Bullets rained like a storm, each glowing bright under the emerald sky.
The roar of Zinnia's rifle filled the zone, drowning out every other sound.
Her lips curled in a maniac grin.
Jax stood in the middle of the chaos. His HP bar flickered weakly in the red at only fifty hit points.
But panic was absent from his eyes; they were burning like the sharpest metal.
[Resolve Passive Active → Bonus ATK & SPD below 30% HP]
Good. It was exactly what he had wished for.
The first bullet cut the air. Rather than dodging, he inclined his body so that the bullet could punch straight into his shoulder.
Clench.
Pain exploded. Teeth gritted, but he didn't wipe his smirk. The bar dropped.
[HP: 50 → 26]
Another round blasted through his side. Blood blasted from his waist, pushing him back half a step.
[HP: 26 → 2]
Kai finally staggered into view after taking a long route. Now, his face paled. "Buddy! What are you doing?! You will die! Have you fallen insane?!"
Zinnia's mocking laughter echoed across the ruins. "Psshh—what an idiot! He's giving up! Playing tough just to fall like trash!"
But Jax's devilish smile only widened. The buff raged through his body, sharpening his senses, slowing every bullet in his vision: He could see the exact angles, the trajectories, the distance between every shot.
'Perfect. This speed, this power… Just mine.'
The third bullet went. Zinnia's eyes shone, already tasting victory. Kai shouted. "Nooo!"
But Jax' arm just whipped, the sword shining.
Slash!
The blade split the bullet in two, with sparks spraying on air. The fragments hissed as they evaporated.
Jax whispered, almost to himself, "Weapons cannot be destroyed in this game… but bullets? They are just an aim."
He marched toward Zinnia. Slashed another bullet. Slashed another bullet into deflection with the flat of his blade. And then sidestepped and cut the next cleanly in half.
Zinnia froze, staring aghast. "What...the fuck..."
Kai was gaping now, utterly weak-kneed as he stared with disbelief. "He's... cutting bullets...with a sword..."
More bullets screamed from the rifle. Jax weaved ahead, blade dancing and body blurring. Sparks cascaded like fireworks. Each step crunched into the shattered stone as he advanced.
Suddenly, the panic ardent burst from Zinnia. "Plasma Beam!"
The rifle gave a long whine as it charged its mighty blast toward him. Waves of heat shimmered across the arena. Jax raised his longsword, tilting it into the semblance of a shield. The energy slammed against the steel, skimming off the edge. The blade glowed a fiery red, burning hot.
Tssssk! The heat poured out with waves as the sword almost began melting in his grasp. He gritted his teeth and forced it to hold.
Kai gasped, heart hammering. "He's insane… using the sword like a mirror!"
Through the raging heat, Jax was still smirking. The weapon was trembling in his grip, but he would not waver, not by a step.
Zinnia's lips twitched with fury. "Suppressive Fire! Kill him!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat! A torrential downpour of bullets shrieked over his head. So close, their straight paths, by now, were predictable. Jax turned his glowing blade at an angle and began to deflect line after line. The bullets exploded into sparks before ricocheting out into oblivion.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Every step he took brought him closer to Zinnia; faster and faster his hands moved. His sword burned red; it still held together.
Then-click. Empty.
Zinnia froze. Her MP bar finally drained empty. Her rifle shimmered with a hiss. Sweat trickled down her brow, twisting her expression.
Jax stood right before her now, his aura thickening, the smile was slightly darker.
"You're done."
He lunged. The darkness that was his body blurred into fast. Sword fell with a roar brighter than blinding light; it blazed with the energy of the beam it had absorbed.
Boom!
And the earth split at the strike. Fire erupted, dirt flew into the sky. Zinnia screamed as the blow ripped through her.
The thud-thump of her HP bar from full to almost empty.
[HP: 500 → 10]
The ground still smoked, cracked wide from the sheer force. While Zinnia was standing motionless before him, blinking now and then, trying to catch her breath as Jax advanced with his sword still ablaze. The rifle fell away from her trembling hands.
Her face, once smug and arrogant, now shook with fear. "Y-you're… a monster…"
Jax stepped forward, slow, deliberate. Each word cut sharper than his blade.
"See? That's the difference. The gap between us. The gap that sets apart a worm like you… from someone who was born to win."
She staggered, shaking her head. "N-no… I'm a prodigy… everyone said I was…"
Jax leaned close, his voice low, venomous.
"In your life, they called you a prodigy. You believed it. You strutted like you were untouchable. But right now? Look at yourself."
He smirked cold. "Do you feel like one?"
Zinnia's lips trembled. Her knees buckled. She collapsed to the dirt, body shaking.
Jax's eyes narrowed, voice cutting.
"You're nothing but a worm."
Her tears spilled, pride crumbling before him. His shadow loomed over her, suffocating.
He raised his sword again, eyes gleaming. "And as per our deal… don't forget to spread your legs before me."
Her scream echoed as his blade cut through. Her avatar shattered, dissolving into glowing fragments. She vanished into light.
Silence followed. Jax's HP bar filled back to full. His body straightened, aura burning like a predator's.
Kai finally reached closer, his eyes wide, his face pale. He trembled, staring at Jax like he was seeing something beyond human.
"Buddy…" His voice cracked. "You… you're unbelievable…"
Then his lips curved weakly, admiration glowing. "You're the greatest brain I've ever seen… of course… after my sister."
Jax shot him a glance. His lips twitched, ready to reply
Crack!
The ground split apart violently. Energy surged, walls rising, dividing them.
The battlefield reshaped itself into cages. Jax and Kai were forced into different zones.
The robotic announcement rang across the sky, cold and heavy.
[Congratulations to the top 3 students. Now we proceed to the final phase. The End.]
Jax's smirk faded into focus. His chest tightened. He already knew what this meant.
On one end of the cage, Kai stood, his HP nearly gone, but his eyes shining with determination. On the other, a crimson aura burned bright. A scythe gleamed under the emerald sky, dripping with blood-red light.
Ava.
Jax's lips curled again, slow, sharp. His eyes narrowed with hunger.
'So this is it… the last stage.'
The battlefield went still. The emerald glow above shimmered. The tension was unbearable.
The final clash was about to begin.