Otherworld TRPG Game Master-Chapter 338: Illusionary Realm (1)

"Jewel Scene – Pillars Bound to the Sky."

The world inverted around me, and the ground beneath my feet shimmered as droplets rose to form a tranquil lake. The water supported my steps like jelly, preventing me from sinking.

Beneath the pristine lake, the sky reflected as though in a mirror.

In the night sky mirrored by the lake, a massive column floated like an enormous staff, reaching into the void.

The full moon sparkled, and to me, its light sounded like faint laughter. Mirror Yuna, on the other hand, furrowed her brows at the sight.

"Yuna knows that spell has no effect. Did you forget?"

"Of course I remember."

This spell originated in an unimaginably distant past...

Back when young knights and nobles visited the mage tower to negotiate funding. It was a spell I created for fun.

It was designed to tease Yuna—a flashy, intimidating spell that was completely ineffective. A purely illusory spell, crafted only for spectacle.

That’s precisely why I chose it now.

"Rot in the rubble, Tsunami of the Concrete Jungle!"

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!

As Mirror Yuna pointed at me and incanted, the ground beyond the horizon surged like a tidal wave. Each building jutting up from the earth became sharp fangs, hurtling toward me.

True to the incantation, it resembled a tsunami. But instead of dodging or countering, I tightened the bindings of my Pillars Bound to the Sky—making them even more elaborate and unnecessary.

The lack of actual effect was the key.

The Tower of Illusions transforms illusions into reality. So, I decided to reverse that, turning reality back into pure illusion. A harmless, beautiful illusion meant only for enjoyment.

BOOOOM—!

Shhhh, shhhhhh—

When the tsunami of buildings collided with my domain, each fragment of concrete transformed into butterflies, scattering into the air. The butterflies flew in mesmerizing patterns before bursting like tiny fireworks and vanishing.

"...Did you just turn my magic into a fake?" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Not quite. I turned your magic into a non-lethal illusion spell with no secondary effects."

Illusions aren’t fakes.

In the unique environment of the Tower of Illusions, this was the ultimate defense. If my opponent were a normal illusion mage, the fight would have ended here. However—

"If you’ve nullified the physical effects of the Illusion Realm, it means your defenses are soft against Subtraction."

"...Our Yuna is too clever for her own good. Annoyingly so."

"Subtraction."

"Couldn’t you have taken three more seconds to figure it out?!"

I had prepared follow-ups for this.

I flattened myself against the surface of the lake as a crimson beam sliced through the air above me, obliterating my Pillars Bound to the Sky. That was fine; I still had the advantage.

Normal illusion spells could be blocked by my bindings, and Subtraction could be tanked with my Great Monster form.

Even the Erasure Zone was currently occupied by my crow. If it got erased, I’d just recall it. I sent a signal through the mana network.

"Crow, retrieve what you just took in!"

—"Caw, caw. Apologies, master. There is no data in this domain. Are you referring to the Great Monster body parts I previously consumed?"

"...The Pillars Bound to the Sky didn’t go in?!"

"Fool. Did you really think Yuna wouldn’t prepare a countermeasure? I created a new processing domain."

In other words, she had created another trash folder. This halved my options for countering Subtraction. Panicked, I disengaged my transformation.

"Dreaming Mirror, disengage transformation!"

ROOOOAR—

I morphed into my 150-meter-tall armored Great Monster form and lashed out with my forelimb like a whip. Made of gelatinous material, my body’s elasticity allowed me to swing at supersonic speeds.

CRAAAAASH—!

THUD.

Mirror Yuna was struck and flung backward. Even if she could teleport, it wasn’t an invincible dodge. A swift enough strike could still connect.

Her body smashed through three buildings before slamming into the ground.

I pressed my advantage. Swinging my tail and forearms, I shredded everything in my path, advancing relentlessly. The air roared with the shockwaves of my movements.

I aimed to control the battlefield, ensuring she couldn’t escape my range no matter where she fled.

And then—

"The past cannot be forgotten, Obelisk of Layered History."

SPLASH—!

A towering obelisk with a razor-sharp tip erupted from the ground and pierced my side. It looked like a chaotic piece of modern art, formed from concrete, soil, and cars mashed together.

"GRUUUAAARGH!"

It hurt.

I saw it coming, but my enormous Great Monster body was too cumbersome to avoid it. Worse, the obelisk injected malicious data into my body.

Even so, it wasn’t a major problem. I could filter it out.

CRACK.

I snapped the obelisk in half and yanked it out of my body. Despite the increased target size, I couldn’t abandon my Great Monster form. I needed its bulk to withstand Subtraction.

BOOOOM—!

I reached toward the source of the mana signature, smashing through an apartment building to grab Mirror Yuna. Using fragments of my earlier Pillars Bound to the Sky, I bound her to prevent teleportation.

I had to pile on damage. Starting with the strongest technique my Great Monster form could muster, I prepared for an all-out assault. No matter what Mirror Yuna threw at me, I was determined to endure and counterattack.

"Meteor Strike ready—!"

"I thought you wouldn’t break... Celestial Collapse."

And then, the sky fell.

"GRUUUUARGH!"

CRAAASH—!

The entire heavens caved in, crushing my back. Unlike Atlas, who carried the heavens on his shoulders, I was about to be squashed flat. The pressure made me feel like vomiting up all my internal organs.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

I slammed Mirror Yuna into the ground repeatedly, but I could feel my limit approaching faster than hers. I couldn’t continue like this.

"Dreaming Mirror!"

POP.

I reverted to human form and continued the battle. The fallen sky had compressed the world into a flat plane about the height of an adult man.

That was fine. If the entire sky had collapsed, Mirror Yuna must’ve been crushed too.

"Haaah..."

I caught my breath for a moment.

Mirror Yuna’s combat style, manipulating the "world" itself, was far more refined than I’d expected. If the succubus queen had been half this skilled, things might’ve been truly dire.

In the distance, I saw red flashes—multiple Subtractions fired in rapid succession.

BEEEEEEEP—!

The beams carved holes into the area. Cover was meaningless. I darted and rolled to avoid the attacks, but with the world flattened, I knew I’d soon reach my limit.

I needed a plan.

An idea struck me: use those Subtraction beams as highways. By riding their surface in information form, I could approach Mirror Yuna instantly.

It was risky, but theoretically possible.

Focus. I could do this. I would do this. I just had to execute perfectly.

I carefully extended a fingertip toward a passing Subtraction beam... now!

SPOT.

Like electricity coursing through a wire, like a surfer riding a wave, I transformed my body into data and rode the Subtraction. Once I returned to my physical form—

"...How?"

Mirror Yuna was right in front of me.

"By the power of love! Shattering Heart Arrow!"

"...!"

I fired a jet-black arrow at her head. She hastily conjured countless hands from under her hat to block it, but—

It was a fake. Just a hologram. I hadn’t even incanted the spell.

A brief opening. Too late to cast Shattering Heart Arrow for real, or even switch to a fire mage class to unleash flames. But I had one instant weapon ready.

The gun Abraham had given me.

BANG—!

CRACK.

A radial fracture appeared on Mirror Yuna’s chest. It wasn’t enough to end the fight, but that single effective blow carried enormous significance.

Through that crack, I could inject data to seize control. I reached for the stunned Mirror Yuna, tendrils of mana surging forward.

"...Heh."

She laughed?

A chill ran down my spine. What had I missed? Did she have another trump card? Was she bluffing?

"Obelisk didn’t hack you... it hacked Dreaming Mirror. Executing forced transformation protocol."

"Son of a— Nyaaa!"

POOF. I became a black cat.

Adapting to a cat’s body, customizing my mana flow to match, and regaining combat readiness would take at least one second.

But Mirror Yuna’s attack came faster than that.

"Subtraction."

SLASH.

My right arm was severed.

"May no one remain by my side, in life or death... Repulsion Roar."

A hammer forged from the compressed layers of reality itself—deserts, cities, UFOs, and inns all crushed into pixelated springs—hurtled toward me.

And those springs were about to burst.

BOOM.

The compressed data resources expanded explosively, sweeping me away. I flew an incomprehensible distance before losing consciousness.

Darkness consumed me.

I Still Remember the Moment We First Met.

"Uh, um... the Violet Tower doesn’t have much to offer, but if you’re interested in illusion magic..."

A small girl with twin tails cautiously approached me, speaking hesitantly. I still remember her petite and adorable appearance.

Some irresistible, strange impulse drew me in, and before I knew it, I had become a mage of the Violet Tower.

What followed was a drab, gray existence.

Sure, life at the tower wasn’t exactly enjoyable. It wasn’t because Yuna was any less cute at the time—it was my own fault.

Looking back, I ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) suspect that back then, all my computational power was directed toward suppressing that. Including the emotional elements that make up joy, sorrow, anger, and happiness.

I was steeped in mental desolation.

A state of numbness.

I couldn’t laugh or cry. Even watching others smile tasted as bland as chewing cardboard. I couldn’t feel anything.

But gradually, very gradually, things began to change.

Looking back, I can see traces of it.

"Uh, um... if we approve this funding, you’ll really make something useful, right?"

"Yes."

Whether the tower thrived or crumbled, whether Yuna got hurt or not, I did whatever I wanted.

"I’ll be locking myself in for about three years to develop magic, so make sure I get three meals a day with meat, and don’t bother me over trivial things."

"Y-you’re saying... three years?! That’s so... selfish!"

I treated Yuna like a walking NPC dispensing money, nearly devoid of empathy. Thinking about it now, it makes my chest ache.

"...Sometimes, just sometimes... I feel like I’m not really alive. Like my mind is somewhere else."

"......"

For someone as empty as I was, the only source of dopamine was my memories of my previous life. Maybe that’s why I worked so hard at magic—perhaps I was trying to cling to fragments of those old emotions.

And so, because of that.

"...What kind of story do you think this will be?"

"First, it has to have romance. Sessions are always more fun when there’s love."

You, who showed interest in my world and listened to my story.

"And then?"

"Adversity and hardship are essential. The protagonist must overcome challenges to grow."

You, who allowed me to dream again.

"What else?"

"It has to have humor. Humor can do so much—it’s entertaining on its own, and when paired with tragedy, it enhances the flavor."

You, who looked at me, who saw me.

"I’ll help you. I’m looking for a story too. But... you’d better create a world for me someday too. After all, I’ve monopolized so much of the funding; you owe me, don’t you?"

You were so lovable that I couldn’t resist.

My vision cleared. One side of my sight was tinged with red, but...

"......"

I wiggled my fingers. My left hand moved fine, but my right hand... there was no sensation. I remembered—my arm had been severed earlier.

I staggered as I rose. Though it was difficult to maintain my balance, I managed to stand. While I had been dreaming, the world had transformed into an entirely white void.

Far ahead, Mirror Yuna stood.

Ssss—

She aimed a massive soap bubble at me. I knew that spell: Violet Iris’s Condensed Memory Gem Explosion.

Inside the bubble, fleeting images appeared—friends dying, modern cities collapsing, the world folding in half, and swarms of demons. It was likely created by absorbing all the resources of this floor into one concentrated form.

Back then, I had countered it by licking Yuna’s ear. But now, that tactic wouldn’t work...

It didn’t matter.

Even if the world was hollowed out to pure white emptiness, the soft glow of that beautiful moon still graced the sky.

Yuna Yurensto Violet Iris.

In my overwhelming numbness, it was you who allowed me to dream again.

And after laughing and chatting with you, before I knew it, I found myself loving many others—my session’s players, my friends...

That day, when I hooked my pinky with yours, everything changed.

So, this is all thanks to you.

"Now, look at me."

Not at the past I left behind, but at the person I am now, who will continue moving forward.

I straightened my back and puffed out my chest. Raising my previously slumped shoulders, I extended my one remaining arm. I couldn’t show weakness before someone I loved.

I gathered my mana, calling upon all the resources I had claimed while ascending the Tower of Illusions. A cross-shaped crack formed in the space behind me. With this, I was ready.

And then, I smiled.

As if to say I could take on the entire world.

And I shouted, loud enough to reach even that moon!

"The me you saved, the me who wouldn’t exist in this world without you—"

Crack, crackle.

"—will show you what I can achieve and how far I can go!"

KAANG—!

Scholarly Counterfeit Succession Ascension──

"Illusionary Realm: Open the Gate."