Spawn

Chapter 13: The Struggle Continues

Tejima sat in the darkness, his body trembling with exhaustion, the weight of failure pressing down on him like a heavy blanket.

He could feel the Void energy still simmering inside, swirling and pulsing just beneath the surface, but it felt distant now, unresponsive.

His vision blurred as sweat dripped down his face, stinging his eyes. He wiped it away with a frustrated grunt.

["What's the point of all this power if I can't even use it?"]

The words echoed in his mind, each one a reminder of how far he still had to go.

He looked up, the vast emptiness of the Void stretching out endlessly in all directions. It was maddening, like staring into a blank canvas that refused to be touched. Figure it out.

Cron's words played over and over, taunting him. Tejima clenched his fists again, anger bubbling to the surface.

"Figure it out? How?"

Every fiber of his being screamed to force his way through, to tear open the Void with sheer determination, but it wasn't working. Nothing was working. His body ached, his mind was clouded with frustration, and his will was starting to waver.

Tejima's thoughts raced, trying to make sense of the power inside him. Cron had told him the Void was something different, a space that bent the rules of reality.

Maybe brute force wasn't the key here. Maybe, just maybe, he was going about it the wrong way.

"Think, Tejima."

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He needed to approach this differently.

Power alone wasn't enough. He'd learned that the hard way in battles before.

The Void wasn't something he could punch his way through—it required finesse, control, something more than just raw strength.

With a grunt, Tejima pushed himself back to his feet. His legs wobbled beneath him, still shaky from exertion, but he steadied himself.

He had to do this. Not for Cron, but for himself. Closing his eyes, he focused inward, feeling the Void energy that had surged through him when he absorbed the Void Dweller's soul.

It was still there, still potent, but he needed to understand it. He couldn't command it with brute force; he needed to connect with it.

Slowly, he let the energy flow through him, not pushing, not forcing, just letting it move. His breathing steadied as he tuned into the subtle vibrations of the Void energy.

It felt different now—less like something to be controlled and more like a natural part of him.

He extended his hand again, this time without the tension of before, letting the energy guide him instead of trying to dominate it. For a moment, nothing happened.

But then, just as he was about to give up, he felt it—a slight shift in the air, a tremor in the space in front of him.

Tejima's heart leapt, but he kept his focus. Stay calm, stay focused. He didn't try to force it open this time.

Instead, he allowed the Void energy to flow outward, letting it guide his actions. Slowly, ever so slowly, the air in front of him began to ripple, like a stone dropped into a still pond.

A faint shimmer appeared, the first sign of a Munganta forming. Tejima's breath hitched, but he kept steady, not letting his excitement break his concentration.

The ripple grew, the shimmer expanding outward as the portal began to take shape. It wasn't perfect—not yet—but it was progress.

Tejima could feel the strain now, the Void resisting his pull, but he didn't back down.