The air inside the arena still buzzed with the electric energy of the last round. Victory and devastation had played out across the platforms, and now the winners stood on stage for post-match interviews. Giant holographic screens flashed replays of the most intense moments: Dani’s blazing whips cleaving through Aeris, Sickblade’s Serpent Nightmare sinking into Rei, and Drevan Cole’s last-second victory over Kaine Vega.

  Each moment was immortalized in slow-motion, projected across the arena with pulsing, digital effects. The ANNOUNCER stood center stage on his floating platform, a massive LED mic in hand, hyping up the crowd.

  ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! THE FIRST BRACKET OF THE QUARTER-FINALS IS COMPLETE! GIVE IT UP FOR OUR WINNERS—Sickblade DAWSON, THE MAN WHO BARELY SURVIVED; DREVAN COLE, THE SURPRISE COMEBACK KING; AND DANI SHAW, WHO JUST DROPPED A FREAKIN’ TSUNAMI ON AERIS VOSS! EVERYONE—MAKE SOME NOISE!"

  The stadium erupted with deafening cheers. Digital confetti burst in the air, and fans spammed the chat with fire and other celebratory emotes that filled the screen. Hexa, Vessa, Byte, and Shiro watched from the competitor’s box.

  BYTE (Private Chat): "Bruh, they love Sickblade so much it’s hilarious. My guy was on the verge of getting erased, and now he’s a fan favorite?"

  VESSA (Private Chat): "It’s the underdog effect. People love a comeback story."

  SHIRO (Private Chat): "I still think Dani’s fight was the best. The whole ‘charging through a tsunami’ thing was unreal."

  HEXA (Private Chat): "Not gonna lie, I thought she was dead for a sec."

  Below, the interviews began. First up was Sickblade Dawson. The rogue still looked winded, rubbing his ribs where Rei’s knives had nearly finished him.

  INTERVIEWER (Voice Chat): "Sickblade, you put on a show for the fans! How does it feel to have the entire stadium chanting your name?"

  Sickblade DAWSON (World Chat): "Feels like I should’ve won cleaner, but hey, sometimes you gotta make ‘em sweat a little, right?"

  The crowd cheered louder. Then, it was Drevan Cole’s turn. The cybernetic warrior crossed his arms, clearly still processing his near-loss.

  INTERVIEWER (Voice Chat): "Drevan, that was a brutal match! Did you think you were done for?"

  DREVAN COLE (World Chat): "Honestly? Yeah. But if there’s one thing I don’t do, it’s quit."

  The audience respected that. More cheers followed. Finally, Dani Shaw stepped up. The energy shifted. Everyone wanted to hear from the mysterious fire-weaving newbie. The interviewer turned to her.

  INTERVIEWER (Voice Chat): "Dani Shaw—what a match! You just took out one of the tournament’s most dangerous code-weavers! How does it feel?"

  Dani opened her mouth to respond—Then stopped. A strange glitch rippled across her form. Her HUD flashed red.

  HACK DETECTED. HACK DETECTED. SYSTEM ERROR.

  Her limbs twitched unnaturally.

  HEXA (Private Chat): "Uh… is she okay?"

  VESSA (Private Chat): "Dani?"

  Mackiaveli, standing above the arena, suddenly froze. A red alert flashed across his own HUD.

  ALERT: SYSTEM BREACH DETECTED IN ARENA. TARGET: DANI SHAW.

  His eyes narrowed. His gaze snapped to her, and above her head, a warning repeated in glaring red text:

  HACKED. HACKED. HACKED.

  Mack’s hands clenched.

  "Oh, shit."

  From the floating platform, the ANNOUNCER noticed the shift.

  ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Uh-oh! Looks like we’ve got some technical difficulties! Dani Shaw’s looking a little… glitchy!"

  Laughter rippled through the audience, but Mackiaveli wasn’t laughing. His stance shifted, ready to leap from the VIP box—Until the announcer cut him off.

  ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "WHOA, WHOA, WHOA—WHERE YA GOIN', MACK? CAN’T SAVE THE PRINCESS RIGHT NOW, LOVER BOY! YOU’VE GOT A MATCH TO PREP FOR!"

  The crowd howled with laughter. Mack’s jaw tightened. He had zero time for jokes. He turned to jump off the platform, but—Dani’s avatar flickered—Then collapsed. Before she could hit the ground, Vessa, Hexa, and Shiro dove forward, catching her body in their arms.

  VESSA (Private Chat): "DANI! DANI, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

  Her form glitched again. Then, she vanished.

  ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Aaaaand she’s GONE! Okay, uh, tech team, we might need a manual reset on that one!"

  Mackiaveli gritted his teeth, his body tense. His HUD notifications were going crazy.

  INCOMING CALL – Dani Shaw (Disconnected).

  System Breach: Player Offline.

  When the crowd began to cheer, Mackiaveli turned to see Terra Paine stepping forward on Platform One. The towering brute of a warrior cracked his knuckles, his silver trench coat swaying with each step.

  TERRA Paine (World Chat): "Yo, Mack. You look real distracted. That gonna be a problem?"

  Mack exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus.

  MACKIAVELI (World Chat): "Not for me."

  The bell rang. DING!

  Terra Paine lunged. On Platform Two, Byte Knight faced off against Kira Tempest. Their blades clashed, sparks flying in every direction.

  KIRA TEMPEST (World Chat): "No holding back, Byte. Or I’ll end this in two minutes."

  Byte KNIGHT (World Chat): "Then I better make my first hit count."

  He charged, their battle erupting into an onslaught of steel and fury. Meanwhile, on Platform Three, Dirk Welsby III stood across from Sidewinder Buck.

  SIDEWINDER BUCK (World Chat): "Well, boss. It’s just you and me. Hope you don’t expect me to go easy on ya."

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  DIRK WELSBY III (World Chat): "I wouldn’t dream of it."

  The two nodded—then exploded into motion. Mackiaveli ducked as Terra Paine’s fist tore through the air, missing his skull by inches. He countered with a flash of steel, his dual swords slicing toward Terra’s side.

  CLANG! Terra blocked with his forearm, his skin hardening like metal. Mack barely had time to register before a massive fist slammed into his gut. WHAM! He skidded backward, coughing as his HP dipped.

  WARNING: HP 87% → 62%.

  TERRA PAINE (World Chat): "That all you got?!"

  Mack growled, his golden aura surging. His stance shifted— Terra Paine’s massive frame towered over Mackiaveli, his silver trench coat billowing as he cracked his knuckles. .

  TERRA PAINE (World Chat): "What’s wrong, Mack? You look distracted. That gonna be a problem?"

  Mackiaveli exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. His mind was spinning—Dani’s sudden disappearance, the warnings flashing over her head, the glitch that swallowed her whole. But none of that mattered right now. Right now, the only thing that mattered was ending this fight.

  ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "UHH OHH, LOOKS LIKE MACKIAVELI IS STRUGGLING THE POWERHOUSE TERRA PAINE! WILL THIS BE A STRATEGIC MASTERPIECE, OR WILL PAINE TURN MACK INTO PASTE?!"

  The crowd exploded, bets were placed in the chat, and emotes flooded the holographic screens. And then Terra Paine charged. His silver-coated fists swung like wrecking balls, forcing Mackiaveli to weave and dodge through the onslaught of crushing blows. Paine was slower, but each hit shattered the ground beneath them.

  Mack flipped backward, but Terra anticipated, lunging forward and swiping with a massive palm—WHAM! A direct hit slammed Mackiaveli across the platform, his boots skidding against the digital stone.

  WARNING: HP 62% → 45%.

  The crowd gasped.

  TERRA PAINE (World Chat): "That all you got, speedster? You can’t dodge forever!"

  Mack clenched his fists. His stance changed. His golden aura ignited, surging brighter. The air around him crackled. His body vanished. Then reappeared.

  ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "UH… WHERE DID HE—OH! OH—NOPE—THERE HE IS! NOPE—NOW HE’S—OH, THIS IS GONNA BE BAD FOR TERRA PAINE!"

  Terra swung wildly, trying to catch him, but Mack was already behind him. Then beside him. Then above him. Then—SLASH! Twin short swords flashed. A quick slice across Paine’s shoulder, then another across his side.

  TERRA PAINE HP: 85% → 42%.

  The attacks didn’t stop. Mackiaveli became a blur, his blades carving through the gaps in Paine’s armor, targeting joints, weak points, and exposed skin. SLASH. SLASH. SLASH.

  TERRA PAINE HP: 42% → 10%.

  The giant warrior stumbled, trying to retaliate, but his body moved too slow. His vision blurred.

  ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "TERRA PAINE CAN’T KEEP UP! IT’S LIKE HE’S TRYING TO FIGHT A DAMN TYPHOON WITH HIS BARE HANDS!"

  Mackiaveli moved in for the final strike. One last burst of speed. His golden aura burned bright, his blades sang through the air—SHING! Terra Paine collapsed, his health bar hitting zero. The crowd ROARED as his avatar exploded into pixels.

  SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: "WINNER—MACKIAVELI!"

  Mack didn’t celebrate. He turned, walked to the edge of the platform, and logged out. The announcer chuckled.

  ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "HOLD UP—NO VICTORY POSE? NO GLOATING? JUST—POOF? I MEAN, LISTEN, PEOPLE, IF I DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER, I’D SAY HE HAD SOMEONE WAITING FOR HIM OUTSIDE THE GAME! WHAT’S GOING ON THERE, HUH?!"

  The crowd howled with laughter. The moment Mack’s vision faded to black, his headset powered down, and his body jolted back into reality. He pulled off the VR visor, blinking against the dim glow of his apartment. The room was silent, except for the soft hum of his PC. His phone buzzed.

  INCOMING TEXT MESSAGE: Dani Shaw

  Sent: 2 min ago

  Mack’s stomach dropped. He unlocked the screen.

  DANI’S MESSAGE: "Steve! Idk if u see this b4 u log out but omg I didn’t know who else to ask!! I was hacked!! LIKE WTF?? What do I do abt the contest?? Pls tell me I’m not just straight-up dq’d or some bs! U don’t owe me but like… HELP??!!"

  Mack gritted his teeth. Someone had hacked her. During the tournament. And that meant someone wanted her out. He grabbed his motorcycle keys. He grabbed his helmet. As he headed toward the door, one thought kept replaying in his head—

  I wonder who hacked her.

  Back in the Arena… The battlefield was a warzone. Steel sang, electricity crackled, and the air pulsed with the heat of clashing power. The crowd was on its feet, roaring so loudly it nearly drowned out the combat itself. On Platform Two, Byte Knight and Kira Tempest circled each other like two apex predators on the verge of their final strike.

  WARNING: HP LOW.

  Byte Knight’s broadsword trembled slightly in his grip, his body flickering from damage overload, while Kira Tempest’s electric blade pulsed dangerously, ready to deliver one final, lethal strike.

  Byte KNIGHT (World Chat): "You still think you can finish this in two minutes, Tempest?"

  Kira’s lips curled into a snarl. The electricity surrounding her blade surged, crackling as sparks danced along her arms.

  KIRA TEMPEST (World Chat): "Shut up and die."

  She lunged. The moment her lightning-wreathed sword shot forward, Byte Knight met her charge head-on. BOOM! The collision of their weapons sent shockwaves rippling outward. The platform beneath them cracked, the very air splitting from the sheer force of their clash. The entire arena flickered, struggling to process the sheer energy output. The system was having trouble keeping up.

  ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I’M LOOKING AT! POWER LEVELS ARE OFF THE CHARTS! SOMEONE GET ME A SCIENTIST—NO, SCREW THAT—GET ME POPCORN!"

  The two combatants locked eyes, neither willing to back down. Byte’s armor was failing, Kira’s stamina was draining fast, but neither was letting up. Meanwhile, on Platform Three… Unlike the sheer brutality of the Byte-Kira brawl, the battle between Dirk Welsby III and Sidewinder Buck was a duelist’s masterpiece.

  Their blades moved like poetry, each movement precise, refined, and calculated. Dirk Welsby’s rapier danced in the air, deflecting Sidewinder’s heavier strikes with expert precision. Sidewinder Buck was relentless, his twin sabers spinning like twin hurricanes, forcing Welsby to remain on the defensive.

  SIDEWINDER BUCK (World Chat): "Man, I really thought you’d be easier to put down, boss."

  Dirk adjusted his footing, flicking his rapier in an elegant flourish, his expression remaining as calm as ever.

  DIRK WELSBY III (World Chat): "A leader does not fall so easily, Buck. Let’s finish this properly."

  Sidewinder grinned, shifting into a lower stance, his fingers twitching over his blade hilts. In a flash, he vanished. Dirk’s eyes narrowed—CLANG! Sidewinder reappeared behind him, both sabers arcing toward his back, but Dirk spun just in time—PARRIED. The clash sent sparks flying, the air shimmering from their sheer speed.

  Dirk twisted his blade with a flick of his wrist, forcing Sidewinder to stumble back just slightly, enough for him to press forward.

  WARNING: HP CRITICAL.

  Neither fighter noticed. The crowd didn’t breathe. The tension in the arena was so thick it could be cut with a blade.

  ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS IT! THESE FIGHTS HAVE HIT THE BREAKING POINT! WHO WILL FALL? WHO WILL RISE? AND MOST IMPORTANTLY—WHO LET GRANDMA TACTICAL BACK IN THE STADIUM?!"

  The camera zoomed in on an old woman in full military gear, sitting two rows from the front, gripping a massive energy drink in one hand and what could only be described as an industrial-sized gaming controller in the other. Her visor was down, her fingers moving as if she were actually in the fight—completely locked in. The crowd lost it.

  CHAT FLOODED:

  ?????? GRANDMA BACK AT IT AGAIN!

  ?? SOMEONE CHECK HER GAMER TAG

  ?? SHE JUST SAID "BACK IN MY DAY" IN LOCAL CHAT. IT’S OVER FOR US.

  The camera cut back to the battlefield, but the tension had barely eased. Back in the arena, the two remaining fights had reached their breaking points. The battlefield was scorched, torn apart by raw power. On Platform Two Byte Knight stood on one side, gripping his massive broadsword, his armor flickering from damage overload. Kira Tempest stood on the other, electrical arcs dancing along her blade. The fight had turned into a war of attrition.

  WARNING: HP LOW.

  Byte Knight squared his stance, grinning through bruised lips.

  Byte KNIGHT (World Chat): "You still think you can finish this in two minutes, Tempest?"

  KIRA TEMPEST (World Chat): "Shut up and die."

  She lunged, her sword blazing with lightning, and the fight exploded into a final clash. Unlike the brutality of the other fights, this one was a gentleman’s duel. Dirk Welsby III, regal as ever, parried Sidewinder Buck’s strike with a flourish of his rapier. Sidewinder smirked, rolling his shoulders.

  SIDEWINDER BUCK (World Chat): "Man, I really thought you’d be easier to put down, boss."

  DIRK WELSBY III (World Chat): "A leader does not fall so easily, Buck. Let’s finish this properly."

  This is part of a series of stories that have lived solely in my head for many years, and I’ve finally started writing them as serialized fiction books. If you think the story sucks, feel free to tell me—it’s all part of the process. That said, I’m also looking for constructive criticism, so any suggestions are welcome and will be considered as I work to improve the series.