(Var was explaining all he knows about gates - suddenly Gauge and Var disappear from the bazaar seemingly abducted by some one called the gatekeeper.)
Gauge's arm collided with the axe, yet not a scratch marked his skin. The white ember flow hardened his arms like stone. He tapped the axe aside with his other hand and went straight for the Gatekeeper's face.
But the axe reappeared instantly—materializing beside him. Gauge barely blocked with his arms, the impact flinging him sideways.
From the distance, Var shouted,"What's your plan, kid? Or are you just gonna blindly charge at him?"
Gauge shook off the hit. Blocking that last blow had drained his smoulder. He steadied himself, emberflow regenerating through his veins, and rose to his feet.
"Just one hit," he muttered, voice firm. "I'll finish him in just one hit. I just need a plan… improvised."
Var groaned, shaking his head.
Kids these days… charging into battle without even planning to breathe.
He pressed his hands to the ground."Blood Origami: Binding Ropes!"
Scarlet ropes erupted from the soil, wrapping toward the Gatekeeper. But the being flared with gate energy, incinerating them back into raw blood.
Var clenched his jaw, frustrated. "Well… that's basically all I can do. Guess I'm helpless now." He laughed awkwardly.
Gauge didn't stop. He hurled himself forward, aiming straight for the Gatekeeper's face. The axe came up to guard, but Gauge slowed just enough, planted his hands on the blade, and vaulted upward. Midair, he shifted momentum and drove a brutal kick into the Gatekeeper's neck, slamming the creature into the ground.
Var chuckled from the sidelines, watching like a child at a show."Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."
Gauge landed, sliding across the ash-strewn field from the force of his launch. The Gatekeeper staggered up, summoning a glowing blue ore. He hurled it away from Gauge, then vanished—reappearing at the ore's location.
Var's eyes widened. "Gate cores! Mined from outgrowths. He can teleport to them!"
The Keeper spawned more, scattering them across the battlefield. Then the real fight began. He flickered from core to core, striking from every angle. His axe came down in relentless succession, forcing Gauge onto the defensive.
With a roar, the Keeper unleashed an upward swing. Gauge blocked, but the impact hurled him skyward. The Keeper tossed another ore, smashed it with his axe like a batter, and blinked above Gauge, blade raised for a killing blow.
Even if I block this… the impact alone will crush me when I hit the ground, Gauge thought, panic flashing in his eyes.
"Origami: Cobwebs!"
Var's scarlet threads shot upward, yanking Gauge out of the axe's path. The swing cut only air. Off-balance, the Keeper's ethereal wings faltered, and he plummeted.
Gauge seized the moment. He dove after him, fists glowing with molten fire, ready to end it in one strike. But the Gatekeeper blinked again, vanishing at the last instant. Gauge's blow tore through the earth instead, his arms sinking deep into molten cracks.
It was the perfect opening.
The Keeper materialized before him, axe aimed for his skull. The blade halted—strands of blood binding it inches from Gauge's eyes.
Var had saved him a second time. This one would've meant certain death.
Gauge melted the ground around his arms and pulled free. The Keeper retaliated by seizing Var, hurling him aside, knocking him unconscious. Gauge threw a series of punches, but his opponent kept slipping away.
Snarling, Gauge slammed his fist into the ground. The blow split the battlefield wide open, molten cracks spreading like veins of fire. The ore scattered across the field vaporized instantly—except one.
Var stirred, spotting it, but before he could warn Gauge, the Keeper's broken form began to materialize behind him.
It's over… Var thought, powerless.
But Gauge turned. He pulled his arm back, emberflow surging charged while he was pretending to be exhausted.It was a TRAP!!!. The moment the Keeper fully formed, Gauge's fist struck—an all-out blow that shattered the sound barrier. The force launched the Gatekeeper across the field, wrenching the axe from his grip.
Var lashed out his whip, snaring the weapon."KID! FINISH HIM!!!"
Gauge, still airborne from the recoil, caught the axe mid-spin. He pivoted, twisted, and hurled it with all his might. The weapon whirled through the air, glowing with raw gate energy, until it met the Keeper mid-air—splitting him clean in two.
The lower half collapsed. The upper half floated still, face cracking apart from mouth outward. In seconds, his entire face shattered, releasing a torrent of ethereal gate energy that streamed back into the Rift.
Var snapped open his Riftcore, siphoning as much as possible.
Storage limit reached. Available gate energy: 3000 units.
The battle was done.
But what did this victory mean? Why had the Gatekeeper attacked Gauge at all? What purpose did this clash serve?
Next Chapter — Mortals, Immortals, and the Hierarchy of Gods