A deep black rift tore open beside Saponu, swallowing the very light around it. The battlefield trembled under the weight of his power, cracks slithering across the ground like veins of impending destruction.
Joseph Obuko stood his ground, sweat trickling down his temple, but his grin never wavered. He had gambled and won several times already, narrowly avoiding death. But against a force like Saponu, even luck had its limits.
The air grew dense. The ground beneath them fractured, pieces of earth breaking away and floating toward the swirling abyss. The fight had reached a new level.
And Joseph knew one thing for certain—the real battle was only beginning.
---
The moment the rift expanded, the battlefield reacted violently.
A deep, guttural rumble spread through the air, followed by sharp cracks as jagged fissures tore across the land. The sheer force of the void twisted space itself—chunks of earth lifted into the air, pulled by an unseen force before crumbling into nothing.
Joseph narrowed his eyes. Whatever was coming from that rift, he wasn't about to let it reach him.
He flipped a coin.
The metal spun wildly, catching the faint glimmers of chaotic energy swirling around them.
It landed.
Luck Boost: Activated.
Joseph's body vanished.
Saponu's gaze flicked sideways, tracking him.
Too late.
BAM!
Joseph reappeared midair, his fist colliding with Saponu's jaw. A shockwave tore through the battlefield, sending shattered debris flying in every direction.
But Joseph didn't stop.
WHAM!
A sharp elbow struck Saponu's ribs—another gamble, another win.
SMASH!
A perfectly timed kick aimed at his temple—but this time, Saponu moved.
His arm snapped up, blocking the strike with inhuman speed.
Joseph's eyes flickered.
Numbers danced wildly in his irises—another roll, another gamble.
Unforeseen Counter: Activated.
His body twisted unnaturally, defying normal movement—
CRACK!
His knee rammed into Saponu's side, sending him skidding back across the fractured ground.
A beat of silence.
Joseph rolled his shoulders, breathing hard. "Not bad, huh?"
Saponu straightened, rolling his jaw as if testing it. His eyes remained cold, unreadable. Then, a slow smirk formed.
"I'll admit it," he murmured. "You're better than I expected."
Joseph exhaled sharply. "Yeah, well—"
BOOOM!!!
Saponu teleported mid-sentence, appearing above him—his knee rocketing toward Joseph's skull.
Joseph flipped a coin.
Dodge Roll: Success.
At the last second, his body twisted—barely avoiding the devastating strike.
CRASH!!!
Saponu's attack obliterated the ground beneath them, splitting the battlefield apart like shattered glass. Dust and rock erupted into the sky.
Joseph landed smoothly, his gaze locked onto his opponent.
But—
Saponu wasn't done.
WHOOSH!
A blur—and suddenly, he was behind him.
Joseph rolled the dice.
Chance of counter: 60%.
Chance of failure: 40%.
The die spun in his mind—
It landed.
Failure.
Saponu's fist slammed into his spine.
WHAM!!!
Joseph choked as his body rocketed forward—slamming through twisted formations of earth, his back scraping against jagged edges. He hit the ground hard, coughing.
Pain shot through his ribs.
That one had hurt.
He barely had time to recover before—
Saponu appeared above him again.
His hand raised. Shadows flickered around his palm, forming a solid spear of pure darkness.
Joseph flipped a coin.
It landed.
Dodge Roll: Failed.
His heart sank.
The spear descended.
At the last second, he twisted—but not fast enough.
SHLKT!!!
A searing pain tore through his shoulder as the spear grazed him, black tendrils spreading like poison from the wound.
Joseph stumbled back, gripping his arm. His fingers trembled slightly.
Saponu tilted his head. "Your ability is fascinating," he mused. "But it has a weakness."
Joseph gritted his teeth. "Oh yeah? Enlighten me."
Saponu's gaze darkened.
"Probability can be altered."
Joseph's breath hitched.
Before he could react—
The rift behind Saponu surged.
A pulse of dark energy twisted the laws of chance itself.
Joseph felt it instantly.
His luck was shifting against him.
Numbers flickered in his eyes—but they were wrong.
His dice rolls landed lower. His coin flips began favoring failure.
Saponu had rigged the game.
Joseph clenched his fists. "You must be kidding me."
---
A Desperate Struggle
He couldn't hesitate.
Joseph lunged. His fist rocketed toward Saponu's face—
But—
Miss.
Saponu tilted his head, the attack grazing air.
Joseph followed up with a knee strike—but the dice betrayed him again.
Saponu caught his leg with ease.
Then—SLAM.
Joseph was whipped to the ground, his skull bouncing off shattered stone.
Pain exploded through his body.
He gasped for breath.
Tried to move.
Tried to roll away—
But Saponu's foot pinned him down.
"Looks like the dice aren't in your favor anymore," Saponu murmured.
Joseph gritted his teeth. No. Not yet.
He had one last roll.
His pupils burned as the numbers shifted wildly in his eyes—
A final gamble.
He rolled.
Chance: 50% escape. 50% certain defeat.
The dice spun.
It landed.
1.
Joseph's breath caught.
His time had run out.
Saponu didn't hesitate.
The rift behind him expanded violently—
Darkness consumed the battlefield in a wave of absolute void.
Joseph could do nothing as the shadows swallowed him.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The battlefield erupted, the impact of Saponu's final attack sending a shockwave so powerful it ripped the very land apart. Chunks of earth launched into the sky, dissolving into nothing.
A deafening silence followed.
The dust settled.
Only one remained standing.
Saponu.
His body was damaged—cuts and bruises lined his form. His breath was heavy. But he had won.
Joseph lay motionless, his final breath fading into the wind.
Then his body began to disintegrate.
It wasn't like dust or ash. It was slow, deliberate—his form unraveling into shimmering particles, dissolving into the air.
And at the center of it all, left behind in the cracked earth—
A faintly glowing orb.
Saponu's weary gaze locked onto it.
Silence.
Then—
The orb pulsed.
A single, haunting note echoed across the battlefield.
Saponu's eyes narrowed.
A smile crossed Saponu's face.
His breath was steady now, his body aching but victorious. His gaze stayed fixed on the glowing orb resting on the cracked earth.
"So, this… is your essence," he murmured, stepping closer.
The orb pulsed, its dim light flickering like an ember. A soul stone.
Saponu crouched, studying it for a long moment. Then, with a quiet chuckle, he reached down and picked it up, rolling it in his hands.
He rose to his feet, the battlefield eerily silent around him.
With one final glance at Joseph's fading remains, Saponu turned away.