'Cursed Spirit Crisis: Out of Print'
'With the death of the last Cursed Spirit, no more Cursed Spirits will ever be born in this world. Humanity has officially entered an era without Cursed Spirits. Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?'
All humans worldwide had become Jujutsu Sorcerers, which also meant that no Cursed Spirit could hide. Thus, in less than a day, all remaining Cursed Spirits were located and annihilated.
Schwarzer looked at the newly acquired Core Data in her hand, her mood considerably brightened.
Of course, the most important thing was that she no longer needed to work. She deactivated all her clones, except for the one remaining by Hanami's side. During the most crucial phase of the plan, no one was permitted to lay a hand on her God Tree.
A few hours were enough to discern most of the situation. The ten rules she had established contained a significant amount of information, yet most were straightforward and comprehensible to normal people.
The most fundamental point was this: the rules blatantly encouraged the law of the jungle, pure social Darwinism, which was precisely the outcome Kenjaku most desired.
Out of the billions of survivors, most had only single-digit points, with only a few possessing Innate Techniques managing to break into triple digits.
Such a vast number of ordinary people were like free points, killed without any ability to resist against the strong.
Although possessing power equivalent to single-digit points, killing was not difficult when facing blades or firearms, especially with methods like surprise attacks.
Similarly, the government's restraining power reached its nadir; the authority held by officials and nobles was not as significant as imagined.
To gain points, one had to personally kill the opponent. This 'personally' criterion meant at least one's own people had to be present; in other words, using methods like bombing would not yield points—unless you descended with the bomb yourself.
However, the military's deterrent power had not completely vanished. Well-trained soldiers inherently possessed greater strength and willpower, and thus more Chakra and Cursed Energy within their bodies.
Coupled with structured weapon systems and equipment, they were far from something ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers could directly confront. Moreover, all truly powerful Jujutsu Sorcerers were rushing towards Japan.
A comatose Gojo Satoru was the best way to acquire points, and once he awoke, they would lack the courage to fight him.
'The situation isn't as bad as expected, surprisingly. While there have been numerous instances of Jujutsu Sorcerer massacres and ordinary people killing each other, society remains relatively stable overall.'
'[Analysis] The Culling Game has just begun; the power gap has not yet widened, and the Cursed Energy system is not overwhelmingly superior when pitted against state apparatuses.'
'[Supplement] All high-end combatants are converging on Tokyo. Until Gojo Satoru dies or awakens, the situation will not become too dire.'
At the top of Tokyo Tower, Schwarzer occupied the vantage point, looking down upon Tokyo.
The once-prosperous city now saw few people on its streets; most had chosen to stay home for their safety.
Of course, it wasn't completely deserted outside; however, the intentions of those who ventured out at this time were quite apparent.
The entirety of Tokyo had devolved into Gotham, with numerous shops looted and vandalized. Occasionally, bloodstains could be seen on the streets, while corpses were reclaimed by the God Tree.
Although she knew all of this was merely short-term pain and no one would truly die, witnessing the scene, Schwarzer subconsciously felt a pang of discomfort.
This was human-specific empathy at work, she clearly understood that. When formulating the plan, lives were merely numbers; the Machine Ex Machina's rationality dictated everything.
But now, she was willing to yield to this inner stir, for after all, this too was a part of her 'heart' – an emotion named hypocrisy.
'[Analysis] The combined effect of various senses on the 'heart' seems greater than imagined. Even though it's a plan I devised myself, I'm experiencing feelings of 'unease' or 'reluctance'.'
'Things happening directly around oneself evoke more sympathy than seeing them on television. The information gained from close-up contact is entirely different from what's seen online.'
'So, what do you intend to do, Host? Even if you choose to halt the plan, I won't stop you.'
After all, this is your 'heart's' choice, the System left the last sentence unspoken. For Schwarzer, any choice was a form of gain.
'[Denial] The plan cannot stop. Empathy will not affect my ideal logic. These people's deaths are not real.'
Schwarzer quickly readjusted her state. Only she and a few administrators knew that no one would truly die within the Culling Game, but to everyone else, this was genuine murder.
So, what was to be done?
Under her gaze, a half-naked man wielding a knife casually broke into a residential complex. The metal security door, like tofu before him, was easily cleaved by his cleaver.
A triple-digit point score floated above his head. Not long ago, he was an ordinary person, but after slaughtering many for power, he had gained this inhuman strength.
With fewer people killing each other on the streets, he chose to directly invade a residential area.
Japan's military – oh, Japan didn't have such a thing. The Self-Defense Forces and police simply didn't have time to arrive; such incidents were occurring nationwide, and manpower was utterly insufficient.
To the authorities, these were normal death tolls. After all, Tokyo had a population of over ten million; even if they were allowed to kill like this, not many would die in a single day, at most a few tens of thousands.
But for the family of three inside, life was not just a number.
'You... are you insane? You'll be wanted for this!'
The seemingly thin office worker picked up a fruit knife and a cleaver, donning a 'suit of armor' made of iron pots. Of course, these items offered him no sense of security whatsoever.
The number above the intruder's head reached three digits; he knew what that meant. The opponent was an absolute humanoid monster!
But there was no way out; there was no retreat. His wife, holding their daughter behind him, desperately covered her and the child's mouths, daring not to make a sound.
The man's trembling hands clenched tightly, and he charged fiercely. The Cursed Energy within him, stimulated by killer intent, reached a two-digit intensity—
'Splat!'
'What a shame, but your courage is commendable. If you had started collecting points from the beginning, you wouldn't be so weak now.'
The fruit knife, imbued with Cursed Energy, pierced the opponent's shoulder, then became stuck in the muscle. As the man watched in despair, the opponent spoke mockingly, then raised the cleaver in his hand.
He was incredibly glad he had chosen to kill from the beginning; otherwise, he would be the one despairing now.
'Goodbye, you normie with a family!' The butcher-like intruder revealed a ferocious grin, also exposing his reason for choosing this particular household.
The cleaver swung down forcefully, and under the man's disbelieving gaze, the intruder's body disintegrated into dust within a beam of light.
In the sky, the massive cannon in Schwarzer's hand slightly smoked, having precisely eliminated the opponent.
The salaryman looked up to see a one-winged girl. Machine Ex Machina's flight armaments typically manifested as single-winged entities.
'Are you... an angel?'
He slumped onto the ground, the fruit knife slipping from his hand. Realizing the crisis was over, his limbs went completely limp, and he stared blankly at the sky.
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