-1774- Chances of victory?

Kyouji didn't actually want to attack Rozen—at least, not initially.

In fact, it wasn't just Kyouji. Even Shouichi had considered whether or not they should go through with killing Rozen in the real world.

This wasn't because of fear but because Rozen wasn't living alone.

While the Shinkawa brothers had killed two players already, both of those victims were solitary professional gamers. They had no other people living with them, which allowed the brothers to sneak into their homes while their targets were fully immersed in the game, killing them silently and without resistance.

If the target didn't live alone and had family or roommates, who could guarantee they wouldn't run into someone else, leading to complications?

For this very reason, the Shinkawa brothers knew they shouldn't target Rozen, as he wasn't living alone. Even if they succeeded in killing him, his body would be discovered quickly. Unlike the previous victims—whose bodies had begun to decompose before being found, making it harder to detect anomalies—a quickly discovered body would invite suspicion and thorough investigation. Killing Rozen in these circumstances would be a huge risk, one the Shinkawa brothers weren't keen on taking.

However, Shouichi's hatred for Rozen was too overwhelming. Otherwise, he wouldn't have staged the entire scheme of kidnapping Shinon to lure Rozen into a trap and torment him. Kyouji, too, had grown to resent Rozen so much that both brothers eventually couldn't let it go.

Think about it: Rozen and Shinon weren't close at all. They were practically enemies who had only known each other for a few days and exchanged very few words.

Yet Shouichi was so determined to kidnap someone Rozen might not even care about just to bait him.

As for Kyouji, he understood that Rozen and Shinon had minimal interaction, but he still developed an intense hatred toward Rozen simply because Shino had shown some distress. This alone demonstrated how desperately the two brothers wanted Rozen dead.

Thus, after confirming that there were no adults in the Kirigaya household, that the three Kirigaya siblings would all be fully immersed in their rooms at this time, and that no one would be moving around the house, the Shinkawa brothers finally made the decision to act.

Kyouji suppressed his excitement and reached for the door of the Kirigaya residence.

But...

"I'm a little surprised."

When that voice reached Kyouji's ears, his entire body froze.

"You...!"

It was only then that Kyouji noticed the person sitting on the windowsill. His eyes widened in shock.

Rozen looked down at him from above, taking in Kyouji's appearance before speaking.

"I thought you would call off the operation and leave. I didn't expect you to still sneak in here. That really surprised me."

Rozen's thoughts weren't without reason.

To pull off the in-game murders as Death Gun, there was a critical requirement: perfect timing.

The Death Gun in the game had to shoot and hit the target at the exact moment that the real-world Death Gun killed the target. The synchronization ensured that the victim would disconnect and die simultaneously, making it look like an inexplicable in-game death.

If the real-world killing happened too early, the in-game bullet wouldn't hit, breaking the illusion. If it happened too late, the victim would appear to die from the in-game bullet without any real-world cause, exposing the entire trick as a fraud.

To ensure this perfect execution, Rozen figured the real-world assailant would give up after Sterben (aka Death Gun) lost to him. If Rozen wasn't shot and killed by Death Gun, but then mysteriously died afterward, it would become clear that this wasn't a supernatural event but a deliberate murder. People would investigate, uncovering the truth behind Death Gun and causing irreparable damage to its reputation.

For this reason, Rozen was 80% certain that the real-world attacker would abandon the plan. He had even ordered Gyokuto to keep watch outside, ready to apprehend anyone suspiciously fleeing the area.

To his surprise, however, the attacker hadn't withdrawn. Even after Sterben's defeat, someone still broke into the Kirigaya residence to kill him. This genuinely surprised Rozen.

"It seems, like Sterben, you're quite desperate to kill me. Desperate enough to ignore everything else."

From Kyouji's hateful gaze, Rozen could already sense the murderous intent. He smiled.

Then, Rozen leapt gracefully from the windowsill, landing lightly in front of Kyouji.

"Ahhhhhh...!"

Kyouji shouted, as though seizing an opportunity, and rushed at Rozen.

In his hand appeared a weapon.

It was roughly 20 centimeters long, cylindrical, and about 3 centimeters in diameter. The rear end had a handle-like protrusion that angled upward. There was a green button where the handle connected to the cylinder, and the tip was fitted with a silver, pointed metallic piece with a small opening, resembling a toy laser gun.

It was a needleless high-pressure injector.

Inside the injector, a liquid swirled.

That liquid was the poison used for the murders.

This was the real weapon Death Gun used to kill victims in the real world.

"Die!"

Kyouji roared, rushing at Rozen with unrelenting hatred.

Unfortunately...

"You're too slow. I'm almost falling asleep here."

Rozen spoke lazily. When Kyouji lunged forward to stab him with the injector, Rozen shifted to the side effortlessly.

Kyouji missed completely, his stabbing motion leaving him vulnerable as he stumbled past Rozen.

The next moment...

"Thud!"

With a dull impact, Rozen's fist struck Kyouji's abdomen like a black shadow.

"Guh...!"

Kyouji doubled over, his mouth hanging open as saliva poured out. He clutched his stomach and fell to his knees.

"You hate me that much? I don't even know what I did to offend you."

Rozen's voice remained casual and indifferent.

"But I don't care to find out. This ends here."

With that, Rozen's leg shot up and delivered a heavy kick to Kyouji's body.

"Thud!"

Another dull impact rang out. Kyouji screamed as he was sent flying, rolling across the ground until he hit the entrance to the Kirigaya house.

"Gah... Ah..."

Kyouji lay there, clutching his stomach in agony, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Reality wasn't a game. Pain existed here, and although Rozen had shown mercy, Kyouji's body still registered every bit of the punishment.

If Rozen had wanted to kill him, it wouldn't have even taken a second.

This was the real world, where Rozen's magical power, far surpassing Dragon Veins, flowed through him. Every ounce of mystic powers in his mind was at his disposal.

Killing a mere human? He could do it in an instant. If he wished, Rozen could sink the entire island nation into the sea, destroy everything, and reduce the world to an empty wasteland.

In the game, Rozen's Mind's Eye and other abilities were constrained by stats and the system, leaving room for possible defeat. But in the real world, Rozen—was utterly invincible. Even if the entire world opposed him, he could conquer and destroy everything, returning it all to nothingness.

Against the current Rozen, Kyouji's chances of victory were precisely zero.