The Final Desperation

*Cough cough*

Genji spat out a mouthful of blood and dragged his tattered body toward Joki's remains, chugging several potions along the way. He picked up the spear, pried off the armor, and searched for a safe place to stabilize his wounds. These injuries were severe and needed immediate attention, or he would soon follow in death.

Genji found a remote cave, sat down against the wall, and peeled off the strips of cloth around his wounds. He plucked out scattered bone shards, cleaned his chest of any dirt or grime, and poured multiple bottles over his eviscerated organs. White steam billowed from his wounds, but Genji’s face remained nonchalant.

Bruce and Astros stirred from the noise and were startled by his missing arm. Genji gestured that he was fine and asked Bruce to help with the makeshift surgery.

After they finished, Genji ate some food to replenish his energy and leaned back to rest. This particular trap had severely drained his concentration and he was in no shape to move forward.

A whole day passed, and Soul Sanctuary came off cooldown. Genji felt more confident in surviving the upcoming dangers with this. He fastened an eyepatch out of cloth and covered his gaping socket before stepping out to rechallenge the gauntlet of hazards.

Having learned from his previous encounter, Genji avoided the stones on the hill and soon reached the top. The same space-peeling scene occurred. This time, it wasn’t a luxurious garden, but a modest abode. The clinking of porcelain cups and rambunctious laughter came from the backyard, prompting Genji to check it out.

He clenched his saber and prepared for a fight, but he was greeted by a long table filled with various cutlery instead. These tableware include dirty plates with cake crumbs, used teacups, and multiple pots of tea, all atop a fancy white cloth.

At the end of the table, a man with a tall green hat sat across from a large bunny-like creature. The man’s eyes were erratic, darting around like those of a drug addict going through withdrawal. His teeth jittered up and down, mumbling incoherent sentences and occasionally laughing like a madman.

He chugged his drink before slamming the cup on the table and refilling it from an absurd height. Tea splattered across the table and stained the already messy tablecloth. The man cackled at the scene and yanked the cup out from beneath the stream, causing the liquid to overflow and soak his pants.

The bunny creature clapped repetitively like a "monkey with cymbals" toy before helping itself to some cake. Strangely enough, the fork it used only had two prongs. Most of the cake crumbled and slipped through this gap, bouncing off the table before landing on the floor. The bunny ignored all this and happily gorged itself, feasting on bits of frosting and lots of air.

Beside them stood a miniature grandfather clock, its pendulum swinging back and forth at uneven speeds, catching on various objects within the clock. Even the ticking sound was muffled by whatever was causing this oddity.

At that moment, the duo spotted Genji and began chuckling uncontrollably. "Why yes, a visitor. The thing goes down and doesn’t come up. Ga ga ga ga ga ga ga."

Genji watched this strange scene and simply asked, "How can I leave?"

"Leave? Why would you want to do that? Don’t you want to experience all the fun we have to offer?" asked the bunny.

"Or perhaps play the devil’s game?" added the man.

"I remember the devil’s game. It sends you to hell. Literally! Ey heh heh heh heh heh," the bunny followed up.

The two then devolved into a nonsensical conversation, giving Genji no chance to intervene. They tossed bizarre terms left and right, expecting the listener to understand their lingo—or perhaps they simply didn’t care if anyone did.

After a few minutes, Genji tried again, only to receive more irrelevant answers. Fed up with their attitude, he pulled out a nuclear grenade and said, "How about I blow this whole place up first? I’m sure I can find others to help me."

This startled the dou, prompting them to pacify Genji immediately. "Now now, don’t be so extreme. You just need to have a tea party with us until the clock hits 6. Then you can leave."

Genji glanced at the grandfather clock and noted it was 5:51. He just had to deal with them for 9 more minutes. Despite this, he cast a suspicious look their way. The task sounded too easy and didn’t match the vicious traps along the way. There must be a catch they weren’t telling him.

‘I’ll get to that when it comes. At worst, I’ll threaten them again. They don’t seem too strong,’ he thought, taking a seat at the other end of the table.

Bruce and Astros followed and poured themselves a cup. Genji gave it a sniff and confirmed it was safe to drink. But before he could bring it to his lips, the bunny bumped into him, knocking the cup out of his hands.

Genji paid no heed to the spill and poured another cup. This time, the bunny snatched it when he put the teapot down and threw it aside. Genji stared at the scene for a few seconds before smiling. He finally understood what they were playing at.

This was a tea party, not an awkward get-together. To count, everyone had to drink the tea. Otherwise, they could deny him under "reasonable clauses." That was the rule of this zone.

Meanwhile, Bruce uttered a silent prayer for the pair. Genji doesn’t smile at his enemies often, but they never meet a good end when he does. And the pair’s actions certainly marked them as hostile. Bruce didn’t know how Genji would make them pay, but he was confident it would happen. After all, it wouldn’t be Genji if he let them off easily.

Genji’s smile widened as he took out the grenade again. He bit into the pin and stared down the duo, daring them to interfere once more. They froze and helplessly watched as Bruce served Genji another cup. Genji maintained eye contact as he drank the tea with Bruce’s assistance, only putting the grenade away once he’d emptied the cup.

"See? That wasn’t so hard. Why did you have to waste so much tea?" Genji asked.

The man and the bunny slumped in their seats, gloomily returning to their activities. Astros picked up a knife, sliced some bread, and smeared some on butter before hopping onto Genji’s shoulder. Bruce nibbled on the snacks but wasn’t too fond of them; they were too sweet for his tastes.

Like this, 15 minutes passed. But when Genji checked the clock, it showed that only 7 minutes had passed. The clock was running slow by half. Genji put down his cutlery and waited for the remaining time to pass.

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

Tick-tock.

Tick—

Suddenly, the second hand screeched to a halt right before it crossed the top.

"Oh no, the clock broke. Whatever shall we do? It seems like we’re going to have tea time forever now," the man said, leaning back with his arm dramatically over his forehead. A smug grin was plastered on his face, signaling victory in this exchange.

'So they still had this trick up their sleeves.' The corner of Genji’s eye twitched at this display, but he remained calm and asked, "Aren’t you afraid of being blown up like this?"

"Of course not. Time has stopped now. Nothing can hurt us anymore," the man confidently replied, taking a triumphant sip of his tea.

"Is that so?" Genji maintained his smile and picked up his cup as well. "But I beg to differ."

"Hmm? I don’t think you understand your situation. I’m the master of this area, and you can’t leave unless I say so. Prepare to spend an eternity here. I’ll live on while you wither away from old age, growing feebler with each passing day. Despair will overwhelm you, and I’ll bask in every moment of it. That is the price of offending me, Prince Macazar Giovoni Principial III. Mwah ha ha ha ha ha."

Genji waited for the man to finish his villainous monologue before asking a simple question. "Don’t you think your tea tastes weird?"

The man instantly performed a spit-take and choked on his tea. After several hard coughs, he demanded an answer. "What do you mean by that? What did you DO!?!"

"Nooooothiiinnnng," Genji dragged out the word in a playful tone before revealing a bottle of red liquid. "But this is a Scarlet Virus. It’s a special poison that seeps into people’s lungs and festers like cancer. After 30 minutes of dormancy, it breaks out and eats the host from the inside, stopping only when there’s no more flesh. The only flaw is that it has a mild smell and binds with liquids on contact. Anyway, what were you saying? Please go on. I don’t mind waiting. I’m curious if you’re as immortal as you claim."

The man nervously cleared his throat and asked, "Umm, is there a cure?"

"Is that even a question?" Genji revealed two bottles of purple liquid. "Just chug one of these and the virus will be gone in a jiffy. But you shouldn’t need them. You’re immmmmmoooooortalllllll after all."

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding," the man said with an awkward laugh. "Oh, would you look at that! Time’s moving again." As he spoke, the man dragged the second hand past the 12, ending this farce.

Genji nodded in satisfaction and let go of the bottles. Then the world around them distorted, teleporting them to the next zone.

Bruce flashed Genji a thumbs up when the surroundings stabilized, complimenting him on the maneuver. ‘That was awesome, master. You should have seen the looks on their faces. They were so funny. And the way he changed his tone. Ehhnneeiiiighhhh. But when did you release the poison? How come I never noticed it?’

"That’s because I didn’t. Everything was a bluff. But even then, they believed me a little too easily. I suspect they might have a lie detection skill."

Bruce froze for a moment before his jaw dropped in amazement. ‘Wait, what about the cure you left them?’

"What do you think? They drank poison to counter a poison that doesn’t exist."

Bruce picked up his jaw and uttered another pity-filled prayer for the victims before forgetting about them. His understanding of Genji was still the best. Astros didn’t understand what was happening but clapped enthusiastically anyway.

They continued forward and soon arrived at a hedge maze. The entrance was blocked by a pedestal holding a large checkered board, at least 200 squares wide. A barrier stretched outward from this pedestal, indicating he needed to pass this test if he wanted to enter.

Genji approached and spotted miniature chess pieces locked in an intense battle. On one end, a black queen commanded her army from the center of the board, slowly pushing back the opposing force.

Controlling the white pieces was a female mage with starry earrings. She flung numerous elemental spells at the encroaching army but struggled to hold her ground. The black queen outclassed her in nearly every tactical aspect, relentlessly pushing her advantage.

Genji was familiar with this person. This was Stella, better known as the Starlit Mage, a fellow champion from ManaRealm. Although they hadn’t officially met, he had seen her once on the Spatial Battlefield.

The power and frequency of her spells justified her moniker, but she was starting to run low on mana. It was only a matter of time until her defeat.

Genji read the rules engraved on the pedestal and decided to interfere with this battle. This was not out of the kindness of his heart, but because he needed to defeat the black queen in a large-scale chess war, with each piece having its own quicks, if he wanted to continue. 

Genji was somewhat familiar with the rules of chess, but he was by no means proficient, nor was he knowledgeable about commanding an army. In this sense, Stella had him beaten, but even she struggled in this challenge.

If Genji were alone, he would have no chance of winning. So instead of waiting for Stella's defeat and taking his turn, he decided to muddy the waters and combine their strengths. This was beneficial for both of them.

Genji pressed his hand on the pedestal, and a magic circle manifested beneath him. The circle spun slowly at first and gradually accelerated. At its peak, intense light burst out and teleported Genji onto the board. A robotic female voice announced his presence, and the battlefield underwent a major shift.

New participant detected. Adding reinforcements on both sides.

The ground rumbled, and numerous chess pieces rose from the ground in the backlines. These pieces were easily distinguishable from the current ones because they were pristine and lacked the cracks that the battle-ridden pieces possessed. Genji assumed this was how the pieces initially looked before the intense battle.

Stella was surprised by his presence, but she welcomed him with open arms. "Great. Work with me, and we might stand a chance!"

Genji glanced at her before redirecting his gaze to the enemies. Although they had received fresh troops, the enemies likewise gained the same. This narrowed the gap in combat power, but it also gave the black queen more tools to work with.

"Take command. I'll hold the front lines," Genji yelled at her.

"Okay. Be careful of the pieces with fancy armor. Those are the elites."

Genji flashed an "okay" sign and drew his saber. A fierce cutting intent wrapped his body and tore through the air. He arrived at the combat line and unleashed a massive crescent slash. Many black pieces shattered under his attack, but these were mostly useless pawns. Genji tore through their ranks like a tornado, wreaking havoc within their mid-lines.

Undeterred by his missing arm, Genji fought to his heart's content. At that moment, he resembled a berserker more than an assassin, cleaving through enemies with brute force.

Water Parries chained together without pause, making each slash stronger than the last. He rampaged for a few more seconds before the troops scattered, giving way to stronger units. A horse with large shoulder pads and a spear confronted him, only to be dispatched within five exchanges.

Other unique pieces joined the melee while ranged attackers pelted him with arrows, musket balls, and even deadly lasers. Genji jumped over them, kicking off shoulders to retreat. Suddenly, a chill crept down his back.

'A sneak attack!'

Genji twisted his body, narrowly dodging a sword from the side. He pivoted his feet and slashed upward, bisecting an invisible unit. By this time, Stella had finished regrouping the army and pushed forward to support him. Genji maintained his position until the troops caught up, then dove forward as the vanguard.

Everything within three meters of Genji broke apart into chunks as he flared his intent. He kept up the pace by ducking behind pawns when powerful ranged attacks came his way and hacking down the replacements. They marched over the fallen bodies and reclaimed their previously lost ground.

After a while, the black army actively retreated and recondensed their ranks. A frontal battle was no longer to their advantage with Genji on the field, so they switched tactics.

Several squads flanked the white army and chipped away at their forces. As the squads attempted to retreat, Genji flash-stepped into their ranks and hacked away. They eventually escaped but suffered heavy casualties under his blade.

Meanwhile, an elite team flanked around the back and attacked Stella. A fierce battle ensued, resulting in the attackers' defeat, but it distracted Stella from properly commanding her army. The black queen capitalized on this and maneuvered her troops into advantageous positions.

She probed for weaknesses and chipped away at their numbers like a hyena tearing at meat. Genji fought back with all his might, but he couldn’t match the efficiency of the opposing army.

Even then, that was a luxury compared to being tied down by powerful units. A few exchanges later, Genji burst out with shadow flames and beheaded the nearest pieces.

'Can't afford to stall. I need to put pressure on the commander as well.'

Genji took a deep breath and utilized his Dagger Arts to cover the distance. Flow and Threading the Needle played a major role, as they specialized in breaking through enemy lines. Genji rapidly closed in on the black queen, but the enemies grew stronger with each step. The black queen had anticipated such a maneuver and kept the strongest units near herself.

Genji grappled with this group for a while but made no progress. At this point, he could only do his best and hope Stella could regain some advantage while he kept the queen somewhat occupied. Black chess pieces besieged him from all directions, severely straining his stamina.

The fight continued for several minutes until a large mana fluctuation swept through the board. Following that, a hail of spells rained down on the black army, decimating their numbers. Stella had overloaded her abilities for an immense boost in combat power.

Once this state was lifted, she would temporarily lose access to the buffs provided by her talent and several powerful spells. In the absence of legacy liberations, this was her strongest state. Stella carpet-bombed the area and commanded the pieces to finish the rest while focusing most of her firepower on helping Genji.

With Stella's assistance, Genji quickly overpowered the troops and flickered toward the black queen. She tried her best to resist, but Genji soon cut her down. Her avatar broke apart, and the battle came to an end. Victory was theirs.

The battlefield calmed down, and a magic circle lit up beneath Genji. After several revolutions, Genji found himself outside the board again, staring down the black queen beside Stella.

"In a miraculous turn of events, you managed to defeat me. Very well, according to the rules, you have obtained the qualifications to enter." The queen stood aside and the barrier blocking the hedge maze disappeared.