The curved Witch’s Scythe struck from behind, carrying with it the special effect of shifting from two-dimensional to three-dimensional form.
That single blow was enough to drain an entire health bar.
Of course, such absurdly high-damage calculations made some BHAO players scoff and endlessly debate the game’s “fairness.”
But at the same time, that was precisely what made BHAO so appealing—
You could dodge with movement, or block with equipment to reduce the damage taken.
Compared to the old VR “full-immersion helmet games,” BHAO had a much higher skill ceiling—and, naturally, a much lower margin for error.
So whenever players complained that the Night Witch’s one-hit kill was “cheating,” I could only give a helpless smile and quietly close the thread.
But now, I had no choice but to admit—
After the roles were reversed and I found myself fighting someone who felt far more like a true cheater, the experience was anything but pleasant.
Zzzzt—crackle—
A sound like the system being forcibly torn apart by some kind of encoded program exploded beside my ear.
It was as if a devouring scarab had burrowed into my ear canal—itching, terror, and shock all tangled together, yet utterly helpless.
Right in front of where the Witch’s Scythe was descending, a jagged “data rift” was ripped open.
The edges of the opening were lined with shattered data cubes, and where it led—
Was directly to my back.
Blend into Shadows!
I shouted the skill name almost instinctively inside my mind.
Intense tension sent beads of sweat sliding from my cheek down to my chin.
A full-powered strike from the Witch’s Scythe could kill me in one hit just as easily.
While Blend into Shadows couldn’t completely nullify three-dimensional attacks, the length of the scythe coming from behind wasn’t enough to reach all the way into the ground.
Now there was only one question left—
Could I still move?
The skill command felt like it was being activated from deep in my consciousness through the transmitter. My field of view rapidly sank.
Three dimensions collapsed into two. Reality degraded into a wireframe of pure structural lines.
It worked!
No matter whether she was a so-called “cheater” or not—as long as I could still move, there was still a chance to turn this around!
I shifted my posture within the two-dimensional plane, feeling myself become a high-speed gliding shadow that slipped completely out of PROGRAM TAMPER’s line of sight.
As long as she’s a virtual character, she has to be a BHAO player!
That much I was one hundred percent certain of.
I refused to believe in any so-called “true cheater.” It was just a character skill wearing the skin of “program tampering.”
The first skill was most likely some kind of taunt-style control ability common to defensive characters.
Skills like that usually appeared on characters with twenty-three health bars, or those with special health-bar structures.
For it to appear on a character like PROGRAM TAMPER—who only had a single health bar—was extraordinarily rare.
As for the second skill, I still couldn’t be sure.
Perhaps something similar to a lord-class boss’s “counterattack on defense” or “reflect damage” mechanic.
But no matter what—
As long as it was a skill, it definitely had a cooldown.
Witch’s Scythe!!
With that conviction, I activated my only attack skill once more.
In the bone-chilling darkness of the Horror Forest, belief turned into a scorching gale.
Black shadows surged.
The cloak snapped wildly in the wind.
The raised scythe came down with a roar, like the reaper himself come to claim a soul, aimed straight at PROGRAM TAMPER.
To guarantee a one-hit kill, I deliberately held the scythe horizontally—
At an angle perfectly positioned to cut her clean in half at the waist.
However—
The instant I closed in, PROGRAM TAMPER snapped her fingers for the third time.
TAMPERING WITH THE TARGET: PROGRAM COPY
—Target Tampering, Program Rewrite.
“!!!”
The same spot.
Right behind me.
It was as though she had already calculated that I could only attack from this exact angle.
And to maximize the damage of the Witch’s Scythe, I truly had no other choice.
The “data rift” opened once again.
But this time, it didn’t swallow my scythe—
Instead, from behind me, an identical scythe extended outward.
Speed. Trajectory. Timing.
Exactly the same as my first swing.
I was still caught in the inertia of my own attack, and the cooldown on Blend into Shadows hadn’t finished yet.
I see…
Right before my consciousness was severed, I reached my conclusion.
The moment I decided to attack, I had already lost.
The scythe mercilessly sliced through my body.
An entire health bar vanished in an instant.
WINNER — PROGRAM TAMPER
As the notification appeared, I drew in a deep breath.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back in reality.
Duel lost. 500 points deducted.
That was the most basic penalty.
But beyond that—
I had just handed the Night Witch her first defeat in all of BHAO.
In a certain sense, that was worth far more than 500 points.
Notification: A nearby person wishes to conduct a transaction with you.
While I was still lost in complicated emotions, the “scholarly girl” had already walked right up to me. With a soft, breathy lilt at the end of her words, she lightly tapped the floating prompt in front of my eyes.
This was a semi-virtual AR projection that only appeared during point transactions.
“Transaction?”
“Mm.”
She nodded.
Her movements and tone were equally calm and certain.
Trying to extort me after beating me?
But transactions aren’t forced—they require mutual consent.
Might as well take a look. No harm in checking.
Kiyama Yune wishes to give you 2000 points.
Accept?
“…To me?”
Wait—more importantly—
“Why are you using your real name for the transaction?”
I stared wide-eyed, completely unable to understand her choice.
Transactions could be conducted under a “virtual name” or “real name.”
Almost every player chose the former. Real-name transactions had practically been forgotten.
“Answer—exchanging real names is the most basic form of good faith in cooperation.”
“Hah… cooperation?”
I instinctively rubbed my nose. She nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I wish for you to take me to meet your lord.”
She lifted her gaze from behind her glasses. Her tone was calm, yet left no room for refusal.
“The future KING—DEATH LORD.”
…So this girl, who possesses near-cheating abilities, wants to meet Ameno Yotsuba?