A holographic screen above displayed the faces of the semi-finalists—Dani Shaw, Dirk Welsby III, and Mackiaveli—flashing their avatars, combat stats, and tournament achievements in bold, golden text.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS, GLITCHES AND CODE BENDERS! WELCOME TO THE SEMI-FINALIST INTERVIEW SPECIAL!"
The crowd roared as the platform slowly rotated, giving every section of the stadium a full 360-degree view of the contestants. Dani adjusted in her lounge chair, still feeling the adrenaline from her last fight, her hands clasped together on her lap. Across from her, Mack leaned back casually, arms resting over the chair, though his eyes flicked toward Dirk Welsby III.
He sat with his usual arrogant smirk, one leg crossed over the other, dressed in a regal midnight-blue combat coat that looked far too pristine for someone who had just fought a match. The announcer plopped down into his seat, looking giddy as ever.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Now, we’re in the thick of it, folks! These three competitors have survived the QUARTER-FINALS, pushing past brutal battles, unpredictable upsets, and absolute fire-fueled insanity to land on THIS STAGE!"
The platform completed its slow spin, settling back to its original position, the camera feeds zooming in on each competitor. The announcer turned his mic toward Dani first.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Alright, first up—Dani Shaw! The so-called underdog turned elemental storm! Let’s talk about your insane comeback against Kira Tempest. How does it feel to go from tournament newcomer to sitting up here with the best of the best?"
Dani took a breath, the energy of the crowd still humming in her chest.
DANI (World Chat): "Honestly? Feels crazy. I never expected to make it this far."
The audience cheered, and a few holographic banners lit up with her in-game avatar, blazing in fire, mid-attack.
DANI (World Chat): "More than anything, it means I can stay in school, keep going, and maybe—just maybe—make something out of this."
The announcer nodded enthusiastically.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Ah, yes! The ever-important tuition grind! You know, next time, you might wanna check out SecureNet Technologies!"
The crowd chuckled as a massive holographic ad popped up in the air, showing a mock simulation of Dani falling off a platform while the words ‘GET HACKED, LOSE YOUR FUTURE’ flashed underneath.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Next time, you might wanna secure your connection, Dani! Seriously, they should be sponsoring you at this point!"
Dani rolled her eyes, grinning.
DANI (World Chat): "Next time, they should be paying me."
The announcer burst into laughter, pointing at her.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "SOMEONE SIGN HER! SHE'S GOT BUSINESS SENSE!"
The crowd cheered again, but before he could move on, Dani leaned forward slightly, her tone shifting.
DANI (World Chat): "But I’ll be real—getting hacked like that? It’s not just annoying. It’s shady as hell. And I still wanna know who did it."
A strange ripple moved through the crowd, as if Dani had just shifted the tone of the event entirely. The announcer blinked, caught off guard, but recovered quickly.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Oh-ho! We got a little detective work going on here? Interesting, interesting. But before we deep dive into cyber-forensics, let’s talk to our next guest—Dirk Welsby III!"
The camera panned to Dirk, who sat with a smug smirk, adjusting the cuffs of his elegant coat.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Dirk! That fight against Dreven Cole was borderline ruthless! Some are calling it ‘the royal execution’! What do you have to say about your victory?"
Dirk exhaled sharply, shaking his head.
Dirk Welsby III (World Chat): "Honestly? I thought it’d be harder. But turns out, some people are just—"
He shrugged theatrically.
Dirk Welsby III (World Chat): "Built to lose."
A wave of mixed reactions erupted from the crowd—some cheering, others booing, while the camera cut to Dreven Cole watching from the stands, his jaw tightening. Mackiaveli leaned forward suddenly, speaking before the next question could be asked.
Mackiaveli (World Chat): "Oh really? Like the hacker in the audience that just so happened to be using your code?"
The entire arena fell dead silent. The announcer froze mid-question, mouth hanging open, eyes flicking between Mack and Dirk. Dirk’s expression didn’t change at first—but his fingers tightened against the chair’s armrests.
Dirk Welsby III (World Chat): "Excuse me?"
Mack didn’t blink, leaning back lazily in his seat, but his HUD flickered above his head, a data log flashing in front of the audience.
Mackiaveli (World Chat): "You heard me. Before you puff your chest any bigger, how about explaining why your signature is all over the hacking logs?"
The stadium gasped. A massive screen displayed Mack’s scan logs, showing the hacker's code signature—which matched Dirk Welsby III.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "WAIT—WHAT?! ARE WE SEEING THIS RIGHT?!"
The crowd erupted in shocked murmurs, some throwing accusations, others waiting for Dirk’s response. Dirk huffed, rolling his shoulders back.
Dirk Welsby III (World Chat): "That? That means nothing. Anyone could spoof a code signature."
Mack leaned in slightly, his voice colder.
Mackiaveli (World Chat): "Maybe. But we also caught the guy in the crowd trying to hack Dani. Again. And funny enough? He couldn’t. Because she was on a secure connection."
Dirk’s eyes flickered. Mack grinned. Gotcha. The announcer ran a hand through his hair, exhaling.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Okay, uh—this is escalating QUICKLY. Let’s—uh—HEY! Sponsors! Wanna throw in a quick ad break while we process this?!"
The screen abruptly cut to a commercial, and Mack sat back, watching as Dirk clenched his fists. The second half of this interview was about to get real messy. The commercial break ended abruptly, snapping the arena back to reality as the floating platform resumed its slow rotation.
Dirk Welsby III sat stone-faced, his usual arrogant composure wavering under the weight of the massive accusations Mackiaveli had just leveled against him. The announcer, now sweating bullets, forced out a nervous laugh and clapped his hands together.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "WELL—THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY!"
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The audience rumbled with a mix of laughter and hushed excitement, some still scrolling through the exposed scan logs that had been projected above the stadium. The announcer glanced between Mack and Dirk, then turned to Dani, searching for a way to steer the interview back on course.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Okay, okay! Before we all lose our collective minds—Dani! Back to you. We talked about your underdog rise, but let’s address the flaming inferno that was your last fight against Kira Tempest. You barely made it out of that one!"
Dani, watching Dirk’s tightening jaw with fascination, shifted in her chair, blinked and sat up slightly. The interview platform spun slowly, allowing every angle of the audience to take in the moment.
DANI (World Chat): "Yeah. Uh… That was brutal."
She rubbed the back of her neck, recalling how close she had been to losing. The announcer leaned forward, eyes twinkling with excitement.
DANI (World Chat): "Kira fought like a monster. I think I got lucky at the end."
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Oh, ‘LUCKY’ she says! Chat—does nearly getting electrocuted to death count as luck?!"
The crowd spammed emotes—flames, lightning bolts, and a handful of “Dani OP” memes flooding the screens around the stadium.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Girl, have you SEEN yourself out there? You’ve been pulling moves like you were born in the code!"
Dani chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck.
DANI (World Chat): "I mean, yeah, I’ve trained hard, but… I guess I just didn’t think I could stand toe-to-toe with the best."
The announcer threw up his hands.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "WELL, YOU’RE DOING MORE THAN STANDING! You’re setting the damn arena on fire—LITERALLY!"
A clip of her last match flashed across the sky, replaying the moment she blasted straight through Kira’s Tsunami Devastation, her flaming whips tearing through the battlefield like a meteor storm.
The crowd roared. Dani’s lips curled into a small smile, watching the replay.
DANI (World Chat): "That was a risk. If I miscalculated even a second, Kira would’ve drowned me."
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Well, you didn’t! And now you’re HERE! One fight away from the finals! I gotta ask, what’s the game plan?"
Dani leaned forward slightly, her confidence creeping back.
DANI (World Chat): "Same as always. Adapt. Push forward. And win."
The audience lost it. Byte, who had been watching from the competitor’s box, smirked in Private Chat.
BYTE (Private Chat): "Oh look, she’s giving motivational speeches now. Next thing you know, she’s gonna be selling self-help books."
Hexa snorted.
HEXA (Private Chat): "Byte, shut up."
Vessa adjusted her glasses, smiling.
VESSA (Private Chat): "Actually, her ability to adapt is statistically impressive. Her fight data shows she’s learning at an accelerated rate mid-battle."
Byte rolled his eyes.
BYTE (Private Chat): "Great. She’s turning into an anime protagonist."
Dani, still unaware of their conversation, met the announcer’s gaze.
DANI (World Chat): "I’m just gonna keep fighting. That’s all I can do."
The announcer grinned, turning to the audience.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST, FOLKS! SHE AIN’T STOPPING! BUT—WE GOTTA TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE."
Dani raised an eyebrow.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "There’s been a lot of buzz about a certain… rider in the competition. You wanna tell us about your little motorcycle adventure, Dani?"
The crowd exploded into laughter. Dani blinked, her face heating up.
DANI (World Chat): "Wait—how do you even know about that?!"
The announcer snapped his fingers and a clip played on the holographic screens—a fan-made edit of her and Mackiaveli on the motorcycle, slowed down dramatically, set to a cheesy romance track. The crowd howled. Byte burst out laughing in Private Chat.
BYTE (Private Chat): "OH. MY. GOD. They turned you into a ROMANCE MEME."
Shiro wheeze-laughed.
SHIRO (Private Chat): "Look at her face—SHE’S DYING."
Vessa, amused, tilted her head.
VESSA (Private Chat): "Statistically speaking, Dani and Mackiaveli would make an interesting pair."
Dani, still trying to process her public humiliation, groaned and put her head in her hands.
DANI (World Chat): "I swear, you people have too much time on your hands!"
The announcer was CACKLING.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "HEY, I DON’T MAKE THE MEMES—I JUST REPORT ‘EM! BUT REAL TALK, DANI—ANYTHING GOING ON BETWEEN YOU AND MACK?"
Dani snapped her head up, eyes wide.
DANI (World Chat): "WHAT?! NO! WE’RE—NO. He just gave me a ride! That’s it!"
The announcer smirked knowingly.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Uh-huh. That’s what they all say."
The crowd was LOVING this. Dani crossed her arms, pouting.
DANI (World Chat): "Can we just—get back to the fights? Please?"
The announcer wiped away fake tears.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "Alright, alright, I’ll stop. For now."
Then he turned, eyes twinkling, toward the next person in line. And just like that, the air changed. Dirk Welsby III let out a sharp exhale, crossing his arms.
Dirk Welsby III (World Chat): "Adorable. But let’s get back to something actually important."
The crowd oohed, sensing the escalation. Mack’s eyes darkened, but he let Dirk talk.
Dirk Welsby III (World Chat): "Mackiaveli here seems to think he’s some cyber-detective, throwing out half-baked accusations just because he doesn’t like me. What’s next? You gonna tell the world I’m actually a lizard person too?"
Mack tilted his head, smirking.
Mackiaveli (World Chat): "You tell me, Dirk. Because the only reptilian thing I see is how slimy your tactics are."
The crowd howled, emotes of snakes and fire flashing on the screens. Dirk’s eyes flickered, his fingers tightening around the chair’s armrests.
Dirk Welsby III (World Chat): "Cute. But unless you have real proof, all you’re doing is running your mouth. You wanna prove I’m cheating? Then do it. Right now."
A tense silence fell over the stadium. Then—Mack stood up. The announcer’s eyebrows shot up, clearly not expecting this. Mack extended a hand, palm up. The air in the stadium shifted.
A low HUM vibrated through the arena—soft at first, then growing louder. The lights flickered, and the digital wind picked up as if the entire virtual world was reacting to something ancient waking up. Then, the hum turned into a deep rumbling thunder.
Mackiaveli (World Chat): "Zeus, grant me the power."
BOOOOOOOM! A thunderclap split the air—not from the stadium’s speakers, but from the sky itself. Bolts of golden lightning cracked through the virtual atmosphere, snaking down toward Mack’s outstretched hand like he was summoning a god’s weapon.
Dani froze. It wasn’t just the spectacle—it was the stance. Mack stood exactly the way the mysterious fighter ‘Zeus’ had when she first saw him battle. A chill ran down her spine as realization hit her like a freight train. No way. No. Freaking. Way. She barely registered the announcer freaking out.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "WHAT. THE. HELL?! WHAT AM I LOOKING AT?! Mackiaveli IS SUMMONING A THUNDERSTORM?! SOMEBODY CHECK THE GAME CODE—IS THIS EVEN LEGAL?!"
The crowd lost it. Dirk shot to his feet, stepping back.
Dirk Welsby III (World Chat): "What the hell are you doing?"
Mack’s eyes locked onto him, golden sparks dancing at his fingertips.
Mackiaveli (World Chat): "Simple. I’m proving you’re full of shit."
The thunder rumbled louder, Mack’s HUD flickering with admin commands only top-ranked players had access to. Then—he snapped his fingers. A holographic interface exploded into the air, displaying a deep-code scan of Dirk’s last battle. The results?
ANOMALOUS DATA DETECTED.
- MANUAL CODE INJECTION TRACED.
- UNAUTHORIZED MODIFICATIONS FOUND.
The audience collectively gasped. The announcer staggered back.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "WAIT—WAIT—IS THIS SAYING WELSBY III ACTUALLY CHEATED?!"
Dirk stiffened. Mack took one step forward.
Mackiaveli (World Chat): "You wanted proof? There it is."
Dirk’s jaw tightened, but then—he smirked.
Dirk Welsby III (World Chat): "Tsk. You’re good, Mackiaveli. But you don’t understand one thing."
Mack’s eyes narrowed.
Mackiaveli (World Chat): "Enlighten me."
Dirk leaned in slightly, voice lowering.
Dirk Welsby III (World Chat): "Cheating… only matters if you get caught."
And with that—he LOGGED OUT. A deafening silence fell over the stadium. The announcer was speechless. The crowd exploded in chaos. Dani just stared at Mack, still trying to process what she’d just seen.
Because as Dirk vanished into pixels, her gaze flicked back to Mack’s stance. His glowing hand still crackled with golden lightning. And for the first time, she knew. Mackiaveli wasn’t just some elite player. He was ZEUS.
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.