First opponent... and it had to be this guy.

If I judge by appearances, yes, he looks flashy and not too bright.
Doesn’t seem like the Tower Defense type, but I know better than to judge a book by its cover. Even among my subordinates in real life, there are some who are surprisingly competent despite appearances.

“Tough luck, old man. Running into someone as great as me.”

“Is that painfully narcissistic first-person pronoun your usual style? Or are you just really into roleplaying in-game?”

I tried provoking him a little, but the cocky guy didn’t even flinch—his brow twitched, but instead of getting angry… he smiled.

“Nice comeback. Don’t you think a unique and charismatic villain is the best kind of character?”

“So, you’re playing one on purpose.”

He didn’t confirm or deny my observation—just grinned smugly.

“I’ve been waiting for this kind of back-and-forth. We get to kill each other all we want in this game world. Might as well enjoy the process too, right?”

“You get it. You’re wasting your time if you don’t enjoy the game.”

Our fashion sense couldn’t be more different, but it seems our attitude toward the game has some overlap.

“Then let’s do something fitting and introduce ourselves. I go by Vaizer.”

He pointed his thumb toward himself and declared his name.
He definitely looks Japanese, but the name sounds Western. Probably one of those players who doesn’t use their real name in-game.

“It would be rude not to return the gesture. My name is Kaname Katakami.”

“Whoa, you’re one of those real-name types? ‘Katakami’—never heard a surname like that before.”

He looked genuinely delighted to play along with the exchange, eyes sparkling with amusement.
Despite being an enemy I have to fight, I can’t bring myself to dislike the guy.

“So, old man… no, Katakami. What’s your TDS?”

Though he slipped back into his mocking tone with a sneer, he didn’t let his guard down and maintained his distance.
He was holding steady just over ten meters away. Clearly, he knew the range at which TDSs could be deployed. No doubt about it.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me yours.”

Everyone knows it’s a tactical advantage to get the opponent’s TDS info first.
—Someone’s clueless face popped into my mind, but I brushed the thought away. Not the time for distractions.

“Alright, I’ll tell you.”

“Huh?”

His unexpected response caught me off guard, and a bit of surprise slipped into my voice.
Up until now, his positioning and banter made me think he was sharp, but maybe I overestimated him?

“That’s my TDS.”

As Vaizer spoke, something leapt out from behind a nearby large tree.

No time to confirm what it was—I leapt back instantly and activated an Arrow Trap beneath its feet.

A silver flash sliced through the air in front of me. A few strands of my bangs fluttered up.

I kept my distance and focused straight ahead.
Before me stood a fully-armored swordsman, caught in the motion of swinging down a massive blade.

“That’s my TDS, Iron Swordsman.”

“So it’s a summon-type trap.”

Iron Swordsman—a trap that summons a full-body armored swordsman from a magic circle on the ground to attack enemies automatically.
It was in the previous game too, so I remember it.
I didn’t like that type, so I barely used it myself.

“Didn’t work too well in the last game, but here? I’d say it’s top-tier.”

His voice oozed confidence, convinced of his win.
In this game with such high flexibility, it’s definitely a powerful TDS.

“A soldier that fights on its own… I’m jealous.”

“Right? If you summon and hide it in advance, you can ambush people. Still, you dodged that just now. I really thought I had you. Wait… you shifted position. You did something, didn’t you?”

Normally, that strike would’ve ended it.
If Iron Swordsman hadn’t stepped on the Arrow Trap and been pushed back, I’d be done for.
Since I immediately deactivated the Arrow Trap, Vaizer must not have seen it.

The Iron Swordsman readjusted its greatsword on its shoulder and locked onto me. Not moving yet, but I don’t know when it’ll attack again.

“Okay, now that I’ve revealed mine, you’re gonna return the favor, right? We made a deal.”

“Yeah, a promise is… something I keep. This is my trap.”

I activated another Arrow Trap on the ground.

“You’re seriously showing me? Man, you’re stupidly honest. I kinda like that.”

Glad you’re pleased.
I know I’ve got a soft personality, but some things I just won’t compromise on.

“So, Arrow Trap—if you step on it, you get forcefully moved in the arrow’s direction, right?”

“Bingo.”

He’s played the previous game too. No use trying to bluff.

“What a pity. That’s a dud TDS.”

“Is it really, though?”

I was disappointed at first too, but after using it so many times, it’s grown on me.
And this Arrow Trap holds great potential.

“Now that we’ve both revealed our tricks, let’s keep going!”

“Yeah.”

The Iron Swordsman began to close the distance, step by step.

Vaizer remained rooted in place, eyes fixed on me. He maintained his cocky demeanor, but didn’t lower his guard.

Just my impression, as someone who’s been attending a dojo and dabbled in martial arts—the Iron Swordsman’s slash was sharp and fast. I’m not confident I could keep dodging those head-on.

The surrounding area had trees, but they weren’t densely packed. This was a relatively open area, good for maneuvering.
The ground wasn’t completely flat, but not so uneven that it’d trip me up either.

“Guess I’ll just have to make it work…”

First, get rid of the Iron Swordsman!

I set an Arrow Trap where the enemy was about to step.

Just before they triggered it, I placed a second Arrow Trap at their destination.

Unable to receive detailed instructions, the Iron Swordsman fell for it easily and was forcefully moved four meters diagonally backward.

Being thrown in the exact opposite direction of Vaizer cleared the path in front of me. I didn’t need to go out of my way to defeat the Iron Swordsman. If I struck the guardian directly, I’d win!

Ignoring the Iron Swordsman, I dashed at full speed toward Vaizer.

Just as the distance between us closed to less than ten meters, I activated an Arrow Trap beneath Vaizer's feet to force him toward me—when a sharp whistling sound split the air.

Without thinking, I leapt forward in a roll.

I heard something stab into the ground right behind me.

Springing to my feet and glancing back, I saw the Iron Swordsman in mid-swing with its sword.

“No one said there was only one, did they?”

Another Iron Swordsman stepped in behind the first, hoisting its sword onto its shoulder.

And then, yet another unit, forced into position by a teleport, rejoined them.

The three Iron Swordsman units surrounded me, pointing their swords at me from all sides.

“This is what they call being surrounded on all sides, huh? What now?”

“If it’s really ‘surrounded on all sides,’ I could use one more.”

Despite the bravado, my brain was racing at full speed.

One step in, and I’d be within sword range. Even if I avoided the first strike, the other two would be impossible to dodge.

Even if I somehow slipped past them, turning my back to run toward Vaizer would be suicide.

To make matters worse, Vaizer had again put more than ten meters between us—damn him.

“Katakami, any last words? Or want to recite a death poem?”

Despite his appearance and tone, his choice of words suggested intelligence.

“Nope. I still plan to live.”

“Nice. You’ve been fun, Katakami.”

Vaizer raised his right hand and swung it down dramatically.

On that signal, the three Iron Swordsman units stepped in and swung their swords down at me.

“You were the perfect opponent for my first match. ...Wait, what the hell!? Where’s Katakami!?”

“Over here!”

I teleported right beside Vaizer and slammed a palm strike into his side.

“Gah! Gyaaaahhh! That freaking huuuurts!”

As he writhed on the ground in agony, I tried to finish him off—but an Iron Swordsman suddenly blocked my vision.

“How the hell did you catch up!?”

The other two units rushed in as well, forcing me to retreat a fair distance.

The three Iron Swordsman units lined up in a semicircle, guarding Vaizer as he leaned against a large tree, breathing heavily.

There was no opening to land a follow-up strike.

“N-not bad, old man. Did you actually use the trap by stepping on it yourself?”

“Yeah, I tweaked a few options.”

By default, traps triggered by a guardian wouldn’t respond to the guardian themselves—a safety measure to avoid self-inflicted damage.

But that setting could be changed in the options, and I altered it so that the traps would activate even when I stepped on them.

It was a dangerous tweak for most traps and offered no real benefit—except for the Arrow Trap, which paired perfectly. That’s how I pulled off that high-speed movement earlier.

I’d deliberately not shown this trick in front of Fuka or the twins... thinking ahead.

Everything had gone just as planned—except for one miscalculation: Vaizer’s insight and decision-making ability.

He instantly understood what I’d done, and even while taking damage, he commanded the Iron Swordsman to mimic my move by stepping on the Arrow Trap to chase me down.

“Damn, it still hurts. You’re no ‘old man’—Katakami, did you practice martial arts or something?”

“Just a bit of self-defense training.”

“No wonder it hurt like hell and looked so slick. If you’d actually pulled off a comeback from certain death, it would've been legendary.”

“You could’ve let the old man have his moment, you know.”

Honestly, I’d wanted to knock him out in one hit, but the unstable footing and awkward positioning messed it up. This wasn’t a dojo, after all.

“Phew, the pain’s easing up a bit. Well, now that we’ve revealed our tricks to each other... what now? Wanna keep going?”

“If I said I’d quit, would you let me go?”

I landed a hit, sure, but it’s hard to say I had the advantage.

Still, I’d gained valuable info about the Iron Swordsman. But there’s a chance Vaizer holds a second Death Parade TD, like I do.

If he’s hiding a trump card—

“I’ll let you go. In fact, wouldn’t it be way more epic if we parted ways here, promising to settle things next time?”

“That setup... I like it.”

A fierce battle with a formidable rival. Vowing to meet again stronger than before.

A classic tale. The essence of male passion.

Losing someone like Vaizer this early would be a shame.

“I’m in.”

I lowered my stance and raised both hands in peace.

Letting him go now would probably mean trouble later. But games are meant to be fun.

“Knew you’d get it. Then, farewell for now... my powerful rival.”

“See you again, my worthy foe.”

Carried on the back of an Iron Swordsman, Vaizer departed.

And I found myself genuinely looking forward to our next encounter.

This game just got even more exciting. I’m really, dangerously hooked now.

Running a hand through my bangs, I took a step forward, ready to leave the scene in style—

“UWAAAAHHHHH! Somebody! KANAMEEEEEE! SEIYAAAAAA! YUKINEEEE!”

A grating scream echoed out of nowhere and completely shattered my moment.