Kael didn't run.
Not when the summons came, not when Drift's skyline burned red with auction feeds, and not when his name and bounty rotated above the city in flickering, golden font.
---
> [AUCTION WAR – INITIATED]
Lot #1: Null-13 (Kael Rivenhart)
Starting Bid: 30,000 Coins
Status: Red Tier – Live Combat Sale
Arena: Vault Tower Six, Drift Sector 4
Kael stared up at the projection, unmoving.
They weren't just hunting him now.
They were selling him.
---
Jace skidded around the corner, panting.
"Kael—you saw it, right? Varro's selling your life. Public auction. You show up, they bid on who gets to kill you."
Kael didn't blink.
"I'm not showing up," he said.
Jace's face dropped.
"You don't have a choice."
---
> [System Override – Enforced Participation]
You are now en route to Auction Tower Six.
Balance Lock Engaged. Teleport in 10... 9...
Kael's vision twisted.
"Shit—"
---
The world fractured around him.
Not a portal. Not Drift.
A vault — circular, steel, and drenched in light.
And coin.
So much coin.
---
The auction arena rose in tiers, filled with masked spectators, balances glowing above every head. Screens floated midair, showing his live feed. A bidding board pulsed red, numbers ticking up.
---
> [Lot #1 Entered Arena]
Null-13: Starting bid – 30,000 Coins
Current Bids: 42 Players Active
Highest Bidder: Coin King Guild – 35,500 Coins
Kael's balance: 520C, locked.
Weapons: None.
Escape: Disabled.
---
A voice thundered overhead.
Ren Varro.
"Ladies and gentlemen of Drift, I present to you the Balance Killer — Null-13. First Black Coin user. First balance thief. First public trap artist."
---
The crowd didn't cheer.
They bid.
---
> [Bid Update – 37,000 Coins]
[Bid Update – 39,000 Coins]
Varro smiled from the high box.
"Winner of this auction earns the right to kill him. Or… try."
---
Kael raised his eyes.
No fear.
Only calculation.
He stepped into the center.
> "Let's see if they can afford me."
---
The air shimmered with coin feeds. Every player in the arena had their balance displayed — masked, faked, or real.
Kael had none of that luxury.
> [Balance: 520 Coins – Locked]
Bounty: 30,000 Coins
Combat Status: Unarmed. Auction-bound.]
---
Varro's voice echoed again.
"Null-13. You are now property of the auction. Highest bidder controls your fight."
Kael smiled faintly.
"Good. I hate fair fights."
---
The first challenger dropped into the arena, masked in red, balance 900C floating overhead.
The crowd murmured.
Kael didn't move.
---
> [Bid Round 1 – Open]
Reward: Control of fight parameters
Prize: Skill Lock / Zone Control / Balance Drain Option
Starting Bid: 50 Coins
---
Challenger raised a hand.
> [Bid – 100 Coins]
[Bid – 200 Coins]
Kael waited.
Then…
> [Black Coin Skill Available: Shadow Bid]
Cost: 1 Black Coin
Risk: Auction Fraud Penalty
Kael touched the coin in his sleeve.
> [Shadow Bid Activated]
Visible Bid: 1 Coin
Real Bid: 300 Coins
---
The screen blinked.
> "Null-13 bids 1 Coin."
Laughter erupted.
---
> [Bid Closed – Winner: Challenger (200C)]
Fight Control: Granted
Skills Locked: Coinburn Spike disabled
Arena Modified: Balance Drain Active
---
Kael didn't blink.
He'd lost the bid — on purpose.
---
The floor shimmered — Balance Drain zones appeared, glowing red beneath his feet.
Kael stepped into one.
Letting his balance tick down.
> [Balance: 520 → 510 → 500C]
The challenger charged.
Blade drawn.
---
> "I'll take it all," the man growled.
Kael smiled.
"You'll try."
---
He moved.
> [Coin Trap Disk Activated – Illegal Use]
Cost: 50 Coins
Effect: Forced Auction Override
The arena glitched.
Kael forced a new bid.
---
> [Forced Auction – Winner Controls Fight Reset]
Bid: Kael – 200C
No other bids.
Winner: Null-13
---
The system stuttered.
Varro stood, eyes wide.
"Override… denied."
---
Kael burned.
> [Coinburn Spike Activated – x2]
Balance Burned: 100 Coins
Damage Output: Fatal
Risk: Self-burn 10%
The arena lit gold-black.
The challenger fell instantly, balance erased.
---
> [You have earned 900 Coins]
New Balance: 1,300C
Title Upgrade: Balance Killer – Tier II
Bonus: +20% coin per kill.
---
Kael looked up.
"You want to bid on me?" he said.
"Raise your price."
---
The crowd didn't speak.
Not after Kael's kill.
Not after he forced an auction override and burned the challenger to coin dust.
Their balances flickered — some masked, some visibly dropping as fear triggered auto-fees for safety protocols.
Kael stood alone, balance glowing: 1,300 Coins.
No longer prey.
---
> [System Error Logged: Illegal Trap Activation]
Black Coin Trace: Detected
Balance Killer Title – Escalated to Tier II
---
Varro's voice boomed, but it wasn't steady.
"Null-13… disqualified from bidding rights. Red Tier rule break. You forfeit—"
Kael raised a hand.
> [Black Coin Activated – Signal Jam]
System Override – Interrupt: Auction Feed Blocked
Timer: 30 seconds
The arena went dark.
No feeds. No balance trackers. Just Kael's voice.
---
"You don't control this auction," he said.
"I do."
---
The Black Coin in his hand burned, searing gold-black. It wasn't residue — this was the one the Black Coin Hunter had given him.
---
> [New Black Coin Detected]
Skill Unlock: Coinburn Domain
Effect: Arena-level control. Coin use costs double for all enemies.
Cooldown: 24 hours
Risk: Self-burn increases to 20%
---
Kael triggered it.
> [Coinburn Domain – Activated]
Drift Sector 4: Zone effect engaged
Enemy coin use doubled. Kael immune.
---
Spectators scrambled.
Balance drained faster than they could react. System forced ejection of masked players.
Varro's eyes widened.
"Kill him now—before he collapses the sector!"
---
Kael stepped to the center of the arena.
"I'm not Lot #1 anymore."
He looked up.
"You are."
---
> [System Update: Auction War Broken – Null-13 not for sale.]
New Lot Declared: Coin King Guild – Combat Open Bid
Reward: Kael's life.
Risk: Entire zone flagged for corruption.
---
Kael's screen flickered.
> [Balance: 1,300C → 1,100C]
Coinburn Domain cost high.
He didn't care.
He smiled.
"Let's see who can afford me now."
---
The moment Kael spoke, the feed came back.
Not system-controlled.
Kael-controlled.
His voice echoed across Drift, the Coinburn Domain still active, flooding zone feeds with his balance, his kills, and Ren Varro's silence.
---
> [Zone Alert – Coinburn Domain Active]
Sector Control: Null-13
All enemy coin costs doubled
Balance Drain Unlocked – Passive Area Effect
Estimated Decay: 10% per minute
---
Ren Varro slammed his fist into the console.
"Cut him off. Now!"
"No signal override—he's broadcasting via Black Coin feed!"
"Then shut down the zone!"
"We can't. Coinburn Domain overrides system control!"
---
Varro stared down at the arena.
Kael wasn't running.
He was standing center stage, burning, eyes locked on Varro's box.
---
Kael raised his hand.
He didn't need to shout.
The system carried his voice.
> "Balance doesn't make you strong. It makes you a target."
> "Come down here, Varro. Let's see what your coin's worth."
---
Varro's screen lit up.
A message.
> [Incoming Call – Coin King]
"Let him go. He's worth more alive."
Varro's face twisted.
"You want me to spare him?! He just broke the Auction!"
---
The reply was cold.
> "We don't kill assets. We buy them. Track his domain. Send the Ledger."
---
Kael's screen shifted.
A new alert.
> [System Status: Zone-Class Threat Identified]
Target: Null-13 (Kael Rivenhart)
Response: Ledger Guard Deployment Authorized
Trace Level: 92%
Survival Estimate: 18 minutes
---
Kael's eyes narrowed.
They were done sending bounty hunters.
Now they were sending kill code.
---
Jace's voice crackled over private channel.
"Kael—you made the Ledger. No one survives that."
Kael smiled faintly.
"Then I'll do it first."
---
Varro's feed blinked.
> [New Lot Declared – Vault Tower Six]
Target: Null-13
Auction Cancelled
Priority Shift: Capture for Coin King Transfer
Reward: Black Tier Skill Unlock for successful capture.
---
The crowd began to vanish.
No one wanted part of this.
Kael stood alone — again.
Just how he liked it.
---
He opened the feed one last time.
To every player in Drift.
To every watcher.
> "You want balance? Come take mine."
> "But bring everything you've got."
---
The feed cut.
Ledger Guard incoming.