Green-blue glitch dust flooded The Maw. The crowd held its breath—no cheers, no screams.
Only the sound of data fragments falling like glass rain.
From the heart of the blast, Germ's hulking body staggered. His toxic axe cracked, his eyes flickering dim. He tried to take one step forward—
KRACKKKK.
His body split apart, shattering into a thousand green shards, vanishing without a trace.
The arena exploded with chaos.
"GERM IS DOWN!"
"CIRCUIT GHOST WINS!"
At the center of the neon floor, Yuto'o stood swaying, his body 80% fractured. His glitch blade dripped with data-blood, his breathing ragged.
He nearly collapsed—but still stood.
"I… will not fade."
On the sidelines, Orbis shouted in relief. "Yuji! You did it!"
Yuuki smiled faintly, crimson eyes glowing.
"Not bad, boy. You're still alive."
But before the cheers could settle, the entire arena began to tremble.
The sky above The Maw split apart. Neon cracks tore open, vomiting a rain of crimson blades.
Dozens of Hunter AI – Generation 2 descended at once, sleek black armor gleaming, red cores pulsing in their chests. Six holographic blades spun behind each of them like halos of death.
[CORPORATE PROTOCOL: ILLEGAL SERVER RAID]
[TERMINATION ORDER: EXECUTE ALL TARGETS]
The arena erupted into chaos. Panic-stricken screams echoed as spectators scattered—many were erased before they could escape.
Yuto'o staggered forward, his glitch-ridden body still 80% fractured. His breathing was ragged, his glitch blade trembling in his hands—but his eyes burned with stubborn resolve.
"I just survived Germ… and now—"
Yuuki stepped to his side. Neon whip unfolding from her prosthetic arm, her crimson eyes glowed sharp as blades.
"Now you fight the real enemy. Welcome to the Ghost's world."
The Hunters rained down from the sky.
Scarlet blades cut through the arena, shattering the jagged glitch-walls like glass teeth. The holographic stands collapsed, whole swathes of avatars erased in violent bursts of neon.
Grim roared from the center, serrated blade blazing black.
"Dark Tooth! DEFEND THE ARENA!"
His gang surged forward, glitch weapons sparking as they clashed with the incoming AI swarm.
The battlefield exploded.
Yuto'o hurled himself into the storm, cleaving through two Hunters in one swing. His body cracked deeper, data-blood spilling in violent spurts—but still he fought on.
From the control platform, Orbis's hands blurred across his console.
"I'm raising a firewall! I can hold them for a few seconds!"
A barrier of violet light flared, forcing the Hunters back a step—only for them to adapt instantly, their blades tearing into it with terrifying precision.
Yuuki vaulted high above the carnage, her prosthetics reshaping into twin blades.
"PHANTOM STRIKE."
A single sweep erased ten Hunters, their armored bodies exploding into clouds of glitch fragments.
But five more warped behind her, blades poised to pierce her spine—
KRANGGG!
Yuto'o warped in, his cracked Data Shield intercepting the strike.
"I won't let you fight alone!"
Yuuki's gaze flicked sideways, a faint smirk tugging her lips.
"Foolish… but good."
Grim bellowed, his serrated blade cleaving three Hunters apart in a single savage arc. Black glitch energy swirled around his massive frame like a storm.
"DARK TOOTH! SLAUGHTER THEM!"
The Maw descended into pure digital hell.
The Hunters adapted.
[ADAPTIVE COPY – ACTIVATED]
In an instant, they began warping like Yuto'o—matching his movements, countering his bursts. Dark Tooth soldiers fell by the dozens, their avatars erased and scattered across the neon floor.
From the sidelines, Orbis shouted in desperation.
"We can't hold them! There are too many!"
Yuuki planted herself at the center of the chaos, her crimson eyes flaring like dying stars.
"…Then we erase them all at once."
Her whip snapped, the arena itself shuddering.
[PHANTOM OVERRIDE – FULL RELEASE]
For a heartbeat, everything froze. Hunter blades hung in the air. Poison data halted midstream. Even the roar of the crowd went silent—as though time itself had cracked.
The few surviving spectators gasped.
"It's her… Yuuki! The Phantom Diver!"
Yuuki spun, her whip sweeping in a vast arc. Hundreds of Hunters shattered into luminous shards, the Maw blazing with violet-pink fire.
But the override faltered. Her body shivered, crimson eyes narrowing.
The remaining Hunters adapted, their systems recalibrating.
Yuuki's breath hitched faintly.
"Boy… now it's your turn."
Yuto'o lifted his glitch blade. His body teetered on the brink of collapse, but his eyes blazed brighter than ever.
"I am Circuit Ghost. I will not fade."
He unleashed everything.
[GLITCH SPEAR + POSSESSION LEVEL 2 + DATA SHIELD + WARP BURST]
Dozens of spectral Guardians surged forth. Glitch spears rained from above. Shields absorbed the red storm. Yuto'o warped through the chaos, carving through Hunter after Hunter.
The Maw shook with the fury of their clash.
The Hunters suddenly shifted formation, drawing back in unison.
A new voice thundered through the broken sky.
[NEW DIRECTIVE: DEPLOY ELITE HUNTER]
The neon cracks widened. From the rift descended a towering figure—black armor etched with corporate sigils, a pulsing red core glowing like a beating heart.
[HUNTER AI – ELITE CLASS: TERMINATOR]
Yuuki stiffened, her expression hardening for the first time.
"…This isn't a hunt anymore."
Yuto'o dragged himself upright beside her, body one breath from collapse—but his eyes still burned.
"I fought your gladiator. I'll fight you too."
The Maw was no longer a gang battleground—
it had become a warzone for legends.
The sky above The Maw split wider. From the rift, a shadow descended slowly.
Larger than any Hunter before, its armor gleamed obsidian-black, corporate sigils carved across the plating in pulsing red. A massive core throbbed at its chest—like the heart of some monstrous god.
Behind it spun not six—but twelve holographic blades, whirling like a wheel of death.
[HUNTER AI – ELITE CLASS: TERMINATOR]
[PRIORITY TARGET: CIRCUIT GHOST]
The arena fell silent. The survivors froze, paralyzed by dread.
The Elite Hunter strode forward, every step cracking the neon floor, sending ripples of glitch radiating outward.
Yuuki raised her neon whip, expression taut.
"Boy… don't think you can even scratch this thing alone. This is a Terminator-class enemy."
Yuto'o's broken body trembled, but his grip on his glitch blade only tightened.
"I don't care. I can't back down."
Grim stepped to their side, serrated blade blazing black.
"Dark Tooth won't let corporate bastards walk over our turf. If I fade, I'll fade in their blood."
The Elite Hunter moved. Twelve blades lanced forward all at once, falling like a storm of meteors.
BOOOOM!
Yuto'o raised his Data Shield—nearly shattered in a single strike. His body was hurled back, red-blue data spraying from his cracks.
Yuuki warped aside, whip spiraling around four blades, crushing them into sparks—but the other eight carved forward, forcing her to parry in a blur.
KRANG! KRANG! KRANG! Sparks erupted as she was finally driven to one knee.
Grim roared, leaping high, serrated blade crashing down on the Terminator's core.
KRANNNGG!
The armor only cracked faintly. One holographic blade countered, slicing half through his skull-helm.
Grim fell, data bleeding from his frame—but he only laughed, wild and defiant.
"Ha… ha ha ha! Perfect! A real fight!"
From the platform, Orbis screamed.
"Yuji! If you use full Overclock—you'll be erased!"
Yuto'o staggered upright, his body 90% broken. He closed his eyes, data dripping like blood—but his grip on his blade was iron.
"Better to fade fighting… than disappear without trying."
His body ignited.
[OVERCLOCK RAGE – FULL BURST]
Blue-red light erupted. His glitch blade swelled into a massive greatsword, his fractured body burning brighter, tearing itself apart.
He warped, double-bursting around the Terminator, slamming his blade at its core.
KRANNNGGGG!!
The chestplate cracked. Red light flared, and for the first time, the giant staggered a step.
The crowd erupted in hysteria.
"CIRCUIT GHOST TOUCHED THE ELITE!"
But the Terminator straightened. Its eyes blazed brighter.
[ADAPTIVE CORE – INITIATED]
[DOWNLOADING BUG SIGNATURE]
Yuto'o froze, eyes wide.
"What—?!"
The Terminator's aura shifted—its blades now glowing the same blue-red as Yuto'o's glitch.
It mirrored him.
One swing, and his own blade was reflected back against him—hurling Yuto'o across the arena, his body cracking past 90%, on the brink of total collapse.
Yuuki shouted, her whip reshaping into a scythe of neon flame.
"PHANTOM STRIKE – MAX OUTPUT!"
She launched high, cleaving at the core.
BOOOOMMM!
Violet-pink fire engulfed the arena. The Terminator reeled, a massive fracture tearing across its chest core.
But still—it stood.
Yuuki fell, blood-data trailing from her lips. She glanced back at Yuto'o, crumpled against the wall.
"Boy… if you keep fighting, you'll vanish here and now."
Orbis's voice cracked in desperation.
"WE HAVE TO RUN! NOW!"
The Terminator raised its twelve blades once more. Its chest core glowed like a sun, energy surging.
[TERMINATION BURST – CHARGING]
The Maw trembled. Survivors screamed.
Yuuki raised her scythe, Grim lifted his black blade, and Yuto'o dragged himself upright—his body seconds from shattering, yet his eyes refusing to dim.
Scarlet light engulfed the arena. The Terminator prepared to unleash a burst strong enough to erase everything.
And in that instant—Orbis slammed his palms to the floor, ripping a wild violet portal open.
"NOW! MOVE—OR WE ALL DIE HERE!"
Yuto'o, Yuuki, and Grim turned toward the gate.
There was only one choice left: flee, or be erased.