"What was all that commotion outside just now?"
"Probably just the huge crowd outside getting a little too excited. Nothing to worry about."
In the central tournament area, several participants had gathered around the match schedule posted at the entrance of the Church of Fiction, sharing their thoughts. Some were confident, some joked about meeting at the top, and others were already taking bribes to throw their matches.
"Everyone says they're not interested, but look at them. All these last-minute additions to the tournament—who are they fooling?"
"I can't wait for the Church of Pain to go up against the Anti-Pain Alliance. Bring it on already—I've been waiting for this."
The contestants were ready to go, eager to compete. This kind of competitive gaming tournament was something rarely seen, even in tavern board games, and the scale of this event far surpassed anything they'd experienced before.
"Who am I up against in the first round?" God of Death, using his human alias, Loki, glanced at the match list. His opponent's name was far too long to remember, but he didn't care. All he needed to know was the suffix: "Church of Pain."
Sure, God of Death wasn't the best gamer around, but no way was he getting knocked out by a low-ranking Church of Pain disciple in the first round.
[All participants are requested to take their seats. Tournament is about to begin.]
A robotic voice came out of void directing everyone to gather at the center of the are for the commencement.
Dozens of arcade machines lit up simultaneously as the tournament began. God of Death had spent the last few days honing his skills, learning from the trial and error of countless players. Together, they had finally discovered a character that could stand a chance against God of Pain.
"Today, I'm going to make that invincible bitch cry."
[Character: Puppet God of Mockery]
When the Church of Pain's disciple saw Loki, God of Death's, choice, he let out a victorious laugh, convinced he had the upper hand.
"I mean no disrespect, but that god's abilities are laughable compared to ours."
As long as God of Pain's invincibility buff held for two seconds, he could crush any flashy trick or gimmick the enemy threw at him.
Death God smirked. "Let's see about that."
The Puppet God of Mockery, a towering figure dressed in a black cloak and wide-brimmed straw hat, was infamous for its bizarre powers. Those who worshipped him gained bodies immune to damage, with limbs that could be reattached even after severe injury. The cost? As time passed, they themselves would slowly turn into puppets.
He was also revered by certain sculptors, though most only paid superficial homage to him without fully committing to his church. While the price of devotion to the Puppet God was high compared to other gods, he didn't actively push his ideology. He was, after all, a phenomenon god—a remnant of a long-lost civilization whose whispers echoed through the ages, bringing the wooden puppet to life, embodying the spirit of that extinct world.
On the game screen, God of Pain charged forward with his two-second invincibility buff, letting out his characteristic "hmm hmm haaa!" groans of agony. But just as he prepared to unleash a low sweep combo, Puppet God did something unexpected—he split in half.
His upper and lower body separated, and his upper half whipped God of Pain with a series of strikes, forcing him to retreat.
The Church of Pain disciple's eyes widened in shock.
"That's not fair!"
"What's the problem?" Death God didn't even glance over, keeping his eyes glued to the screen as he controlled Puppet God. "Haven't you ever played with a puppet before? You know, they can take themselves apart and reassemble however they like."
↓→B+A
"Now, go! Shining Silver Strings!"
Silver threads began to extend from Puppet God's body, moving in abstract, unnatural ways. As God of Pain charged once more, the silver strings wrapped around him.
"Grab!"
The multi-threaded grab held God of Pain in place. It wasn't an attack that could be negated by invincibility. Although the initial damage was minor, the combo that followed—multiple strikes, ending just as God of Pain's buff wore off—was devastating.
"Master, I swear I played perfectly. I activated the invincibility buff and charged, but that Puppet God... He's just broken! His grab ignores invincibility. It barely hurts at first, but it's so annoying. I couldn't even touch him."
"Every time I got close, he'd split his body apart. His legs would fight me while his head launched sneak attacks. Then, after knocking me back, he'd use that grab again, then endless combos. I swear I'm going to puke—I spent the whole match listening to God of Pain grunt 'hmm hmm haaa!' without doing anything."
God of Pain, still dressed in his oversized mascot costume, listened to his followers' complaints. It wasn't just Death God abusing Puppet God; the entire Anti-Pain Alliance had discovered the same strategy. Of course, using Puppet God didn't guarantee victory. The outcome still depended on timing—when to use invincibility and how to follow up on it.
Even God of Pain himself had to admit that these Anti-Pain Alliance players had some serious skill. They'd spent days testing characters just to find a counter to him, and they'd succeeded.
Puppet God was only one of many counterpicks they'd discovered. There were already dozens of characters available, and in just a few days, they'd figured out how to bring God of Pain down a notch.
However, as luck would have it, God of Pain hadn't faced off against the Anti-Pain Alliance until his promotion match. Up until then, he'd been up against regular players.
But nobody, not even the Anti-Pain Alliance, knew God of Pain better than God of Pain himself. Although it was a tough match, God of Pain ultimately managed to defeat the player using Puppet God.
After the fight, still wearing his ridiculous mascot outfit, God of Pain couldn't help but curse.
"This damn wooden puppet. Is it even playable without nerfing it?"
Invincibility versus grab immunity—God of Pain might be the invincible brute, but Puppet God was the master of endless torment. Both had bright futures in this game.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the tournament, Steel God was still using his trusty Steampunk Robot skin, blending in among the other contestants. As he looked at the name of his next opponent, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise.