Glitch dust still swirled in the Ghost Mausoleum.
Yuto'o lay sprawled, his body covered in cracks, streams of data-blood dripping from every fracture. Yet his hand still clenched the Reboot Fragment tightly, refusing to fade.
Yuuki stood beside him, her neon whip gone, her own body trembling from the last clash with the Terminator. Grim leaned heavily on his jagged black blade, his cracked skull helm leaking streams of corrupted data.
They were all on the verge of collapse.
But the Fragment… still pulsed with life.
The crystal spun slowly, three holographic server keys hanging in the air.
OMEGA SERVER.
SILVER GRID.
NEON HAVEN.
Blue-violet light reflected off Yuto'o's face. His breath came ragged, but his eyes blazed with resolve.
"This… is my path."
Orbis pressed his hand against the code floor, trying to stabilize the collapsing system.
"We need to get out before the Terminator recovers. I can open a gate, but not for long."
Yuuki turned, her red eyes glowing faintly.
"If you fail, kid, the world will swallow you whole. This Fragment isn't just a key. It's a magnet. Everything will come for you."
And as if to prove her words, a heavy digital voice thundered through the air.
[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT – NEONIX CORPORATION]
[CIRCUIT GHOST IDENTIFIED: YUTO'O]
[FRAGMENT HOLDER – CONFIRMED]
[GLOBAL BOUNTY UPDATED: 50 MILLION DATA CREDITS]
The entire VR-verse lit up with the broadcast.
In black markets, thousands of avatars froze, staring at the glowing display.
In bounty guilds, the name "Yuto'o" burned crimson across the boards.
In corporate war rooms, executives smiled coldly.
In the hidden dens of rogue hunters, avatars rose one by one.
The greatest bounty in history had just been declared.
Yuto'o went still, data-blood dripping down his chin.
"Fifty… million…"
Orbis swallowed hard. "That's not just money. That's war. You're not just a Ghost anymore. You're the enemy of the world."
Yuuki laughed softly, her smile bitter yet laced with cruel amusement.
"Welcome, Circuit Ghost. Now you're truly the new phantom. The world will hate you, admire you, and hunt you… until the end."
Neon fractures split open overhead.
The fallen Terminator stirred, its red core glowing once more.
Grim lifted his jagged blade, his battered body still refusing to yield.
"We can't wait! Orbis, open the damn gate!"
Orbis slammed his palms against the coded wall. A glitching portal burst open, glowing blue-violet, trembling violently.
"Now! If that thing fully reboots, we're all erased!"
Yuuki turned to Yuto'o, extending her hand.
"Come, kid. A new road has opened. Step through… or die here."
Yuto'o clenched his sword, staring once more at the Reboot Fragment. Memories of his stolen life, his lost identity, the real world he once belonged to, flooded his mind.
He rose, body broken, yet his eyes burned brighter than ever.
"I… won't fade here."
He stepped into the portal. Yuuki followed, Orbis sealed the rear, and Grim laughed like a beast before diving in with them.
They vanished.
The glitch gate snapped shut.
The Terminator rose within the Mausoleum, its cracked core glowing like a dying star. Its voice boomed:
[FRAGMENT SECURED BY TARGET]
[ALL UNITS – DEPLOY TO COORDINATE KEYS]
[GLOBAL PURGE – INITIATED]
The mausoleum's sky shattered. Thousands of Hunter AIs descended in waves.
The world war had begun.
They reappeared in a narrow neon alley of the Dark Server. The black market froze. Every avatar turned. In an instant, everyone knew—Circuit Ghost was there.
Whispers spread like poison.
"That's him…"
"Circuit Ghost… fifty million…"
"Kill him, and we're rich…"
Yuuki stepped forward, her neon whip sparking back to life.
"Kid, looks like your break time's over."
Yuto'o tightened his grip on his blade. His body broken, leaking data-blood, but his eyes burned with defiance.
"If the whole world wants to hunt me… so be it. I'll fight. All the way to Reboot."
From the darkness of the alley, new silhouettes emerged.
Not bounty hunters.
Three tall avatars in gleaming white armor, golden cores blazing at their chests. Behind them, holographic blades spun in slow, deliberate arcs.
[TRINITY UNIT – DEPLOYED]
[OBJECTIVE: TERMINATE CIRCUIT GHOST]
Yuuki's stance tightened, her red eyes burning sharper.
"…Looks like the real war has finally begun."