My Scumbag System Chapter 507: Chant My Name

With merely five minutes left on the clock, the surrounding battlefield had completely dissolved into utter pandemonium. The other guilds, abandoning all pretense of coordinated assault, now attacked any and all opponents within their vicinity. The Sentinels and Phantoms found themselves locked in combat with each other, while the Vipers and Strikers commenced their own private skirmish.

Our stratagem had proven effective. By positioning ourselves as the primary target, we had compelled them to focus their efforts on us... until their ingrained rivalries resurfaced with a vengeance. They were now far too preoccupied with eliminating one another to concern themselves with capturing our flag.

A chuckle escaped me. "These fools are doing our work for us."

Natalia appeared beside me, her chest heaving from the strenuous effort. "Was that part of your plan?"

"Let's just say it was," I replied.

She rolled her eyes, but a faint smile touched her lips. "You're impossible."

"You love it," I countered.

A sudden flash of crimson caught my eye. Reyna had recovered and was now conjuring new marionettes, these appearing considerably larger and more menacing than her previous creations. Julian stood resolutely beside her, his personal hatred momentarily set aside in favor of a common adversary.

"They've decided to cooperate," I noted.

Natalia followed my gaze. "That's not ideal."

"Actually, it's perfect," I stated, activating my comms. "Skylar, are you still operational?"

"Barely, thanks to you," her voice crackled through the earpiece. "What do you need?"

"Julian and Reyna are joining forces. Can you split them up?"

A brief pause ensued. Then: "Give me thirty seconds."

I grinned at Natalia. "This should be entertaining to witness."

Twenty-seven agonizing seconds ticked by amidst the thick of the chaotic battle, and then Julian's head snapped upward as if struck by an unseen force. The movement was abrupt, violent—akin to a marionette whose strings had just been violently yanked. His countenance instantly lost all color, paling to a corpse-like hue before flushing a deep, mottled crimson that radiated sheer, incandescent fury. His eyes frantically scanned the tumultuous battlefield in jerky, desperate movements, searching intently for something—or someone.

"What in the blazes did she say to him?" Natalia breathed beside me, her own gaze fixed on Julian's increasingly frantic actions.

I couldn't suppress the grin that spread across my face. "Knowing Skylar? Something incredibly personal. Something that will haunt his nightmares for at least the next month."

And with that, Julian abandoned his temporary alliance without even a backward glance. He bolted at a dead sprint towards a distant sector of the arena where Skylar had briefly flickered into existence amidst the smoke and illusions before vanishing once more, like a phantom dissolving into nothingness. His entire focus had narrowed to a single, obsessive point, and that point was no longer us.

Precisely as orchestrated.

Reyna suddenly found herself alone, her head swiveling to track Julian's abrupt departure. For a fleeting, crystalline moment, confusion flickered across her face—a genuine bewilderment at being so unceremoniously abandoned. Then, that confusion ignited into something far more perilous. Her emerald eyes locked onto mine across the chaotic battlefield, and the promise of retribution in her gaze was unmistakable.

"Incoming," I stated plainly, my grip tightening on my bat.

Reyna did not simply attack; she unleashed her fury. Ten marionettes materialized around her in rapid succession, each one demonstrably larger and more menacing than any she had conjured previously. These were no longer the compact, elegant constructs from earlier—these were colossal figures crackling with furious lightning, each standing nearly eight feet tall and resonating with barely contained electrical energy. The very air seemed to protest their presence, crackling and hissing as static electricity built to an almost unbearable crescendo. My skin prickled uncomfortably, every hair on my body standing erect as if reaching towards the heavens.

"This is going to sting," I muttered, observing the electrical storm coalescing around her, reminiscent of a brewing hurricane.

Natalia's fingers found mine, squeezing once, firmly. "Don't perish."

"Wouldn't even consider it, Princess."

The initial onslaught struck us with the force of divine wrath.

Natalia's telekinetic shield flared into existence, an immense dome of shimmering purple energy that intercepted the first wave of lightning bolts. The impacts were deafening, each strike sending visible shockwaves rippling across the barrier's surface. While the majority of the assault was halted, hairline fractures began to spiderweb across the purple energy as the electrical bombardment intensified. Natalia's face contorted into a mask of intense concentration and strain, sweat beading on her temples as she poured every ounce of her being into maintaining our sole defense.

"I... can't hold it..." she gasped, her voice strained with pain and exertion.

"Release it on my signal," I instructed calmly, activating [Lightning Rod] and channeling every scrap of my mana into the skill. It thrummed within me, an eager void poised to be unleashed. "Three... two... one... NOW!"

The shield dissipated as if it had never been there.

All ten automatons unleashed their full electrical might in devastating unison. The concentrated power aimed at a single point was catastrophic—vast enough raw voltage to obliterate an ordinary human in an instant, reducing them to mere ash and vapor. Thankfully, however, "ordinary" ceased to be a relevant term for me a long time ago.

My body transformed into a literal conduit for lightning. Every bolt, every crackle, every fragment of Reyna’s elemental fury was redirected mid-flight, striking me directly in a dazzling, blinding spectacle of elemental dominance. The electricity didn't just enter me; it was absorbed, flooding my mana channels until they overflowed and then continued to fill. My veins pulsed with an eerie blue light beneath my skin, visible even through my attire as power flowed through me like a living entity. It felt akin to swallowing a star.

The crowd fell into a hushed, awestruck silence. Twenty thousand spectators held their breath collectively as I stood, arms wide, absorbing enough raw electrical energy to power half of Valoria for a week.

Reyna’s confident smirk dissolved like melting wax, replaced by dawning horror as her most potent assault yielded absolutely nothing.

"Impossible," she breathed, her voice barely audible above the fading crackle of spent energy.

I grinned, my teeth glowing with stored power. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

The timer indicated three minutes remaining.

I unleashed the stored electricity as a concentrated beam, cleaving through all ten automatons simultaneously and reducing them to scattered sparks. The residual energy propagated outward in a circular shockwave, toppling everyone within twenty feet of me. Everyone except Natalia, who stood beside me unharmed, shielded by my control.

The arena became utterly quiet.

Then, a voice from the crowd began a chant: "STRAY DOG! STRAY DOG!"

Others joined in, until twenty thousand voices roared in unison: "STRAY DOG! STRAY DOG! STRAY DOG!"

I raised my bat, reveling in the moment. This—this was precisely what I had desired. To be noticed. To be recognized. To have them chant my name.

Natalia slipped her hand into mine, her grip firm. "Show-off," she murmured, though her eyes gleamed with unspoken pride.

The timer showed two minutes left.

The other guilds launched a final, desperate assault on our flag. They charged from all directions, pouring their remaining strength into one last surge. But we were prepared.

My team moved as one entity, covering each other's vulnerabilities and amplifying their strengths. Raphael and Hikari broke through the front ranks. Marco and Malachi defended the flanks. Juan and Isabelle provided support from the rear. Skylar flickered in and out of visibility like a phantom, striking from unexpected angles. And at the core of our formation, Natalia and I stood back-to-back, her telekinesis and my overwhelming stats forming an impenetrable defense.

When the final buzzer sounded, we still held the central flag. Just one flag—but it was enough.

Maximus Hype’s voice boomed throughout the arena: "UNBELIEVABLE! THE ONYX HOUNDS HAVE DONE IT! ONE FLAG AGAINST FOUR, AND THEY’VE STILL EMERGED VICTORIOUS!"

The scoreboard flashed our win: Onyx Hounds - 100 points.

The crowd erupted in an even louder cheer, a physical wave of sound pressing against us. Signs bearing my likeness and name waved wildly throughout the stadium.

My teammates gathered around me, bruised and bleeding but victorious. Raphael’s eye was swollen shut. Hikari was limping. Juan had lost his jacket somewhere along the way. Skylar’s hair was slightly scorched at the tips. Marco’s knuckles were raw and bleeding. Malachi was so drained he could barely remain standing. Yet, every one of them was smiling.

"We did it," Natalia said, her voice thick with emotion. "We actually did it."

I looked at my guild, my pack, my people, and felt an unfamiliar sensation welling up inside. Pride, perhaps. Or a sense of belonging. Whatever it was, it felt… good.

"Was there ever any doubt?" I asked with my signature grin.

Natalia playfully punched my arm, but without any real force. "Always with the ego."

"You love it."

"Unfortunately."

I surveyed the arena, noting the defeated expressions on our opponents' faces. Julian’s fury had shifted into something colder and more strategic. Reyna’s expression was inscrutable, but her gaze lingered on me with intense focus.

They had underestimated our capabilities. That was a mistake they would certainly not repeat.

Excellent. It was precisely my intention to face them at their peak strength before I utterly dismantled them.

Natalia gently tugged at my sleeve. "Can you cease plotting their utter destruction for a moment and come along? Braxton has indicated that we need to regroup before the next event commences."

"Was my intention that transparent?" I inquired.

"Your features adopt a particular expression whenever you are devising someone's downfall. It is, in a disquieting way, quite attractive."

A chuckle escaped me as I drew her nearer, bestowing a swift kiss upon her forehead. "Only you would find the contemplation of murder schemes to be alluring."

"What can I possibly say? My preferences are rather unique."

Together, we departed the arena floor, the clamor of the crowd pursuing us as if it were a tangible entity. As we traversed the exit tunnel, my eyes landed upon Veronica Cabana, observing my progress from the exclusive VIP section. She lifted her glass in a gesture of mock salutation, her smile a clear harbinger of impending trouble.

Natalia's gaze followed mine, and her demeanor chilled considerably, as if her temperature had plummeted by ten degrees. "Do not even contemplate it."

"Contemplate what precisely? I assure you, I am entirely blameless."

"You have never known a single day of innocence."

A valid observation, indeed.