**Reloaded at 10:30 to 11:30 am on 2-16. Changes to Sound effects. Also made some finer details changes to a couple of fights.**
The stadium pulsed with energy. The crowd, a sea of digital avatars, surged with excitement as they awaited the next round of fights. The glow from countless floating HUDs illuminated the arena, reflecting off the polished metal and stone of the battle platforms.
Above, the Announcer’s voice rang out with an intensity that sent a ripple of anticipation through the audience.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat):
"WELCOME, COMPETITORS AND VIEWERS, TO THE NEXT STAGE OF THE CONTESTANT TOURNAMENT! WE’VE SEEN INCREDIBLE SKILL, TACTICAL BRILLIANCE, AND BRUTAL POWER—BUT NOW, IT’S TIME TO SEE WHO WILL ADVANCE TO THE NEXT ROUND!"
The crowd roared, the noise vibrating through the arena as the next contestants walked onto their platforms. Massive holographic displays flickered to life, showcasing the upcoming matchups. The cameras zoomed in on each fighter as they took their positions.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat):
"ON PLATFORM ONE—WE HAVE THE MECHANIZED MARVEL HIMSELF, SILICON MUSE! FACING HIM, THE RELENTLESS BATTLE HACKER, KAIN VEGA!"
Platform One lit up as two avatars materialized. Silicon Muse, a towering cybernetic warrior with neon blue circuits running through his plated armor, cracked his knuckles. Across from him, Kain Vega, a rogue-class duelist, unsheathed dual plasma daggers, their energy humming dangerously.
Byte (Private Chat):
"Oh damn, that’s gonna be a sick fight. Cyber-gladiator versus hacker assassin? Hell yes."
Shiro (Private Chat):
"Muse is a tank, though. If Kain can’t hack his defense layers, it’s over."
Hexa (Private Chat):
"Don’t underestimate Kain—he’s known for breaking through defenses faster than a patch update."
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat):
"ON PLATFORM TWO—THE MASTER OF SPEED AND STEALTH, REI NIGHTFALL! VERSUS THE POWERHOUSE GLADIATOR, Graven BRICK!"
Platform Two flared to life as Rei Nightfall, a sleek, shadowy warrior with a bladed chain weapon, crouched low. Opposite him, Graven Brick, a massive, muscle-bound fighter clad in heavy battle armor, slammed his shield into the ground with a thunderous impact.
Byte (Private Chat):
"Dude, this guy has ‘brick’ in his name. If Rei doesn’t move fast enough, he’s getting flattened."
Vessa (Private Chat):
"It’s an endurance fight. Graven will try to outlast Rei’s speed. If Rei can’t wear him down before his stamina gives out, it’s over."
Sarah watched intently, fingers curled over her HUD. The battles hadn’t started yet, but her heart was already pounding. She had analyzed Aeris’ Code Weaving, breaking down how she integrated spells seamlessly. Was she ready for that level of combat? Her mind swirled with possibilities. Could I weave my fire into something more? What if I can’t keep up?
Her stomach twisted.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat):
"ON PLATFORM THREE—WE HAVE… Oh? Looks like we’re still waiting on contestants. Well, let’s move on!"
Sarah barely had time to process before a strange avatar stepped into her field of view. The avatar that approached her was unlike any of the fighters. Clad in simple brown robes, with a featureless mask covering his face, he exuded an odd familiarity. His name tag was blank.
Mysterious Avatar (World Chat):
"You’re doing a good job today."
Sarah blinked, her HUD confirming that this was a random player, but something about his posture, his phrasing, the way he spoke—felt familiar.
Dani (World Chat):
"Uh… thanks? Do I know you?"
The avatar tilted his head slightly.
Mysterious Avatar (World Chat):
"I should hope so. After all, I’m Professor Jansen."
Sarah’s mouth dropped open.
Dani (World Chat):
"WHAT."
Hexa, Byte, and Shiro all stopped mid-conversation.
Hexa (Private Chat):
"Wait. WAIT. Is that your Professor Jansen?"
Byte (Private Chat):
"Dude, why does he look like a Sith Lord?"
Shiro (Private Chat):
"I feel like I’m about to watch some ancient wise master hand out cryptic advice."
Sarah still couldn’t believe it. Professor Jansen? In Another Life VR?
Dani (World Chat):
"Professor?! Why do you… look like that?"
Jansen let out a small laugh.
Professor Jansen (World Chat):
"What? Did you expect me to be wearing a lab coat in a fantasy tournament?"
Sarah let out a breathless laugh.
Dani (World Chat):
"I just… I wasn’t expecting to see you here!"
The professor glanced toward the fighting platforms, his manner calm but observant.
Professor Jansen (World Chat):
"I like to keep an eye on promising students."
Sarah felt warmth spread through her chest. He was watching her progress.
Dani (World Chat):
"I appreciate that. I just—there’s a lot riding on this competition for me."
For the first time, she voiced her concerns out loud.
Dani (World Chat):
"My financial aid got messed up. If I don’t win something here, I might not be able to stay in class."
Jansen nodded, his tone measured.
Professor Jansen (World Chat):
"Do well here, and I might be able to pull some strings for you. Win the whole thing? Then we’ll definitely find a way to keep you in."
Sarah swallowed, nodding.
Dani (World Chat):
"I’ll do my best."
Jansen’s mask seemed to tilt slightly, as if he were smiling.
Professor Jansen (World Chat):
"Good. Now, go give them hell."
He turned and walked away, vanishing into the crowd. Sarah took a deep breath. No pressure. She turned back to her friends.
Dani (Private Chat):
"Well. That just happened."
Hexa (Private Chat):
"Your professor is secretly a VR ninja. Respect."
Byte (Private Chat):
"Dude’s out here playing 4D chess while we’re still learning checkers."
Shiro (Private Chat):
"But hey, at least you got extra motivation now, right?"
Sarah nodded, cracking her knuckles. Time to focus.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat):
"AND NOW—OUR FINAL TWO PLATFORMS ARE READY TO ROLL!"
The crowd went wild.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat):
"ON PLATFORM THREE—THE CODE WARLOCK, DANTE SHARD! FACING THE RELENTLESS STORM, KIRA TEMPEST!"
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat):
"AND ON PLATFORM FOUR—WE HAVE THE PHANTOM BLADE, KAEL RIVEN! VERSUS THE NIGHTMARISH DEMOLISHER, TERRA PAINE!"
As the contestants materialized on their platforms, the arena exploded with noise. Sarah inhaled sharply. The moment had arrived. She watched. She studied. Her mind spun. Aeris had won by weaving code into movement. Could she do the same? She clenched her fists. This wasn’t just about watching. This was about learning how to win. And she would.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat):
"LET THE BATTLES BEGIN!"
The bell rings. DING!
The moment the bell rang—DING!, the air between Silicon Muse and Kain Vega crackled with tension. Silicon Muse stood like a metal titan, his body a fusion of sleek black steel plating and glowing neon circuits, his cybernetic arms humming with raw power. His HUD visor pulsed, scanning his opponent with eerie precision.
Across from him, Kain Vega crouched low, his dual plasma daggers buzzing like angry hornets. His rogue-class armor—a sleek, black bodysuit lined with subtle blue data streams—seemed to shift like liquid, adapting to his movements. He rolled his shoulders, testing his flexibility.
Kain (World Chat):
"Let’s see if you’re more than just a walking motherboard, big guy."
Silicon Muse’s mechanical eye lenses adjusted, locking onto Kain’s movements.
Silicon Muse (World Chat):
"Your CPU speed is irrelevant. My calculations show a 96.8% chance of your failure."
Kain smirked, twirling a dagger between his fingers.
"I love those odds."
Then—he vanished.
Byte (Private Chat):
"Okay, this dude just pulled a full-on ‘ninja.exe’ and dipped."
Hexa (Private Chat):
"Rogue-class coding. He’s rewriting his hitbox every few frames to stay unreadable."
Vessa (Private Chat):
"Muse will have trouble locking on unless he compensates with predictive tracking."
Silicon Muse didn’t move. He simply raised one metal-plated arm, and suddenly—A dozen laser-guided sentry drones materialized in the air above him.
Kain (World Chat):
"Oh. You’ve got friends?"
The sentry drones emitted a LOW HUM, their beady red eyes locking onto Kain’s movement. As they calibrated, tiny gears CLICKED into place, each one tracking Kain’s unpredictable motions. Muse’s drones adjusted their angles, tracking Kain’s every movement, recalibrating faster with each dodge. The red targeting lines locked onto his shifting form, adjusting for his unpredictable movements.
Muse (World Chat):
"Running won’t help you. Calculation is inevitable."
Kain smirked mid-roll, his daggers flickering as he twisted his body between the laser streams.
Kain (World Chat):
"Calculation, huh? Let’s see you calculate THIS!"
SHING!
Kain hurled one of his plasma daggers toward a drone—not at its core, but at the tiny synchronization module beneath its chassis. The dagger HISSED through the air, its plasma edge BUZZING as it carved straight into the weak point."
BOOM!
A static-filled CRACKLE erupted as the drone short-circuited, its circuits SIZZLING before shutting down. The other drones hesitated for just a millisecond—enough for Kain to flip forward, closing the gap between them.
Byte (Private Chat):
"OHHHH, THAT WAS SLICK!"
Hexa (Private Chat):
"He found a blind spot—Muse’s defenses aren’t as flawless as they look!"
Muse barely had time to recalculate before Kain lunged, daggers raised—But Muse raised both forearms. A sharp DIGITAL CHIME rang out, and in an instant, twin shields of holographic hard light HUMMED to life intercepting the attack.
CLANG!
Sparks SIZZLED where the plasma daggers met the barrier, momentarily lighting up the battlefield in neon hues.
The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, locking them in a test of strength as sparks flared between them. Kain disappeared again, then reappeared on Muse’s flank. He launched himself forward in a blur of motion, daggers flashing as he lunged for Muse’s exposed side.
But just before he struck—Muse’s body flickered—vanished. The WHIRR of his cybernetic limbs echoed as his real form moved two steps ahead. Kain barely had time to react before he felt the deep metallic THUD of a cybernetic arm swinging toward him.
Byte (Private Chat):
"Wait, what? DID HE JUST DISAPPEAR?"
Shiro (Private Chat):
"He’s running mirrored ghost code—his real body is two steps ahead of his projected position!"
Kain’s daggers struck air.
Muse reappeared behind him, his massive cybernetic arm swinging down like a hammer.
BOOM!
Kain barely dodged, rolling to the side as the shockwave from the impact cracked the platform.
Kain (World Chat):
"Okay. That was almost my face. Noted."
A WARNING ICON flashed across Kain’s HUD: SYSTEM LOCKED – IMPACT IMMINENT.
Muse didn’t stop. He raised both arms—his circuits surged with an eerie, pulsating blue glow. The drones responded with a CHORUS of synthesized screeches, their targeting beams sharpening into pinpoint death rays.
Muse: TITAN PROTOCOL EXECUTE.
A deep, mechanical CHIRP signaled the drones to attack. Their targeting systems BEEPED in unison, and in an instant, red laser beams BUZZED through the air like high-frequency plasma cutters, scorching the platform. Kain weaved through the deadly barrage of laser beams like liquid shadow, flipping, rolling, and barely skimming past the deadly shots.
Shiro (Private Chat):
"Yo, he’s dodging like a damn anime protagonist!"
Hexa (Private Chat):
"Muse isn’t playing around. If Kain can’t close the distance soon, he’s toast."
The battle had only just begun.
On Platform three, Dante Shard, the Code Warlock, flicked his wrists, summoning a series of glowing arcane glyphs around his body. His dark trench coat billowed behind him, a stark contrast to the storm-forged armor of Kira Tempest, whose entire presence crackled with energy. Static pulsed through the air as her twin storm blades hummed, dancing with electrical energy.
Kira (World Chat):
"You gonna stand there weaving your little code sigils, or are we gonna FIGHT?"
Dante smirked. He raised his fingers and began coding in real-time, his HUD flashing rapidly.
Dante (World Chat):
"Patience, storm girl. The best spells are crafted with care."
Kira didn’t wait. She vanished, a burst of wind marking her rapid approach. In the blink of an eye, she was upon him, blades flashing.
CRACK!
Electricity arced as she struck.
Dante barely dodged, his coat sizzling as the residual energy licked at his form. But he wasn’t caught off guard. With a flick of his wrist, he finished a line of code and snapped his fingers. A barrier of neon code erupted between them.
Kira (World Chat):
"Ugh, a shield? Cute."
She flipped backward, landing with a crouch. Then, without hesitation, she launched another assault. Her blades carved through the air, leaving trails of crackling blue lightning. The moment she struck—her attack phased through. The crowd gasped.
Byte (Private Chat):
"OH, SNAP! Did he just NULLIFY that?!"
Hexa (Private Chat):
"No, look closer—his barrier is just a visual! It’s an illusion!"
Dante grinned.
Dante (World Chat):
"I never said the shield was real."
Kira's eyes widened just as Dante’s real attack activated. The glyphs around him pulsed, and from beneath her feet, dozens of spectral chains erupted.
Kira (World Chat):
"Tch—dammit!"
The shadowy tendrils coiled around her limbs, slowing her down. A deep, resonant HUM filled the air, low and menacing, like a thundercloud on the verge of eruption. The glow of her storm-forged armor intensified, turning from blue to a blinding white-hot pulse. Her veins shimmered like molten circuits, electricity crackling in frantic, unpredictable arcs across her limbs. For a single moment, everything stopped.
The air grew still, the electricity curling tighter around her, the static in the arena thick enough to taste. The system itself seemed frozen in hesitation—as if trying to decide whether it could handle what was about to happen. Then—
BOOM.
The chains holding her shattered in a violent eruption of static, the energy backlash sending deep cracks spiderwebbing across the platform. Kira didn’t just break free—she became the storm. Every strand of her hair lifted, caught in an unseen current, her entire form pulsing with enough voltage to make the very air vibrate. Her eyes flashed white-hot, lightning seeping into the space around her like living tendrils.
Byte (Private Chat): "Uh. Guys? Should the arena be short-circuiting?"
Hexa (Private Chat): "Holy shit. Is she about to EMP the whole server?!"
Shiro (Private Chat): "Dante, bro, you might wanna RUN."
The arena itself felt it. The temperature dropped, the HUDs in the crowd flickered, some screens outright glitching under the interference. Even the artificial sky above the tournament dimmed for a second as if the simulation itself struggled to contain her rising power. Then, she turned those storm-lit eyes toward Dante and grinned.
Kira (World Chat): "You wanted a storm, Warlock? You just found one."
Dante’s fingers flew across his HUD, adjusting variables, recalibrating. If he couldn’t overpower her storm, he’d have to outthink it. Kira gritted her teeth, electricity surging from her body, overloading the bindings. She snapped the chains apart in a burst of crackling energy, her storm-infused power growing brighter, wilder.
Shiro (Private Chat):
"She’s going berserker mode."
Vessa (Private Chat):
"That’s her real strength. Kira isn’t just fast—she’s a storm incarnate. The more pressure you put on her, the harder she fights back."
Dani watched closely, absorbing every move. Kira wasn’t coding. She was instinctually weaving her power into her attacks—just like Aeris had done.
Dani’s hands clenched into fists.
If I fight someone like Kira, would I even have time to weave my own fire?
What if my code isn’t fast enough?
She bit her lip. She had to figure this out. Fast.
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.
