[Phase Nine: 99% Complete]
[Timer: 00:12:00]
[Remaining Participants: 6]
The air was silent, heavy with static.
The world that had once roared now only whispered.
Leice, Yvonne, Gina, Kesha, Aria, and Zack stood at the center of a dying map — the last survivors of two hours that had burned half a world into light.
Aria looked up at the cracked sky. "It's ending…"
Zack nodded, his voice low. "Then Phase Ten will—"
He never finished.
A crimson streak flashed behind them.
Steel sang once. Twice.
Blood-red light scattered through the haze.
Kesha stood there, sword drawn, eyes bright with adrenaline.
Zack fell first — a look of confusion frozen on his face.
Aria turned, eyes wide in disbelief. "Kesha… why—"
[Skill Activated: Blood Mirage]
[Output: 150%]
Her words ended in the flare of light.
Aria's form shattered into code, fading like dust.
The world gasped.
[Player Eliminated: Zack Sillena (#5)]
[Player Eliminated: Aria Sillena (#6)]
[Phase Nine Complete]
[Qualified Participants: 4]
"KE—SHA!" Yvonne's scream cracked through the silence, but the system didn't care.
[Phase Ten Initializing…]
A pillar of white light swallowed them all.
Fracture Core — Phase Ten Begins
[Phase Ten: Arena Initialization Complete]
[Location: Fracture Core – Central Coliseum]
[Safe Zone Radius: 200 Meters]
[Timer: 02:00:00]
[Remaining Participants: 4]
Light imploded, then reformed into stone.
They landed separately on four black platforms suspended over an ocean of molten code. Pillars of gold energy shot upward, dividing the field into four corners of chaos.
Leice steadied himself, scanning his interface.
[System: Phase Ten Rules Loaded]
[Objective: Last Standing – Manual Termination Required]
He sighed quietly. "So that's how you want to end it."
Across from him, Kesha stood tall, sword still glowing with the remnants of betrayal.
To the north, Yvonne adjusted her stance, glare locked onto Gina Millera, who waited behind her glyphs of light.
"We're split," Leice muttered. "Perfect symmetry."
East Quadrant – Yvonne vs Gina
Electric arcs traced along Yvonne's arms, her whip unraveling with the hum of static.
"You should've stayed out of this, Millera," Yvonne said.
"I don't plan to," Gina replied evenly, drawing symbols into the air.
Their powers collided — lightning versus refracted light.
Every strike, every block echoed like thunder in a mirrored hall.
The ground beneath them shattered into shards of glass that floated midair, reflecting every motion.
[Skill: Voltage Overdrive | Output: 120%]
[Skill: Light Script – Reflector Core]
Yvonne's whip lashed through, striking walls of light that folded and redirected her own attack back at her. She gritted her teeth, forcing a countercharge.
"You copy me?"
"No," Gina said softly. "I balance you."
The two surged again, light and storm colliding until the air burned white.
Neither gave ground.
West Quadrant – Leice vs Kesha
The air between them pulsed.
Kesha's blade spun, its crimson edges vibrating with residual fury.
Leice's Breakam One floated beside him, shifting through weapon forms like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be.
"You planned this," Leice said quietly. "You waited for the last second."
"I warned you, didn't I?" Kesha smirked. "One of us would kneel."
He tilted his head slightly. "That offer still stands?"
"Not this time."
Then she moved.
Her first strike split the ground in two; the second tore through the dust where Leice's image used to be.
He appeared behind her, calm as ever, blade pressed gently against her shoulder armor.
"You've improved."
"You talk too much."
She twisted, knocking him back with a burst of energy.
[Skill: Crimson Pulse]
[Power Output: 135%]
Leice slid to a stop, boots carving lines in the stone. He raised a hand, summoning the floating modules of Breakam One.
[Skill Activated: Split Sync – Dual Core Mode]
[Effect: Dual Autonomous Attack Channels]
The blades detached, spiraling around him like twin predators.
Kesha's eyes glowed red. "That's more like it."
They clashed again — the shockwave enough to split the platform in half.
——— x——— x——— x——— x———
Observation Deck — The Matriach Queens Watch
The hall of NightSun was chaos again.
Every spectator stood, breathless, as the two battles filled every holographic feed.
[Phase Ten – Active Combat Participants: 4]
[System Sync: Overload Risk – 78%]
Alicia Grape stood at the forefront, her hands clasped together. Pride and dread warred behind her eyes.
"He's rewriting the endgame itself," she whispered.
Beside her, Sherry Billex slammed her hand against the console. "That's my daughter—she'll win this."
Guinevere Millera, calm in a white gown, smiled faintly. "Win or lose, she'll define the next era."
Three matriarchs—three of Jaigoria's five rulers—watched their bloodline rewrite the system's core.
——— x——— x——— x——— x———
East – The Storm of Mirrors
Back in the arena, Yvonne and Gina's fight became a spectacle of pure chaos.
Lightning met mirrored beams; every surface reflected ten versions of the same strike.
Gina's control was perfect, calm; Yvonne's will was fury uncontained.
For every illusion Gina shattered, Yvonne conjured ten bolts more.
[Power Output: 142%]
[Barrier Integrity: 48%]
Their voices echoed across the sky.
"You can't win by reflection!"
"And you can't survive by anger!"
A final explosion sent them both sprawling, smoke rising between them.
——— x——— x——— x——— x———
West – The Oath Remembered
Kesha's laughter echoed as she spun, sparks flying from her sword.
"I remember our deal, Leice—winner owns the other. Don't think I forgot."
Leice caught her next strike with his bare hand, sparks scattering from contact.
"Then let's see if you're ready to pay your half."
[Skill Activated: Vector Reversal]
[Target: Billex, Kesha]
Her own momentum flipped; her weapon tore through her own shield, sending her sliding back.
She wiped blood from her mouth, smiling. "You always cheat beautifully."
"I play to win," he said.
They charged again, their silhouettes swallowed by fire.
——— x——— x——— x——— x———
Observation Deck – The Last Words Before Phase Eleven
Technicians shouted as readings spiked off the charts.
[Warning: Phase Ten Integrity – 15%]
[Containment Core Overload Imminent]
Alicia leaned forward. "He's pushing it again…"
Guinevere's smile only grew. "No, dear. He's freeing it."
The world itself began to fracture, pillars of light splitting the arena.
Two battles continued, neither resolved, each feeding the system's hunger for data.
[Timer: 01:42:10]
[Remaining Participants: 4]
[System Note: Phase Ten Stability—Critical]
Leice and Kesha broke apart after another clash, panting, dust swirling around them.
Across the field, Yvonne and Gina steadied themselves for another charge.
Above them all, the voice of the system echoed like thunder:
[Warning: Combat Density Exceeds Protocol Limit]
[Recommendation: Initiate Core Collapse Sequence]
Leice lifted his gaze to the cracking sky, eyes glinting silver.
"Collapse it, then," he whispered.
"Let's see who's still standing."
The light swallowed everything—
and Phase Ten burned on.