Duel Spirit voice
Thought voice
Chapter 19
Satellite.
"DUEL!"
Black Rose (Akiza): 4000
Misty: 4000
Turn: 1
"I draw." Akiza said. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight in attack position."
Twilight R. Knight (1000Atk/1000Def/Lvl3/Warrior/Dark)
"Next I'll activate it's effect to special Summon Lord Poison from my hand in attack position." She added
Lord Poison (1500Atk/1000Def/Lvl4/Plant/Water)
"A Level four monster and three Tuner." Misty said grimly
"You know what that means." Akiza said, as it suddenly became windy. "A blue flame envelops the world, and within its blinding light a black flower blooms. Appear, Black Rose Dragon!"
Black Rose Dragon (2400Atk/1800Def/Lvl7/Dragon/Fire)
"Synchro summoning on her first turn, let's hope Miss Lola draw something good." Jack said while struggling with his restrains
"I'll now set three face downs and end my turn." Akiza said
Turn: 2
"I draw." Misty said. "First I'll activate the field spell, Savage Colosseum. Now if a monster attacks, the monster's controller will gain 300 Life Points at the end of the Damage Step. All monsters also must attack if they are able to, but if any Attack Position monsters we control do not attack, they will be destroyed during the End Phase."
"Hmm." Akiza scoffed
"Next I'll activate, Field Barrier." Misty said. "Now the current Field Spell that is on the field can't be destroyed and no new Field Spell can be activated while the current Field Spell is face-up. Now then, I'll summon Reptilianne Gorgon is attack position."
Reptilianne Gorgon (1400Atk/1400Atk/Lvl3/Reptile/Dark)
"I'll now equip Reptilianne with Attack Pheromones and Molting Escape." She said. "With the effect of 'Attack Pheromones', any defense monster I attack get switched to attack position and due to the effects of 'Molting Escape', Reptilianne can't be destroyed by battle once per turn. Each time this effect is applied, she will gain 100 attack at the end of the Damage Step."
"Your monster is still weaker than my Dragon." Akiza said
"That's true." Misty admitted. "But what she lacks in attack, she makes up for it with her effect. Reptilianne Gorgon, attack Black Rose Dragon." At Misty's command, her monster rushed in to attack, but Black Rose simple used one of her roots to back hand the reptile back."
Misty: 3000
"By activating Molting Escape effect, my monster now gains an added 100 attack."
Reptilianne Gorgon (1500Atk/1400Atk/Lvl3/Reptile/Dark)
"I now activate Reptilianne's effect, reducing Black Rose attack to zero."
Black Rose Dragon (0Atk/1800Def/Lvl7/Dragon/Fire)
"So far so good." Yusei said
"For now at least." Ren muttered
"I end my and now gain an extra 300 life points." Misty said
Misty: 3300
Turn: 3
"I draw." Akiza said. "Black Rose Dragon, attack." Said attack resulted in the destruction of her monster while also knocking her back slightly.
Akiza: 2500
"Akiza!" Misty became worried as she was reminded that the damage from their Duel was real. "Please snap out of this, you're hurting yourself."
"The only one getting hurt here is you." Akiza said. "With the effect of your field spell, I'll now gain 300 life points."
Akiza: 2800
"I'll now activate, Synchro spirit to remove from play Black Rose Dragon from my Graveyard and Special Summon Twilight Rose Knight and Lord Poison from my Graveyard in Attack Position."
Twilight R. Knight (1000Atk/1000Def/Lvl3/Warrior/Dark)
Lord Poison (1500Atk/1000Def/Lvl4/Plant/Water)
"Now, I activate Dimension Reversion, to return Black Rose Dragon from the banished Zone to my Extra Deck." Akiza said. "Finally, I activate Urgent Tuning to Synchro Summon one Synchro Monster during my Battle Phase."
"No." Misty whispered
"Come now, Black Rose Dragon." Akiza announced
Black Rose Dragon (2400Atk/1800Def/Lvl7/Dragon/Fire)
"Now I activate Black Rose effect to destroy all the cards on the field." Akiza said, as her monster destroyed every card except Savage Colosseum, due to Field Barrier
"Black Rose Dragon, attack her directly." Akiza ordered, causing her dragon to blast Misty with a stream of black flames
"Ahhhhh!" Screaming in pain, Misty was forced to her knees by the attack
"Misty!" Yusei and Ren yelled in worry
Akiza: 3100
Vs
Misty: 900
"I set one face down and end my turn." Akiza said. "Take your last turn."
Ener-D Reactor
When Ben had agreed to accompany Sayer, getting tossed through the Reactor building wasn't part of his plan
"Ahhhh!" Ben screamed as Chacu Challhua drove him through multiple floors of the factory, before landing approximately twelve feet away from the reactor.
"Man, this guy really hate your guts. " Fader said.
"Thanks for your insight perspective." Ben said dryly, as he struggled to his feet
"Still alive huh." Sayer said as he stepped into the room
"I think it's already established that you can't kill me." Ben said
"Established by who?" Sayer spat
"Established by the fact that your first attempt at killing didn't work." Ben said glaring at Sayer
"If killing you physically won't work." A Cloaked Rudger spoke as he stepped out of the shadows. "Perhaps a Duel would suffice."
"And you are?" Ben asked, acting oblivious
"Quit the act boy." Rudger said. "Something tells me you already know who I am, correct?"
Slightly taken aback at being found out, Ben signed. "You're Rudger Goodwin, brother of Rex Goodwin."
"How does he know you?" Sayer asked
"He is not of this World." Rudger said as he continued to study Ben
"That's a very bold assumption." Ben said
"Is it?" Rudger asked. "There is basically no record of you, no relatives, no family…" As Rudger spoke, Sayer began eying Ben suspiciously. "All of these are proof you're not from this world, perhaps an alternate dimension. Is Ben Strega even your real name?"
"It is." Ben said, a little annoyed at Rudger's perceptiveness
"There is no need for hostility between fellow Dark Signers Ben." Rudger said
"Really now?" Ben scoffed. "Last time I checked you guys tried to kill me."
"That would be due to aiding the Signers." Rudger said unfazed. "Still, I'm sure we can work out something."
"No!" Ben and Sayer said in unison
"The deal was that I would kill Strega." Sayer said, before facing Ben. "And what is this about you being from another world?"
"I have nothing to say to you." Ben said coldly
"I believe I fulfilled my part of our deal." Rudger said. "It was you who failed to kill him."
"Why you-"
"Regardless I believe an alliance with him would benefit us greatly." Rudger said, cutting Sayer off
"What makes you think I would ever join you?" Ben asked
"I am trying to be reasonable with you, Young Man."
"Thanks, but no thanks." Ben said
"The boy has made it clear he doesn't want to join you." Sayer said activating his Disk. "And I would rather keep it that way."
"In that case, we will be sticking to the original plan." Rudger signed
"Which involves killing me right?" Ben asked, mirroring Sayer
"Killing you is only the first stage of the plan." Rugder said as slowly began to remove his cloak
"Hmm, what's the second stage?"
"Using your corpse as a physical boby for the King of the Underworld." Rudger answered, after completely discarding his cloak, gracing Ben with an unexpected site
"You have got to be kidding me." Ben said in shock, not at the implication of having his corpse used to resurrect a demon. No, what shocked him was the two Signer marks on Rudger's shoulders. The Spider Mark on his Left and the Monkey on his right
"Surprised?" Rudger asked with a sadistic grin. "After watching you Duel in the Fortune Cup, I decided to take a page off your book after Demak's demise."
"You took the power of his Earthbound." Ben summarized
"Slick bastard. No wonder you didn't encounter his Earthbound after he was defeated by Ren." Fader said
"Originally, I had intended to take Chacu Challhua as well." Rudger said
"What stopped you?" Ben asked
"My body could not handle the power of all three Earthbounds, so I was forced to make use of two." Rudger said. "But you Strega, not only do you have the power of two Earthbounds but now you have three in your possession. That is why I have decided to use you as a host for the Underworld god when he is summoned, specifically your corpse."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Ben said
"That was not a request." Rudger said, as a Dark flaming circle suddenly appeared around all three Signers
"Looks like it's the two of them against you." Resonator said
"It's better this way." Ben said, as all his Signer marks blazed with life
"Two birds with one stone huh?" Resonator asked
"Three actually." Fader corrected
As the Three Dark Signers got ready to Duel, dark storm clouds suddenly engulfed the entirety of Satellite, as massive Geo Glyphs of the Giant, Spider, Lizard, Bird, Killer Whale and Monkey started appearing all over the City. While all this was happen, the three Dark Signers became engulfed in dark auras that caused the Reactor to shake violently, as it began feeding off their negative energy.
"Boss, is that thing suppose to do that?" Fader asked as he watched the reactor go haywire
"Hahaha!" Rudger maniacal laugh echoed throughout the Factory. "Now this is a Dark Duel. As long as we continue dueling, the Reactor will eventually gain enough power to punch a hole through reality for the King of the Underworld to come here."
"Or it will create another Zero Reverse accident." Ben said through his teeth. "Shut it down!"
"What's the matter Strega, getting cold feet?" Sayer asked. "If you want to stop it you will have to defeat us fast, which is unlikely."
"Now then." Rudger said activating his Duel Disk. "Let's Duel!"
Sayer: 4000
Rudger: 4000
Vs
Ben: 8000
Turn:1
"I'll draw. I'll summon Psychic Commander in attack mode." Sayer said
Psychic Commander (1400Atk/800Def/Lvl3/Earth/Psychic)
"I'll place two facedowns and end my turn."
Turn:2
"I'll draw." Ben said. "I'll play Dark World Dealings, letting us discard a card to draw another. Now since I discarded Snoww, I can draw one Dark World card from my deck, and I choose to draw and activate the field spell 'The Gate of Darkworld'." He said, as the entire battle field started to change
"I'll now activate Resonator Call, letting me draw Dark Resonator from my deck." Ben said. "I'll now place two facedown cards and end my turn."
Turn: 3
"I draw." Rudger said. "I'll first activate Terraforming to draw the field spell 'Spider Web' from my deck. Now, I'll activate be activating Spider Web to destroy your field spell."
"I activate my trap Dark Bribe, negating Spider Web activate, while letting you draw a card." Ben said
"In that case, Psychic Commander, attack his life points directly." Rudger said
"I'll special summon Battle Fader to the field field in defense mode in order to skip your battle phase." Ben said
Battle Fader (300Atk/300Def/Lvl1/Fiend/Dark)
"Tch, I'll set one facedown and end my turn." Rudger said.
Turn: 4
"I draw." Ben said as he looked at his hand. "I'll activate the effect of my field spell, banishing Snoww from my graveyard to discard and draw a card. Since the card I discarded was Silva Warlord of Darkworld, I can special summon it to the field in attack position."
Sillva D.W (2600Atk/1700Def/Lvl5/Dark/Fiend)
"Next, I'll summon Dark Resonator in attack position."
Dark, R(1600Atk/600Def/Lvl3/Dark/Fiend)
"Silva, destroy his monster." Ben said
"Not so fast." Rudger said. "I activate my trap, No Entry, which changes the battle position of all face up attack position monsters to defense mode."
"In that case, I'll tune Silva and Resonator to bring fourth a new monster." Ben announced. "Come fourth, One Hundred Eyes Dragon."
One Hundred Eyes (3000Atk/2500Def/Lvl8/Dragon/Dark)
"I'll place one facedown and end my turn." Ben said
"I activate my quick play spell card, Fires of Doomsday, which let's me special summon two Fiend tokens." Sayer said
"Two tributes, that can't be good." Resonator said
Turn: 5
"I draw." Sayer said with a smile. "Hahaha, this is your end, I'll now release my two Tokens." with both Tokens gone, a Rune suddenly appeared in the sky and began beating like a heart pumping blood
"Souls who rest in the earth, garnering such longstanding grudges! Now come forth from the impure earth and lend me your power! Advent, Earthbound God Chacu Challhua." Sayer said as the Rune shattered, revealing his Earthbound
Earthbound Immortal Chacu Challhua (2900Atk/2400Def/Lvl10/Fish/Dark)
With the appearance of Sayer's Earthbound, the Reactor began to shake violently, before firing a beam of dark energy through the factory and into the sky, causing a portal to slowly form above the city
"Now Chacu Challhua, attack Strega's life points directly." Sayer said, as his Earthbound engulfed Ben in dark flames, making him grit his teeth in pain
Ben: 5100
"I'll now switch Psychic Commander into defense mode and end my turn." Sayer said. "I would give up now if I were you."
Turn: 6
"In your dreams." Ben said as he drew a card. "I'll activate the ritual spell, Black Illusion Ritual. So by tributing Battle Fader, I can summon Relinquished."
Relinquished (0Atk/0Def/Lvl1/Spellcaster/Dark)
"Wait, you can't do that!" Sayer said frustration
"Oh but I can." Ben said. "I'll activate Relinquished effect, letting me take control of your monster." He added, as Dark tendrils started to engulf Chacu Challhua
Relinquished (2900Atk/2400Def/Lvl1/Spellcaster/Dark)
"Next I'll summon Summon Broww, Huntsman of Darkworld in attack position." Ben said
Broww, D.W (1700Atk/1100Def/Lvl3/Fiend/Dark)
"Broww, destroy Psychic Commander." Jumping into the air, the Huntsman rained down a barrage of arrows on the Psychic monster, destroying it
"Relinquished, attack Sayer directly." Ben ordered causing his monster to engulf Sayer in an energy beam
Sayer: 1100
Falling to his knees, Sayer began coughing up blood, while looking desperately at Rudger. "Please, don't let him kill me." He begged, but Rudger just stared blankly at him
"I almost feel bad for him."Fader said as he watched Sayer struggle
"He brought this on himself." Fader said
"Hundred Eyes, end this." Ben said, as all the eyes of his monster glowed with power and in an instant, released an intense beam of energy that slowly began to Vaporize Sayer. The screams of the Psychic Duelist could be heard throughout out the factory up until it disappeared. By the time Hundred Eyes stopped his attack, not a single trace of Sayer could be seen.
Sayer: 0
"I did not think you had it in you to kill him." Rudger said. "I guess you're a Dark Signer for a reason."
Ignoring Rudger's comment, Ben place two cards face down. "I end my turn."
Turn: 7
"I draw." Rudger said. "I'll activate the spell, Foolish Burial to send a monster from my Deck to my graveyard. I'll now activate the spell, Monster Reborn to bring fourth my god!"
At Rudger's declaration, the portal in the sky suddenly grew larger as the building began to shake. From Ben's spot on the field, he could faintly make out something slowly coming out from the other end of the Portal
"Is that…?" Resonator asked
"The King of the Underworld." Ben said grimly
It would seem summoning Earthbounds draws him in faster." Grapha noted
"O souls of the dead who lurk in my light of destiny! Grant me the power to lead the dark truth in this protean world! Appear now, Earthbound God Uru!" Rudger said as a large black spider rose up besides him, it's glowing eyes glaring dangerously into Ben's soul.
Earthbound Immortal Uru (3000Atk/3000Def/Lvl10/Insect/Dark)
"I'll now summon Armoured Bee in attack mode." Rudger said
Armoured Bee (1600Atk/1200Def/Lvl4/Insect/Wind)
"With Armoured Bee on the field, I can halve the attack of one monster on the field, and I choose Broww." Rudger said
"Not so fast." Ben said as multiple green chains suddenly wrapped around Armoured Bee. "By activating the continuous trap 'Fiendish Chain, not only can I negate your monster's effect, but it won't be able to attack as well."
"Tch, then I'll activate the effect of Uru." Rudger said as Uru suddenly destroyed Armoured Bee, before wrapping Hundred Eyes with his webs. "By tributing one of my monsters, I can take control of one of yours until the end phase."
"Damn it, I totally forgot about that effect." Ben cursed
"Now Hundred Eyes, destroy Broww." The destruction of Broww sent Ben flying backwards
Ben: 3800
"Now Uru, attack his life points directly." Rudger ordered, causing his monster to send Ben to his knees in pain
Meanwhile
When the sky suddenly grew dark, Ren knew something bad was about to happen and the Giant Portal above Satellite didn't help matters.
"Akiza snap out of it!" Ren yelled as he struggled against his restrains. " Ben is probably in trouble out there."
At the mention of Ben's name, Misty began struggling to her feet. "I'm sorry Akiza, I never wanted to hurt you, but we've already wasted enough time here while Ben is alone with those Dark Signers." She said while drawing a glowing card
Turn: 4
"I activate 'Reptile Spawn' to remove from play 'Reptile Gorgon' from my Graveyard to Special Summon two Reptile Tokens." Misty said as she gazed on the card in her hand. "I'll now release my tokens to summon Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua."
Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua (2800Atk/1800Def/Lvl10/Reptile/Dark)
"An Earthbound?" Jack said in shock. "But you're not a Dark Signer."
"She's a gift from Ben." Misty said as she stared down Akiza with renewed resolve. "I'll now use the equip spell 'Reptilianne Rage' to increase Ccarayhua attack by 800."
Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua (3600Atk/1800Def/Lvl10/Reptile/Dark)
"Ccarayhua, attack Akiza directly." The Reptilian Earthbound fired a wave of darkness that knocked Akiza to the ground
Akiza: 0
With Akiza defeated, the vines holding the others began to wilt. As the boys began freeing themselves, Misty ran over to the fallen Signer in an attempt to check on her. "Akiza? Akiza, can you hear me?"
Akiza slowly opened her eyes and winced as she took in the face of a very concerned Misty. "Misty?"
"Oh thank goodness you're alright." Misty said before helping her up
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine." Misty cuts her off
"You weren't in control of your actions." Yusei said as he approached the duo
"Guys, we need to meet up with Ben, like right now." Ren said, while pointing at the ever expanding portal
Akiza took this time to observe the state of Satellite. "What's happening?" She asked
"Nothing good." Ren said
Ener-D Reactor
Rudger: 4000
Vs
Ben: 800
"I'll now place two face downs and end my turn." Rudger said, returning Hundred Eyes back to Ben's field
Turn: 8
"Boss, you alright?" Fader asked worriedly
"I'll live." Ben said finally rising to his feet. "When all this is over, I'm quite certain I'll be going into Hibernation."
"Then let us end this Duel." Relinquished said from the field in a distorted voice
"I draw." Ben said. "I'll first activate Trap Stun, now no traps can be activated."
"Then I suppose this is the end then." Rudger said
"Relinquished, take over Uru." Ben said as Uru suffered the same fate as Chacha Challhua
Relinquished (5900Atk/2400Def/Lvl1/Spellcaster/Dark)
"Relinquished, attack him directly." As Ben's monster unleashed his attack on Rudger, the Dark Signer Leader merely shut his eyes in acceptance as the beam washed over him
Rudger: 0
"Tell me Strega, what do plan to accomplish with your powers?" Rudger asked as he slowly began to fade
"I…" Ben paused for a while, before signing. "Honestly, I'm not really sure, but as long as I can keep helping the Signers and my loved ones, I believe that's enough for me."
"I see." Rudger nods. "But know this, no matter how noble your course may be, the pursuit of power will always have consequences." He said before fading away
With Rudger gone, Ben stood there in silence, intently staring at the spot the former Dark Signer leader had just died
"Are you alright?" Grapha asked from Ben's mind scape
"Yeah."
"You don't sound okay." Resonator said, causing Ben to sign
"I know I said I had no issues with killing, and I don't, mind you..." Ben paused for a while. "...But actually going through with it today was something else."
"How so?" Fader asked
"Well I should have at least felt some kind of hesitation or remorse, but I didn't feel anything after killing those two." Ben said. "Am I still human anymore?"
"I do not know, but the fact that you're bothered by this shows that you're still human." Grapha said
"I guess you're right." Ben said right before the Reactor shook again, increasing the portal. "Shit, I almost forgot about the Reactor. Does anyone have an idea on how to shut this thing?"
"I'm afraid we have more pressing matters to attend to." Ccapac said suddenly, and before Ben could ask what he meant, the fallen Earthbounds of Sayer and Rudger suddenly emitted a blinding light that caused Ben to shield his eyes.
Unknown Area
Ben blinked and found himself floating in a void like world. Ccapac stood behind him with the other Earthbound gods surrounding him, their eyes all focused on the only human present.
"I take it we're in my mind?" Ben asked while taking in his surroundings
"Not entirely." Ccapac corrected. "This plane of existence is only accessable by us Earthbounds and you."
"While here you're cut off from everything, including your other Duel spirits." Ccarayhua said. "This is actually a new experience for us."
"How so?" Ben asked
"This is the first time all of us have ever shared a single host." Ccapac said
"And right now we are at an impasse." Uru finally spoke, with Chacha Challhua and Cusillu nodding in agreement
"We refuse to give our power to someone who does not share our cause." Chacha Challhua said
"You aid the Signers, an act unbefitting of one who wields our power." Uru said, before glaring at Ccapac. "You have even began to corrupt our brethrens with your foolish ideology."
"What I do is of no concern to you." Ccapac scoffed
"Look, if you're thinking of talking me out of aiding the Signers then-"
"Oh we do not plan to change your mind." Uru interrupted. "You've already made it very clear who your loyalty lies with."
"Then what do you want?" Ben asked
"We have decided to force your powers amuck." Cusillu said
"In other for you to successfully control our power all six of us are to be in agreement." Chacha said.
"And if you're not in agreement?" Ben asked, dreading the answer
"You will become completely suspectable to the Underworld god's influence." Uru said. "Right now as we speak, your real body has already began to fall to his influence." As though to prove Uru's point, purple chains suddenly shot out from the void trapping Ben
"Brothers, you must reconsider." Ccarayhua pleaded as she attempted to break one of the chains but failed
"It seems the boy has also made you soft." Cusillu said
"Listen to me you annoying Primate, a rampaging Dark Signer is much of a danger to us as is it to the Signers." Ccarayhua said
"Ccarayhua is right." Aslla Piscu said. "Making the boy rampage would be a waste of his potential."
"As long as the Signers die then it is of little consequence." Uru said
"Ahhhhhh!" All the Earthbound gods present turned to face the screaming human, who was being engulfed by Black flames
"I will not allow this." Ccapac said
"Please." Chacha scoffed. "How do you intend to stop this?"
"If I have to beat you all into submission for us to be in agreement so be it." Ccapac said, rising to his full height
"Do you really think you can defeat us all by yourself?" Uru asked
"He will not be facing you alone." Ccarayhua said, as she and Aslla Piscu stood behind Ccapac
"Let's make this interesting." Cusillu said. "If the three of you win, then we will completely aid the boy without complain, but if we win, the boys soul is ours to control. Do you acce-" a beam dark beam suddenly struck Cusillu, knocking him backwards. Across Uru, Ccapac eyes were still glowing from attacking Cusillu
"We accept." Ccapac announced as the six Earthbound gods rushed in to face each other.
Ener-D Reactor
As the war between the Earthbounds waged on in their dimension, Ben had undergone a somewhat sinister transformation. For one, he now had six Signer mark, three on each arm. But these new marks were not the only thing different about him. His skin was now completely pale, like a Vampire, with Dark tattoo like markings all over his body. His eyes had now turned completely black, like the other Dark Signers before him
"Boss, earth to Ben." Fader tried calling to Ben, but the young man just started blankly into the sky, watching as the Underworld god clawed his was out of the portal
"What is wrong with him?" Resonator asked
"Boss!" Fader tried again, yelling into his ears
"You're wasting your time." Dark Ben and his Duel Spirits turned to face the approaching Nightshroud. "He has lost control."
"Wait, you can see us?" Fader asked in shock
"What did you do to him?" Resonator asked
"I did nothing." Nightshroud said. "Rather it was your master who brought this on himself. Thinking he could control the power of multiple Earthbounds without issues, preposterous."
"ROOAARR!" Both Nightshroud and the corrupted Ben, looked up to see that the Underworld god had finished exiting the portal and was now flying to New Domino
Ben was about to leave the Reactor when suddenly Nightshroud stepped in his way. "I'm afraid I can't let you leave just yet."
"Step aside." Dark Ben said as he materialized Grapha above himself
"Not without testing your new power." Nightshroud said while also manifesting Darkness Neosphere. Without exchanging words, the two monsters collided with enough force to destroy the Reactor, resulting in a massive explosion that destroyed the entire factory.
Outside the Reactor
"We're almost there." Yusei said as he ran alongside Ren, Jack, Misty and Akiza towards the Reactor. As the group got closer to the Reactor, they all stopped in their track as they saw the god of the Underworld fly towards New Domino.
"Is that what I think it is?" Jack asked, but before anyone could answer, a massive explosion caught their attention. They all turned to see the Factory and portal get completely erased by the explosion, leaving nothing behind. As the explosion died down, the entire group just stared in shock at what had just happened
"Ben." Misty whispered as she fell to her knees
"No." Ren said while balling his fist