Gon's Harem System
Chapter 96: The tide changes

Chapter 96: The tide changes

They circled him like wolves, their movements smooth and silent, weaving in and out of his vision.

Their bodies flickered, shifting between solid forms and ghostly illusions, each one looking just as real as the next.

It was impossible to tell which were flesh and blood and which were mere tricks meant to mislead him.

Reno’s breath came slow and steady, but his heart pounded in his chest.

His sharp eyes darted from one figure to another, studying the way they moved, searching for anything that would give the real ones away.

The air felt thick with tension, charged with the promise of sudden violence. Reno’s muscles coiled, ready to move in an instant. He couldn’t afford to guess wrong. A single mistake, and the real attackers would be on him before he had a chance to react.

His fingers twitched at his sides, itching to strike, but he held back. He needed to be sure. He needed to see through their deception before it was too late.

One lunged at him, swift and deadly. Reno reacted instantly, his blade cutting clean through its chest—but there was no resistance, no flesh or bone to meet his strike.

The figure shattered like mist, dissolving into nothing. Fake.

Before he could recover, another rushed in from his right, moving fast, almost too fast. Reno twisted sharply, his grip firm as he drove his blade deep into its side.

But once again, there was no impact, no cry of pain. The illusion wavered and vanished, leaving behind only empty air. Fake.

They were toying with him, forcing him to waste his energy, to second-guess every attack. His pulse quickened, but he forced himself to stay calm.

He couldn’t let frustration cloud his judgment.

Somewhere in this swirling dance of shadows, the real enemy was waiting, hidden among the fakes, watching for the moment his guard slipped.

Reno tightened his grip, his sharp eyes scanning the figures still circling him.

The real Dina suddenly appeared behind him, silent as a shadow, her body coiling like a spring before she leaped into the air.

There was no warning, no shift in the air, no sound to give her away.

Reno barely had time to react before her foot came crashing down on his shoulder like an axe.

The force was brutal, driving straight through his defenses.

Pain exploded through him, sharp and immediate, knocking the breath from his lungs.

His vision blurred for a split second as his knees buckled, and then, before he could stop himself, he was sent sprawling to the ground.

Dust rose around him as he hit the earth hard, his shoulder throbbing from the impact.

His fingers dug into the dirt, his muscles tensed to push himself up, but he knew he had lost the upper hand.

Dina was fast. too fast.

The crowd erupted in cheers, their voices rising like a crashing wave, echoing through the air.

Some shouted Dina’s name, others simply roared in excitement, hungry for more action.

The sound barely registered in Reno’s ears, his focus was locked on his opponent.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up immediately, ignoring the sharp ache in his shoulder.

But Dina was already moving. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t wait to see if he had recovered.

She was a blur of motion, her body twisting as she closed the distance between them with terrifying speed.

Reno barely had a second to react.

His mind screamed at him to move, to block, to do anything, because Dina wasn’t about to let him breathe.

She sprinted forward, no clones this time. No tricks, no illusions, just her.

Reno tensed, gripping his weapon tighter. She was fast, faster than before.

Her movements were smooth, precise, like a blade cutting through the air.

She feinted left. Reno didn’t hesitate, he slashed, aiming to catch her mid-step. But it was a trap.

She ducked, slipping under his blade with perfect timing.

The attack whistled harmlessly over her head, cutting through empty space. In that instant, Reno knew he had fallen for it.

Dina was already moving, already too close.

Her fist shot out, driving straight into his stomach with brutal force.

Reno gritted his teeth as pain exploded through his core, but he refused to double over.

He twisted sharply, swinging his blade in a desperate counter, aiming to catch her before she could retreat.

But she was faster.

Before his weapon could reach her, she was already slipping past him, fluid and effortless, like water flowing through the smallest gap.

Reno’s blade sliced through nothing but air.

She slipped past his guard with terrifying ease, closing the distance before he could react.

Her palm shot forward, slamming hard against his chest.

The impact sent a shockwave through his body, knocking the breath from his lungs.

Reno staggered back, his footing unsteady for the first time.

His muscles screamed in protest, but he forced himself to stay upright.

He couldn’t afford to fall, not again. Dina wasn’t giving him a chance to recover.

She was pressing him, keeping him on the defensive, and if he didn’t break free from her rhythm soon, he knew exactly how this fight would end.

Dina flipped backward, landing gracefully as she put some distance between them.

Her chest rose and fell a little faster now, her breathing heavier than before. But there was no frustration in her eyes, only sharp focus and quiet confidence.

"You’re good," she admitted, her voice steady despite the exertion. "But I’ve got you figured out."

Reno wiped a speck of blood from his lip with the back of his hand.

He said nothing. Words wouldn’t change anything. Talking wouldn’t shift the momentum in his favor. Only action would.

His grip tightened around his weapon. His stance lowered, steady and unshaken.

Dina smirked, tilting her head slightly as if she had already won.

"You’re fast," she said, "but you rely too much on precision. My clones mess with your timing. You don’t know which one’s real until it’s too late."

Reno didn’t respond.

Because she was right.

Every strike he had thrown, every movement he had made, had been calculated, deliberate.

But against her illusions, against her speed, that precision had worked against him.

He was always a step too late, always striking at air while the real Dina slipped past his defenses.

He exhaled slowly, steadying his breath as he shifted his stance.

His usual precision wasn’t going to win this fight, Dina had already seen through it.

If he kept fighting the same way, she would keep exploiting him, forcing him to react instead of act.

He needed to change tactics.

Dina took that as her cue and dashed forward again, her speed as relentless as ever.

But this time, Reno didn’t try to block. He didn’t try to dodge.

He attacked.

Faster than before.

His sword was a blur, cutting through the air with deadly precision.

Two of her clones barely had time to move before they were sliced apart, vanishing into wisps of nothing.

The illusions were fast, but now, he was faster.