"The Culling Game?!"
Suguru and Satoru both showed puzzled expressions. Even Mukuro could not help but frown.
Even he did not know much about the Culling Game, and he had never expected that after Mahito died, the Culling Game would still begin as planned.
Originally, after the Shibuya Incident ended, he had planned to have Suguru take Mahito and deal with all those people in their half-incarnated state. What Mukuro did not expect was this sudden turn.
"That's right. It is an inhuman game arranged by Noritoshi Kamo, built on a large group of chosen incarnated players and ordinary people, and carried out inside fixed barriers." Masamichi spoke in a heavy tone.
Early this morning, Jujutsu High had already sent Windows into the Tokyo Culling Game barrier to investigate.
Phone signals were blocked both inside and outside the barrier. Several Windows entered one after another and never came back out. Masamichi had nearly decided to send in a special grade to clean things up.
Fortunately, they eventually used the oldest method possible. They wrote letters, then pushed them outside the barrier with objects to report what was happening inside.
The Culling Game was a game where, until it ended, people could only enter but not leave.
There were eight rules.
First, the chosen people, meaning the incarnated vessels and selected candidates chosen previously by Noritoshi Kamo, had to swear to enter one of the ten barriers in Japan within nineteen days after the game began. By doing so, they would become players.
Second, anyone who violated Rule 1 would have their technique removed.
As for this point, Masamichi had already discussed it with Shoko earlier.
Players were divided into two types.
The first were "Incarnation-type" players, who had been given cursed objects.
The second were "Awakened-type" players, ordinary people whose technique potential had been brought out through Idle Transfiguration.
But whether incarnation-type or awakened-type, before Noritoshi Kamo changed their bodies through some method, none of them originally had techniques.
If the price of leaving the Culling Game was only losing something they never had in the first place, that would be far too childish and easy.
So both Masamichi and Shoko agreed that so-called removal of technique did not mean altering their bodies again through something like Idle Transfiguration. Nor did it mean using a binding vow to forbid technique use.
It meant taking their lives directly.
After all, if they were dead, then their techniques had naturally been "removed."
Third, if a non-player entered the barrier, they would be treated as a player who had sworn participation.
Fourth, after entering the barrier, each player could gain points by taking the lives of others.
Fifth, once inside, players would receive base points according to themselves. In principle, non-sorcerers were worth one point, while sorcerers were worth five.
Sixth, players could spend one hundred points, excluding their original base points, to add a new rule to the Culling Game administrator.
Seventh, as long as the added rule did not threaten the continuation of the game, the administrator had to accept it.
Eighth, if within nineteen days of entering the barrier or gaining points, a player's points did not change, their technique would be removed.
In other words, they would die.
Those were all the currently known rules of the Culling Game.
"I see. In order to stay alive, the players already inside the barriers must kill within a certain time to keep their points changing, while also trying not to get killed themselves... So it's basically a real-life battle royale."
In just a few words, Satoru turned it into a concept that was easier for him to understand.
"I have a question. How did the Window gather this much information in such a short time? And can all of these rules be trusted?"
Suguru leaned forward slightly, clasped his hands, and raised his concern.
Logically speaking, how could a game this massive, one that nearly covered all of Japan, be investigated so easily by non-combat personnel like the Window?
If the true goal was simply to create a battle royale, then hiding some rules or giving false information would have been easy.
"The Kogane are the reason. In simpler terms, they function as the administrators of the Culling Game. I assume Noritoshi Kamo placed a binding vow on himself that prevented him from becoming the administrator, all to make the game run more smoothly," Masamichi answered and gave his own guess.
Once players entered the Culling Game, each of them would receive their own Kogane, which acted as a kind of support tool. Including the rules, the Kogane could answer many questions from the players.
"But thankfully, it seems the binding force placed on the barriers wasn't strong enough. Those who were already inside the barriers can be given one chance to leave. The Windows are currently trying to evacuate people."
That was the only good news Masamichi had received all day.
Suguru frowned. "There's still a problem though. If these barriers only allow entry and not exit, then even if we personally go in and deal with the players, we still wouldn't be able to end the game, right?"
Judging from Rule 7, the enemy must have made some extremely unreasonable binding vow to guarantee the game's continuation.
That meant the only way to truly end the game would be to kill every single player.
And only Mukuro and Toji could enter to handle it, since the barrier techniques would not recognize those two brothers. But if that was the case, then stepping in themselves would be meaningless.
They might as well let the players kill each other.
"As for that, we'll probably need to ask Master Tengen. In all of Japan, there are only a few places he cannot see. He should know some of the hidden details."
After discussing for a while, everyone settled on a temporary plan.
First, they would go to the Tombs of the Star Corridor and ask Tengen what was going on. After that, they would decide how to handle the players inside the Culling Game.
"Then let's go. Time to see if we can drag that rat hiding in the shadows out into the open."
Mukuro stood up, followed by the other two.
After twelve years, the three special grade sorcerers were about to head to the Tombs of the Star Corridor together once again.
Masamichi did not go with them.
Too many things had happened. He still had a mountain of matters to handle.
But as he watched the backs of the three men preparing to leave, the teacher who had seen them grow up softly spoke.
"Be careful on the road ahead."
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