Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 91: Library Fight

The void entity charged forward, each step cracking the ground.

Reinhard activated his precognition instantly and saw the creature’s path five seconds ahead. It would feint left, then strike from the right with an arm that extended like a whip.

He dodged left to counter the feint, then ducked under the whip-like strike. His fist shot out and connected with the entity’s chest. The impact sent it stumbling backward as chunks of void matter scattered from where he’d hit.

"Reinhard! Behind you!" Rika shouted from near the stairs.

He listened to Rika as he twisted his body to see that the entity had split part of itself to strike from two directions simultaneously. He rolled under one strike and blocked the other with his forearm, which forced him to skid back.

Then he blinked to see Rika grabbing a book before hurling it towards the entity as it began walking towards him. The heavy book flew through the air and smashed into the entity’s head. The creature paused for just a moment as confusion seemed to ripple through its form.

"Thanks!" Reinhard called out before he slammed his fist into its face and sent it rolling onto the ground.

"I’ll keep throwing things!" Rika yelled back while grabbing another book from a floating shelf.

The entity pushed itself up and said. "How troubling, but no matter."

Reinhard’s mind worked rapidly even as he fought. How could this void entity sense his Void Sigil when Yor had never noticed it? She’d been around him constantly and never once mentioned feeling void energy from him.

Was it because this entity was made of the void itself? Did that give it a special perception that normal people lacked?

And more importantly, what would Rika think once this was over? She’d already questioned his multiple abilities. Now she was watching him fight something that claimed he carried a void within himself.

How could he explain this without revealing the complete truth about the system?

The entity reformed its scattered pieces and attacked again. Books floated through the air around them as gravity distorted in waves. Some books flew upward toward the ceiling while others pressed down against the floor as if crushed by invisible weight.

All of it came crashing down on him. Reinhard quickly evades all of it, flipping, sliding, and even smacking away some of the books. Then, once he got close to the entity once more, he blasted his fist towards it again.

The entity tried to move, but two heavy books crashed into its head again, stunning it. Just as his fist crashed into its face, it was sent flying into the ground with a cracking sound echoing out.

But Reinhard didn’t stop there as his fists rained down on void matter over and over. Each strike leads to the entity breaking apart, but then reforming soon after.

"It keeps reforming!" Rika shouted. "We can’t destroy it this way!"

Reinhard knew she was right.

Physical damage meant nothing as the entity would always reform. body. The only good thing is that its attack and defense were weak, but that might soon change.

They needed a different approach.

The distortion field pulsed outward with visible waves of warped reality. It had expanded another fifteen feet since they’d arrived. Books on the outer edges began dissolving into particles that scattered like dust.

Above them came the sound of panicking students. The building groaned under structural stress. If the distortion continued to grow at this rate, it would breach the ceiling and enter the main library within minutes.

Hundreds of students would be caught in a major void distortion field with no way to escape.

Reinhard made a decision. He activated his Spatial Lord ability and reached out to grab the fabric of space itself. His hand closed on invisible threads of reality and yanked hard. The space beneath the entity compressed violently. Gravity multiplied in that specific spot, pulling the creature down with irresistible force.

It slammed into the floor and couldn’t rise.

Reinhard rushed forward and brought his fist down on the entity’s head with all his strength. The impact shattered the void matter completely as the creature’s form exploded into fragments. But then he used Spatial Lord to drag the pieces all into one pile and then began smashing them over and over.

He was aiming to turn each fragment into dust. But even after doing that, the distortion didn’t stop.

It only grew faster.

Rika’s face went pale as she stared at the expanding field. "No. No, no, no. Destroying the entity made it worse!"

The system appeared in Reinhard’s vision with urgent text scrolling rapidly.

[Host! Quickly, use your Void power to devour the distortion!]

Reinhard instantly thought. I can devour them like Yor? What’s the risk and drawback?

[Don’t worry! You’ll feel mental fatigue, but I will help disperse the excess energy. There won’t be any physical danger to you!]

Just as Reinhard accepted this information, Rika grabbed his arm in panic. "I’ll call professors! We can’t handle this alone! The field is too big—"

"I know a method to close it," Reinhard interrupted gently.

Rika stared at him with desperate hope and fear mixed together. "What method? How?"

Reinhard turned to face her fully, then reached up to caress her face with one hand. His touch was warm despite the freezing air around them. "Everything will be fine. Trust me."

Her crimson eyes searched his face for several seconds. Then she nodded slowly, even though uncertainty remained clear in her expression.

Reinhard walked toward the center of the distortion field as space warped around him with each step. The floor tilted at impossible angles. Walls seemed to fold inward, and even the area around looked like it was peeling away.

But Reinhard pushed through it all.

Five steps.

Then ten steps.

Before he finally took the fifteen steps and reached the center, where the distortion was strongest. The swirling core of void energy pulsed before him like a living heart made of darkness. It pulled at everything around it with hungry desperation.

Reinhard reached out his hand and grasped the core directly. Black-grey energy rushed up his arm instantly. It felt cold and hot simultaneously, like burning ice that tried to devour him from the inside.

But instead of being consumed, Reinhard pulled as he activated his Void Sigil fully and began devouring the distortion.

The system appeared with new text.

[Void Distortion absorption in progress! Host, you need to maintain contact for twenty seconds. This is a large distortion, expect significant mental strain!]

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed as void energy poured into his body in a torrent. He trembled as he felt thousands of thoughts and emotions rushing through his mind at once.

He began hearing them in different types of languages with various images and feelings. He groaned as the assault on his mind intensified to the point it felt like someone was smashing his head into the ground. But he pushed through it all while maintaining his grip on the distortion’s core as everything got worse.

Ten seconds.

His knees threatened to buckle, but he locked them in place.

Fifteen seconds.

Blood began trickling from his nose as his mind strained under the pressure.

Twenty seconds.

The sound of shattering glass rang through the basement like a bell.

The distortion collapsed inward completely as all its energy rushed into Reinhard’s body in one final surge.

Then everything fell silent.

The library basement returned to normal. Books lay scattered across the floor. Shelves stood at the correct angles again. The temperature rose rapidly back to comfortable levels. Reality returned to normal as if space hadn’t just warped around a few seconds ago.

Rika stared at Reinhard in absolute shock. "That method... You absorbed it just like Yor does. But you’re not Yor." She stepped closer with her eyes searching his face desperately. "Reinhard, what are—"

He trembled suddenly, and his legs gave out without warning.

Rika’s eyes went wide with alarm. "Reinhard!" She rushed forward and caught him before he could fall completely. Her arms wrapped around his torso as she supported his weight.

"Are you okay?" She quickly asked. "Did absorbing the distortion hurt you?"

Reinhard took several deep breaths while fighting off the mental exhaustion that crashed over him like a wave. The system had dispersed the excess void energy, but the mental strain remained.

"I’m fine." He managed to say, though his voice came out rougher than intended. "Just tired."

Above them came the sound of footsteps and shouting. Professors were responding to the disturbance, and they’d be here within seconds.

"Let’s leave before any professors arrive," Reinhard said while straightening with effort. "I don’t feel like explaining this to them."

Rika nodded quickly while keeping one arm around him for support. "Can you walk?"

"Yes. Come on."

They moved toward the stairs as fast as Reinhard’s shaky legs would allow. Emergency alarms were ringing throughout the building now. Students’ voices echoed from above as panic spread through the main library.

They rushed up to the first floor to see chaos around. Students were rushing toward the exits in a disorganized crowd. Some were crying while others shouted questions that no one could answer.

The staff members tried to maintain order but failed completely.

Reinhard and Rika slipped into the flow of evacuating people. The crowd carried them toward the main entrance along with dozens of other students fleeing the building.

As they moved with the crowd, Reinhard glanced back. Several professors rushed past the evacuation in the opposite direction, heading down toward the basement to investigate.

The crowd pushed them out the main doors and into the courtyard beyond. Fresh air hit Reinhard’s face as welcome relief after the basement’s warped atmosphere. Students scattered in all directions as some ran to their dorms while others gathered in groups to discuss what had happened.

Rika pulled Reinhard away from the main crowd toward a quieter garden area between buildings. When they were alone behind a hedge, she finally released her supporting grip on him.

"Alright," she said while her voice was shaking slightly. "Now you need to explain everything. What you did down there. How did you absorb the distortion? Why did that entity say you carry the Void within yourself?"

"Please, Reinhard... I just want to understand."