Pincer Force

He tried to hold it in. But it was too funny. How could anyone possibly keep a straight face?

Zhao Wuji's expression had gone full Yujiro Hanma as he struggled not to laugh. Flender took deep breaths to steady himself and keep from bursting out. He waved for the others to pitch the tents and get a meal cooking; they would search for Hongjun's spirit beast tomorrow. But Jodio could tell Flender needed only the slightest excuse to lose control.

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

"Hongjun. Eat." Jodio's face turned cold. With his arms folded, he lifted two fingers of his left hand in a merciless command.

"Boss..." Hongjun immediately 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? What the hell? The Balak Kingdom didn't even have mountains, and nobody there had a habit of eating chili peppers!

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

"A king has a king's talents, and a chef has a chef's. If you aren't a food-type Soul Master, you have no right to question Oscar's soul 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 expression went from Araki to Yujiro Hanma in an instant. But with sheer willpower, he punched a tree and forced the laughter down.

"Eat!" Jodio opened his mouth and made himself swallow it. To his surprise, he felt much better afterward. It tasted like the pure-meat sausages he used to buy for three and a half yuan each, only bigger, about the length of a smoked sausage. Man, this would've cost at least five yuan back then, wouldn't it?

"Delicious! Oscar, when we get back, let's set up a sausage stall. Half a copper soul coin apiece. We'll make a fortune." It really did taste great. Protein and fat were a hard combination to beat. Jodio couldn't help himself: cured sausage, especially the sweet kind, was one of his favorite foods. Whatever happened, Oscar's second soul skill had to be that.

"Boss..." Hongjun sank into despair. What was he supposed to do? His boss might actually be into men! Not only did the incantation not bother him, he was eating the sausage with obvious enjoyment.

"Hongjun, why the hell is your imagination so good?" Jodio cursed, slamming a fist down on Hongjun's head.

"Seriously, whether you find it funny or embarrassing, this is a soul skill. This is what he has to do to activate his martial soul." Having finished eating, Jodio wiped the grease on the tree, then crouched to sort through his pack.

"One moment of distraction in a fight could mean defeat for good. You have to do everything you can to control your impulses and ignore distractions, including those from soul skills," Jodio told Hongjun.

"Hongjun, from now on, this is part of your training," Flender said seriously. "You'll eat Oscar's sausages at least five times a day until you stop laughing."

"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 the forest was no great idea. A forest was an ecosystem with its own food chain. Anyone who barged in and tried to throw their weight around would stand out to everything living there.

Fire was good for driving spirit beasts away, and just as good for drawing them in. Most avoided the strange, shining thing for fear of being burned. Others liked it.

Jodio tested how far he could cast a thread. Five meters. Ten. Fifteen. It reached less far than he'd expected, probably because of his mass. If he remembered right, Jolyne could extend her threads twenty-four meters. Then again, how much could a skinny girl like her weigh? Once he was grown, he ought to reach forty meters at least. Damn. Spider-Man, much?

The forest was quiet at night. Zhao Wuji, who hadn't exerted himself much during the day, rested with his eyes closed beside the fire. Oscar and Hongjun could be heard roughhousing inside the tent. How could those two goofballs fall asleep so easily? Hongjun was excited about getting a soul ring, and Oscar was happy to have a new friend. A soul ring meant power, and power was hard not to love.

Jodio reeled in his thread, folded his arms, and stared into the dark forest. When he had begun his Pincer Attack, he had intended to wipe them all out. Nothing could have been easier. One heavy blow, one unseen erasure of time with King Crimson, and the two goofballs would be dead beyond any doubt.

But an unexpected turn had made him abandon that plan. Silver Chariot had no chance of ambushing them in front of two Soul Sages, while Spiral Staircase had shown him a far better future. If so, there was no harm in showing them kindness.

Ultimately, Tang San was the one Jodio Joestar had a grudge against. The others were just along for the ride and mattered little. Jodio Joestar possessed both the ink-black Black Will and the radiant Golden Spirit. There was no need to widen his list of targets.

Well, I'll treat it as a harder way to play the time Pincer Attack, Jodio thought with a shrug, running a hand over the tree beside him.

Roar!!!

Jodio froze. Cold sweat slid down his jaw. Familiar carved words had appeared on the tree again. Sensing disaster, he immediately prepared to flee.

"Watch out. Fire..."

Fire? What was wrong with the fire?

"Stone Free!" Almost on instinct, Jodio turned both hands into threads, stretched them around either side of the tree, and seized the 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 for no reason at night," Zhao Wuji called, glancing up helplessly. "You'll attract spirit beasts!"

That bastard just won't let up. It's only the second day, and he's attacking already. He shouldn't be able to find me. Did something follow us here?

Jodio hid behind the tree and peered into the darkness. A strange sense of déjà vu gripped him: he felt a force like an avalanche surging toward him. There was no mistaking it. That had to be Tang San's attack!

A heavy rumble reached Jodio's ears. The instant he heard it, he turned the parts of his body around his brain and heart into threads, trying to evade the unknown strike. As long as his brain and heart survived, someone might still be able to heal him!

A force that could have torn him apart swept past Jodio. Turbulent air and the thunder of a collision battered his ears, leaving him briefly deaf and unable to act.

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

For some reason, Tang San's strike had missed again. He seemed to have mistaken Jodio, split apart by Stone Free, for three separate targets. That mistaken perception made him hesitate for an instant, and then the time passage appeared to close. By the narrowest margin, Jodio had made it through once more.

But I never expected him to be able to open a passage through time. Unbelievable. I'll have to watch out for another attack...

Jodio withdrew Stone Free, breathing hard. He hadn't accounted for Tang San being able to enter a time passage and attack. Tang San had never shown any time abilities. At most, his two gravity-type soul rings had let him react during Jodio's time erasure and time stop. 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.

"Tch. It's like settling down with freshly brewed tea, only to have a creditor come knocking. Or turning on the television over New Year and finding nothing but a mind-numbing show. Tang San, death would be too kind to you. I'll make you... wish you could die."

Jodio ground his teeth. Enemies fighting each other for a lifetime was one thing. Accidentally injuring someone you looked down on and earning their hatred was another. But Jodio had hardly ever heard of anyone making an enemy by stopping someone weaker from ascending. That kind of person deserved every beating he got. Even his mother wouldn't dare speak up for him. The tables will turn eventually, Tang San. Six more years, and you'll be coming to Shrek. Your senior is going to give you a very warm welcome.

A blaze rushed toward him from ahead. A Flame Bull was charging his way, as though something had frightened it. Jodio was already on edge and furious. He summoned Stone Free without hesitation and threw a cross-counter like a boxer.

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

Stone Free's barrage slammed into the Flame Bull, spraying blood and drawing agonized cries. Its B-rank strength far surpassed an ordinary person's. A century-old Flame Bull was no problem!

← To Be Continued

Currently disclosed information:

Martial soul: Sausage (level 14)

Holder: Oscar

Soul ring: Yellow (270-year-old Shield-Scaled Insect)

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

Martial soul ability: Summons sausages that are delicious and rich in texture. Sausages summoned by the first soul skill restore injuries and Soul Power and quickly reinvigorate whoever eats them. It is a versatile support skill. It needs no other effects; that alone makes it powerful.