The world blinked back into existence.
[Compression Phase Nine: Initializing]
[Safe Zone Radius: 1 Kilometer]
[Remaining Participants: 45]
[Objective: Survive 02:00:00]
The NightSun Grid shifted again.
The fractured plains fused together into a single circular battlefield, each segment pulsing with the colours of the five Jaigorian cities—crimson, sapphire, gold, emerald, and violet.
Above, the sky rotated like a great mechanical eye opening.
Leice's boots touched solid ground first. The faint shimmer of teleport residue faded around him as Aria and Zack materialised nearby.
He took a slow breath. "Safezone confirmed."
[Terrain Lock: 100%]
[No Exits Detected]
Zack scanned the horizon nervously. "So everyone's here now?"
"That's the point," Leice replied. "A cage only means something when you put everyone inside it."
This is the place for all 45 remaining participant to gathering.
A bright flare to the west.
Two figures emerged from the smoke—one with golden whips sparking around her, the other with crimson steel gleaming at her back.
"Yvonne," Aria whispered.
"And Kesha," Leice finished.
Yvonne's eyes narrowed the moment she saw him.
"So it's true. You're still alive."
"I really think you don't pay attention to the ranking?" he said lightly.
Kesha stepped forward, gaze sharp but intrigued.
"More like impressed. You took down half the field yourself."
[Kill Ranking Updated – Top Survivors]
01 Leice Grape (103)
02 Yvonne Grape (63)
03 Kesha Billex (60)
The numbers floated above their heads before fading again.
Yvonne flicked her whip idly.
"Don't think this means I'll take orders from you."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Leice said, eyes scanning beyond them.
"But if you want to see Phase Ten, you might consider listening."
Before either could respond, a pulse of silver light shimmered from the north.
Another figure walked through the haze—calm, deliberate, eyes bright like molten glass.
"So this is the famous Leice Grape," she said softly.
She stepped out from the light just like she own that world.
Gina Millera's armor caught the simulated sunlight, its polished edges reflecting every hue of the Grid. Her movement was neither hurried nor hesitant—just perfectly measured.
Aria instinctively straightened; even Yvonne and Kesha paused.
There was no arrogance in Gina's expression, only quiet confidence that somehow demanded the air adjust to her rhythm.
Leice smiled faintly. Finally.
He remembered every dialogue line from the game—Gina's route was always the hardest to unlock, the most balanced, the most dangerous.
"Millera," he greeted. "Thought you'd appear sooner."
"And ruin the suspense?" she said, lips curving slightly.
"I wanted to see what kind of man deletes a hundred people in a day."
Zack flinched. Aria shot Leice a worried glance, but he only shrugged.
"You're looking at him."
The others exchanged tense looks, but Gina's tone softened.
"We can fight later. For now, I'd rather survive."
Leice's smile deepened. "Exactly what I was going to suggest."
They gathered in a rough circle at the arena's center, the simulated wind whipping around them.
"Listen," Leice began. "The system wants us to kill each other. That's how it measures strength. But Phase Nine isn't about kills."
[System Alert: Unregistered Speech Pattern Detected]
[Monitoring Sequence Initiated]
"It's about survival," Leice continued. "Two hours. No eliminations. We hold the field until Phase Ten begins."
Yvonne's brows furrowed.
"You think you can rewrite the objective?"
"I've done it before."
Kesha laughed. "And you want us to trust that?"
"No," Leice said simply. "I want you to test it."
Aria nodded quietly. "He's right. If we stop playing by the rules, maybe the rules stop applying."
Zack looked around at them all, nervous but determined. "Then we do this together."
Even Gina smiled faintly.
"Two hours, no betrayals? That's ambitious."
"Everything worth rewriting is," Leice said.
[Warning: Multiple Player Cohesion Detected]
[Behavior Outside Predictive Model]
[Monitoring Sequence: ACTIVE]
The air shimmered as their system IDs synced temporarily, linking six signals into one field.
[Temporary Alliance Formed: PACT OF SIX]
[Status: Unregistered]
Arena in Motion
The earth trembled; new threats spawned along the perimeter—rogue simulations, energy beasts, lost data clusters.
They moved in formation, each taking their role naturally.
Yvonne's whips blazed arcs of gold.
Kesha's blade drew crimson crescents across the air.
Aria's barrier glowed pure blue, holding Zack behind her.
Gina's hands traced glyphs that distorted the world itself—hacking the Grid's light particles for vision control.
Leice stood at the center, Breakam One rotating lazily, its modules glowing with restrained power.
[Skill Activated: Command Sync – Beta]
[Effect: Shared Combat Awareness – Range 50 m]
Suddenly, every one of them could see what he saw—the paths, the timing, the patterns.
"You're inside my map now," Leice said. "Move when I move."
And they did.
NightSun Academy – Observation Deck
The hall erupted into chaos.
Spectators shouted as new readings flooded the screens.
[Warning: Collective Combat Node Detected]
[Unique Formation ID: Leech Code / PACT-06]
[System Behaviour – Undefined]
Alicia stood frozen.
"He's linking them… overriding individual parameters…"
The Billex and Millera representatives exchanged alarmed glances.
"This isn't training anymore," one whispered. "This is world synthesis."
Alicia closed her eyes. "It's creation."
Countdown Start.
[Phase Nine Countdown: 00:00:30]
[Objective: Survive 02:00:00]
The six of them regrouped at the very center of the safezone.
Leice looked around, voice steady.
"Once it starts, there's no pause. Keep your signals inside mine. Whatever the system sends, we adapt."
Aria nodded.
Yvonne and Kesha exchanged silent looks but didn't argue.
Zack gripped his weapon tighter.
Gina's smile lingered, eyes bright.
"Let's see if gods bleed, Grape."
Leice raised Breakam One.
"Let's find out."
[Phase Nine Commencing...]
[Timer: 02:00:00]
[Begin.]
The sky shattered—
and the Pact of Six stepped into the storm together.