Chapter 207: Day One (4)

The weapon was considerably longer than her frying pan, and the narrow lane gave him enough room to swing without forcing him to worry about bystanders. Misha could try slipping past him, but doing so would require moving within reach of an attack that had already demonstrated enough force to break concrete, and that did not seem particularly appealing.

She glanced behind her to escape, then she stopped as she saw another man standing near the opposite end of the lane.

Fen was standing directly in her path. He glanced toward Brody’s axe before looking at her.

"Gravekeeper," he greeted, his voice as calm as it had been in the preparation room. "Fancy meeting you here."

’Oh, you’ve got to be fucking me.’

"Fen." She kept her voice conversational despite the unpleasant realization settling in her stomach. "I was just telling your friend that he’s blocking the road."

「Fear response suppressed.」

"So I heard." Fen approached at an unhurried pace, his hands resting loosely at his sides.

Misha took a small step backward.

"Don’t make this difficult," Fen warned.

She glanced at Brody and saw him smiling again. Then she looked back at Fen. "So much for being the reasonable one."

"Nothing personal. We’re all competing for the same thing."

Before she could respond, he disappeared in a blink of an eye and reached toward her shoulder the next second.

Misha twisted away in time, his fingers brushed her sleeve.

A pale symbol flickered against the fabric, and her next step went wrong as an unnatural weight suddenly dragged across her left side, pulling her shoulder downward and turning her body toward the wall. Misha caught herself with one hand, her palm scraping against the concrete as the unexpected force drove a breath from her lungs.

"What the–?"

Fen moved immediately. He caught the pouch of her waist, tore the fastening free, and retreated before she could recover her balance.

Misha swung the frying pan toward him. He ducked. The pan struck the wall instead, sending a painful vibration through her wrist.

「Grip stability maintained.」

Behind her, Brody burst into laughter. "Nice one!"

Fen ignored him, and instead, he opened the pouch and tipped it into his palm. His smile disappeared when nothing fell out.

"Where is it?" He looked at Misha.

Misha pushed herself away from the wall. The strange heaviness had already begun fading, although her left sleeve still seemed to pull downward whenever she moved too quickly.

She looked at the empty pouch, then at Fen. A sly smile spread beneath her mask. It was a good thing she listened to her woman’s instinct. She never thought her pouch would be stolen this early.

"Oh, you’re late." She straightened her jacket, deliberately allowing herself to sound pleased. "I already passed my tokens to someone else."

Brody’s grin vanished. "What?"

Misha looked toward him. "I said I don’t have them."

"Who’d you give them to?"

"Someone I like."

Brody’s face reddened in frustration.

"You could’ve made this simple," Fen remarked as he dropped the pouch on the ground.

"I never thought you two were together."

"I simply stopped him from getting disqualified." Fen glanced toward Brody, then back at her. "There was no reason to waste his entry before the competition began."

For a moment, Misha had nothing to say. She had not necessarily trusted him, but she had at least given him the benefit of the doubt. Apparently, that had been generous.

’Right. Thanks for clarifying, asshole.’

Brody lifted his axe. "Enough talking. If she doesn’t have any tokens, we can at least get rid of her."

Misha’s attention snapped toward him and as she did, the axe came down.

She moved before the blade reached her. The frying pan caught the side of the weapon’s haft, redirecting the strike just enough that the axe head struck the wall instead of her shoulder. Even so, the impact forced her arm downward and sent a sharp ache through her elbow.

Brody laughed. "Come on! I thought you were supposed to be strong!"

Misha stepped sideways, avoiding another swing. "And I thought you were supposed to have a functioning brain. At least we’re both disappointed."

"BITCH!!"

「Behavior pattern detected. Repeated openings identified.」

Misha’s eyes followed his hands, then the movement of his hips. His grip tightened before each committed swing, and his weight settled heavily over the forward leg. Once the axe passed, he needed a moment to recover its line.

She ducked beneath and tried to slip past him.

Fen touched the wall. The symbol on her sleeve brightened, and an invisible force dragged her shoulder downward again.

Misha stumbled. Her knee nearly struck the ground, and Brody’s returning swing passed so close to her head that she felt the displaced air brush against her hair.

She rolled away, scraping her palm against the ground before pushing herself back to her feet.

The lane suddenly felt much narrower. Brody controlled the space ahead. Fen occupied the route behind her, and whatever ability he possessed allowed him to interfere with her movements whenever he touched the surrounding surfaces.

’A human-sized axe and some bastard who can apparently turn my clothes into a sack of bricks.’

Misha adjusted her grip on the pan. She could probably handle Brody alone. He was strong, certainly, but his movements were predictable enough that she could exploit the openings between his attacks.

Fen was the real problem. His ability interfered with her timing, and every attempt to understand it gave Brody another opportunity to strike.

Misha ducked once more, and metal struck the wall behind her. She used the chance to retreat toward the narrow space beside the shops, forcing Brody to reposition before he could swing again.

This was getting irritating. More importantly, it was becoming dangerous.

’Fine. If they want to fight unfairly, I can do that too.’

"Olivia," she murmured, keeping her eyes on Brody as he pulled his axe free from the wall. "Come!"

A familiar notification appeared.

「 Possession Permission Accepted.」

「 Initializing Capricorn Constellation Soul Possession... 」

The world shifted and Misha’s soul slipped free.

「 Control Transfer Complete.

Possession Time Remaining: 00:25:00 」

Her body straightened. The tension in her shoulders eased, and the way she held the frying pan changed subtly as Olivia took control.

Misha watched with growing relief.

Olivia glanced down at the weapon in her hand, turned it once as she examined the handle, then looked toward Brody. A long, disappointed sigh escaped her mouth.

Misha folded her arms. "I heard that."

"Where are your weapons?"

"I don’t have them so you have to make use of that."

Olivia looked down at the frying pan again, her expression became considerably less impressed.

Misha felt it so she sighed. "Look, the chest wasn’t exactly generous. We’ll find a better weapon somewhere else."

"How unfortunate."

Brody chose that moment to attack. The axe descended toward Olivia’s shoulder.

She stepped sideways with an ease that made the movement look almost lazy, allowing the weapon to pass close enough to brush the fabric of her jacket before striking the ground. Then she struck his knuckles with the frying pan.

"ARGHH!!" Brody shouted and jerked the axe backward, his grip loosening momentarily.

Olivia watched him without the slightest trace of sympathy.

Misha floated beside her. "See? Perfectly functional weapon."

"It’s a cookware."

"I know."

Fen moved, his hand touched the wall. The pale mark on Misha’s sleeve flared. Olivia’s left shoulder dipped under the sudden weight, but unlike Misha, she did not attempt to fight the force directly. She shifted her stance, allowed the pull to carry her weight forward, and slipped beneath Brody’s next swing.

The axe passed overhead. Olivia stepped inside his reach, using her elbow to strike his sternum.

Brody grunted. Before he could recover, Olivia hooked one foot behind his ankle and shoved him backward, causing him to stumble.

Fen’s hand closed. The axe suddenly became heavier and Brody’s arms dropped with it.

Misha noticed the movement immediately. ’Wait...’

She glanced toward Fen, followed his gaze and saw the pale mark on Brody’s weapon shaft.

"Oli," Misha said, pointing toward Fen. "His ability isn’t just affecting us. He’s changing the weight of anything he marks."

"How convenient."

Brody attempted to lift the axe, only for the sudden increase in weight to delay his movement.

Olivia brought the frying pan down against his exposed han, and Brody screamed once more as his grip broke. Then, she seized the axe shaft, twisted, then drenched the weapon free.

Broddy staggered backward once more, clutching his injured hand. "Give that back!"

Olivia examined the axe. Its balance was far better suited to combat than the frying pan, and the moment she adjusted her grip, Misha could see the difference in how naturally the weapon moved.

The Executioner looked toward Brody. "You wish to reclaim it?"

Brody’s expression twisted. "Give that back!"

Olivia inclined her head. "Then come."

Misha almost laughed. "Oh, he’s so screwed."

Brody lunged. He was still considerably larger than Misha’s body, and the difference in their physical strength remained obvious. Unfortunately for him, Olivia had spent far longer perfecting the art of killing than he had spent announcing his victories.

She stepped aside. The axe moved, its haft struck Brody across the chest, forcing the air from his lungs and causing to stumble toward the wall.

Olivia followed. One precise movement brought the weapon around. The blade struck where his neck met his shoulder.

Brody’s body jerked, then his knees folded. Blood spread across the ground.

Misha swallowed hard as she stared at the motionless body. "Well... that’s one problem solved."