The Final Desperation

The Zergs surrounded the reapers, forcing them to exert more strength to repel these vicious insects. Blood and carapace flew everywhere, but this gruesome sight couldn't hide the fatigue. Their scythes still whirled around at air-breaking speeds, but their energy output had drastically reduced.

Due to their higher exertion, they struggled to recover any energy from these kills. It also didn't help that the poison forcibly converted their life force into strength, increasing their output beyond the required amount.

It didn't matter if they suppressed this effect since more poison would cascade. They either use this strength or pay an ever-increasing cost to endure it. Since they would lose the life force anyway, they went all out, trying to kill Genji before they exhausted themselves.

However, Genji was as slippery as an eel and slid between the Zergs without pause. Pairing these slick maneuvers and the surrounding swarm, it was very difficult to keep pace with Genji. All he needed was a single second, and the nearby Zergs would react, filling the area with claws.

The reapers couldn't ignore these attacks since the poison gave the Zergs enough strength to break their defense. While the wounds were light, it was enough to create the scene of ants biting an elephant to death.

Cutting intent also slashed down at inopportune moments, further exacerbating their decreasing energy. Otherwise, Genji made no other attacks, trying to avoid another melee against them. They might be conservative with their energy uses, but that didn't mean they were helpless.

If they were truly in danger, they wouldn't be chasing him right now, but rather trying to break out of this encirclement. As Genji tangled with them some more, his hair started turning grey, a sign of his own depletion. Nonetheless, he pushed onward, using all his strength to stall the battle.

After a few minutes, the reapers recognized that their efforts were unproductive and swapped their strategy. Instead of tunnel-visioning Genji, they would remove the pesky queen and her nest. Then, they'll see what can stop them.

Genji realized their intentions and chased after them, unleashing crescent slashes at their teleportation points. Surges of deathly energy dispelled his attacks before they continued moving, completely ignoring his presence.

"Cool. Mission accomplished. Let's get out of here," Genji declared loudly, deliberately letting them hear him. Then he turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

Seeing this, the reapers immediately gave up their plans and rushed at Genji. They needed to do this since Genji would be gone by the time they finished the nest. Between the two options, it was clear what their priorities were.

Genji inwardly sighed in relief and dived back into the swarm, gratified that his trick had worked. Like this, the two sides entangled each other in this deadlock, unable to deliver a decisive blow.

"Let's go. We'll come back once the poison fades," Benya said, regulating his body to force out the fumes.

Yagasa nodded in agreement and followed Benya in his retreat. Although this outcome was undesirable, it was better than endangering their lives. Plus, their personal feelings were inconsequential compared to the mission's importance.

All they cared about was Genji's death and stopping the leak of Dance of Death. As long as this could be done, they didn't care about the means they used.

By now, they had essentially confirmed Genji's possession of the skill. Although he hadn't used it yet, his proficient response against Benya's maneuver gave him away. One does not simply display that level of familiarity unless they used it themselves or fought plenty of reapers.

The latter was unlikely since few could survive against a reaper on equal stats, let alone less than. But to reach that level of experience, one would need to fight multiple reapers. Were they really supposed to believe that Genji survived that many confrontations against them?

That was not even considering how unlucky one needed to be to encounter that many reapers. Thus, Genji was guaranteed to have the ability. And nothing could convince them otherwise.

'Trying to leave so easily? Don't even think about it.'

While Genji was still clueless about their purpose, he knew they were insistent on his death. It didn't take a genius to figure out, considering how relentless they were.

He did not doubt that if they escaped today, they would come back to haunt him, potentially assassinating him when he least expected it. To prevent that, it would be best if he could remove this trouble today.

Thumping his chest with a clenched fist, Genji sent his shadow core into overdrive and infused his energy with a volatile trait. Then his daggers coursed with a violent vortex that shredded the surrounding air. Shadow Devour had been unleashed.

Untraceable Movement, Solid Core, Flashstep.

Genji suddenly disappeared from his position and ripped through the air like a torpedo before exploding on his targets. His daggers curved around the scythe as he twisted his arm, contorting his muscles beyond acceptability.

Benya's eyes widened in shock as he blinked away, escaping the exchange with a shallow cut. Yagasa, on the other hand, wasn't as fortunate and received a gaping wound on his shoulder.

Regardless, these attacks weren't enough to kill them since they suppressed the invading energy moments after it entered their body. Their reactions were fast because they had similar abilities and knew how to respond. Still, they couldn't hide their surprise, and their gazes took on a hint of respect.

"A beheading ability. Impressive," Benya praised with a pale face. "Not many in the third step have one, yet you managed to personalize it. Very well, you win this time."

With those words, the two of them teleported into the distance, searching for a safe place to treat their wounds. Given how violent this energy was, it would take them at least a week to recover. Until then, Genji would be safe from their attacks.

When the reapers disappeared into the horizon, Genji leaned his aching body against the closest unit. His body had sustained severe damage in that last movement, having pushed his speed beyond his body's limit. Nonetheless, it had temporarily repelled his foes and gave them more time to prepare.

'What a crazy sequence of events,' he thought, pushing himself to stand on his trembling legs.

 

---

 

Three days after the reapers retreated, a middle-aged man in pearly white armor visited the nest. Genji was familiar with this person since he had left a considerable impression in their last meeting. After all, Genji had only survived the last entry of the Spatial Battlefield with his help.

It was none other than Julian, the Balancer who previously handled Genji's case. Now, they met again, repeating the scenario of their first meeting, with Genji sowing chaos and Julian stabilizing the aftermath.

But despite these interactions between them, it was hard to say if Julian would recognize him. Genji's aura and appearance had changed too much in this time frame, becoming more insect than human.

Bruce gave Julian a peculiar look, wondering who was so bold to come here alone. In his impression, even two reapers had to retreat under their defenses, so what made Julian any different?

In contrast to Bruce's ignorance, Igani knew better and quivered with nervousness when she saw the gray badge with the golden scale. She might be secluded from the outside world, but she knew about the Balancer's mighty power and duties.

"Oh my god! Why is he here? What did we do? I'm a good spider. I didn't break any rules..."

Igani trailed off when she said her last sentence, realizing how wrong she was. If she hadn't done anything major, why would all the other factions try so hard to kill her? It wasn't like they had nothing better to do. So the sheer intensity of the attacks only testified to their problems, rather than diminishing them.

"Hey," she addressed Genji with a stiff turn. "I never asked, but why are we so hated?"

"What do you think? Those bodies you're playing with aren't easy to get."

"No way! Not even Mother faced such a backlash when she got her bodies. Didn't you say she got six of them? Why are we being targeted so much when we only have three?"

"Sorry to break it to you, but these bodies are more important than you think. Regarding research value, I dare say only the beast kings can rival them. Even then, it's not certain which one is better since they both have their specialties. Basically, you're a child holding a gold mine. They'll be stupid to let you develop it, especially when there's a devastating precedent."

"But but," she tried to protest, tears threatening to leak from her eyes. "I didn't ask for any of this." *Sniffle*

"No, you didn't, but you don't have a choice. Remember, you're still poisoned." Genji waved an empty bottle of candy to illustrate his point. "The only way out is to get strong enough that no one dares attack you."

"So I have to develop these troops?"

"Yeah, and you better do it quick. I only have so much time left, and I don't know how calm they'll be after I leave." After saying those words, Genji waved lightly at her and went to greet their guest. After all, they needed to clear this obstacle if they wanted a chance at that future.

As Igani watched Genji's departing back, her eyes glimmered with an uncharacteristic determination. In the time she had spent with Genji, she had unknowingly been influenced by his thought process, taking on a fraction of his boldness.

This was not surprising since she rarely interacted with other people, rendering her sense of normality practically nonexistent. When one is surrounded by charismatic madness, one can't help but be tainted by it. And in the face of this pressure, she finally displayed this acquired trait, bursting out with a strong desire for survival.

'Just you wait. I'll pump out the strongest units you've ever seen and overcome this difficulty!'

Genji smiled when he sensed this brimming resolve. After so long, he had finally ignited this spark within her and motivated her to improve. This was a huge breakthrough since it was the difference between passively consuming resources and actively seeking strength. 

Suddenly, a whoosh of air came from behind as Bruce caught up to him. As he came next to Genji, Bruce nudged his arm and inquired if he needed any help.

"Don't worry about it. Just focus on recovering." Genji declined and rubbed Bruce's head. Due to Bruce's equipment nature, potions don't work on him so his injuries still persisted. Genji didn't want to aggravate this issue so he asked Bruce to stay behind.

After finishing this exchange, Genji stepped out to face Julian, stopping the balancer in his steps.

Julian examined Genji with a careful gaze and scrunched his brows in confusion, wondering how Genji could feel so foreign, yet familiar at the same time. He was certain they'd never met before, yet his instincts were saying otherwise. It was a very strange feeling because Julian would have forgotten such a distinct presence.

Seconds later, Julian gave up this recollection and introduced himself. "Balancer Jullain. I'm here on duty to resolve an unstable element."

"I know," Genji responded with a nod. "This isn't the first time we've met."

"I see. That explains my sentiment. Still, you'll have to forgive me. I don't remember ever meeting you."

"That's expected since I looked differently back then."

"That aside, you should know what I'm here for, right?"

"I can guess, but I'll have to decline. I worked hard to reach this point, and I'm not giving up now."

"I'm afraid that's not up to you. This queen's very existence has become a complicated mess. If I let her be, there will be a massive war in the future. Too many people will die at once, and the realms will lose most of their lower forces. There will be a massive gap in the 2nd step and plenty of associated problems."

"It won't get to that point," Genji assured with a firm tone. "I'll make sure of it."

"I can't take your word for it."

"Why not? How can you be so sure about this outcome?"

"It's in the Zerg's nature. The queen has been attacked by everyone, so it's only a matter of time before she seeks revenge. No matter which faction she attacks, the others will never stand back and watch."

"Even against Silver Empress?" Genji asked with a confident tone.

"Hmmmm. I did not expect that one. But even if that's the case, the results won't change. The battle will still cause a massive disturbance."

"But it won't be as damaging. As long as everyone else agrees not to interfere, we won't initiate an attack. Won't that solve the issue?"

"It's not as simple as that. The moment Silver Empress is attacked, the agreement will relax, and her legion will storm the battlefield. Then, it won't be a clash between you two, but the entire planet, since there's no way she will return to her territory so easily after coming out. In that time, she can do a lot of damage."

"You make it sound like we don't stand a chance."

"That's because you don't. Her legion is so strong that we need at least two balancers to forcibly break into her nest. Can you even understand that level of power?"

"Of course, I do. I'm the one that raised her to that point."

Hearing these words, Julian briefly lost his composure and gave Genji a second look. Now that Genji admitted this, Julian started recalling the sequence of events that resulted in Silver Empress's domination. In his memory, there was one person who fit the description.

"It's you?" Jullain asked, pinpointing the resemblance between Genji's current appearance and his memories. Now that he had a reference, the cloak does look familiar. 

"One and only. So do I have the qualifications now?"

"It's a little more convincing, but did you learn nothing from last time? You caused such a big mess, yet you want to repeat it? Aren't you afraid of the repercussions once something goes wrong?"

"I need to do what I can to survive. You said it best, Zerg queens are vengeful creatures. There's no way she will let me go like this."

"Fine, I won't go into your motives, but can you at least tell me why you're so insistent on this method? I'm sure there are easier ways given your strength. You did annihilate the upper echelons of the Parasites after all."

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Genji responded, eyeing his total contribution points. He didn't want to say the true reason because it would worsen Julian's impression of him and make this negotiation that much harder.

Anyone would have such a notion if they discovered that Genji was doing all this for more contribution points, despite his already abundant quantity. He would appear greedy and selfish, characteristics that few would want to associate with.

Nevertheless, Genji pushed onward because he was just shy of the required 10 million. So far, he had accumulated 9.12 million and only required one more major battle to fill the gap.

However, Genji couldn't target the main factions since they'd already been pushed to the limit. The moment he tried, they would all team up and risk everything in a pyrrhic battle.

This left Silver Empress as the only viable choice since no one would care if two dangerous queens tore each other apart. Rather, they welcomed it since it would lower the overall threats.

"That doesn't do much to convince me," Julian said, shaking his head. "I can't just abandon my duties when you don't even give me a valid reason."

"Then tell me what will change your mind."

Julian thought for a few seconds before opening his palm at Genji. "Five minutes. As long as you can last that long against me, I'll overlook it. That's the one exception Eternal Void allows for powerful champions. But this pardon will only last until the end of this cycle. After that, we will take action and eliminate the threat."

"I don't have any other choice, do I?"

"No." Julian plucked the balancer badge from his chest and fiddled with it before showing Genji the bold numbers on its surface. "The timer will start once it touches the ground. As long as you're still standing after it rings, it's your win. Are these conditions acceptable?" Julian asked for formality's sake and outlined the terms of this battle.

"Yes," Genji officially agreed and took a deep breath.

"Then let the battle begin." After saying those words, Julian tossed the badge into the air and drew his sword. His muscles grew taut and gathered their strength, ready to burst out at a moment's notice.

Genji took this chance to scan his foe, getting a glimpse of Julian's abilities.

[Your special stat surpasses your opponents. Detected the target is 2 steps higher than you. Huge obstruction will be imposed: Obtaining 7% of the target's information. ]

 

[Balancer Julian]

Health: ???/???

Aura of Light: 2,500/???

Con: 50

Str: 50

Dex: 50

Int: 50

Spc: 38

Note: All stats have been suppressed to the world's limit. No skills can be read.

 

The stats were beyond anything Genji had faced, but he had expected this since Balancers were known for their invincibility. Only with this strength could they suppress the entire battlefield without resistance and enforce order among the factions. Luckily, this wasn't a life-or-death battle, so he didn't have to worry about any devastating trump cards from the other side.

As the badge reached its peak, Genji drew his daggers and entered his stance. His pupils widened to capture every moment, and his heart pulsed with vigor. His entire existence had entered its top form and awaited the start of the battle. Then the badge landed with a crisp tap, resounding with a high pitch that sent both fighters into action.