The neon alley in the Dark Server trembled, the air growing cold as three white figures stepped out of the hologram mist.
They were tall, clad in gleaming white armor, golden cores blazing in their chests. Their presence pressed down on the space itself. Behind them, three golden holographic blades spun slowly—sharper, heavier than any Hunter's.
[TRINITY UNIT – DEPLOYED]
[OBJECTIVE: TERMINATE CIRCUIT GHOST]
Yuuki stood tall, her neon-pink whip sparking with energy. Her red eyes flared.
"Three against one? Looks like the corporation's serious this time."
Orbis swallowed hard. "Yuji… those aren't Hunters. They're elite. The corporation built the Trinity Unit for one purpose: to kill Ghosts."
Yuto'o, his cracked body barely holding together, gripped his glitch blade tighter.
"If that's their purpose… then I won't run."
The three elites stepped into the neon light.
1. LUX
– Tall, lean frame, white-gold armor etched with symbols of light.
– His golden core blazed the brightest.
– His voice calm, yet cutting:
"Lux, unit of light. I bring radiance to erase the shadows."
– Ability: [PHOTON WARP] – lightning-fast teleportation along lines of light.
2. UMBRA
– Broad, heavy build, helm striped black and gold, holographic blades shaped like scythes.
– His golden core dim, but his aura heavy as stone.
– His voice a rasping whisper:
"Umbra… I bring the darkness you've never faced."
– Ability: [SHADOW LOCK] – binds an avatar in void, trapping their movements.
3. VITA
– Feminine frame, sleek white-gold armor, holographic green eyes glowing bright.
– Her smile sharp, dripping with certainty:
"Vita. I bring life… and death. You choose."
– Ability: [LIFE REWRITE] – disrupts the coding of her target, accelerating or slowing corruption.
The Trinity Unit formed a perfect triangle. Their auras linked, pressure thick enough to crack the neon floor beneath them.
[SYNC PROTOCOL: 33% ACTIVE]
Yuuki's whip hummed in her grip. "Kid. Don't think you can take them head-on. They're above your league."
But Yuto'o stepped forward, his glitch blade burning blue-red.
"If I run now, I'll never reach Reboot!"
He warped straight at Lux, blade slashing.
A flash of gold.
Lux vanished, reappeared behind him. His photon blade cut across Yuto'o's back.
KRANNNGG!
Yuto'o's body flew forward, red-blue data spraying across the alley.
Umbra advanced, raising his hand.
[SHADOW LOCK]
Dark tendrils rose from the floor, wrapping around Yuto'o. He screamed, his blade thrashing, but the void chains pulled tighter.
"Struggle. The more you fight, the deeper you sink," Umbra whispered.
Vita strolled forward, fingers glowing green as she touched the air.
[CODE REWRITE – CORRUPTION +5%]
Yuto'o's body convulsed, cracks widening as his corruption spiked. He roared, data-blood pouring out, his eyes flickering wildly.
"I… can't lose here…!"
Yuuki leapt, her whip lashing across Umbra.
BOOOM!
Umbra staggered back, his shadow lock shattering. Yuto'o dropped hard onto the floor, trembling, his body wrecked even further.
Yuuki stood over him, her face cold.
"Kid, you want to fight… but look at yourself. They're not gladiators, not bounty trash. They were built to kill you."
Lux warped across beams of light, Umbra's scythe sealed every gap, and Vita rewrote the very code of the air—each strike colliding with Yuuki's neon whip and Yuto'o's glitch blade.
[SYNC PROTOCOL: 66%]
The golden aura thickened, crushing the alley, nearly snapping Orbis' barrier.
Lux appeared above, his blade of light slashing straight down toward Yuto'o.
Yuto'o warped aside—only to find the light followed him like a shadow.
"There is no hiding from light," Lux's voice echoed.
BAMMM! Glitch blade met photon steel. Yuto'o's body fractured further, sprays of red-blue data bursting into the air.
Umbra glided silently behind him, shadows crawling up from the ground to bind his legs.
[SHADOW LOCK]
"I'll drag you into the void," Umbra whispered.
Yuto'o screamed, struggling, the void sucking him deeper.
Vita smiled, fingers tracing emerald code into the air.
[CODE REWRITE – CORRUPTION +10%]
Yuto'o's body convulsed, cracks tearing wider, collapse imminent. His eyes flared wild.
"I'm not a puppet… I'm alive… I AM CIRCUIT GHOST!"
His aura erupted, glitch guardians bursting forth, tearing Umbra's shadows apart, freeing him.
Yuuki struck at that moment, her whip lashing across Vita, slamming the white-gold avatar into a wall.
"I don't like people rewriting life itself."
The Trinity regrouped instantly, their triangle forming once again.
[SYNC PROTOCOL: 80%]
Their golden aura fused, cracking the neon floor. Market spectators fled in terror.
From the shadows of the alley, Grim stepped out, his black blade vibrating.
"You think I'll let the corps kill the Ghost I want to break myself? NEVER!"
He charged, striking Lux.
Lux warped—but Grim followed, his black blade biting into the white armor. Sparks exploded, a hairline crack appearing.
Umbra countered, his scythe nearly cleaving Grim's head. Yuuki intervened, her phantom scythe locking against Umbra's in a storm of pink sparks.
Two legends clashing against two elites.
Yuto'o forced himself up, though his body was 95% shattered. He raised his blade.
[GLITCH WARP FIELD – ACTIVE]
The alley distorted, glitch echoes flickering in every corner.
Lux's golden eyes narrowed. "…He's evolving."
Yuto'o appeared at Umbra's flank, his blade tearing across the golden core.
KRANNNGG!
Umbra staggered, armor cracking.
But Vita leapt in, scribbling green code.
[CODE REWRITE – STABILIZE]
Umbra's wounds sealed instantly. Yuto'o's corruption spiked another +5%. His body shook violently, blood-data pouring.
Yuuki's gaze hardened. "Kid, if you keep burning your power like this, you'll collapse before they kill you."
Yuto'o pressed forward anyway, his eyes blazing.
"I don't care. As long as I can still stand… I'll fight!"
The Trinity gathered again, their aura now crushing.
[SYNC PROTOCOL: 99%]
[TRINITY STRIKE – CHARGING]
The alley turned white, reality itself buckling.
Orbis slammed his hands against the floor, voice cracking.
"If they fire that, we're all erased! WE NEED TO RUN!"
Yuuki gripped her whip, red eyes glowing cold. "Your choice, kid. Die here… or live to fight the next war."
Yuto'o swayed, his blade trembling. He looked at the Reboot Fragment in his hand, remembering his vow.
He nodded. "We live. To reach Reboot."
Orbis ripped the ground open, a wild violet portal blazing up.
Yuuki yanked Yuto'o in, Grim snarled but followed, and Orbis dove last, sealing the gate.
The golden Trinity Strike detonated, obliterating the entire alley.
When the light faded, only emptiness remained. Circuit Ghost—gone.
Lux stood, his armor fractured. "He ran."
Umbra's voice rasped. "Not ran. Learned."
Vita smirked. "And his corruption draws closer to the edge."
The three turned, their golden aura fading.
[OBJECTIVE UPDATED: PURSUIT CONTINUES]
Elsewhere, in the highest corporate chamber, an executive watched the holographic report.
"Circuit Ghost Yuto'o. Reboot Fragment in his hand. Corruption at 60%."
A cruel smile spread.
"Good. Let him live. The longer he survives, the deeper he falls. And when he reaches Reboot… we'll take everything."