The emotion filling Joe’s heart was not the grim satisfaction he had felt when he brutalized a boy in fourth grade. This was pure excitement born from combat itself. Risking his life and pushing past his limits to overcome impossible obstacles thrilled him. It was a sensation he had avoided in his previous life after his fighting spirit withered as he grew older. What made it even more intoxicating was that he cared about this life. He wanted to live, and he would do anything to protect it. That was something his first existence had lacked, where merely continuing to breathe had felt worse than death.

  Now, he had a chance to correct the mistakes of his past and become someone who truly enjoyed living. That joy came from chasing excitement, and at this moment, nothing stirred him more than battle. The pain and danger were not deterrents. They were the very reasons he adored it. That was when it began, the moment he narrowly avoided a wolf’s bite in Evergreen. For the first time, he tasted the exhilaration he had been missing for so long, and now he intended to explore the depths of combat completely.

  Joe turned his attention to the golem standing a few meters away. He watched with interest as the creature’s injuries vanished, each crack marring its face sealing one after another. It was unclear whether this was the result of a skill or the nature of the creature’s body itself. As a construct born of his mind, it might have possessed natural regeneration.

  A moment later, Joe glanced down at himself. His mangled arm was already reconstructing, broken bones knitting together as if the damage had never existed. That answered his earlier question. It seemed that simply existing within this realm granted accelerated healing, which made sense given that none of them possessed physical forms. Joe smiled and lifted his gaze back to the golem, which was finishing the repair of its remaining fractures.

  Within seconds, both combatants were restored to their prime. The golem’s face was smooth once more, free of cracks, while Joe’s ribs and arm had returned to their original state. They locked eyes, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

  Before pressing the attack, Joe paused to explore the nature of soul energy. He focused inward, sensing the power flowing through his body. It surged freely, reinforcing his form, and he attempted to guide it with his mind to push his strength even further. He relied on the familiar sensation he had felt in Evergreen when he returned to rescue Olivia from the Lord of the Woods.

  To his surprise, the soul energy responded instantly.

  A wave of aura burst from his body and wrapped around him, blending into the endless white void. Power flooded every fiber of his being, and his eyes gleamed as a grin spread across his face.

  “That’s what I’m talking about!” he shouted, opening and closing his fists as he examined his empowered form.

  A thunderous roar from the golem snapped his attention back to the fight. Joe chuckled and looked up at the towering construct. “You’re quite the impatient fella, aren’t ya?” he said with a smile. “Alright, I guess we’ve wasted enough time. Let’s do this.”

  Joe streaked forward at full speed, his enhanced form closing the distance between him and the golem in a heartbeat. The creature was ready and swung its gigantic right fist at him. Joe smirked and casually sidestepped the blow, the massive fist whisking harmlessly past his body. Even as a violent shockwave rippled outward, his empowered form kept him perfectly balanced.

  He countered with an uppercut, driving his fist into the center of the golem’s arm.

  A deafening explosion erupted on impact. The creature’s limb shattered instantly, splitting in half as fragments scattered through the void.

  A piercing screech tore from the golem as it staggered backward. Joe seized the broken chunk of its arm and hurled it straight at the construct. The massive piece spun end over end before slamming into the golem’s face, releasing a thunderous shockwave. Cracks spiderwebbed across its head as it was forced back several meters.

  Joe did not relent.

  He dashed forward and leapt into the air, extending his right leg. His sole slammed into the golem’s chest, caving it inward as the massive body was launched backward. The golem crashed into the towering gates behind it and unleashed a horrid scream as energy flared from the surface on contact. The sight reminded Joe of an electric fence discharging at full power.

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  He landed lightly on his feet as the golem collapsed to its knees.

  In an instant, Joe surged forward and drove both knees into the creature’s head. A shockwave pulsed outward as its face cracked further, Joe forcing its skull against the gate. Under the relentless pressure, the cranium finally gave way and crumbled into fragments.

  Joe grinned and stepped back a few paces.

  He was about to say something when the headless golem suddenly moved.

  Its remaining arm swung up, an open palm closed in from behind in an attempt to crush him against its body. Joe jumped at the last moment, the massive hand smashing into the golem’s own torso with a thunderous impact.

  ‘The hell? How is it still moving without a head?’

  Before he could dwell on the question, the golem surged back to its feet. Joe’s eyes widened as a new head began to form where the previous one had been destroyed. The construct’s eyes ignited with blinding light.

  Then it fired.

  Twin beams of white energy burst from its sockets and slammed into Joe’s body. The resulting explosion engulfed him completely, a violent detonation that shook the void itself.

  Joe flew through the void, a wave of pain flooding his body. He landed fifteen meters back and skidded across nothingness as his momentum carried him farther. He had no idea how he had survived the blast and was certain that without reinforcing himself with additional spirit energy, he would have died. He did not know what that would have meant for his original body and had no intention of finding out.

  When he examined his drifting form, Joe realized he was not bleeding. Wisps of soul energy leaked from the torn flesh instead, unraveling from his body as it steadily weakened with each passing second.

  ‘Fuck.’

  His eyes snapped upward. The giant golem was already descending.

  Joe crouched and leaped away moments before the golem’s fist smashed into the space he had occupied. A shockwave erupted on impact and blasted him farther back. The golem pursued instantly, closing the distance while Joe was still flying away. Its right fist shot toward his chest.

  Joe crossed his forearms in front of his torso to block.

  The impact shattered bone. His limbs splintered apart and a grunt tore from his throat as the blow hurled him away once more.

  He landed forty meters back, both arms hanging limp at his sides. Joe barely had time to steady himself before he saw the golem’s fists flying toward him, both detached from its body as they surged through the void.

  Joe jumped, channeling soul energy into his legs. He kicked both fists aside, bursts of energy exploding from his feet as he deflected them in opposite directions. He did not have time to land. The golem appeared before him, its eyes glowing as its right knee drove toward his form.

  As it closed in, a sudden realization struck him.

  ‘Wait. If this place is a void, then I can land anywhere. There is no physical platform. Just because I believe a solid surface is below me does not mean it is. This is empty space. It can be wherever I want it to be.’

  Trusting the thought, Joe kicked off the void and launched himself upward, narrowly avoiding the knee as it passed beneath his feet.

  But as he ascended, the creature’s glowing eyes filled his vision. Twin beams erupted from its sockets and slammed into him. The force drove him downward, sending him tumbling violently across the endless white void.

  His body halted forty meters away, sprawled flat on his back. Burns marred his flesh as a surge of agony ravaged him. He could not move a single finger. Thick wisps of soul energy bled from his body, weakening him with every passing moment.

  ‘Dammit.’

  Joe stared upward through hazy vision and saw the golem looming over him. It pulled its arm back, fist clenched, ready to finish the job.

  ‘Is this really how it ends? Am I really going to die here? I suppose it makes sense. Before this, my only real fight was eight years ago. I am still inexperienced. I let the boost from the soul energy get to my head. I am still too weak.’

  Regret settled in his chest.

  ‘I wish I had another chance. One more opportunity to try again. There is so much more I could have gained from this fight. But this is it. It is over.’

  The golem’s right fist descended.

  Joe closed his eyes.

  In that instant, the memory of his friend Jenny appeared in his mind.

  ‘Of course. I am being an idiot.’

  Joe’s eyes snapped open.

  ‘I cannot allow myself to die here. I still have a friend waiting on the other side. I'm not alone anymore. For her, I need to fight.'

  Soul energy erupted from Joe’s body in a violent explosion. The blast smashed into the descending fist and sent the golem staggering backward, its attack blown aside.

  Joe shot to his feet a heartbeat later.

  Pure white light flooded his eyes. A glowing white circle formed on his forehead as an overwhelming aura wrapped around his body. Countless voices screamed within him while a burning sensation spread through his chest.

  Despite it all, his expression was cold.

  Joe locked eyes with the golem.

  He did not understand what was happening to him. All he knew was that his body was overflowing with energy and that he was eager to release it.

  For that moment, Joe felt as if he possessed the power of a god.