Pincer Force

He tried to hold it in. But how could anyone hold back laughter at something this funny?

Zhao Wuji's expression had gone full Yujiro Hanma as he struggled not to laugh. Flender took deep breaths to keep himself calm and avoid bursting out. He waved for the others to pitch the tents and start cooking; they could look for Ma Hongjun's Spirit Beast tomorrow. But Jodio could tell Flender needed only the slightest nudge to lose it.

This is bad. Really bad. It's like when your deskmate tells you a hilarious joke in class. You might manage to hold it in, but if another classmate starts fooling around too... Jodio thought.

"Hongjun. Eat." Jodio's face turned cold. Arms folded, he flicked two fingers of his left hand in a curt command.

"Boss..." Ma Hongjun felt as though the King of Hell had called his name. Six was young, but he wasn't completely clueless. Not here, at least. Eat Oscar's big sausage? Damn it, the Balak Kingdom didn't even have mountains, much less a habit of eating chili peppers!

"Eat," Jodio said, reaching out to Oscar for a sausage of his own.

"A king has a king's talents, and a chef has a chef's. If you're not a food-type Soul Master, you have no right to question Oscar's Spirit Skill. The incantation is just words. The skill is what matters. Eat. Don't make me say it a third time," Jodio continued.

"Boss..." Tears streamed down Oscar's face. Fighting back his excitement and gratitude, he loudly summoned another sausage. This time, Jodio nearly lost it too. His face went from looking like an Araki drawing to resembling Yujiro Hanma's. Still, with sheer force of will, he punched a tree and held his laughter in.

"Eat!" Jodio opened his mouth and forced the sausage down. Once he had, he felt much better. It tasted like the all-meat sausages he used to buy for three and a half yuan each. This one was bigger, though, about the length of a smoked sausage. Back in my old life, it would've cost at least five yuan, wouldn't it?

"Delicious! Oscar, when we get back, let's set up a sausage stall. Half a copper soul coin each—we'll make a fortune." Jodio genuinely loved the taste. Nothing brought joy quite like protein and fat together. He couldn't help it: cured sausage, especially the sweet kind, was one of his favorite foods. Whatever happened, Oscar's second Spirit Skill had to be that.

"Boss..." Ma Hongjun sank into despair. What was he supposed to do? His boss might actually like guys! He hadn't just accepted that incantation—he was eating the sausage with obvious relish.

"Damn it, Ma Hongjun, why does your imagination have to be so good?" Jodio cursed, bringing his fist down hard on Ma Hongjun's head.

"Seriously, whether you find it funny or embarrassing, it's a Spirit Skill. This is what it takes to activate his Martial Soul." Jodio finished eating, wiped the grease from his hands on the tree, then crouched to sort through his bag as he explained.

"One moment of distraction in battle can lead to a defeat you'll never recover from. You have to do everything you can to control your impulses and ignore every disturbance, including those caused by Spirit Skills," Jodio told Ma Hongjun.

"Hongjun, from now on, you're going to train for this. Eat Oscar's sausages at least five times a day until they stop making you laugh," Flender said seriously.

"But for now, let's get ready to rest. We'll find your Spirit Beast tomorrow. It's time to take a break."

Camping in a forest was never a good idea. A forest had its own ecosystem and food chain. Anyone who barged in and tried to throw their weight around would stand out and draw the attention of its inhabitants.

Fire was good for driving Spirit Beasts away—and for attracting them. Most disliked approaching that mysterious, glowing thing for fear of being burned. Some, however, were drawn to it.

Jodio tried casting a thread into the distance. Five meters. Ten. Fifteen. It didn't extend as far as he had expected, probably because of its mass. He remembered Jolyne's threads reaching twenty-four meters. Then again, how much mass could a slender girl like her have? Once he was grown, wouldn't his threads start at around forty meters? Damn. He'd be Spider-Man.

The forest was quiet at night. Zhao Wuji, who had barely exerted himself during the day, sat by the fire with his eyes closed. The sounds of Oscar and Ma Hongjun fooling around came from the tent. How could those two troublemakers fall asleep so easily? Getting a Spirit Ring had Ma Hongjun excited, while Oscar was happy to have made a new friend. A Spirit Ring meant power, and power was hard not to love.

Jodio drew back his thread, folded his arms, and looked into the dark forest. In truth, when he had begun the Pincer Attack, he had intended to kill them all. Nothing would have been easier. One heavy blow, one undetectable Time Erasure from King Crimson, and those two troublemakers would have been dead for good.

But an unexpected turn of events had made him abandon that plan. Silver Chariot couldn't launch a surprise attack in front of two Soul Sages, and Spiral Staircase had shown him a more perfect future. Given that, there was no harm in showing them kindness.

When it came down to it, Tang San was the one who had a feud with Jodio Joestar. The others were incidental; they hardly mattered. Jodio Joestar possessed both a Black Will dark as ink and a Golden Spirit bright as gold. There was no need to widen the scope of his attack.

Well, I'll treat it as the advanced version of a time-based Pincer Attack, Jodio thought with a shrug, running a hand over the tree beside him.

WHOOSH!!!

Jodio froze. Cold sweat slid down his jaw. The familiar carved words had appeared on the tree again. Sensing that something was terribly wrong, he immediately prepared to flee.

"Watch out. Fire..."

Fire? What's wrong with the fire?

"Stone Free!" Almost by instinct, Jodio turned both hands into threads and stretched them around the tree to grip its trunk. He didn't know which direction the attack would come from, but he had to be ready.

"Jodio! Don't go activating your Martial Soul at night. You'll attract Spirit Beasts!" Zhao Wuji said helplessly, glancing up.

Damn it, that bastard won't let up. It's only the second day and he's already attacking. He shouldn't be able to find where I am. Did something follow us here?

Hidden behind the tree, Jodio watched the darkness warily. A sense of déjà vu washed over him, along with the feeling that an overwhelming force was bearing down on him. There was no mistaking it. This was Tang San's attack!

A heavy rumble reached Jodio's ears. Almost the instant he heard it, he turned the parts of his body around his brain and heart into threads, trying to evade the unknown attack. As long as his brain and heart survived, there was still a chance someone could heal him!

A force strong enough to tear a person apart swept past Jodio. Turbulent air and the thunder of a heavy clash battered his ears, deafening him and leaving him powerless to act.

"Ah... Tang... Tang San...!" Jodio's pupils dilated sharply. Then, in the next instant, the immense threat vanished. The attack through time had ended again. Clearly, he had won.

For some reason, Tang San's strike had missed once more. He seemed to have mistaken the parts Jodio had separated with Stone Free for three different people. That misjudgment made him hesitate for an instant, and then the time passage appeared to close. By the narrowest margin, Jodio had survived again.

But I never expected him to be able to open a time passage. It's unbelievable. I'll have to watch out for another attack from him.

Jodio withdrew Stone Free, breathing hard. He hadn't anticipated Tang San being able to enter a time passage and attack. Tang San had never shown any time-based abilities; at most, his two gravity-type Spirit Rings had let him react during Jodio's erasures and pauses. A god must have helped him. Perhaps it was the legendary God of Time, the one responsible for time flowing differently in the Divine Realm and on the continent.

"Damn it. It's like sitting down to afternoon tea the moment you've brewed it, only to have a creditor come knocking. Or turning on the television at New Year's and finding nothing but a mind-numbingly dull show. Tang San, death would be too easy for you. I'll make you wish you could die."

Jodio gritted his teeth. People fought lifelong enemies because they stood on opposing sides. Others made enemies by arrogantly treating those at lower cultivation levels like insects and injuring them without a thought. But Jodio had hardly ever heard of someone making an enemy by stopping a weaker person from ascending. Someone like that deserved every beating he got. Even his mother wouldn't dare speak up for him. The tables can turn in thirty years. You'll be coming to Shrek in six years, Tang San. Your senior is going to show you plenty of love.

A blaze of fire rushed toward him. A Flame Bull charged in Jodio's direction as though something had frightened it. Jodio was already fed up and furious. He summoned Stone Free and, without a moment's hesitation, launched a crossing counter like a boxer.

"Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Oraa! Raa!"

Stone Free's barrage slammed into the Flame Bull, drawing sprays of blood and agonized cries. Its B-ranked strength far exceeded a normal person's. A century-old Flame Bull was no problem!

← To Be Continued

Currently available information:

Martial Soul: Sausage (level 14)

Holder: Oscar

Spirit Ring: Yellow (270-year Shield-Scaled Insect)

Destructive power: None; speed: None; range: E; persistence: D; precision: E; growth potential: A+

Martial Soul ability: Summons sausages that can be eaten. They are delicious and have a rich texture. The big sausage summoned by the first Spirit Skill can heal injuries, restore Soul Power, and quickly invigorate the person who eats it. It is a versatile support Spirit Skill. It needs no other effects; that alone makes it powerful.