The Curtain Falls on All Tragedy

The game Jain had been transported into, Bravely New World, was a beautiful-girl dating simulator. For a game with that premise, the combat sections were ridiculously bloated and the world-building was obsessively detailed. Naturally, it came with a mountain of high-intensity bad endings and dead ends. To unlock the 100% achievement and its special rewards, players were forced to witness every single one of them. The resulting flood of complaints from people who didn't want to suffer through such unpleasant experiences led the developers to add a true final boss in a DLC: Balaxas the Extinction.

Phase one was a humanoid form, phase two a dragon, and phase three an eldritch cosmic entity that transcended even the fourth wall. Just reading the setting convinced Jain that at least one of the devs had a terminal case of chuunibyou. As a linked achievement for defeating this boss, the developers had tied in every bad ending and dead end in the entire game. In other words, simply beating Balaxas the Extinction would automatically count as having cleared all the bad endings.

That was why the achievement for defeating him was named this: The Curtain Falls on All Tragedy. For a bunch of chuunibyou devs, it was actually a pretty decent title.

But in exchange, Balaxas the Extinction had an absolutely hellish difficulty. Reviews of the 25th-round carry data said it took a full 2,000 hours of playtime just to build a foundation capable of challenging him. Even if you raised every party member to max level, reinforced all unique equipment to its limit, and stacked every rare unique item and skill until each hero could solo a demon king, one unlucky roll could still wipe your entire team.

People who thought this has to be meant for cheats quickly learned otherwise. The game used its fourth-wall setting to detect cheats, scold the player, and delete all save data in one of the most heinous moves imaginable. It was dozens—no, hundreds—of times easier to just watch every bad ending and grind out the achievements that way.

But there were people in this world who could never accept such a compromise. They were the ones known as unicorns. Because among those bad endings were a great many NTR routes. These unicorns could tolerate dirt in their eyes, but they could not tolerate their virgin heroines being stolen. They poured their lives into defeating Balaxas, and as a result, nearly everyone who cleared him was a legendary-grade unicorn.

Clearing Balaxas was therefore recognized as proof of being a top-tier unicorn. When someone posted a clear screenshot to the community, it would rack up thousands of likes, and the comment section would be flooded with cries of Unicorn Punch!

Jain, who had been isekai'd into this game and was now forced to clear every single achievement, naturally had Balaxas as his mortal enemy. The boss was dozens of times more troublesome than the demon king. Since he couldn't kill or abuse the heroines to trigger the bad endings, he had no choice but to defeat this monster.

That was why, even though he had already reached the level cap and mastered nearly every skill, Jain was still endlessly craving more power. No matter how much he stacked and prepared, the Balaxas raid always carried the risk of failure.

This was also why he had deliberately walked into Xerxes's obvious trap.

Xerxes the Fist Demon. This guy definitely has the top-tier ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unique skill from the fist-fighting tree—True Martial Wind-Dragon Fist.

He had come to steal it.

"Everyone's dead. Right here in this arena built from demon-sealing stone."

Xerxes wore a sneering smile, clearly expecting Jain to show some sign of agitation. Instead, Jain smiled right back at him. At the same time, he was quietly reciting the activation phrase for a certain skill in his mind.

The moment the skill activated, a golden serpent tattoo began to coil across his entire body. He had chosen Cruel Serpent as his reward for killing the Corrupted Elemental King.

The condition for stealing a skill was simple to understand but extremely difficult to fulfill: Subdue the opponent using their own specialty, break their spirit, and earn their sincere submission.

It was a contradictory requirement. You had to be strong enough to defeat someone in the very field they were most confident in—yet if you were already that much stronger, why would you need to steal their skill? Even when the motivation existed, such situations were incredibly rare. As a result, Cruel Serpent was generally considered a useless meme skill.

There had even been bait posts circulating that said, "Beat the Corrupted Elemental King and pick Cruel Serpent as your reward," treated like a running joke. That is, until the real-world Jain used the Red Mage + Cruel Serpent combination to clear Balaxas on his very first attempt.

The Red Mage's trait—Master of All, Expert of None—lets you learn every class skill but grants no unique skills. Push that limitation to the extreme. Dump every skill point into basic skills to master every class, then plunder all the missing unique skills with Cruel Serpent. The result is an overpowered character who possesses every unique skill in the game.

That was the build Jain had created. Because both the Red Mage and Cruel Serpent were treated like complete trash, no one had ever thought of this strategy before. Even after being transported into the game, Jain had faithfully followed the build he had invented.

Xerxes was certain of his victory in fist-fighting, but Jain had already mastered the fist-fighting tree long ago and even earned the title of Fist Saint. Whether the arena was made of demon-sealing stone or dog shit, he was confident he could win with his bare fists alone.

To Jain, the provocatively cracking his knuckles—the Fist Demon Xerxes—was nothing more than prey.

Jain loosely clenched his fist, spread his stance, and taunted him.

"Come at me."

The Fist Demon couldn't tolerate such an arrogant provocation and charged forward. His knuckle collided with Jain's bare fist, scattering sparks. The four punches Xerxes fired in rapid succession—aimed at the head, chest, groin, and arm—were all blocked by Jain's fists, their power nullified and shot down.

This exchange repeated thirteen times in the blink of an eye. Jain silently deflected every blow until Xerxes's upper body opened up just a fraction. Then, like a thunderbolt, Jain drove his fist straight in.

"Guhk!"

With a metallic clang, the Fist Demon staggered back one step. A crack had formed in his chest plate. The faint shock that penetrated the armor made his ribs throb.

Steadying his stance, Xerxes roared furiously.

"You cunning son of a bitch! You tricked me! You're no mage—you're a martial artist!"

"Crazy bastard. Look who's talking about trickery."

Jain snorted, genuinely dumbfounded. That last strike had raised Cruel Serpent's completion rate by about ten percent. He needed to shake the guy more if he wanted to steal the skill. As he pondered how to break the man's spirit, Jain decided on a topic from the story's lore—Xerxes's own tragic past.

"Well, trickery is your specialty. You filthy human traitor, Xerxes the Fist Demon."

"You... knew who I was?"

"The scum who stole humanity's treasure, the True Martial Wind-Dragon Fist, and defected to the Demon King's army. You killed your junior sister and your master in the process, right? The very master who took in an orphan like you."

The story about his junior sister and master had an effect. Cruel Serpent's completion rate rose another ten percent. This was something Jain had done dozens of times before. To fulfill the condition of earning the opponent's sincere submission, verbally dismantling their heart like this was the most effective method.

"Kuhaha! That place was full of nothing but rotten bastards! They were weaker than me, yet they were jealous of my strength and spouted nonsense about how my fist had strayed from the true path!"

Xerxes the Fist Demon laughed as if he didn't care, but Jain could sense the turmoil in his heart. The Fist Demon reset his stance and shouted savagely.

"Once I become a Fist Saint, it'll be clear who was right! I'll kill you, complete the True Martial Wind-Dragon Fist, become a Fist Saint, and make sure no one ever says that shit again!"

With that exchange, Cruel Serpent reached forty percent. The enraged Fist Demon charged in with bloodshot eyes. His fist slammed into the spot where Jain had been standing just a moment before with a thunderous boom, shattering the arena floor and scattering huge chunks of stone.

Jain dodged the debris. Xerxes kicked off the air and descended at an angle, unleashing a barrage of strikes. The wind pressure from the fists attacking from every direction—up, down, left, right—was ferocious. Jain's bangs whipped around wildly.

By a paper-thin margin, Jain dodged every single attack. The increasingly furious Fist Demon leaned back with all his might, putting his full power into a punch aimed at Jain's face. A tearing sound like the air itself was being ripped apart followed his fist.

Way too many openings.

Because of that reckless strike, Xerxes's entire right side was completely exposed. Jain slipped into his guard like a ghost and delivered a massive uppercut to his jaw.

Crack!

With the sound of his lower jaw shattering, the giant's massive body floated into the air. Jain poured every ounce of strength into his shoulder, preparing the final blow to hammer into the man's stomach. If that fist flew forward now, it would likely pierce straight through his gut and pulverize his organs, killing him instantly.

Jain whispered.

"Alright, this is the end..."

He couldn't finish it. Cruel Serpent was still only at forty percent. Having nearly ruined everything in the heat of battle, Jain barely caught himself and halted the fist that had been flying forward with all his might.

And even after committing such a massive error, Xerxes was no amateur who would fail to capitalize on it. The Fist Demon, who had barely regained his balance, immediately swung his arm and smashed a heavy blow into Jain's lower abdomen.

Boom!

Jain was sent flying like a cannonball and slammed into the arena wall.

"Jain! No!"

Ren's shrill scream rang out. From her perspective, it must have looked like Jain had taken a decisive hit. But Jain was too busy formulating an entirely different plan to even respond.

I can't kill him before the skill theft is complete. I need to drag this out as long as possible.

When he checked, Cruel Serpent had risen to fifty percent. It seemed that the fact he had suddenly stopped his arm right before delivering the killing blow had shaken the man as well.

Sure enough, even after seeing Jain slumped against the wall with blood trickling from his mouth, Xerxes didn't approach easily. While the Fist Demon hesitated, Jain quickly composed the dialogue he would use to break the man's spirit. For someone who had read martial arts novels to his little sister every night, this was easy.

"Why did you show mercy at the last moment?" Xerxes growled.

Just as expected. Jain chuckled and rose from the pile of rubble.

"I wanted to show you what true fist arts really are before I killed you."

"Hah. How arrogant."

"If anyone's arrogant, it's you. What was your original intention?"

"What?"

The familiar phrasing made Xerxes the Fist Demon groan.

"Turning your back on the blade that even a child can use to harm others, and clenching your pure white fist—what was the heart that drove you to do so?"

"What kind of nonsense..."

Jain walked forward with steady steps, continuing to speak. Xerxes could somehow already guess what the next line would be.

"The desire to stand complete on your own without borrowing the power of weapons. That heart is missing from you now."

This bastard... he's saying the same things as my master...

Xerxes was greatly shaken. Jain could feel Cruel Serpent steadily filling up. With conviction, he put more power into his voice.

"To hold a fist is to hold a heart. In your greed for power, you unknowingly cast aside your original intention."

"Shut your damn mouth."

"No matter how much you swing an empty fist without a heart, you will never reach the realm of the Fist Saint."

Jain thrust out his empty fist and spoke provocatively. Xerxes tore off his half-destroyed armor and roared like a beast. His tightly swollen muscles twitched like living creatures.

"Shut up! I am Xerxes the Fist Demon! Nine hundred and ninety-nine mages have fallen before me! If you want to act cocky in front of me, pile up nine hundred and ninety-nine corpses first and then talk!"

And once again, he charged at Jain. It was a reckless, mindless assault. Jain easily read the flow, deflected it, and spoke again.

"Is that mountain of corpses the ego you put forward when your denial is challenged?"

Cruel Serpent reached sixty percent. Crossing his elbows to block the fist, Jain hammered a blow into the man's chest and continued.

"I can see the desolate landscape of your inner world. A field where corpses piled up through vile tricks are rotting away. You are nothing more than a crow wandering above it."

Then, with a rapid series of strikes, he landed three more punches on the stomach and shoulders. The last remnants of armor completely shattered and scattered across the floor.

"The true power of fist arts comes from the heart. It comes from the resolve of a leopard climbing a treacherous snowy mountain with only its own legs, or a flower blooming on a cliff that believes in the handful of dirt it clings to."

The Fist Demon counterattacked desperately. Jain twisted his waist and dodged with ease, declaring as if passing judgment.

"The moment you tried to fill your own shortcomings by stealing what belonged to others instead of creating it yourself, you had already lost the qualification to become a Fist Saint."

Ninety percent. Cruel Serpent was almost completely full. One decisive blow would be enough. The Fist Demon, covered in bruises, seemed to be in more pain from his heart than his body. He let out a groan and threw a powerless punch.

Jain easily caught it and said,

"A fist extended with borrowed will is light, and feet that fear death are unbearably heavy."

One hundred percent. The conditions for Cruel Serpent were now complete. The golden serpent tattoo that had climbed all the way to his neck radiated a brilliant light like the morning sun. The usage method for this guy's unique skill, True Martial Wind-Dragon Fist, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flowed through the serpent tattoo and was clearly imprinted in his mind.

Charging the True Martial Wind-Dragon Fist to maximum output, Jain declared,

"I'll show you. The real fist."

The Fist Demon, who had taken the barrage of strikes, was staggering with unfocused eyes. Jain steadied his breathing, took a small step back, and prepared for a massive blow as he spoke in a low voice.

"Thunderbolt Sky Roar!"

It was less like a fist and more like a cannonball being fired. The punch that shot out from Jain's waist, wrapped in golden light and generating an intense shockwave, slammed into the Fist Demon's abdomen. The aftershock swirled in a perfect circle, completely shredding Jain's sleeves, then proceeded to pulverize the stone floor, the pillars, and the entire arena, filling the air with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deafening roars.

Ren's silver hair, as she arrived at the arena entrance, whipped around madly. The wind was so strong she could barely keep her eyes open.

A moment later, when the wind finally died down, the outcome was obvious. The Fist Demon's stomach had been blown open as if a cannonball had passed straight through it.

The man stood there blankly with a hole in his gut for a moment, then collapsed with a thud.

I see... so Master was right after all.

Was this the true fist? Xerxes muttered to himself. Because he had submitted from the bottom of his heart, there was no resentment in his eyes.

This guy is stronger than the Demon King. To defeat him, one might even need to summon the legendary True Demon Emperor.

Thinking he had lost to such a person, even in the moment of his death, he didn't feel all that bad. When he had first begun learning martial arts, he was sure he had started with exactly this kind of heart.

His body, having lost its mana ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠core, was crumbling into dust. The Fist Demon gently closed his eyes and spoke to Jain.

"That technique... it must be a secret art you only use against strong opponents you acknowledge. What is its name?"

Jain made an awkward face. He didn't actually have one. He had simply used the True Martial Wind-Dragon Fist he had stolen from the man at maximum output. But since the guy was already dying, it felt a little cruel to say that.

After scratching his cheek in thought for a moment, Jain quickly made up a name.

"It's called Unicorn Punch."

"Unicorn... Punch?"

And then, in the most solemn voice he could manage, he said,

"It is a technique created to grant rest to those who were once human but chose to abandon their humanity."

"Unicorn... Punch..."

"It is also the name of the applause sent to the one who brings down the curtain on all tragedy."

Upon hearing the explanation, Xerxes laughed heartily. By now, more than half of his body had already melted away.

"Kuhahaha, I see. When I get to the afterlife, I should brag to Master and my junior sister. Tell them I came here after crossing fists with the Unicorn Punch."

Just before his face completely disappeared, he added one last quiet line.

"The Fist Saint's... Unicorn Punch, that is."

That was the end of Xerxes the Fist Demon. Jain put away the stolen True Martial Wind-Dragon Fist and offered a brief moment of silence for the vanished Fist Demon.