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Soulbound: Faith
Chapter 6: The Victor

Chapter 6: The Victor

“In the face of danger, it's natural to experience fear and anxiety.

If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, try to stay focused and think logically. Evaluate the situation and consider all available options before taking action. It's important to prioritize your safety and the safety of those around you.”

Viga has encountered some dangerous situations since his first fight with the bullies, but this one takes the cake.

In what world can you find a rat fighting you to death? in video games, of course, and now in this world. At least in the video game world, you can restart if you are ever defeated. But here in the bizarre world, Viga doesn't even know what would happen if he died, and he doesn't want to find out.

He must solve this situation without even coming close to dying by taking a methodical and cautious approach. It's important for Viga to assess the situation carefully and consider all available options before taking any action.

Would being methodical and cautious solve this situation? Viga doesn't even know since his opponent this time was not some regular kid that he encounters in the real world.

Despite the dire circumstances, Viga managed to maintain his composure and his mind raced to find a way out of this dangerous situation. He was grateful for his ability to remain calm under pressure, and it had given him a newfound sense of confidence. However, deep down, Viga was still a bit hesitant and timid, which was understandable for a thirteen-year-old who had endured years of bullying.

That was why, Viga was initially frightened upon arriving in this bizzare world, and understandably so. Anyone would feel uneasy being alone in an unfamiliar environment. Nevertheless, Viga was determined to overcome his timidity and hoped that with time, he could become more confident. It was this desire that led him to venture outside of his home for the first time, as his instincts told him it could be the solution. Then this happened, the very first day of going out of his house, a very dangerous situation occur. Now, Viga was hoping that his decision would not kill him.

Viga was contemplating the course of action he would take to survive this circumstance as he calmly and collectedly stared at the rat. His mind was digesting all of the arsenal that was at his disposal. Like every move he picked up through his martial arts training. However, his mind swiftly rejected it. He knows that trying to stop those claws with his bare hands will not succeed and will only harm him, like it did the first time he blocked those claws.

From the look of the fur that the rat had, his punch and kick would not be effective. Unless it really was necessary, he wouldn't use those moves.

He drew his toy sword out of his back out of instinct, for all that was left was his toy sword. Viga just hopes that this fragile toy sword doesn't break right away. Compared to his own hands, it is far better and more robust.

Despite having his toy sword, Viga was clueless about how to use it. While he could try to use it as a blunt weapon and hit the rat with it, doing so would only result in the sword breaking even more easily. Moreover, attempting to block the rat's claws with the sword was not recommended either, unless it was necessary.

Viga's brain was searching through his memory to find a way to wield the toy sword without it breaking easily. He recalled all the sword moves he had seen in movies and films, as well as the basics he had learned from martial arts. By combining these two sources of knowledge, he had a rough idea of what he needed to do. However, he knew that there was a big difference between watching something and actually doing it, especially without years of practice.

Viga's brain had deduced that his only option was to dodge the rat's attacks until the perfect moment arose to utilize his toy sword. The sword was only durable enough to be wielded two or three times before breaking, so he hoped that the moment would arise before it was too late.

After a brief pause, the rat couldn't hold back its eagerness any longer and made its move towards Viga once again. Viga, now prepared and having already faced the same lunge earlier, narrowly dodged it to the side just in time to avoid getting hit by the claws. The swipe was dangerously close, but Viga managed to move out of the way just in time, and the rat passed by him before landing on the ground. Viga took a few steps back to create some distance between him and the rat, and held his sword up in front of him to prepare for the next attack.

Viga needs to dodge much faster than earlier; a hair's width was cutting it; a wrong move will surely make him taste another out-of-this-world kind of pain, or he could be done for. All he could do now was dodge, dodge, and then dodge even more until the opportunity presented itself. The deadly dance between Viga and the rat began, and the opening act was brutal—brutal for Viga, as he was at the receiving end of the dance.

The rat darted forward again, taking another lunge, its teeth bared and its eyes fixed on Viga. Viga twisted to the side at the last second, narrowly avoiding the rat's sharp claw. Another close shave: Viga didn't manage to back away this time. The rat lunged again, and all Viga managed to do was abruptly sit in his place to evade the lunge; it was not good as it hurt his buttocks. Viga saw the rat soar above him, and he immediately rolled sideways to create a distance between him and the rat. It was unsettling to see, but it is much better than being dead.

He promptly got to his feet and got ready once more. The rat, however, was too quick and was able to lunge once again. Viga could only use his sword to block it because it was too late to take any other action. The block was awkward and ill-prepared; the rat struck Viga's arm briefly, but the sword took the majority of the hit. Viga stumbled back as pain swept through his body, he was able to tolerate the pain while holding on to his sword.

The rat squeaked loudly; it was clearly excited from managing to land a blow. It jumped around and then gave Viga a stare.

While the rat was jumping around, showing its joy, Viga managed to prepare himself yet again, even though the pain he was enduring had not yet subsided. He must endure, or else he wouldn't like what would happen to him. Viga took a quick glance at his sword, and he didn't like what he saw. Chips and cracks were showing in his sword, and as per his brain's estimate, it could only endure one more hit from the rat, or he could only use it once against the rat or twice if luck was on his side before the sword was totally destroyed.

The rat managed to tone down its excitement and dash again towards Viga. The rat was determined to finish this dance. Viga remained calm and kept his focus. He needs to put his all into this and surpass himself if he wants to survive.

As the rat was coming closer for another lunge, Viga's brain reviewed what he needed to do. He needs to keep dodging until his brain can analyze all the possible patterns the rat will take next, all the telltale signs of the rat's movements so Viga can predict and dodge the rat's attack, and at least some of the rat's behavior. Viga knows that these multiple tasks are impossible to achieve, but he needs to try. His brain doesn't really need all of the information; it only needs those that can elevate his chance of succeeding.

All that thinking happened in a mere moment; Viga's brain was already in overdrive, and it happened while the rat was in its lunge. Viga's brain tracked the rat's trajectory; the curvature of the arc began from where the rat started its jump for the lunge; the end is where the rat would land; and surely the apex was where the rat's target was.

He needs to at least dodge before the rat reaches the apex of its jump, and this had to be close to a perfect dodge at least, so he can execute one of the moves his brain has formulated for him. Viga managed to dodge the rats lunge again and do it without stumbling like earlier. When the rat landed, it quickly turned to face Viga and lunged again. Viga quickly rolled towards the rat, below its lunge, managing to dodge yet again. After Viga finished his roll, he quickly stood up and turned, facing the rat, and quickly did a few backsteps to create a distance from the rat.

Lunge after lunge was rewarded with a close-width dodging, and Viga was now starting to get the hang of it. He managed to anticipate a little bit of the rats action. His brain managed to analyze some part of the information it needed, and Viga was executing his action based on that information to achieve what was needed for him to do.

The rat quickly turns around after it lands and sees Viga a bit farther than before. It quickly dashes towards Viga, then lunges again. Viga this time rolls sideways, then quickly stands up, then turns towards the rat before taking another backstep to keep his distance.

The rat's lunge was considerably stronger than previously since it acquired speed from its dash, but as a result, it also instinctively lunged much earlier to make up for the rat striking its intended target, lengthening its air time. Viga intended to do this after noticing that the rat kept aiming for his chest. Viga doesn't know what was so unique about what was in his chest, and he doesn't want to find out just yet.

Viga continued to back away after each successful escape to ensure that the rat would dash before it lunged. Now that he is comfortable with all of these actions, he must add another action. Viga maintained a significant space between him and the rat due to this.

Viga dodged the rat's next lunge before it could strike him. He then moved a little to face the flying rat and raised his two hands before unleashing a powerful downward swing! SWOOSH! The sword didn't hit! He swung too late; the rat had already gone by before the sword could strike it, and as a result of his excessive action, Viga was unprepared for the rat's subsequent lunge. The rat was already mid-lunge as he turned to face it; all he could do was to hurriedly dive forward, but even so, the rat's claw managed to graze his back, sending pain rippling through his body.

Viga was left sprawling on his stomach due to the pain that he received, but he still managed to quickly roll away from the rat to keep his distance while enduring the pain that he just received. After his roll, Viga stood as quickly as he could and then faced the rat. The rat was obviously amused by Viga's conduct because it made no further attacks and simply watched Viga roll away from it. The rat was aware that the moment would soon come when it would taste its prey. Viga was obviously being played with by the rat.

The rat kept watching over Viga, which made Viga a bit thankful since it gave him the time to let the pain subside and prepare himself again. It seems the rat wanted to watch Viga for a while, as it showed no sign of preparing for another lunge. While waiting for the next attack, Viga's brain was analyzing the swing that he just made and the blunder after that swing, so he could adjust his swing and avoid making another blunder.

The swing he just made was a clumsy, blown-out blind swing. While facing the rat, Viga attempted to make a few modifications by swinging his blade a few more times. He was starting to get the hang of it. His body was considerably quicker to react and pick things up thanks to years of martial arts training.

The rat was triggered by Viga's actions; it squealed loudly, much louder than before, and then it began to pace back and forth, obviously irritated by what its prey was doing. The rat faced Viga, its red eyes fixed on him. The faint glimmer in the rat's eyes appears to indicate that this will be the last. The rat suddenly took off! Viga was a little taken aback, but when the rat let out its first squeak, he was already prepared.

Viga's left foot was a bit forward and pointing towards the rat, while his right foot was placed behind and to the side, forming a roughly 45-degree angle with his left foot. Both hands were raised high above the head, while the sword was pointing slanted upward. Both fists facing the sky, the right hand near the base of the cross guard, and the left hand just above the pommel. If some experts saw Viga's stance, they may call it the "High Guard", but for Viga, this stance was what his brain evaluated in order to eliminate some needless movement and let him deliver his swing much faster; he has no idea what the stance was even called.

Viga remained composed, taking deep, steady breaths as he maintained an unwavering gaze on the rat's eyes. All external distractions faded away as Viga honed in on the imminent danger before him, attuning his senses to every movement and gesture the rat made, which sent ripples of awareness through his mind.

The rat jumped for its lunge, but Viga perceived its movements as being slow. Viga anticipated the trajectory of the rat's attack and took action. He first took a half step to the side with his left foot and then followed up with a step with his right foot. At the same time, his left foot made a half-turn to ensure that he would be facing the rat when it passed by.

Viga's dodge was executed with near-perfect timing. He swung his sword downward just as the rat was reaching the peak of its lunge, striking the rat's back with precision. The impact of the blow knocked the rat to the ground with a loud BAM!, and it bounced back slightly upon hitting the concrete. The impact also broke the sword in half.

Despite the sword being broken in half, Viga didn't let this deter him. Instead, he allowed the sword to fall to the ground and quickly seized the rat by its tail, swinging it with all his might into the ground with a resounding BOOM! The rat let out a high-pitched squeak, clearly indicating that it had been hurt. Viga maintained his grip on the tail and continued swinging the rat back and forth, from one side to another, until he could no longer lift his arms. Despite being slammed to the ground repeatedly, the rat was still alive.

After releasing the rat's tail, Viga retrieved the broken sword and sat down on the rat's back, pressing it firmly to the ground. He raised the broken sword with both hands and attempted to stab the rat in the head, but the blade failed to pierce through its skull. He tried again, aiming for the rat's eyes, and the blade managed to penetrate slightly, but not enough to kill the rat. Despite his arms being fatigued, Viga continued stabbing the rat repeatedly until his arms began to ache.

Despite the ache in his arms, Viga refused to give up hope and believed that every stab he made would be the last one needed to end the rat's life. Suddenly, he felt something inside of him shift - a warm feeling that coursed through his body, it started from his chest and then into his arms. From his hands, a mist began to emerge, covering the broken sword. He stared at it for a moment before finally preparing another stab.

With a burst of energy and determination, Viga made one final stab with the mist-covered broken sword - and this time, it pierced through the rat's body! The rat let out one final, low-pitched squeak before starting to disperse into a fog-like substance. Within seconds, the rat had completely vanished, leaving no trace behind.

The rat was finally dead.

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