LII

Selena’s unexpected victory against Black had left me intrigued. From what I knew of Black, he wasn’t the type to back down easily. His reputation was built on sheer tenacity and raw power, yet he’d made his intentions clear. By forfeiting, he’d secured the golden pass and become the first to leave the tower.

Say what you will about him—Black knew his priorities.

As for me, the road ahead was far less forgiving. Depending on how far I advanced, I’d be fighting seven or eight matches in total. Four battles down, each one more grueling than the last, and now the brackets had paired me against Shen—the so-called Spear God.

I spent the night preparing. Meditation helped calm my nerves and center my focus, but it did little to ease the growing tension in my chest. The doll lay before me, battered but still intact, a silent witness to the fight against Geoffrey. Repairing it was painstaking work, slower without the Doll attribute, but my Puppetry attribute would have to suffice.

As I tightened its joints and reinforced the chains, my thoughts drifted to Shen. His title wasn’t just for show—his martial prowess was legendary, a culmination of precision, power, and years of mastery. Unlike Geoffrey, Shen didn’t rely on tricks or counters. He was a force of nature, direct and overwhelming.

Facing him head-on would be suicide.

I frowned, testing the tensile strength of the doll’s chains. My usual strategy—using invisibility to stay hidden while the doll carried out the fight—was no longer viable. Geoffrey had forced me to play my hand, and now my tactics were an open book. Shen would be ready for them.

That left me with a daunting question: how could I win?

I let my mind wander as I worked, running my hands over the doll’s newly repaired joints. Shen wasn’t just a warrior; he was a strategist. If I tried to outmatch him in direct combat, I’d lose before the fight even began. No, I needed something unexpected.

Adapt, transform, overcome.

The mantra played on repeat in my head. Shen may have been the Spear God, but gods could still bleed. I just needed to find the right way to draw that first drop.

By the time dawn broke, I’d made my decision. My invisibility cloak—the frilly, ornate thing I’d relied on for so many battles—was now a liability. Its usefulness had run its course. I handed it over to Selena before the next match.

“You’ll make better use of this than I ever could,” I said, watching as she examined it with a curious smile.

“You sure about this?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Positive.” My tone was firm. “Hiding isn’t going to work anymore. Not against Shen.”

Selena nodded, slipping the cloak over her shoulders. “Good luck, Reynard. You’ll need it.”

I didn’t respond, but her words hung heavy in the air.

As I stepped into the arena, the weight of the coming battle pressed down on me. The terrain had been transformed into a sprawling, barren plain, offering no cover and no advantages. Shen was already waiting, his spear gleaming under the artificial sunlight.

He gave me a small nod, his expression calm but focused. “I’ve been looking forward to this,” he said, his voice carrying an air of finality.

“Likewise,” I replied, though my stomach churned.

The match began, and Shen’s spear twirled in his hands, a blur of deadly motion. I tightened my grip on the doll’s chains, my mind racing. This wasn’t going to be easy, but I’d come prepared.

Gods could bleed.

And I was about to prove it.

For the rest of the night, I threw myself into refining my Homing attribute. It had always been an odd skill, one I’d only begun to understand during my fight with Geoffrey.

The more I experimented with it, the more peculiar its quirks became.

For one, it only worked on organics.

But what about Gerry?

I was fairly certain he was able to apply his homing ability to his bullets. Perhaps, my research of the attribute was incomplete.

You’d think something named “Homing” would apply to anything—missiles, arrows, maybe even a thrown rock. But here, it meant something entirely different. My curiosity got the better of me, so I rummaged through the cabinet in my room until I found an old dictionary.

Homing (noun): The natural instinct of certain animals to return to a specific place or territory after traveling far away.

I stared at the definition for a long moment, the weight of it settling in. It wasn’t what I’d expected, but it made a certain kind of sense. In this world, words weren’t just words—they carried profound weight, shaping the very essence of abilities and attributes. A single word could be interpreted in infinite ways, each unlocking new potential depending on the user’s perspective.

The realization brought clarity. My Homing wasn’t about targeting objects; it was about guiding organic matter back to its source—or to a designated destination. The potential implications were staggering, but I didn’t have time to fully explore them.

Morning arrived before I knew it, the faint hum of vending machines pulling me out of my thoughts. Bacon and eggs, washed down with lukewarm coffee, were enough to fuel me. The meal was bland, but it did the job.

By the time I’d finished, my loadout for the next fight was finalized: Connection, Puppetry, and Homing.

When the time came, I was engulfed in a flash of light and transported to the arena.

This time, the battleground was a forest—dense and sprawling, with towering trees that blotted out most of the sunlight. Shadows danced across the mossy floor, and the air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine. It was a stark contrast to the barren plains where I’d faced Geoffrey.

Across from me stood Shen.

The so-called Spear God looked as calm and composed as ever, his dark hair tied into a neat ponytail. His spear rested lightly in his hands, its tip gleaming faintly even in the dim light. He exuded an aura of quiet intensity, his piercing eyes fixed on me as if calculating every possible move I could make.

For once, my doll had been teleported alongside me. Its joints creaked softly as it shifted in place, the faint glow of its reinforced chains a stark contrast to the muted colors of the forest.

A faint hum of energy enveloped us both—the same aura that had accompanied every match so far. It served as a reminder: no starting until the referee gave the go-ahead.

Shen tilted his head slightly, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “You’re the one who fought Geoffrey,” he said, his voice low but steady. “Impressive work.”

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“Thanks,” I replied, keeping my tone neutral.

He nodded, his grip on the spear tightening ever so slightly. “I’ve been looking forward to this.”

A familiar glowing holographic figure appeared between us, the exaggerated bald head of President Bob looming large in the space between.

“Okay! So tense!” Bob’s booming voice echoed through the arena, his tone dripping with excitement. “No need for any hyping… Spear God Shen! VERSUS! King of Favors Reynard!”

I groaned inwardly. King of Favors? Since when did that nickname start making the rounds?

But there was no time to dwell on Bob’s theatrics. Shen moved faster than the thought could finish forming in my head.

His spear came within a hair’s breadth of my neck, the sheer pressure of his aura wrapped around the blade sending chills down my spine. But I wasn’t about to let him have his way.

With a flicker of thought, I activated the Homing attribute linked between me and my doll.

Spot A: where I stood.

Spot B: where the doll loomed a short distance away.

The world tilted as I was yanked through the Vector Path I had created. Before Shen’s spear could meet my throat, I swapped places with the doll, putting me safely behind it and out of reach while my puppet moved into action.

Shen didn’t miss a beat. His sharp eyes caught the sudden shift, and he pivoted smoothly, destroying the Soul Mark I had left behind with a precise stomp.

But in doing so, he hadn’t accounted for the trap I had laid.

The doll, now positioned a heartbeat away, swung its chains.

Unlike before, the chains weren’t just manifestations of aura—they were reinforced with solid metal, their heavy links clanging ominously. I’d managed to snag the material from the Vending Machine’s bizarre inventory system. It wasn’t the most orthodox way to source gear, but it worked wonders.

Shen shifted his spear to deflect the incoming attack. But this time, he wasn’t fast enough.

One of the chains wrapped around his ankle, its cold, metallic grip biting into his flesh. His foot faltered, his legendary fluid movement disrupted.

I grinned.

Before Shen could tear the chains away, I activated the Soul Chains embedded in the marked aura he had just stepped beneath his boot. Shadowy blue tendrils of energy erupted from the ground, coiling tightly around him.

Shen’s calm facade cracked ever so slightly as he struggled against the bindings. He twisted his spear, preparing to cut through the chains in one decisive move.

But the doll was already advancing, fists wrapped in those same gleaming chains, ready to deliver a crushing blow.

Shen’s movements were a flurry of precision and strength, but this time, I had the upper hand. Each link of the chains wrapped around him shimmered with the Homing attribute, creating a seamless trajectory.

I wasn’t just binding him—I was constructing the framework for something far more devastating.

Two glowing rails of aura stretched out, parallel and crackling with energy, framing Shen perfectly in the center. The doll stood poised at one end as my aura coursed through its frame, arcing like untamed lightning.

It was ingenuity in motion.

I smirked and extended my hand. “Take flight.”

Names had power in this world, and I wasn’t shy about giving my creations their due. I let the words ring with conviction.

“Soul Gear: Railgun.”

The chains shivered as the doll was pulled taut between the rails, its body glowing faintly with the blue arcs of aura that surged through it.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze.

Then, in a burst of light and a deafening crack, the doll was launched forward like a streaking projectile.

The rails stabilized its trajectory, the Homing attribute ensuring that its flight remained unwavering. Its legs outstretched, feet pointed like twin spears, the doll shot toward Shen with the ferocity of a plasma discharge.

The air warped and sizzled around it as it closed the distance, an unstoppable force barreling down on the so-called Spear God. Shen’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second, a rare break in his stoic composure.

And then, the impact came.

The collision was deafening, a shockwave rippling outward and shaking the forest. The doll’s momentum drove Shen backward, slamming him into a massive tree with enough force to splinter its trunk.

For a heartbeat, everything was still.

Shen’s spear fell from his grasp, clattering to the ground as he slumped against the shattered remains of the tree. His breath came in ragged gasps, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

I stood a short distance away, chest heaving as I struggled to steady myself. The toll of maintaining Soul Gear: Railgun was heavier than I’d anticipated, but it was worth it.

The doll loomed over Shen, its chains coiling and uncoiling like restless serpents. I called it back with a flick of my wrist, the chains retracting as the puppet returned to my side.

Shen raised his head, his eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, I thought he might say something, but instead, he let out a soft chuckle.

“Try again,” he murmured, his voice hoarse but laced with pride.

There was a reason Shen bore the title of Spear God. His mastery wasn’t just skill—it was artistry, a symphony of motion honed to perfection. Even at his young age, his genius had already carved itself into legend.

Within the first millisecond of impact, the Soul Chains binding his foot were obliterated, their shimmering links disintegrating like brittle glass under the surgical precision of his strike.

In the next millisecond, Shen moved.

His spear, enveloped in a fiery aura of red and orange hues, swung with an elegance that seemed to defy reality. It wasn’t brute force—it was deliberate, calculated. The weapon met my doll mid-flight, parrying its projectile momentum with what should have been impossible precision.

The collision sent shockwaves through the air, crackling energy rippling outward as if the forest itself recoiled from the clash. The towering trees groaned under the strain, their leaves trembling as the ground beneath us quaked.

Despite the parry, the doll wasn’t unscathed. It tumbled through the air, its metallic frame striking the ground behind Shen with a heavy thud. It lay there momentarily inert, a lifeless heap stripped of its menace.

Shen’s stance faltered for the first time. His aura flickered unevenly, the aftershocks of our exchange taking their toll. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing came in shallow gasps. He was human after all.

I couldn’t let this chance slip away.

“Soul Chains: Entwine!”

I thrust my hand forward, channeling what little aura I had left into the ground. From the shadows, ethereal tendrils erupted, twisting and snaking toward Shen’s feet. They weren’t as strong as the chains I’d used before, but they didn’t need to be.

Shen reacted instantly, his spear carving an arc of fiery light as he slashed through the tendrils. Yet, for every chain he severed, another rose in its place. They weren’t meant to bind him—they were meant to distract.

The doll stirred behind him.

With a single mental command, I activated the Homing attribute once more. Spot A: where the doll lay. Spot B: Shen’s unguarded flank.

Like a magnet, Shen flew to the doll.

Meanwhile, the doll lunged forward like a reanimated corpse, its movements jerky but purposeful. Its chains whirled in the air, their metallic links glowing faintly as they arced toward Shen.

“Predictable,” Shen muttered under his breath.

He sidestepped the attack with fluid grace, his spear darting toward the doll’s core. But this time, I was ready.

“Soul Gear: Deflection!”

The chains shifted mid-swing, redirecting themselves with a sharp, unnatural turn. They coiled around Shen’s spear, their glowing links tightening like a vice. For a moment, his weapon was locked in place, its fiery aura dimming as the chains absorbed the brunt of its energy.

“Got you,” I whispered.

From the doll’s outstretched hand, a burst of blue light erupted—a concentrated pulse of energy that shot toward Shen’s chest.

But the Spear God wasn’t done yet.

Shen released his grip on the spear, letting it fall as he twisted his body with a speed that blurred the edges of his form. The energy pulse grazed his side, scorching his uniform but missing its mark.

He caught the falling spear mid-spin, its tip igniting with renewed fire as he aimed it at me.

“Enough of this.”

The spear shot forward like a blazing comet, its trajectory unerring. I barely had time to react, activating the Homing attribute once more. Spot A: my current position. Spot B: a tree a few meters away.

The world tilted as I was yanked through the Vector Path, the spear tearing through the space I’d just occupied. It embedded itself in the tree with a deafening crack, flames licking at the bark.

“You’re fast,” Shen admitted, his voice calm despite the strain in his expression. “But not fast enough.”

I smirked, wiping the sweat from my brow. “Funny. I was about to say the same thing.”

The doll moved again, this time slower, its frame battered but still functional. Its chains dragged behind it, sparking faintly as they scraped against the ground.

Shen’s eyes narrowed. He was running out of patience—and aura.

So was I.

The battle had become a game of endurance, a test of who would falter first. Shen’s movements were still precise, but the slight delay in his reactions was impossible to miss. My doll’s attacks were slower, less forceful, but I didn’t need power anymore. I needed an opening.

And I saw it.

As Shen lunged toward the doll, his spear carving through the air in a fiery arc, I activated the final Soul Chain. It erupted from the ground beneath him, its glowing tendrils wrapping around his legs.

Shen stumbled, his balance momentarily broken.

The doll seized the opportunity, its chains snapping forward to entangle his arms.

“Soul Detonation!”

The chains shimmered with energy, their glowing links vibrating as the aura within them reached critical mass.

“Yield,” I said, my voice steady despite the exhaustion clawing at me.

For a moment, Shen struggled against the bindings, his aura flaring in defiance. Then, with a weary sigh, he let his spear fall to the ground.

The forest fell silent, the tension dissipating like mist in the morning sun.

“No,” said Shen as he swung his spear from below like a snake. “Let’s fight to the death!”

~052