Sanguine Beheader.

  During the many matches Freddy had against the shadow thing in his dreams, he had come to realize that Sanguine Beheader was a very “sometimes” weapon.

  Freddy had built an arsenal of flexible choices, so he was capable of adapting to a wide range of challenges. His mighty sword was only sometimes a good choice. But those fights where it was the best option to rely on… Well, those tended to be the fights he won with most ease.

  Bulky, slow-moving targets were the perfect victim for his sword. Due to its sheer mass, it doubled as a bludgeon against tough opponents, allowing Freddy to crush through defense where he would otherwise be forced to resort to the expensive and self-destructive Tsunami Strike.

  As he stood there facing the veritable army of spirits, he sighed, remembering one of the main problems with this ability.

  There were simply too many good choices.

  Choice 1: Toughness

  Choice 2: Sharpness

  Choice 3: Sword

  Choice 4: Momentum

  Choice 5: Blood

  Choice 6: Parry

  Choice 7: Shock Absorption

  Choice 8: Crushing

  Choice 9: Execution

  Insanity’s offer: Retaliation

  Most of the choices were pretty self-explanatory.

  Among those that would have interesting effects, “parry” would allow him to parry an attack, getting multiple stacks of the function by double-starring; “crushing” would give him stacks of crushing blows, also multiplicative; and “execution” was a bit special. It was similar to crushing, in the sense that it empowered an attack of his choice, but it would always only give a single stack. Activating it with multiple stars would make that one attack hit that much harder.

  It was a damn fitting concept for the theme of the weapon, and it would, as should be obvious, make for an incredible finishing attack.

  The one thing Freddy regretted was the inability to slot in a concept that would allow him to swing the weapon faster. Unfortunately, the bulky ass sword had scant few concepts related to swiftness. Who could have possibly predicted that one?

  This time, before he could even show curiosity, Insanity was already explaining its offer, “Retaliation would make it so that when you receive damage, your next attack with your Sanguine Beheader will be greater depending on the amount of damage you’ve received.”

  Freddy froze. “Oh I’m so taking that.”

  And for this one, he thought a name change was apt.

  Sanguine Avenger: Stage 3—0% Progress

  Knuckle Blade was next. With “piercing” and “impact,” it made for a great anti-armor choice. Both it and Sanguine Avenger were excellent anti-defense choices. So what was it that defined and separated Knuckle Blade?

  Speed. It was faster. And also more precise.

  Choice 1: Acceleration

  Insanity’s offer: Hunger

  Freddy raised an eyebrow.

  “It would drink blood to recharge the impact function.”

  “Huh. That actually seems pretty damn good.”

  “Except if it doesn’t get enough blood, it will start drinking your blood.”

  Freddy sighed. “How much.”

  “Quite a bit, admittedly.”

  “Not horrible, but I think I’m gonna stick to my choice on this one.”

  “Bah. Loser.”

  He picked “acceleration.”

  This would drastically impact the speed of his jabs every time he activated the impact function. He didn’t dislike Insanity’s offer, but he really wanted a bigger advantage against fast opponents.

  Knuckle Blade: Stage 3—0% Progress

  His Crimson Wing Shield followed after.

  He had “blocking” and “shielding.” There was no reason to get too experimentative with this one. It already did what it needed to do. It just had to get better at it.

  He picked the concept of “defense.”

  Crimson Wing Shield: Stage 3—0% Progress

  Next was Dissipate Wave, another single-option upgrade granting him the rather precious “refund” concept. Now, he would not only cancel the Flowing Strike but also refund 50%. He was very happy with that one.

  Dissipate Wave: Stage 3—0% Progress

  He sighed as soon as he spotted the two choices for the next ability. On the left was a spirit that emanated visible shockwaves through the air. On the right was… a bomb.

  The ability in question was Tsunami Strike.

  Choice 1: Shockwave

  Insanity’s offer: Explosion

  “On brand for you, I guess. But wow. That is one crazy suggestion.”

  Insanity shrugged. “Don’t act like some sort of saint of sanity now, you little prick. ‘Shockwave’ is the first even half reasonable step you’ve taken with this ability.”

  “Okay. Fair enough. So you want me to go full-send then? To give up on even trying to keep my damn arm intact when I use this ability?”

  Insanity grinned. “This might be my suggestion… but don’t act like you haven’t already considered it.”

  It was right. He had considered this option. Many times even. He kept telling himself that he should be reasonable and pick something safer. It was Thor’s advice. It was the advice of anyone with common sense—don’t use abilities that will hurt you.

  But the question was there: why should he use common sense?

  He already had a number of reasonable forms of attack. Tsunami Strike was not one of them. It would always be a little insane. But was that necessarily a bad thing? His health was pretty much just another resource to him. What was wrong with treating it like a resource?

  Was it wrong because it was ugly to see?

  Was it wrong because it would hurt?

  No.

  It wasn’t wrong at all. It was all “common sense.” And while he could be said to be many things, he was anything but common. He needed rare sense. A unique perspective.

  He looked over at the lumberjack.

  Freddy was under no illusion here—Insanity wasn’t giving him crazy, wacky choices. It was giving him insane choices, sure, but they weren’t bad. None of them had been bad.

  And this one wasn’t bad, either.

  “That decides it, then,” he said with a snort. “Tsunami Strike will be my finishing move.”

  His finger reached over and touched the bomb.

  Tsunami Strike: Stage 3—0% Progress

  Hydraulic Flex followed. It was another single-choice upgrade.

  The concept of “redirection.”

  Freddy wasn’t slow. He was clunky, and that was because he couldn’t slow down. He could accelerate to insane speeds if given the opportunity to run straight, but if forced to turn at a sharp, ninety-degree angle, he wouldn’t be able to do it while maintaining his speed.

  That was the thing that needed to change. That was the thing he needed to target if he wanted to become fast.

  Hydraulic Flex: Stage 3—0% Progress

  Create Water was another boring upgrade. He got “water,” he got “volume,” so next was “discount.”

  Create Water: Stage 3—0% Progress

  And the final ability he had to upgrade—Hydraulic Throw. He had “speed” he had “tension.” There was only one thing he needed to do, now. The concept of “power.” Simple and effective.

  Hydraulic Throw: Stage 3—0% Progress

  Freddy took a deep, shivering breath as he finally absorbed the last spirit. “Wow. I feel invincible.” He turned to face Insanity. “Uh… Thank you, I guess?”

  “Thank me?” It grinned, but the grin died a moment later. “What for? My existence is a tool. Just like all else in this world. Do you thank your fucking sword every time you cut someone’s head off? Please. Besides, your thanks is premature.”

  That made Freddy’s stomach sink.

  In the next moment, Insanity waved its hand, and three objects appeared in the air.

  Freddy gasped. “What is that?”

  “This is your third and final reward. You can only choose one.” It pointed at the object at the far left. It was a small, glimmering ball, with what appeared to be stars in a beige void. “This is a superior gem of binding. You can use it to combine any four cursed items into a set.”

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  Freddy’s eyes shot wide open.

  Insanity ignored him, pointing at the second item. It was a small crystal, like a broken shard of glass. It shimmered with myriad colors. “This is a unique affinity shard. Use it, and you can choose any affinity you desire. Even a second unique affinity, although you won’t know what it will do ahead of time.”

  Sweat started dripping down Freddy’s back.

  It pointed at the third object, a misshapen, irregular ball, one that looked almost like a lumpy prime vestige. It was bone-white, and it had a dull, expressionless face. It was a prime spirit. He could use it to get another spirit ability. But something was strange. This one was huge, bigger than his head. He swallowed as he realized what it was.

  Insanity flicked it with a finger, making it spin in the air. “This is a unique prime spirit. The spirit ability contained within is quite simple. For ten seconds from an outside perspective, five seconds will pass from your perspective. Everything will appear to move at twice the speed, while you will appear to move in slow motion. Then, for ten seconds, those perspectives will reverse. For five seconds from an outside perspective, ten seconds will pass for you. You will move twice as quickly, as if the world had slowed to a crawl around you.”

  What the hell is going on?

  Freddy was convinced that that would be it for the rewards. But this? Any of these three choices were something that would break the whole empire if it were put up for an auction.

  He had done it himself, so he knew damn well just how much work it was to get through this dungeon. But even he thought this was too much.

  Almost as if reading his mind, Insanity shrugged. “If you don’t want one, I guess I’ll—”

  “No!” he shouted lunging forward with an extended arm. “I’ll pick.”

  It smiled. “Take your time.”

  He sat down, pulling his knees forward and crossing his fingers over them. He buried his nose in his intertwined digits, slightly rocking back and forth as he ran his mind through the options.

  There were some tough choices among his offered upgrades. But this was on a whole new level.

  He eyed the spirit ability. That one was good. Really good. Amazing, even. Just off the top of his head, he could think of five different tricks he could pull off with the time-bending. And if he was facing a quick opponent? Sure, he would get slowed down first, but if he just waited it out, he could turn the fight around in an instant.

  The main problem was… well… it would be his third spirit ability. But it was unique.

  What the hell did that mean?

  “That’s a unique spirit ability,” he said, gritting his teeth. “What kind of advantage does it being unique provide?”

  Insanity grinned at him. “You should know that much already. After all, you already have two unique spirit abilities.”

  Freddy froze. “I do!?” It made sense. Bloodshed was a unique ether construct. And they had both given him a new affinity. He had thought that might have been due to the strange method he received them—after all, regular prime spirits didn’t give affinities. “So… Wait, what!?” He scratched his forehead nervously. “They’re both good spirit abilities, but nothing about them is different.”

  “Heh. Talk about throwing pearls before swine. But I guess it makes sense you wouldn’t know what they did. After all, you gotta reach the sixth star to find out.”

  Freddy perked up. “The sixth star!? What!?” He took a deep breath to calm himself down. “That’s possible?”

  “Of course it is.” It slapped the floating unique prime spirit. “And this thing will help you get there.”

  Freddy hesitated. “It will slow my growth by 99%. How then?”

  “Simple. Because it doesn’t ‘slow your growth’ as many of your kind appear to believe.” It suddenly turned deathly serious. “Spirit abilities compress your latent aura.”

  For a long moment, Freddy just sat there, letting those words sink in. His eyes slowly widened as he processed the implications.

  “Yup,” it said, cackling. “Of course it will slow you down. But your rewards go up accordingly. Remember what I said. Everything is a trade.”

  Freddy sat there, contemplating it for a long moment. “You said it would help me get to the sixth star?”

  Insanity nodded. “It takes a lot of latent aura to reach the sixth star. The sooner you get the full compression, the better it will be for your growth. Though, to be frank with you, getting all three before the third star is… well… I’m making the pitch. It should be obvious.”

  “Insane? Why?”

  “It will make things easier for you later by making them difficult now. But for you, I’d highly recommend you take this.”

  “Any particular reason I shouldn’t get to the third star first?”

  “Because your talent evolution will be underwhelming.”

  Freddy laughed reflexively at that. “No it won’t.” Then clear anger seeped into his voice. “It won’t. Why would it be underwhelming? That makes no sense.”

  “Kid. You had some pretty insane achievements at the first star. So why did your talent change so little? Any guesses?”

  “It… It became a lot more useful.”

  “That’s just a mutation to fit your needs. But its power is nearly identical.” It left the three floating objects and walked over to him. “Same quality. Same percentage. Did you never wonder why?”

  He did. Of course he did. He had killed both the giant leviathan and slain a damn Lord. His expectation was that he’d get 10% Lifesteal as his next upgrade. But he didn’t. And it had bothered him. Even though it was more useful, he still never understood why.

  Why had it changed so little?

  Insanity reached him and squatted to look him in the eye. “It’s because your talent is already ridiculously powerful.”

  For a long moment, he was going to retort. But what was the point? It was right. And he knew it.

  The sheer number of things his talent could do for him was way above any ordinary talent. It was a cheat, through and through. An unfair advantage.

  Toughness well above what he should be capable of. Strength. Endurance. Powerful abilities. And healing. Infinite healing. From nearly everything.

  Taking a deep breath, his eyes drifted towards the unique prime spirit. And then to the other two offers.

  The unique affinity shard was amazing. If he could get a unique affinity for his blood, god knew just how powerful he could become. Unique affinities could be hard to utilize, but they were always a huge advantage.

  And the binding gem? Four cursed items? If he collected two more unique cursed items, it could genuinely change his life. His power would always be well above his level.

  But his eyes moved right back to that prime spirit. He bit his lip. “How far along am I?” he asked. “What would my talent evolve into if I ascended now?”

  “You’d get maybe 1.5% Lifesteal. Or alternatively, some other minor boost, like slight lingering regeneration if you overheal yourself.”

  He laughed. “That’s it? That’s all? All this work, and that’s all I would get?”

  “Do not take it lightly when I say that it is a damn miracle you’ve earned even this much at just the second star. You have the potential to bathe everything in insanity, Freddy Stern. So what will it be? The binding gem? The affinity shard? Or the prime spirit?”

  Freddy took a deep breath. “I choose—”

  ***

  Travis found himself standing outside. The rain poured from above. Wind howled.

  A terrible storm had descended upon Valhalla.

  Behind Travis stood his people. Most of them were hiding from the rain, but all the fighters were out there getting drenched by his side.

  Before them stood an unassuming man. The man’s face was clear and unblemished, his posture firm, but his countenance was ordinary. He was dressed like any other office worker.

  “Adjudicator,” Travis greeted him, gulping. “What brings you here today?”

  “You should already be well aware,” the man said. “They’re coming. News spread fast, I suppose. All the other major faction leaders should be here any minute now.”

  Travis gritted his teeth. “Are you gonna—”

  “I’m not going to side with anyone here. That isn’t my job. When it comes to conflicts like these, my role is to minimize unnecessary loss of human life and to uphold any deals made between the parties in question.” The man patted Travis on the back. “I will ensure they can’t back out of any deal you make with them.”

  Travis sagged in some semblance of relief. “Thank you. That is enough for me.”

  The time seemed to drag on forever.

  Travis stood right outside the headquarters, wet from head to toe.

  The storm echoed its sorrow, the lightning tears mourning the loss of their father. He laughed. “I remember how you said you wanted a funeral on the rainiest, most depressing day ever.” He looked up, his lips curling down unwittingly.

  The gate was wide open. In the distance, Travis noticed the movement of vans.

  They were almost here.

  He turned around, facing the men and women of Valhalla. “Don’t fight. The adjudicator will keep you all safe if we can make a deal. Don’t make this any harder on me than it needs to be. Please.”

  Everyone reluctantly nodded.

  And with that, they stepped outside the gates.

  There were only eight vans coming, but when they parked, dozens of people came out of each one. Not too far behind them were five fancy vehicles.

  The one in the front was a sleek, pitch-black vehicle. It parked on the clearing, and the doors opened. Out came a few men dressed in practical black suits. Among them stood a figure clad in what looked like very high-end tactical gear.

  The man’s hair was long and as dark as the night. His eyes were as deep as the night sky. He wasn’t too large, but his muscles were extremely well-developed. He had forearms nearly as big as his biceps, while his chest and shoulders were more moderately sized. A compact yet lethal package.

  This was the leader of the Umbra Clan. And their most powerful assassin.

  Behind them was a white limousine. Out it came a man in a dazzling white suit, covered in more gold than the tomb of an ancient king. It was the CEO of Grand West Enterprises. His hair was a lightly curly, bright blond. His eyes were hidden behind gaudy sunglasses.

  The third vehicle was an old-fashioned floating wooden carriage. Out came several figures wearing blue robes. At the forefront was a woman with dazzling cyan hair and eyes of the same color. While she had no signs of aging, it was clear that she was no young woman. Her bearing was regal, and everyone around her showed deference. Her pale eyes were colder than the deepest reaches of the Far North. This was the leader of the Lapis Clan.

  The fourth vehicle was a red sports car. Out of it came a sleazy-looking man clad in a mostly unbuttoned dress shirt. He flipped a grey tilby and plopped it on his thick, frizzy, black hair. Out of the back of the car came his son. This was the CEO of Strata.

  And last, but definitely not least, a blue SUV pulled up.

  Out of the driver’s seat came Keagan Gem, the stocky, rugged man with short-cut hair and an apparently no-bullshit attitude. Out the other seat left an effeminate man with long white hair. His physique was thin and soft. This was clearly no warrior.

  This was Johnathan Faller—the head of the Faller family. While the Gem part of Gem & Faller handled most of the administrative work, the Fallers were the workhorses of their union. They comprised primarily non-combat archhumans and did most of the high-level ethertech work in the city. Their expertise gave them a lot of soft power, and many years ago, they merged with the Gems to create Gem & Faller, a union that benefitted both families.

  Impressively enough, Johnathan was a three-star as a non-combat archhuman, a rare sight, especially in these parts.

  But it was apparent to everyone who the real boss in their little union was.

  Out the back of the SUV came Tanner and Gina Gem.

  While most of their people stayed back, the six three-stars made their way forward.

  Travis took a hesitant breath and stepped before them, ready to bring it all to an end.

  “Hello there,” greeted the CEO of Strata. “You’re lookin’ quite calm for a mad dog, Travis. Hehehe.”

  “Hello to you as well.”

  The clan leader of Lapis stepped forward. “I am sure this weather isn’t pleasant for any of you, either. We all know what we’re here for. Let us skip the pleasantries and get to the point. Travis. Thor is dead. You have no standing or leverage in this negotiation. Your non-combatants will be put to work. Your fighters will surrender themselves for execution. Hurry it up. We don’t have all day to stand around.”

  Travis clamped down on his urge to shout. He took a deep breath, calming himself. Then, he said pleasantly. “Ma’am, our warriors are not pushovers. If you wish to force unfavorable terms, we will be forced to fight back. I’m sure it’s in your best interest for all your people to walk away alive. If you don’t want blood to be spilled, give us a better offer.”

  The leader of the Umbra Clan stepped forward. “I fear we do not have any intention of doing so,” he said, his voice sharp and masculine. “Travis, your people have spent years bringing instability into our city. If you so insist, we can compromise with imprisonment and forced labour instead of execution. But freedom of any kind is not something we will accept.” The man’s gaze hardened. “Even if it must come to bloodshed, so be it.”

  Travis’s heartbeat sped up, and he found himself biting the back of his lower lip. “Please. Have some mercy.”

  He noticed Keagan Gem, the CEO of Strata, and the CEO of Grand West Enterprises smirk at his words. He slowly blinked, keenly aware of how little power he had in that moment.

  Keagan stepped up. “Well… If you want us to have some mercy, then we will need you to do something else for us.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Hand your little friends over.”

  Travis scowled. “What? Who?”

  “Come on, Travis.” Keagan leaned in. “There is no use in pretending to be oblivious. Slave, Skull, and their little assassin buddy.” His gaze grew manic. “Where the hell are they?”

  “Sorry, you mean Freddy Cliff? I apologize, but I have no clue who else you could be talking about.”

  “Heh. Okay, then. Bring us Slave. He’ll tell us where his friends are.”

  Travis struggled to keep it in. He wanted to scream. He wanted to curse. Freddy… Did he actually run away? That was stupid. He’d be caught, anyway. And they wouldn’t get anything out of this deal.

  The words were on the tip of his tongue. I don’t know where he is. He wanted to say it, but he didn’t dare. He kept his mouth shut, stalling for just another moment, even a second longer, and he might—

  “Well, what’s this, then?” a voice came from their left.

  They all whirled, turning to spot some decrepit but impressively jacked hobo with his hair reaching the back of his knees and his beard reaching all the way to his junk.