My Scumbag System Chapter 505: My Girlfriend is a Goddamn Valkyrie

My legs pumped harder, the strain in my thighs intensifying. The temporary boosts from Kinetic Absorption were beginning to wane, my attributes gradually reverting to their normal levels. I had to reach Skylar before—

A marionette materialized directly in my path, its crackling form obstructing my way like a living barrier of electricity. The scent of ozone filled the air, and the hair on my arms stood on end from the surrounding electrical charge.

Looming behind it, Reyna observed me with her emerald eyes, a predatory grin gracing her lips. "Off somewhere, Stray Dog?"

"Yeah, to beat you up." I tightened my grip on my bat. "Move your puppet."

"Make me."

The marionette lunged, its fist crackling with electricity and aimed directly at my face. Without conscious thought, I activated Lightning Rod, transforming my entire being into a conduit for electromagnetic energy.

The marionette’s attack bent towards me as if drawn by a magnet, the electricity surging into my body in a crackling torrent that made my teeth ache. I absorbed it all, channeling the power through my mana channels until it rumbled in my chest like a captive thunderstorm.

Reyna’s smile wavered. "That trick again?"

"If it works, why change it?"

I unleashed the stored lightning in a focused beam aimed precisely at her location. She narrowly dodged at the last moment, the bolt searing the stone where she had just stood.

"Fast," I conceded.

"You have no idea."

She was, indeed, correct.

Reyna moved with the fluid grace of a seasoned warrior, each action precise and perfectly timed. Her remaining marionette attacked from my blind spot while she advanced from the front, their coordinated assault executed with chilling accuracy.

I utilized Protection from Arrows to anticipate the marionette’s approach, my Tori-sense blaring imminent danger. I dropped to the ground as electric fists whistled over my head, then rolled aside as Reyna’s own fist sought to introduce itself to my jaw.

"Not bad," she remarked, her breathing slightly labored. "You've been training."

"You motivated me." I rose to my feet, bat held ready. "Figured I should at least make this interesting for you."

Her laughter was genuine, carrying a sense of warmth. "Oh, it’s interesting. The real question is—can you keep pace?"

Three more marionettes materialized around her, forming a semi-circle that effectively trapped me. They attacked in unison, a synchronized assault that would have overwhelmed most combatants.

Fortunately, I wasn't most combatants.

I activated Steel Body, and for ten crucial seconds, I became virtually impervious. The electric fists struck me from four directions simultaneously, each impact carrying enough voltage to power a small town.

None of it caused any harm.

I strode through the barrage as if it were mere rain, feeling the benefits from Kinetic Absorption accumulate with every landed blow. My attributes surged higher and higher, the temporary enhancements layering upon my already formidable hidden statistics.

By the time Steel Body’s effect expired, I was forty percent more potent and agile than when the encounter began.

"Thanks for the power-up," I chirped cheerfully.

Reyna’s expression shifted from confidence to apprehension. "What are you?"

"Your worst nightmare, apparently."

I charged at the closest marionette, my bat aglow with Ember as I channeled heat into the metal. The swing landed true, and the construct disintegrated into a shower of sparks and dissipating energy.

One down. Three remaining.

Reyna instantly conjured two more, her Aspect working at full capacity. "I can do this all day."

"So can I."

Likely a falsehood, but she didn't need to know that.

The match timer showed fourteen minutes remaining.

Across the arena, Natalia’s voice crackled through my comms. "Satori, we're in trouble. The Vipers are launching a simultaneous, coordinated assault on all three of our platforms."

"Can you hold them?"

"I can, but—"

An explosion abruptly cut her off.

My gaze shifted towards the northern platform, where I saw Isabelle encircled by five Vipers, her protective green wind barrier visibly weakening under the relentless barrage. On the eastern platform, Raphael fought back-to-back with Marco; both were wounded but resolutely holding their ground.

Our forces were stretched too thin.

"Everyone fall back to the central platform!" I commanded into the comm. "Consolidate our position!"

"That leaves us with only one flag," Natalia protested.

"One defensible flag is superior to three we're about to lose."

A brief silence ensued. Then: "Understood. We're moving."

Reyna overheard the exchange, her smile returning. "Tactical retreat? How unfortunate."

"Strategic repositioning," I corrected. "There's a distinction."

"Is there?"

I offered no verbal reply, as three of her marionettes chose that moment to renew their assault. I dodged, parried, and absorbed the incoming strikes as necessary, my movements now guided by pure instinct. My Tori-sense directed my actions, revealing attack vectors before they fully formed.

Right. Duck. Left. Jump.

The intricate pattern seared into my very muscles, granting a fleeting moment of perfect synergy where thought and action became an art form.

Just then, Reyna herself plunged into the conflict, her actual fist crackling with unleashed energy.

I raised my bat to intercept, but she executed a cunning feint at the last possible instant, shifting her assault to target my kidney. The blow landed true, and searing pain erupted through my side, even with Kinetic Absorption mitigating the impact's full force.

I staggered, my breath catching in my throat.

She seized the opening, her mechanical puppets swarming in from every direction. Electric-charged fists descended upon me from four simultaneous points.

I endured the barrage, my body groaning under the strain. Each impact granted temporary buffs, certainly, but there existed a critical threshold to what even I could withstand before vital components failed.

My vision began to narrow ominously.

It was at this critical juncture that Natalia arrived, appearing like a vengeful celestial being. A wave of purple energy exploded outwards, a telekinetic shockwave that hurled all four puppets backward in disarray.

"Keep your hands off my boyfriend," she spat at Reyna, her voice laced with fury.

The assembled crowd erupted, completely losing their composure at this astonishing declaration.

Reyna's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "Boyfriend?"

"You heard me correctly."

Oh, this was undoubtedly going to escalate into a significant issue later on.

I utilized the momentary distraction to regain my breath, feeling Emi's soothing healing aura flow over me from an unseen location. The sharp agony in my kidney subsided into a persistent, dull ache, and my vision started to clear.

The countdown timer displayed eleven minutes remaining.

"Natalia, we must—"

"I understand. We'll withdraw to the center. I'm not reckless."

We retreated in unison, battling through the swirling chaos towards Skylar's designated spot. The opposing teams had clearly discerned our strategic maneuver, and they were determined to prevent us from consolidating our forces without a fierce struggle.

A Viper-class opponent, wielding water manipulation abilities, attempted to engulf me with a sphere of liquid. I evaded the watery prison by phasing through it using Shade Cloak, reappearing on the other side to deliver a solid blow with my bat.

Natalia, meanwhile, encased another Viper in solid ice, her Cryo-Lich Ring emitting a chilling pulse of frigid light.

We successfully reached the central platform just as Isabelle, Raphael, Hikari, Marco, and Juan converged from their respective positions. All eight of us formed a tight defensive circle around the precious flag.

"Well now," Juan commented, his gaze sweeping over the roughly forty competitors who were regrouping for their next offensive push. "This presents a rather troublesome situation."

"You don't say?" Skylar's knives were already deployed and glinting.

The other teams had grasped our objective. Instead of engaging each other for the remaining flags, their collective focus had shifted entirely towards us.

Naturally, this was precisely what we had anticipated.

"So, then," I inquired, adopting a conversational tone. "Do you possess any particularly brilliant tactical insights, Juan?"

He withdrew a card from his pocket, imbuing it with potent energy. "Try not to perish?"

"Extremely helpful. My gratitude."

The assault commenced simultaneously from all directions—Sentinels advancing from the north, Phantoms surging from the west, Vipers attacking from the south, and Strikers launching their assault from the east. More than forty combatants descended upon our position, their eyes burning with murderous intent.

A grin spread across my face, utterly unfazed by the sheer, insane peril of our predicament.

"Alright, Hounds. Let's demonstrate precisely why we've earned the number one spot."

The timer now indicated nine minutes remaining.

This promised to be an exceptionally entertaining engagement.