The Final Desperation

A few hours after Genji left the destroyed town, he came face-to-face with a returning Xyrela. From a distance, she looked no different from her doll and walked with a slight sway of her hips. As they drew closer, Xyrela lazily looked up from beneath her hat and took a long puff from her pipe.

Seconds later, she exhaled a plume of purple smoke, adding an air of magical charm that accentuated the mole beneath her right eye. A soft yet amused smile formed on her lips as she examined Genji.

"So you've destroyed my coven," she calmly stated, her eyes full of cold indifference. "How troublesome. They were such useful tools."

Genji didn't respond, instead opting to scan her with [Eye of Horus].

[Your strength surpasses the target's by a considerable amount. Detecting interference due to high world status. Obtaining 85% of the target's information.]

[High Witch Xyrela]

Health: 31,600/31,600

Curse Energy: 4,554/4,563

Con: 45

Str: 37

Dex: 41

Int: 73

Spc: 75

Skills:

- Boss (Passive): +35,000 health.

- Magical Specialization (Passive): Total health reduced by 20%, curse energy increased by 25%

- Life Binding Vow (1/4, Conditional Oath Agreement): ???

- Unaging Body (Passive): You can extend your lifespan and maintain youth with curse energy.

- Fate Mastery (Supreme): You can act on a target's fate from a long distance, provided you have a related medium.

- Doll Creation (Supreme): You can use dolls as a medium for fate-related abilities

- Hex Mastery (Grandmaster): You are highly knowledgeable on the applications of various curses and their capabilities

- Doom Markings (active/passive): Certain curse abilities will leave a "Doom tally" on a target's fate. Once these tallies reach the specified amount, you can directly apply the following effects on the target, ignoring all resistance and distance

Mirrored Injuries (4 marks): Damage inflicted on a linked doll will manifest on the target, and vice versa.

Makeshift Puppetry (7 Marks): Movements performed on the doll will be reflected on the target.

Complete Puppetry (10 Marks): You can control the target's actions with your mind.

Fate Execution (12 Marks): The target has reached full capacity in Doom Tallies. You can execute them with just a single command.

- Needle Conjuring (Active): You can condense needles with curse energy.

- [Ult] Domain Expansion - Limitless Puppet Factory: ???

- [Ult] Ultimate Reversi: ???

"A probing item? I see. You're not from this world." Xyrela continued. "All the more reason to get rid of you." Her eyes grew dark as ribbons of curse energy poured out from her body.

Genji stowed away the [Eye of Horus] and summoned his daggers. In a flash, he appeared in front of Xyrela and unleashed a cross slash. Her figure turned illusory just as the daggers reached her. The attack phased right through her as a smoky aftertrail dissipated behind it.

A soft puff sounded as Xyrela's figure collapsed into a mass of grey fog that curled around Genji. He emitted several ripples of cutting intent to locate her, but to no avail. Xyrela had completely disappeared from his senses, or more precisely, her physical body had become the smoke itself.

The smoke began solidifying around him, seeking to encase him like an insect in amber. A burst of strength erupted from his arms, tearing the bindings apart.

Xyrela recondensed a few dozen meters away as needles the size of spears erupted beneath Genji. Genji instinctively twisted out of the way, snapped off a passing needle, and hurled it at Xyrela. As it soared through the air, the needle dissipated into strands of smoke and merged into Xyrela's agglomeration.

Suddenly, jets of blood burst out beneath Xyrela in a fashion that mirrored her earlier attack. Crimson streaks pierced her half-formed body, riddling it with holes. Yet the assault only dispersed a small portion of her smoke, barely enough to slow her reformation. If anything, it was more of a nuisance than an actual threat.

Genji appeared beside her and discharged a wave of shadow flames. The smoke scattered against the flickering fire, but the damage was minimal. Undeterred, Genji pressed onward, unleashing a hundred-hit combo against the elusive Xyrela.

Xyrela drifted around, trying to shake Genji off, but he remained persistent on her tail. Eventually, annoyed by his clinginess, she discharged countless needles in all directions, resembling that of a giant sea urchin.

Genji crossed his arms in front of him, leaned forward to minimize his exposed surface area, and activated Solid Core to endure the barrage. Meanwhile, Bruce retaliated with all his might, refusing to give Xyrela an easy time.

The barrage faded, and Genji forcibly swung his arm, dislodging the needles stuck in his skin. Looking up, he saw Xyrela taking another drag from her pipe. As she exhaled, swirls of green smoke poured out from her nostrils and curled around her face. Now there were three colors of smoke around her: gray, purple, and green.

Genji reached into his storage and retrieved two gel orbs. Without wasting a moment, he crushed both and slammed his hands together. A semi-transparent layer of gas wrapped around him, forming a temporary buffer against Xyrela's smoke.

He resummoned his daggers and began flashstepping around Xyrela. Each time he passed by, a portion of her body exploded into smoke. Her form quickly became unrecognizable as Genji ferociously tore her apart.

Xyrela ignored her battered body and focused entirely on eroding Genji's protective layer. Sharp needles punctured holes throughout the barrier, allowing smoke to seep into his skin. The affected areas grew numb and took on a faint green tint.

Genji circulated his energy to combat the invasion while bursts of cutting intent hacked away at the needles. They exchanged several blows until the smoke buildup reached a critical point, delaying Genji's movements by a split second.

Xyrela capitalized on this opening and released a massive shockwave, hurling Genji backward. This brought just enough time for her to recondense her body and take another puff from her pipe, adding a dark maroon to the mix.

Meanwhile, Genji replenished his protective layer and charged back into the fray. This time, he also unleashed an aerosolized concoction that resembled pulverized copper. These metallic particles seeped into the smoke and clung to it, drastically increasing its weight. The smoke sagged down as its speed decreased to a turtle's pace.

Genji coated his daggers and began slashing at Xyrela. With each wound, her movements grew more sluggish, forming a vicious cycle. After a long chain of strikes, Genji leaped back and hurled another gel bomb at her. The container shattered, and the smoke erupted into a wicked green fire.

Loud crackling pops erupted from the inferno as Xyrela's smoke weakened in intensity. The flames roared for several more seconds before a spherical mass burst out from the side.

Genji chased after the agglomeration and rapidly slashed at it, only to realize it was a feint. Xyrela had abandoned this glob of energy, along with all the previous smoke, to take another drag from her pipe, adding a black hue to the swirling mix of colors.

Genji didn't know what the two new colors did, but he certainly didn't want to find out, especially when Xyrela had burned so much energy to invoke them.

Large streams of energy poured into his dagger, invoking a violent vortex. Genji dashed through the chemical fire and brandished his weapon. With each swing, the vortex drew in the surrounding air and ripped it apart, destroying all traces of smoke.

With just a few rapid slashes, the air had cleared up considerably. Genji reached Xyrela and drew his arm back for a stab, but she dissipated into smoke right before the blade struck. The vortex-infused blade cut through her last position, producing a sharp rupture as the air shattered.

When Xyrela reformed a short distance away, a thin stream of blood overflowed from the corner of her mouth. She spat out a mouthful of finely minced organs before her injuries faded like a mirage.

Meanwhile, Genji dispersed his vortex and reabsorbed the excess energy. The attack had done its job and was no longer needed. Besides, the vortex had become highly unstable after devouring so much smoke. If he insisted on maintaining it, he might just lose control and have the ability backfire on him.

With that, they entered the next battle phase.

The lingering smoke seeped into his skin, causing a pulse of weakness and decaying flesh. Genji activated Berserk to counteract these effects and stepped forward again.

A splash of blood flew through the air as Genji appeared behind Xyrela. Then the wound quietly disappeared like before. Genji remained unfazed and continued his onslaught.

Xyrela manipulated the remaining smoke to the best of her abilities and conjured countless needles, but to no avail. No matter how she defended herself, Genji found a way to slip through and slash her throat. Every wound was lethal, whether by dagger, cutting intent, or Bruce's blood manipulation. But without fail, these wounds disappeared into thin air.

As this was happening, various substitution dolls broke apart on a rack in Xyrela's ethereal space. If someone were to count them, they would find that the number of broken dolls matched the number of times Xyrela had nullified her injuries. In fact, they also bore the same wounds as her.

A few exchanges later, Xyrela flew backward and crashed into a boulder. Her smoking pipe shattered in her hands, no longer able to offer any more assistance.

Xyrela calmly pulled herself up and tossed aside the pipe fragments. Her eyes remained as indifferent as they had been when the battle began, as if she hadn't just lost a prized weapon but merely an irrelevant toy. She dusted off her hands before meeting Gneji's gaze.

"I guess I should finally get serious now," she stated as the world suddenly changed around them.

Domain Expansion - Limitless Puppet Factory!

The surroundings lost all color, becoming a shade of grey and white as mechanical puppets of varying sizes crawled out from the ground. The smallest ones were the size of toddlers, while the largest ones resembled mountains. These puppets got on unsteady footing and drew their weapons. The most noticeable puppet was a giant with a massive cleaver.

Stolen story; please report.

Xyrela vanished from view as the puppet army surrounded him. The giant puppet loomed overhead, raising its massive cleaver into the sky. Then, with a slow, deliberate tilt, the weapon came crashing down on Genji. The earth trembled beneath the force of the blow as copious amounts of air were displaced.

Genji leaped onto the arm before the impact hit and dashed upward. When he reached the elbows, he sprang upward with a powerful step, reaching the shoulder region. He spun mid-air and unleashed a gigantic crescent of light through the neck.

The puppet froze momentarily before its head-boulder-sized head rolled right off. The head bounced a few times, crushing several smaller variants before coming to a stop. Then, the body lost its balance and toppled over, adding to the damage. But despite these losses, their numbers didn't decrease, as more puppets rose to replace them.

Genji knew he couldn't afford to be tangled up by these inanimate fighters and began searching the area for Xyrela. However, it was as if her presence had completely vanished, leaving no traces behind.

'Either she has really strong hiding capabilities in this domain, or she's not even in it. I need to find a way out fast.' Genji thought as he fought off the incoming swarm. 'Alright, time for another technique derivation. Think, which ability has the strongest piercing potential?'

A split second later, Genji immediately had his answer: Lightning Inspiration!

What else could he rely on but this trusty attack?

With the decision made, his mind accelerated, and countless training experiences surfaced. Alongside them came the many life-and-death battles he'd fought and the thought processes behind the technique's creation. These elements blended together, forming the foundations of a new variation.

Genji leaped into the air and pulled his arm back. Large swirls of cutting intent, shadow flames, and physical strength gathered at the tip of the dagger. These forces compressed inward into a single point that resembled a miniature black hole. Then, with a slight push, his arm shot forward like a bullet, and a loud crack reverberated throughout the domain.

Lighting Inspiration: Singularity Collapse!

Large black fissures tore through the air, revealing a dark void, as if the attack had torn apart the very fabric of space itself. The surroundings held for a brief moment before the domain shattered like glass. Fragments of black and white sprayed outward like shotgun pellets, leaving faint drag marks in the air.

A few fragments pierced through Xyrela, leaving massive stab wounds. A severe backlash accompanied the domain's destruction, pulverizing half of her body. Despite these grievous wounds, she maintained a victorious smile and pointed at Genji.

'Gotcha,' she mouthed as Genji's instincts blared to life.

Before he knew it, his body went into overdrive and forcibly twisted itself through the air, narrowly avoiding a transparent needle through the heart. However, this was only the beginning of the onslaught, as the remnant curses powering the domain transformed into similar needles and shot toward him.

His body instinctively defended itself, but he still took three shots—one in his right chest, one through his left thigh, and one through his left shoulder.

That was when Genji realized what had happened.

'She baited me into destroying the domain!'

But before he could reflect on the situation any longer, the needles transformed into wisps of energy and merged with his body. The strangest part was that there were no wounds where the needles had stabbed him!

Genji's instincts grew more urgent as a blank doll appeared in Xyrela's hand. She smirked at him and clutched the doll tightly, suppressing its rapid pulses. A split second later, it took on the same appearance as Genji.

Genji's pupils shrank to the size of a toothpick as an alarming realization hit him.

Without giving him a chance to recover, Xyrela plunged a needle right through the doll's chest. A sharp pang shot through Genji's heart as his chest tightened considerably.

It didn't take a genius to figure out his situation—internal bleeding from a ruptured heart.

Genji hurriedly patched the hole with crystallized energy and splashed himself with an intense potion. The muscles around the wound writhed like worms and quickly grew over the energy constructs.

Xyrela didn't relent and twisted the doll's arm toward itself. Genji's body involuntarily followed the motion. The only difference was that his hand held a dagger, ready to stab himself.

Genji hastily dismissed his weapon, but not before it gouged a small chunk out of his side. It was at this moment that he realized the purpose of the previous needles. They weren't meant to injure him, but to stack Doom Tallies!

Adding those to the 3 from before the battle and the most recent needle, he now had exactly 7 layers—the threshold to control his body! That was not to mention the linked injuries he still had to endure.

His situation was grim, and it would only get worse from here.

If he wanted any chance of winning this battle, he needed to snatch that doll from Xyrela, and fast!

Genji kicked off the ground, appeared beside Xyrela, and reached for the doll. At the same time, Xyrela twisted the doll's head like a corkscrew, having anticipated his response.

Genji's head jerked back, but his taut muscles absorbed the impact, preventing his neck from moving any further. He leaned into the push and transitioned his momentum into a kick.

The arch of his foot slammed into Xyrela's wrist, snapping it and launching the doll into the air. A rush of blood surged upward, wrapping around the doll before bolting from the battlefield.

Xyrela conjured four needles between her fingers and hurled them at the departing stream. They pierced through the blood without resistance and homed in on the puppet. Bruce reverted to horse form to block them, but one needle managed to slip through under Xyrela's control.

Genji landed on his hands and delivered several horizontal kicks at Xyrela's face, buying just enough for Bruce to leave the area. Xyrela skidded backward as her injuries vanished again.

Genji pursued her with relentless aggression and triggered several more substitution dolls. Suddenly, Xyrela's eyes flashed crimson red, as a torrent of silver energy poured out from her body. She reached out toward Genji, and the air around him ground to a standstill.

Ultimate Reversi, activate!

She clenched her fist, and an immense pressure squeezed Genji from all directions. His bones creaked, and his blood vessels burst beneath his skin. Xyrela swung her fist from side to side as if wielding a large mace. Genji's body followed this motion, slamming repeatedly into the ground like a ragdoll.

Genji pushed Solid Core to its limits and crushed a few gel potions with the impacts. Yet before he could regain his bearings, two more transparent needles pierced and fused into him, bringing his Doom Tally to 10.

Then, with a heavy crash, a large crater formed beneath him, and the power surrounding him subsided. Xyrela's aura also took a sharp nosedive, reaching an all-time low. It had taken an immense amount of energy to forcibly control Genji like that, let alone inflict two more Doom Tallies.

But none of that mattered, as she now had the initiative. Just as Genji got up from the ground, his arms suddenly shot toward his face, aiming to bury his daggers into his head. He immediately recalled them, turning the potentially lethal attack into a manageable blow. His nose broke under the impact, releasing a stream of blood.

However, this was the least of his worries, as his fingers unfurled into a claw that gouged at his eyes. He quickly slammed his forehead down and flashstepped toward Xyrela, bracing his shoulders for collision.

But at the last moment, his feet suddenly dug into the ground, sending him tumbling downward. At the same time, Genji regained control of his arms. That was when he realized there were still limitations to Xyrela's control. At the very least, he could use one set of limbs without interference.

'That's enough for me!'

Genji sprang off the ground with one hand and swung his other arm at Xyrela's head. On impact, her spine snapped backward like folded paper, causing the back of her head to collide with her upper back.

As he fell, Genji grabbed her shoulders and hurled her to the ground. Then, landing with a forceful hammer strike, he crushed her ribs and shattered her skull. In the next moment, her wounds vanished again as she returned to normal.

Genji disregarded this and prepared to keep her grounded when her aura spiked again. The same outpouring of energy erupted, and a powerful shockwave launched him back. Xyrela immediately canceled the ability, as she was now running on fumes.

They both got up, and Xyrela promptly took control of his legs. She had learned her lesson and wouldn't let Genji get close again. Victory was hers. Yet right as she had that thought, Genji dove to the ground and propelled himself forward on all fours.

'You want my legs? Fine! You can have them! Let's see how you deal with this!'

Genji emptied his mind and fully gave in to his instincts, mimicking the movements of beasts. With a clumsy, palm-based flashstep, he appeared in front of Xyrela and swiped down.

Xyrela shifted her focus to controlling this arm, but Genji simply stomped the ground with his newly freed leg and redirected his twisted arm at her. His shoulder popped out of its socket, but he remained indifferent and continued attacking. During this frenzy, he found an opportunity to realign his arm and let his potions handle the rest.

Xyrela tried her best to disrupt this tempo, but Genji used whatever limb was available to further his offense. His movements resembled a chaotic blend of martial arts, feral brutality, and utter recklessness.

He swapped seamlessly between the different styles, unleashing a continuous barrage regardless of his handicaps. His instincts grew sharper amidst the skirmish, reaching the point where he could sporadically predict how Xyrela would disrupt him before she even acted. During these rare instances, he would press his advantage and give her a brutal thrashing.

Eventually, Xyrela gave up her attempts and was forced to enter her Ultimate State again. However, this time, instead of directing her power outward, she channeled it entirely into her eyes. Her irises emitted a silver glow, and numerous intangible threads came into view.

She rapidly scanned the area and pinched the strand connected to Genji. Her vision shifted, and a dark ribbon laced with sinister red streaks revealed itself. The ribbon reeked of thick blood, gave off a deathly aura, and seemingly devoured all light that approached. But most notably, there were 10 long needles stabbed through the ribbon, nailing it to a coarse burlap doll.

Xyrela focused her mind and conjured an illusory needle above the ribbon. Unlike the previous ones, this needle appeared highly unstable and looked as if it might dissipate at any moment. Nonetheless, she drove it through the ribbon and into the doll.

Then she was kicked out of the scene, returning to the battlefield where Genji had just snapped her neck for the nth time today. But as her injuries healed, her skin began to shrivel like a raisin. Her hair dried up and lost its luster, turning a pepper-white color. Her teeth fell out, and age spots spread across her face, marring her beauty.

It was as if she had suddenly aged fifty years. This was the price for forcibly inserting a doom needle into Genji's fate ribbon. But regardless of the cost, she remained undeterred. She was running low on substitution dolls, and this was her only way out.

What had begun as a casual hunt had now turned into a dangerous endeavor. If she wanted any chance of surviving, she would have to make some sacrifices. Now, all she had to do was wait for her energy to recover and recast the spell.

Genji frowned at Xyrela's transformation. While he didn't immediately know what caused this change, his instincts were acting up again, telling him to end this battle quickly. He didn't have much time left.

Xyrela's interference resumed, this time with a penchant for stalling. Genji noticed this, and his attacks grew more urgent. However, Xyrela stopped trying altogether and just leered at him with a condescending smile. They both knew what was coming, and there was nothing Genji could do to stop it.

Energy gathered at Xyrela's fingertips, and the countdown to Genji's execution began. Genji gritted his teeth and decided to make one final gamble.

All of his remaining energy and more rushed out, conjuring a raging vortex of pure destruction behind him. From this position, he could transfer the vortex to any limb, making it difficult to predict the direction of attack.

Xyrela's smile faltered for a moment before a crazed resolve replaced her gloating demeanor. It was now a gamble for both sides. If Genji killed Xyrela before she cast her spell, he would win. Conversely, if Xyrela managed to disrupt the attack before it landed or had enough substitution puppets to survive it, victory would be hers.

Everything came down to this moment.

Xyrela accelerated her energy condensation, choosing to sacrifice more of her lifespan for a slightly faster cast time. The moment Genji failed to kill her, she would be ready to capitalize on the opening and turn the tables.

On the other hand, Genji visualized several possible movements to slip past Xyrela's defense. From clever feints to elaborate combo strikes, he considered them all. And now, it was time to make a decision.

Their auras reached their peak and clashed intently. They held their positions for a second before Genji suddenly appeared beside Xyrela, unleashing a barrage of blows. Left, right, uppercut, hook, jab, cross, knee, elbow, kick. Xyrela watched these strikes intensely, ready to intercept them the moment the vortex moved.

And then it did, in many different directions. The vortex rapidly shifted between the four limbs, forming a massive blur. Xyrela could no longer keep track of it. Genji's figure also flashed around her, further increasing the difficulty. Sometime during the flickering, the vortex sank into Genji's body, ready to be unleashed.

Suddenly, his fist whipped toward the side of her face. In a fit of tension, she twisted her arm upward, only to realize the vortex was not attached to it. An upward kick came next, which she also negated, but no cigar. Then came the other leg. Xyrela exerted all her mental powers and narrowly prevented that as well.

Without waiting for the result, she burned some more life force and took control of the last arm as well. She was on the verge of casting her ultimate and was not going to take any chances.

'You lose!' She inwardly declared as Genji collapsed at her feet.

Her eyes glowed a deadly silver as she reached out for his fate strand. Yet right before her fingertip touched it, Genji sprang up and lunged for her neck. His jaws snapped open like an apex predator, revealing a devastating vortex.

He latched on and, with a twist of his head, ripped out a large chunk of flesh. The violent energy brewing in his mouth gushed into the wound and began its destruction.

Xyrela stumbled backward in shock, clutching her throat, but it was already too late - the ability had run its course. Her figure rapidly refreshed as substitution dolls popped one after the other. Within two seconds, she had gone through 29 lives. Then... There was no then.

Xyrela collapsed into ash and scattered with the wind. Departing with her were Genji's teeth, which had shattered into tiny fragments and spilled out from his mouth.

[You have slain High Witch Xyrela.]

[Your maximum energy has increased by 80 points.]

[You have obtained 450 realm coins.]

[You have obtained Golden Substitution Doll]

[Golden Substitution Doll]

Rating: Epic (Quasi-Legendary)

Type: Life-saving item/consumable

Requirements: The first person to bind this with a drop of blood.

Effect: Upon activation, transfer all current injuries and status effects to the doll. Lasts for 1 minute. Once this duration is up, the doll will shatter, regardless of the damage sustained. Effect can not be paused.

Description: Made from the essence of a High Witch proficient in doll crafting, it can act as a substitute for all incoming harm.

Note: "Look, Mom, I'm invincible! (whispers: but only for 1 minute)"

Note 2: This is also called a "1-up Mushroom."