The stadium was alive, pulsating with an energy that could be felt through the very fabric of the digital world. Massive screens hovered above the arena, replaying the most intense moments from the previous battles. The crowd—still buzzing from the last round—erupted into scattered cheers as the next wave of fighters prepared behind the shimmering barriers of their respective platforms.
In the center of the coliseum, just beneath the floating jumbotron, a sleek, high-tech interview station had materialized. It was a raised circular platform surrounded by neon-blue panels, broadcasting live to the entire game network. Reporters, dressed in futuristic AR-enhanced attire, moved swiftly, their holographic microphones hovering just inches from the competitors.
One of the screens focused on Sickblade Dawson, still catching his breath from his last match. A thin trickle of sweat glistened against his obsidian leather armor. He had barely edged out his last opponent, but his smug grin showed no signs of exhaustion—only confidence.
INTERVIEWER (Voice Chat):
"An absolutely brutal performance out there, Sickblade! You dismantled your opponent with sheer efficiency. Tell us, what was the strategy behind your victory?"
SICKBLADE (World Chat):
"Strategy? Heh. Simple. I don’t miss. You hesitate for even a second against me, and you’re already dead."
The audience exploded into cheers and laughter, some booing, some cheering—either way, his reputation continued to grow. The interviewer smirked and turned toward Aeris Voss, the Codebender, who stood with arms crossed, her tome floating idly beside her.
INTERVIEWER (Voice Chat):
"And Aeris—your adaptive code-weaving strategy was nothing short of genius. How did you manage to counter Raven Cross’s unpredictable stealth attacks?"
Aeris exhaled slowly, then typed her response.
AERIS (World Chat):
"You don’t fight shadows with force. You fight them with light. I just had to outthink him before he could outmaneuver me."
Byte typed the whistle emote in the private chat.
BYTE (Private Chat):
"Yo, that’s a cold-ass answer. Girl’s got bars."
HEXA (Private Chat):
"She didn’t just win—she studied him. That’s the level of play we’re getting into now."
The camera feeds flickered to show Platform Two with Graven Brick cracking his knuckles as he loomed over a much smaller fighter in the background. The stark contrast between his mountain-of-a-man presence and Rei Nightfall’s agile, elusive form was almost comedic. Rei Nightfall moved like a whisper, his bladed chain weapon wrapped loosely around his arm, trailing behind him like a serpent waiting to strike.
Graven Brick, a walking fortress, stood with his massive shield locked in front of him, his armor so heavy that it made the ground groan beneath him.
Rei (World Chat):
"You sure you’re not just a raid boss they let into the tournament?"
Graven stomped his foot down, causing small shockwaves to ripple through the platform.
Graven (World Chat):
"You talk too much."
Then he charged.
Dani (Private Chat):
"HOLY—He’s fast for a dude built like a wall!"
Byte (Private Chat):
"Bro is the wall."
Rei didn’t run. He stood perfectly still, watching, waiting. Then—just as Graven’s massive shield came crashing down— Rei twisted his body sideways and flicked his bladed chain outward.
SNAP!
The chain wrapped around Graven’s ankle.
Rei (World Chat):
"Anchor point set. Let’s dance."
Before Graven could react, Rei yanked hard.
Graven’s entire body jerked forward—off balance.
Hexa (Private Chat):
"OHHH, he’s throwing off Graven’s stance! Brick boy isn’t used to being yanked around."
Byte (Private Chat):
"This is the anime-level technique I live for."
Graven gritted his teeth, forcing his shield into the ground, stabilizing himself. Rei clicked his tongue. "Not bad." Graven pivoted—swinging his shield outward like a battering ram. Rei ducked, rolling under the swing—his bladed chain whipping out again—
CLANK!
Graven caught it in his fist.
Dani (Private Chat):
"Oh. That’s… not good."
Graven (World Chat):
"Nice trick. Let’s see what happens when I break it."
CRACK!
Graven yanked the chain, sending Rei flying. Rei twisted in mid-air, landing on his feet—but the moment he did, Graven was already in front of him.
BOOM!
Graven’s shield slammed into Rei, sending him skidding backward.
Rei (World Chat):
"Alright. So we’re playing the ‘hit me with a truck’ game. Cool, cool."
Byte (Private Chat):
"Man just got freight-trained."
Shiro (Private Chat):
"He better find an opening fast or this is gonna be a war of attrition."
Rei wiped his mouth, smirking. "Alright, Brick. You wanna brawl? Let’s brawl."
His chain unraveled, glowing dark purple as he activated a secondary code sequence. Dani’s HUD flashed as she recognized it.
DANI’S HUD SCANNER: Weaving detected: Custom Algorithm—Phase Shift."
Hexa (Private Chat):
"Yo, is Rei about to phase shift mid-fight?!"
Byte (Private Chat):
"Y’all better strap in, this is about to get ridiculous."
Meanwhile, the fight on Platform Four was pure brutal combat. Kael Riven, known as the Phantom Blade, was a ghostly blur, his curved daggers appearing and disappearing mid-air as he teleported between strikes.
His opponent, Terra Paine, was a walking juggernaut, clad in thick obsidian armor with two massive gauntlets that shook the platform every time he moved.
Byte (Private Chat):
"Yo, is it just me or does Terra Paine look like a human-sized BOSS FIGHT?"
Hexa (Private Chat):
"I mean, his name is ‘Paine.’ You know dude isn’t here to make friends."
Kael vanished, reappearing behind Terra, daggers flashing.
CLANG!
Terra pivoted and blocked the attack with his armored forearm, barely flinching.
Kael (World Chat):
"Damn. Guess I’ll have to carve deeper."
With inhuman speed, Kael teleported in a zigzag pattern, forcing Terra to turn rapidly, attempting to keep up. Then—Kael made his move. He vanished once more—only to reappear in the air, flipping downward with both daggers aimed at Terra’s exposed back.
WHAM!
A shockwave of force sent Kael flying mid-attack.
Shiro (Private Chat):
"WHAT?! DID HE JUST—"
Vessa (Private Chat):
"Ground Shock. Terra channeled his power into the platform, knocking Kael off balance before he could land the hit."
Kael landed hard, rolling to recover. His daggers gleamed, and for the first time—he looked frustrated.
Kael (World Chat):
"Alright, fine. You want a real fight?"
His shadow flickered. Then—He vanished. Not teleported. Not dodged. Just… gone. The crowd murmured, confused. Terra’s massive form tensed, his gauntlets clenching into fists.
Terra (World Chat):
"Running away?"
No response. Then—SLASH.
A cut appeared on Terra’s side. Another. Another. Kael was everywhere and nowhere.
Byte (Private Chat):
"Yo. WHAT. IS. HAPPENING."
Hexa (Private Chat):
"He’s phasing between dimensions. He’s attacking from between reality itself."
Shiro (Private Chat):
"How the hell do you block that?"
Dani exhaled sharply. This was Code Weaving—but at a level she hadn’t seen before. Kael wasn’t just fast. He was rewriting his movement in real-time.
She swallowed hard.
How do I even prepare for something like that?
The stadium was a living, breathing beast, its energy pulsing through every pixel and vibration of the arena floor. The crowds screamed as the combatants tore into each other, platforms lighting up like miniature battlegrounds within the larger coliseum. All four fights were happening at once, a chaotic symphony of combat, and nowhere was safe from the intensity.
Byte (Private Chat):
"Alright, I don’t even know where to look first. It’s like four action movies playing at once!"
Shiro (Private Chat):
"Left screen, dude—Muse just deployed a hardlight barricade to cut off Kain’s escape routes."
Hexa (Private Chat):
"But check out Rei on Platform Two—he’s got Graven wrapped up in his chain like a damn Christmas present!"
Vessa (Private Chat):
"Stay focused. These fights are showing us who’s really at the top of the rankings. Study everything."
Dani watched closely, her gaze flicking between the ongoing battles. Every contestant was throwing out elite-level tactics, and her fingers twitched at her side, itching to refine her own strategy.
But there was no time to get lost in thought. The fights were escalating. Kain weaved through the laser fire like a shadow with a purpose, his plasma daggers flickering as he closed in on Muse. But just as he prepared to land a decisive strike—
CLANK!
A shimmering wall of hexagonal hardlight barriers appeared between them, stopping Kain cold.
Kain (World Chat):
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Oh, come on. Who even uses these outdated security protocols?"
Silicon Muse’s voice was cold, synthetic.
Silicon Muse (World Chat):
"Efficient programs do not age. They only optimize."
Byte (Private Chat):
"Bruh, did Muse just trash talk him in Robot Philosopher Mode?"
Shiro (Private Chat):
"Pretty sure that was cyborg for ‘Git gud.’"
Kain growled, leaping back to reassess. His HUD flashed as he adjusted his attack coding mid-combat.
Kain (World Chat):
"Alright, you tin can. Let’s see if you can process this—"
He flipped forward, hurling one of his daggers at the barrier. Just as expected, it bounced off harmlessly. But that was a feint. The real attack came as Kain warped behind Muse, his second dagger already slashing toward an exposed joint in Muse’s plating. Muse, however, was already countering.
TITAN PROTOCOL: HARD RESET.
A pulse of electromagnetic energy exploded outward, sending Kain tumbling mid-air.
Byte (Private Chat):
"OOOOOOH! That’s a hard reboot, baby!"
Hexa (Private Chat):
"Nah, that’s a ‘get off my lawn’ move."
Shiro (Private Chat):
"Muse is actually holding him off—did NOT expect that."
Kain gritted his teeth, his health bar slightly dipping. This was going to take more than just speed and precision. He needed something trickier. Graven charged again, his shield smashing forward with seismic force.
BOOM!
On Platform The ground quaked, and even the digital HUD elements flickered for a split second. Rei twisted, barely avoiding the impact, his bladed chain slithering around Graven’s leg. He pulled—
SNAP!
Graven barely budged. Instead, he planted his foot, grabbed the chain with one massive gauntlet, and yanked. Rei was launched like a ragdoll.
Rei (World Chat):
"Okay. Ow."
Byte (Private Chat):
"I think he just got thrown into next week."
Shiro (Private Chat):
"Correction: Next month."
Rei flipped mid-air, his body adjusting, landing just at the edge of the platform. He rolled his neck, grinning.
Rei (World Chat):
"Alright, big guy. You wanna throw hands? Let’s make this interesting."
Suddenly, his body flickered—his chain retracting into him as his entire form glitched out of sight.
Hexa (Private Chat):
"Wait—did he just de-sync?!"Kira
Vessa (Private Chat):
"No. That’s an advanced stealth technique. Graven’s going to have a hard time hitting what he can’t see."
Graven didn’t hesitate. Instead of searching, he slammed his shield into the ground—again and again—creating concussive shockwaves that disrupted the air itself. A ripple of distortion revealed Rei’s outline—Graven lunged.
Rei also lunged forward and slid under Graven’s legs, then back on his feet, then he lept int the air behind Graven’s massive figure. Graven quickly turned his body to defend as Rei lunged forward with his counterattack.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): “AND NIGHTFALL ESCAPES—THE GRIP OF THE BRICK WALL! What a breathtaking maneuver from Rei!”
Byte (Private Chat): “I don’t know if that was skill or dumb luck, but that was sick.”
A roar erupted from the crowd as the camera feeds flickered, shifting to the next battle already reaching its climax… On Platform Three, the storm raged. Dante barely dodged as Kira’s twin storm blades sliced through the air, electricity crackling in arcs around her. He had managed to keep her at bay so far, weaving barriers and counter-code mid-fight, but Kira was relentless.
Kira (World Chat):
"What’s the matter? Code too slow?"
Dante’s eyes flickered with amusement.
Dante (World Chat):
"Not at all. I just enjoy watching lightning miss its mark."
BOOM!
A sudden surge of electricity disintegrated his barrier.
Byte (Private Chat):
"OH SHIT—he just lost his best defense!"
Shiro (Private Chat):
"She’s overpowering his code. If he doesn’t counter soon, he’s toast."
Dani inhaled sharply, watching the way Kira fought. Her movements were more than just coded attacks—she wove them into her natural instincts, a flowing force of pure elemental destruction.
Dani (Private Chat):
"She’s not just attacking. She’s weaving energy into everything she does."
Vessa (Private Chat):
"She’s not a programmer. She’s an artist."
Dani barely breathed as she watched the battlefield distort under Kira’s raw power. Lightning lashed the air, her storm aura pulling the very atmosphere into her control. Dani swallowed. Could she do that?
Is that what true elemental mastery looks like?
Could I even keep up with that?
Her fingers hovered over her HUD, instinctively tracing the pathways she’d used to weave her fire in training. But this wasn’t training.
If I faltered even once in an actual match… would…
Would I just get erased? Aeris wove code into her magic.
Kira’s power responded like a living force. So what about me?
If I don’t figure this out before my next fight… I’m already dead.
Kira dashed forward, her entire body surging with lightning. Dante, desperate, inputted a new command—
Dante (World Chat): ARCANE LOCKDOWN RESTRICTION CODE ENGAGED.
From the shadows beneath him, hundreds of chains erupted, spiraling toward Kira like spectral serpents.
Kira (World Chat):
"Oh, hell no."
She overcharged, the sheer intensity of her energy sending shockwaves that shattered the chains mid-air. Dante blinked.
Dante (World Chat):
"Alright. That was mildly terrifying."
The entire arena felt it. A collective gasp swept through the stadium as Kira’s storm-fueled energy finally settled. The residual static crackled in the air, causing stray sparks to flicker along the edge of the combat platform. The air itself vibrated with residual static, a charged tension that sent shivers through the audience. Some players instinctively checked their HUDs, half-expecting their systems to crash under the interference.
Hexa (Private Chat): “That lightning surge just broke like three different game physics rules. Kira is officially terrifying.”
Byte (Private Chat): "Bro, that wasn’t just lightning. That was a full-blown GAME GLITCH."
Hexa (Private Chat): "That storm legit knocked out some of the screens in the stands. I swear I just saw the announcer’s mic flicker."
Hexa (Private Chat): "Dante never had a chance. She’s built different."
Shiro (Private Chat): “Yeah? Well, Terra’s about to turn Kael into a freaking memory file.”
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "If you thought that was intense, buckle up, because the battle on Platform Four may very well redefine carnage!"
And just like that, the screens pivoted to another battlefield—one where a juggernaut was about to claim his next victim… Kael moved like a ghost, appearing and disappearing between strikes, his daggers dancing in and out of existence. Then the two figures stood completely still, locked in a silent face-off. Kael Riven’s daggers gleamed under the stadium lights, while Terra Paine merely cracked his knuckles, unconcerned.
Terra didn’t bother chasing him. He just stood there, massive, unmoving—waiting.
Byte (Private Chat):
"Why is Terra just standing there like a final boss?"
Hexa (Private Chat):
"Because he is a final boss."
Shiro (Private Chat):
"Kael’s got speed, but if he makes one mistake—"
Kael darted in for a final attack. Terra moved. Just once. His massive gauntleted fist shot out, catching Kael mid-phase.
CRUNCH!
Kael slammed into the ground, his form flickering.
Byte (Private Chat):
"OOOOOOHHHHH!! HE GOT CAUGHT!"
Hexa (Private Chat):
"Bro just got yeeted into a new update patch."
Terra stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.
Terra (World Chat):
"Try vanishing now."
Kael groaned, shaking his head.
Kael (World Chat):
"Alright. You got one. But I hope you like surprises."
His shadow stretched—longer than it should. And then—It attacked.
All four fights were reaching their breaking points. No clear victors yet. Every attack, every counter, every movement was electric, keeping the audience on edge. The tension was suffocating. Dani clenched her fists. She wasn’t just watching anymore. She was learning.
On Platform Three, Dante was falling behind. Kira’s relentless assault was too much. The storm grew, her blades crackling like thunderbolts, striking with unrelenting speed. Dante was barely keeping up. Then—he made a desperate move.
Dante (World Chat):
"Override command: SHADOW VEIL."
His body split—turning into three identical clones, each weaving different spells. Kira’s attack tore through one of them—only for it to disappear into code. The real Dante struck from behind.
Dante (World Chat):
"Hex Lock - Stasis Field!"
A field of energy locked Kira in place. Her storm energy crackled, struggling to break free. She growled, eyes narrowing.
Kira (World Chat):
"You think THIS can stop a STORM?"
With a thunderous roar, she overloaded the spell, shattering Dante’s magic with a burst of electric fury. Then—she was on him. A final, decisive slash of both storm blades.
The entire stadium seemed to hold its breath as Kira’s storm energy surged, a blinding pulse of white-hot lightning crackling around her form. For a split second, some of the floating HUD screens in the crowd flickered—glitching under the raw electric charge pulsing through the air. Then—BOOM. A deafening roar as Dante’s barrier shattered, his health bar dropped to zero, and the audience erupted.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS… IS WHAT POWER LOOKS LIKE!”
The crowd roared—some in awe, others in outright disbelief. Screens flickered, some HUD elements lagging for a fraction of a second before correcting themselves. Even the artificial sky above the tournament seemed to dim for an instant.
Hexa typed the whistled emote in the private chat.
Byte (Private Chat): "Tell me the devs aren't watching this and panicking."
Shiro (Private Chat): "Nah, they’re already coding the ‘Kira Hotfix’ patch notes."
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: WINNER—KIRA TEMPEST!
The announcer's voice returned, smoothly pivoting the attention to the next battle. On Platform Four Kael Riven’s phased attacks continued, but Terra wasn’t a normal opponent. Terra’s health was draining, but his armor adapted, absorbing the shadow energy. Finally—Terra lifted one massive fist, code burning across his gauntlet.
And then—he PUNCHED THE AIR. A shockwave detonated, collapsing Kael’s dimension shift. Kael reappeared—staggering, vulnerable. Terra didn’t hesitate.
CRACK! A fist to the gut. SLAM!
A second to the chest. When Terra’s fist collided it was a strike so devastating that the very air trembled with the force of it. A deep, resonant exploded through the arena, sending a ripple through the ground.
BOOM!
The moment Terra’s fist connected, the world seemed to pause. The deep, seismic BOOM resonated across the arena, sending a distortion wave rippling outward. The air itself wavered, as if reality struggled to register the sheer force of impact. A hairline fracture snaked across the combat platform, splitting outward like a spiderweb.
Kael’s daggers flickered—then vanished entirely, his system unable to sustain his active combat state. His body crumpled, half-suspended in the air for a split second before slamming into the cracked stone below.
For a full second, the arena was silent. Then—absolute chaos. The sheer force of Terra’s final blow had left an actual crater in the stone platform. Even the announcer took a moment to process what just happened.
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: WINNER—TERRA PAINE!
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I THINK WE JUST WITNESSED GRAVITY ITSELF CALLING IN SICK."
Byte (Private Chat): "No. Freaking. Way."
Hexa (Private Chat): "He didn’t just punch Kael. He punched spacetime."
Byte (Private Chat): “Bro. BRO. That wasn’t a punch. That was a literal delete command.”
Shiro (Private Chat): "Yeah Hex. Kael just got deleted from existence."
Byte (Private Chat): "Somebody check the servers. I swear the physics engine just filed a lawsuit."
Dani (Private Chat):
"Wow! That was insane"
Hexa (Private Chat):
"I can barely breathe."
A few fighters waiting for their turn exchanged glances. If Terra was this strong now—how much stronger would she be by the finals?
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "AND WITH THAT, WE MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT MATCH!"
On Platform One, Kain Vega was finally closing the distance. Silicon Muse’s sentry drones were firing non-stop, but Kain had mapped their patterns.
Byte (Private Chat):
"He’s using predictive movement! He knows when they fire!"
Finally—Kain reached Muse and plunged both daggers into his chest. Muse staggered.
Muse (World Chat):
"Critical damage detected. Initiating—"
Before he could finish, Kain twisted the daggers. Muse’s HUD overloaded.
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: WINNER—KAIN VEGA!
On Platform Two, Rei Nightfall activated Phase Shift, allowing him to pass through Graven’s shield. Then—he wrapped his bladed chain around Graven’s throat. Graven struggled—until Rei snapped his fingers. The chain tightened.
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: WINNER—REI NIGHTFALL!
The crowd EXPLODED.
Byte (Private Chat):
"That was also INSANE."
Hexa (Private Chat):
"Bro, I need a DRINK."
Shiro (Private Chat):
"Same. And we’re not even at the quarterfinals yet."
Dani exhaled slowly, her fingers tightening around her HUD controls. She had spent so much time refining her Code Weaving, but watching these fights? She realized just how far she still had to go.
Aeris wove her magic like an artist crafting a masterpiece. Kira surrendered to the storm, letting chaos fuel her power. Rei turned the battlefield into his weapon, slipping through cracks in his opponent’s strategy. Terra? He didn’t need tricks. He WAS the force of nature.
But me? My fire is a strong element, but it’s not enough. What am I missing?
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.
