Chapter 116

Big Time Hoops, Merder Stadium, Atlanta - 8:34 AM

From the moment I hit the ground, the Scalpel of Angelic Healing had finished its transformation. I no longer held a short surgical tool in my hand, but a full blown sword with a stunning white blade stylized to look like an angel’s wing. The hilt had a cross guard that looked exactly like a halo floating around it, and I felt power surge through me. I didn’t gain any stats thanks to the Wheel of Chaos’ first alteration, but that was fine. I saw Manny hesitate as my blade bloomed from my hand.

“Best be ready for this!“ I roared, taking the sword in both hands and swinging.

Manny shifted his shield to take the blow. Which was smart, usually. I wanted the obstruction gone so that we could go head to head with our weapons, so I gave my swing more power by using Orbit. The sword moved a little faster around me just before impact.

The blade cut into the shield, shearing through the metal roughly four inches before I pulled it free and raised my foot. I caught Manny in the leg as he raised his fearsome black axe, and he shifted off balance, stumbling backwards. It didn’t look like he was trying to counterattack.

“Come on, man!“ I yelled. “Stop turtling up and hit me!“

“You don’t want to get struck by this, trust me!“ he replied back. He did swing the axe, but it was half-hearted and I was able to easily duck under it.

I circled Manny, staying on his shield’s side as I made sure to stick to the green squares. Even though I had the advantage, I didn’t push it. I lashed out a few more times with my sword and he blocked them in a manner where I couldn’t slice through it again. It was getting banged up, but nothing dire.

My blade, however, still felt incredible. I could feel the power of Demon Slayer mixing with a source of energy inside of me that I only noticed when I used Break Free against Amlex. I knew Demonic weapons were more potent when used by any creature with Demonic energy, but it was my first time with the opposite. The flame inside me from my new Half-Angel heritage was bolstered.

“What are you laughing about, Warmonger?“ Manny asked through gritted teeth.

“Oh, was I laughing?“ I asked in return, masking the fact that I hadn’t realized my emotions were bubbling up. I brought my sword down onto his shield and pushed, pinning it against his shoulder. “Just thinking, I guess. You’re not making this very hard on me. You gonna swing that axe like you mean it or what?“

I saw a dangerous look flash in Manny’s eyes as he pushed back against me. “This axe is not meant for people, Warmonger,“ he claimed. “I regret using it against the others, but it was necessary to scare them and bide time. I don’t want to use it on you.“

“Yet you still wield it, huh?“ I asked, and his eyes widened before narrowing into a sinister glare. “Maybe you can’t help yourself, is that it?“

I shuffled a few steps back, narrowly missing a black square. I swung the sword a few times as I looked back at Tito and Joanna. She had gathered more balls, but now she was tending to the Crowd Stopper.

Without some kind of antidote, he would be writhing on the ground in pain until the match ended. I knew that Tito wouldn’t let it go that far, there was only so much that one man could take, but the other option was a gruesome one even if it wouldn’t stick.

“Fine!“ Manny roared, grabbing my attention from his teammates. “You want me to swing the axe? I’ll swing the damn axe!“

Manny’s eyes had shifted away from their usual brown warmth, instead replaced with a black sclera and blue iris, and I felt a rush of demonic energy fly off of him. He held his axe high.

I lifted my sword, putting a hand on the flat of the blade as the Spirit Axe brought his weapon down on me. The pitch black metal sparked as it collided with my gleaming white, and I felt my feet sink into the ground. Above the Spirit Axe was an ethereal giant with its own axe overlaid on his own.

Seeing this ability, Spiritual Strike, from afar was nothing like experiencing it up close and personal. The figure was clearly demonic, with red skin and curled horns coming out of its forehead and eyes that mirrored Manny’s. It looked down at me with a gleefully sadistic grin, showing off several sharp teeth, and its axe was a ghostly copy of the one trying to break through my sword to split my skull.

“You saved your finisher for this?“ I asked, struggling to keep my voice even.

My arms started aching as I defended against the blow. The force coming down was constant and near overwhelming. I grit my teeth as my knees started to buckle. The sparks coming from the clash between the two blades intensified as Angelic and Demonic energies ran rampant.

“The less blood you shed, the better!“ Manny yelled, and the ghostly demon roared with him. “Just die already!“

I tried to shift the blade so that the axe would slide off, harmlessly splitting the ground instead, but it wouldn’t budge. Any time I did, it took an inch and continued coming down. The energies had coalesced into bolts of lightning that struck the ground all around us, something that I had only seen before during battles with both high ranking Angels and Demons fighting each other.

“Well, I still have one death left,“ I said, trying to amuse myself despite the pain. “Maybe if-“

[[Patron Message]]

Anthony Franklin, you are not allowed to lose against a demonic weapon. Especially not one put on this Earth by Zalzarog the Soul Drinker.

If you show that even a purified demonic weapon is more potent than his stupid axe, then I’ll include one of those… selfies in the next quest you get. Provided you send me a camera first.

Deal?

You better not lose,

Sara

My eyes scanned through the message quickly, and I felt my heart start to race. Pushing against the axe became easier when I read it again just to make sure that it said what I thought it said. A new wind overcame me.

“Sorry, but my Patron has spoken!“ I yelled as I started fighting harder against the axe only to get pushed deeper into the ground. “The time for meows is over. Now, it’s time for wasps!“

“What are you-“ Manny started.

“Waaaaasps!“ I interrupted, cackling. I used most of my remaining Mental Points to activate the spell.

[[Spell]]

Swarm Call [Wasps]

This spell summons a swarm of wasps in number equal to your Constitution stat. These wasps will attack the nearest hostile creatures, dealing poison damage equal to Constitution/8 before disappearing. Wasps may perish before stinging enemies. Cost: 40 Mental Points.

With my hood up and my mask obstructing my face, Manny couldn’t see the wasps crawling out of the jewels on my Circlet. All he saw was that my hood was starting to bulge and the insects emerging from the space between. The look of rage and confusion on Manny’s face very quickly changed to one of horror, and I laughed like a madman.

A swarm of stinging insects started pouring out of my hood, flying directly at the only unarmored part of Manny’s body: his face. The wasps headed straight there, buzzing angrily as they landed and stung the Spirit Axe’s handsome mug. The Spiritual Strike ability he used could not be interrupted, continuing until it either completed cutting what it was supposed to cut or the one who used it died.

Doing the math in my head, Swarm Call would only do around 220 damage, but the Spirit Axe had been fighting for a while. His armor was resistant to damage, but he was not and he was undoubtedly worse for wear. In addition, he screamed, which allowed some of the wasps entry into his mouth. Each one stung him before falling to the ground, spent, and faded away.

Five wasps remained as Manny disappeared, and the pressure was taken off of my body.

[[Notice]]

You have defeated another player.

Points will be tallied at the end of the event.

I stumbled forward before collapsing to my knees. My muscles felt strained and my head pounded as my Mental Points were bottomed out. Not gone, I learned as I checked my status screen, but there wasn’t much I could do with a whole two points.

Breathing out, I slowly started to stand as I suddenly found myself in the manager’s suite. My hit points were back up to full, though my Mental Points didn’t replenish from the trip, and I saw Howard looking back at me from his spot near the window.

[[Notice]]

You have died.

“Dude, you just got sneak attacked by Joanna,“ he said, watching as my scalpel returned to its original shape now that I was no longer around the Demonic weapon. “That was really cool, though, against Manny. Just firing off wasps at him from behind your mask. Is that what your mask is for? Some kind of insect hive?“

“You’ve caught me, you’ve figured out my deepest secret,“ I muttered as I looked out over the arena.

Joanna was attacking the air in front of her with a dagger. I couldn’t see it from this distance, but I knew she was killing the wasps leftover from my spell. Tito was gone, though I wasn’t sure if it was by her hand or his own, and Manny wouldn’t have respawned already, leaving the Syndicate Shade all on her own. The balls she had collected had all been taken back by beetles, but there were bugs all around. I watched as she chased down the closest one, stole its cargo, and ran back to the Hovering Tiles.

Scoring would be slower for them now unless Tito could still cast his spells when he returned. I couldn’t imagine him having a lot left in his tank, especially since his Magical Potency and Deep Pool passives were mine, but I would remain wary. As rare as they were, he might have a potion for it.

Then I shook my head and looked at my manager. “Did Tito take any potions?“

Howard tilted his head, but continued to watch the arena. “I think, maybe two or three of them?“ he answered, though he didn’t sound sure of himself. “It’s hard to tell with him being in that big sphere of darkness, but he hasn’t really been hurt until you did whatever you did to him.“

“Pain amplifying poison,“ I said. “Don’t like to use it, but I had to knock him down.“

“Don’t gotta explain yourself to me, Warmonger.“ Howard shook his head. “There’s a lot of scary dudes down there.“

“You can say that again,“ I replied, looking back down at the field.

Tito reappeared at his disc. It looked like Joanna had rushed to kill me, jumping from one shadow to mine in order to do it. She was scoring points now, but not enough to catch up to me.

Not yet, anyway. The baskets she was filling were lower to the ground than the ones she had used, which meant less points. Dunbar Runners were catching up to me, but I had time. Not a lot, but some. Unfortunately, my disc was all the way on the other side of the arena and I couldn’t steal from my own beetles thanks to Howard’s restriction.

“Tell me when Manny reappears,“ I told Howard.

I turned around and lowered myself to the floor in a sprinter’s stance. There was no way that Divine Messenger would work with all the grass, and Cheetah Sprint had already been used up, but I could make it. I breathed in, ignoring the thumping in my head, and looked at the wall on the other side of the room.

“Just did,“ Howard yelled, tapping me on the side. Two seconds after he did, I took off. I sprinted across the room as fast as I could, and just before I slammed into the wall I was teleported back to my disc.

I jumped to the side to bypass a black patch of grass. My speed was already topped out and I kept running as fast as I could towards the Dunbar Runners. Tito and Joanna were working together now. The Crowd Stopper helped to collect the balls, struggling to carry more than one at a time, while the Syndicate Shade ascended the perilous hovering staircase and dropped them in.

Manny, I noticed, came straight for me. He had ditched his shield and wielded the Axe of Zalzarog in two hands as he ran. I activated Demon Slayer in response, and the Scalpel of Angelic Healing returned to its sword form. Taking in an exhilarating breath, I lunged to the right once we were close. He moved to stop me when I jumped, activated Air Step, and bounced off to dive the other way as I brought up Shield.

The axe swiped against my leg, causing my defensive ability to shimmer from just a scratch. I rolled across the ground, wincing as I landed on a black patch of grass, but got to my feet and resumed sprinting. I was close enough now to use my Warmind abilities and I Dropped the next basket Joanna would have made. A quick glance showed that I was only winning by two baskets, and Manny was hot on my heels.

“Can’t lose to this axe wielding man. Remember, Ant, your Angel’s selfie is on the line,“ I reminded myself, gritting my teeth in determination before laughing. “And Gabrielle called Jeff the simp.“

Joanna jumped down to collect the next ball as Manny shouted a warning from behind me. She spun around in a flash, her eyes widening as she saw me coming. I jumped into the air, clearing a black patch of grass, and landed in front of her as I attempted to stab her through the heart.

The Syndicate Shade backed up and spun, and I pierced through her chest with a blow that wasn’t immediately fatal. She screamed in pain as I pulled the sword out of her and attempted to slash her neck. A rope lashed around my arm, and I didn’t have to look to know that Tito was using one of his spells to stop me. He might not have had enough for a Sphere of Darkness, but his tank wasn’t empty.

In the moment of distraction, Joanna’s hand pulled a knife out of thin air and I recognized the black, curved blade of the Vanishing Dagger. She managed a strike against my chest before I pulled Tito closer and dropped my sword from one hand to the other. With a backhand grip, I slashed at the woman in front of me only to get knocked down by Manny.

I fell face first into the grass. By all rights I should have cut myself on my blade, but my Shield protected me and I shifted it into a better position. Manny slammed his knee onto and axe against my back, both hands on the haft as I struggled to get up. Its blade dug into my Shield over my shoulder, and I felt my defense weaken.

What I was most aware of was the axe, however. I could feel its need to cut me, to cut and drink from my body. All around me the Demonic energy started to culminate into a black mist that only I could see, pushing me down much like its unknowing wielder was. It wanted to hurt me no matter the cost, and I felt the same. The difference was, I was the one pinned.

“Come on!“ Manny yelled at Joanna and Tito. “I’ve got him! Time’s almost up, get those baskets!“

Putting my hands on the ground, I tried to push myself back up without taking damage from the axe, but Manny was heavy and his Constitution was high. I barely managed to make any progress, and I wondered if he had a passive like Anchored. Whatever measures he had to keep me down, it was preventing me from seeing the basket. Joanna and Tito ran off, and I chuckled through the pain.

“How much time’s left, big guy?“ I asked, my exertion obvious in my voice.

“Long enough to beat you with seconds to spare,“ Manny replied. He sounded relieved, like he had already won.

“I’ve got two!“ Joanna yelled as she ran towards us.

“I’ve got mine,“ Tito said, arriving at nearly the same time.

“Joanna can’t take all three, you’ve got to get up there!“ Manny ordered.

“Seconds left! Go, Tito!“ Joanna urged.

I stopped struggling and listened. There were fifteen steps to get to the top, and Tito was clumsy. Despite the heavy breathing of Manny, the din of the crowd, and my own blood pumping through my head, I could hear him climbing.

One, two, three steps up. I took a deep breath. Five, six, seven steps. I already knew I couldn’t buck Manny off in time, and I shifted my hands. Nine, ten, eleven steps.

“This is going to suck,“ I muttered. I dropped Shield, and I could feel the twisted, palpable pleasure coming from the axe as it cut me.

Screaming, I twisted my upper torso with all my strength. The axe dug deeper into my shoulder, and I pushed against it as hard as I possibly could. Manny yelled loudly out of surprise and concern, but I managed to turn my head enough to see Tito at the top of the staircase, lifting his ball over the basket.

My vision was blurry from the pain and I couldn't stop screaming, but I could see. I could still see it.

Using my last Mental Point, I Dropped the ball into the basket for him.

I collapsed to the ground as Tito fell and Joanna scored two more points. My arm was laying next to me, cut at the shoulder by an absurdly sharp blade, and I let out a shuddering sigh through the pain.

“Warmonger, what the fuck!?“ Manny shouted, getting off of me.

“Sweet victory,“ I said through labored laughter.

“Your arm, man! And the axe!“ Manny continued. He looked worried for me.

“It’ll grow back after this, and I'll take my lumps later,“ I informed him as I slowly turned onto my back. It hurt like hell, worse than usual thanks to the Demonic energy, but the Warmonger wouldn't pass up the opportunity to gloat. “Until then, enjoy your loss.“

The timer hit zero, and the three members of Dunbar Runners disappeared from my sight.

[[Notice]]

The team [Dunbar Runners] has been removed from Big Time Hoops.

[[Quest Complete!]]

Congratulations, your team scored the greatest amount of points in the second round of the Chaos Cup! Here are your accolades and rewards!

Points Scored: First Round: +38 points.

First Round Survival Bonus; +50 points.

Points Scored: Second Round; +33 points.

Second Round Survival Bonus; +50 points.

Points Scored: Third Round: +52 points.

Third Round Survival Bonus; +100 points.

MVP Kill: Jamie Summer [Summer Breeze]; +20 points.

Points Scored: Fourth Round; +87 points.

Fourth Round Survival Bonus; +100 points.

Points Scored: Fifth Round; +54 points.

Fifth Round Survival Bonus; +150 points.

MVP Kill: Lucas Cox [Most Valuable Prisoners]; +20 points.

Points Scored: Sixth Round: +32 points.

Sixth Round Survival Bonus; +250 points.

MVP Kill: Emmanuel Marino [Dunbar Runners]; +20 points.

Points Scored: Seventh Round; +17 points.

Seventh Round Survival Bonus; +500 points.

Solo Bonus: x2 points.

Wheel of Chaos Bonus: x1.5 points.

Reward: 4,719 points.

[[Warning!]]

The Soul Drinker, Zalzarog, has feasted on your Angelic flesh. Its taste shall be remembered.

“Fuck you, Zalzarog,“ I said, flicking off the ground with my only hand.

… And just like that, The Warmonger has taken victory from the Dunbar Runners in another stellar win with a difference of only one basket!

“Shut up and teleport me to safety already,“ I said breathlessly. “Daddy needs this arm reattached and topped up numbers, please and thank you.“

The world disappeared around me as I closed my eyes, and I shuddered as my body stitched itself together again.