boy suddenly turned away, dazed, exposing his back completely. What the hell? This idiot left himself wide open!
"Hey, kid! This ain't the time to be spacing out!"
I changed targets. Forget the girl. I rushed past her and drove my fist toward the boy's back.
But the punch hit nothing.
He ducked at the last second, like he'd seen it coming. So he's got powers too…?
Suddenly, the world shifted. In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed.
The boy and girl were now about fifteen meters ahead. The little devil, who had been right next to me a moment ago, was there too. Standing with them was an older woman I hadn't noticed before. And me—I was now by the mall entrance.
Did I… warp?
"Freeze! Or we shoot!"
A sharp voice rang from behind. I turned. Police officers outside the entrance had taken aim. Their faces were tense, sweat dripping down their brows. Their fingers hovered on the triggers.
"Eeeek! See ya later, Lord Demon King!"
That damn little devil squealed as it flapped desperately to dodge the girl's rapid-fire flame shots. It soared upward through the atrium, and as it reached about the third floor, it vanished.
Escaped using the Arcana of Warp, huh?
We'd agreed that if anything went wrong, that was her cue to flee. Fine. Guess it's all on me now.
Tch. Guess I'll use this.
I pulled the Arcana of Delirium from my pocket and pressed it to my chest.
Bang!
A shot rang out.
"Don't move!"
Raising my hands slowly, I felt the familiar intoxication of the dark power washing over me, mixing with my bloodlust.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the boy stagger and drop to one knee. He'd dodged earlier—somehow—but now he was vulnerable. This was it. Kill him. Kill the weak. Kill while I can.
"DIE!"
I surged forward, faster than thought. Bullets whizzed behind me but missed. Useless.
Just before my fist connected, I felt something trying to yank my body away—some external force. But the voice of darkness blocked it. My fist struck home.
But—
I hadn't hit the boy.
I'd punched the older woman—the one who'd appeared out of nowhere. My knuckles sank into her abdomen, sending her flying across the mall.
She smashed into a souvenir stand, flattening it. Candy wrappers and fragments exploded into the air.
"You bastard! How dare you hit my aunt—Die!"
The girl shouted from the center of the hall and launched her strongest inferno yet.
Still shaken, I hesitated—and the blast of flame struck my left arm head-on. I felt my skin sear, my flesh split open, the heat gnawing all the way to the bone. In an instant, my arm turned to charcoal, and the fire crawled up toward my shoulder.
Shit! I'll kill you…!
The Arcana's delirium dulled the pain slightly. The voice of darkness howled, recognizing the threat, spurring me to strike back.
As I lunged—
"Huh...? What...?"
The girl had a knife in her side. I followed its trajectory—back to the boy, who stood dazed, arm outstretched as if he'd just thrown it.
"You...?"
The sudden shift in events cooled the fire in my head. I didn't get it—but this was my chance. The cops were stunned too. No more bullets… for now.
There had to be some kind of poison on that knife. The girl dropped to one knee, clearly unable to stand.
I rushed to the girl as she collapsed and hoisted her onto my back. With the little devil gone, I had no way out except brute force. She'd be my shield.
Activating my body enhancement, I leapt from the first floor to the second, ran to the food court windows, and shattered them with a flying kick.
Glass shards rained down as I landed atop a car in the parking lot. Another leap—onto a nearby rooftop.
The Arcana's effects were fading.
The darkness in my head dimmed. My consciousness flickered. My left arm was gone. Of course it was.
Knowing I'd lose consciousness soon, I used the last of my strength to sprint back toward the cliff from where I'd begun.
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To be continued...
Most Memorable Story
Total Votes 14
Ai
4
Taka
3
Kai
2
Maya
2
Shin
1
Ritsu
1
Saki
1
Ryu
0
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This page is updated irregularly.
Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution of this work’s text or images is prohibited.
Author: Akiyoshi Hanaoka
© Musurunsoft – PSI Masquerade DW Project
Author: Akiyoshi Hanaoka
© Musurunsoft – PSI Masquerade DW Project
The English version uses AI-generated translation.