The Hollow Mercy
The obsidian sand didn't vanish, but the predatory sky shifted. The System's Terminal flickered from crimson to a mocking, sterile white.
**"Phase 3 Concluded,"** the voice vibrated. **"The logic of the board is retracted. To the losers: Elimination is stayed. To the victors: Passage is granted. However, the data of the fallen—Misku, Vamp, Arise—is purged. Rebirth is not a variable."**
A massive, swirling rift tore open in the center of the island—the Portal to the Real World. Relief washed over the survivors like a tidal wave, but the air suddenly turned heavy enough to crush lungs. Two figures descended from the rift, walking on nothingness.
On the right: **Lucky.** A 16-year-old with a chilling, vacant stare, holding a simple golden shovel.
On the left: **Lynx.** A silent, predatory shadow with eyes like a fractured mirror.
The losers breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they were safe. But Jam, standing at the center of the island, didn't move toward the portal. His violet eyes weren't looking at the exit; they were looking through it.
"**NOW!**" Jam roared.
In a blur of kinetic violence, **Rexy** moved. He didn't use a pawn's strength; he drew a katana borrowed from Divine—a blade that existed in the spaces between atoms. One horizontal slash.
The mountain behind the System's guards didn't just fall; it ceased to be. The island itself split in two, the earth groaning as the tectonic plates were forcibly separated. As the dust cleared, the "Invisibility Filter" shattered. A massive, metallic spire—the **Headquarters of the System**—stood revealed, floating where the mountain had been.
Jam looked at Rexy, who was panting, his katana smoking. "Why didn't you do that when I signaled the first time?" Jam asked, his voice an icy calm. "Don't lie. That blade Divine gave you bypasses 'Nothing.' You could have moved on the board whenever you wanted."
Rexy let out a nervous, wheezing laugh, scratching the back of his head. "Aha... well, you see, Jam... the gravitational pull on square E4 was very... distracting? And my shoes weren't tied?"
Jam's gaze pierced him. "You were being lazy."
"Yeah, mostly that," Rexy admitted, grinning sheepishly despite the apocalypse happening around them.
__
"Look there," Jam commanded. He pointed at the spire. "The guards are out, which means the System itself is vulnerable. This isn't a return; it's a coup."
Shiro Kage watched Jam, her heart hammering against her ribs. He looked different—his aura wasn't just ancient; it was electric. "He's looking sexy today," she murmured playfully, a small smirk crossing her face despite the terror.
Jam caught her thought. *I guess I can finally control the emotional output,* he thought to himself. *Acting like a teenager... it helps the bond. It keeps the Queen close.*
Suddenly, the power controller room in the spire exploded from Rexy's lingering shockwave. Across the island, players like **Faxxie, Samuel, and Morphes** screamed as their full, unrestricted power flooded back into their veins. The "Chess Rules" were dead.
"**Eliminate them,**" the System commanded.
Lucky moved. He didn't walk; he simply **was** there. He swung a slash so tremendous that the very concept of a "soul" felt it.
*He's the fastest I've ever witnessed,* Jam thought, his maxed senses screaming. He dodged by a hair's breadth, the air pressure alone drawing blood from his cheek.
Simultaneously, Lynx launched a strike at the group, but Rexy intercepted it with a clang that shook the dimension. "Leave the shadow to me!" Rexy yelled. "Finish the kid!"
__
Divine charged Lucky, but his fist passed through a shimmering after-image. The entire dimension rocked as Lucky's counter-attack landed where Divine *had* been.
"How did you dodge?" Lucky asked, his voice a flat, chilling monotone.
"I'm at maximum potential now, kid," Divine spat, his hair standing on end as his passive ability, **Opponent Match**, kicked in. "Whatever you are, I'm 2x that. Always."
Lucky smiled—a terrifying, empty expression. "Let's check your limits. **Sovereigns Singularity.**"
Lucky moved at **Transignific Speed**—speed so fast it moved in inverse infinity. Time wasn't just stopped; it was being played backward and forward simultaneously. Divine's hair was clipped, but he surged, his stats doubling again to match the impossible pace.
"What are you stupids waiting for?!" Divine roared at Jam and Flame. "I can't hold this freak alone!"
Flame rushed in, nearly getting cleaved by Jam's own momentum as Jam redirected a blast back at Lucky. Lucky bled for the first time, his golden shovel humming. He swung, hitting Divine, who coughed up blood.
"Careful!" Jam warned. "His speed is **Immeasurable (Inverse)**. He can remove your debuffs and deflect any physical attack. He is the **Gem of Humanity**, Divine. Sixteen years old and more talent than the rest of history combined. He is a **Flawless Mistake.**"
__
Lucky sighed. "I guess I have to use it. **Full Gear: Inevitable Truth.**"
He didn't move. Yet, Flame's arm suddenly detached from his body, falling into the sand.
"Flame, MOVE!" Jam yelled. He ripped off his upper shirt, tossing it to Shiro Kage.
"Shiro Kage, you perverted idiot, I'm not your girlfriend!" she yelled, blushing furiously even as she caught the fabric.
Jam closed his eyes. He didn't use a weapon. He flicked a finger, sending a wave of air pressure so sharp it scarred Lucky's left eye through his shovel's defense.
"Your shovel only reverts 70% of nature," Jam said. "If I can't reach you... I'll make sure my legacy does."
Jam vanished.
To Shiro Kage and Jimmy, the world became a blur of static. The battle was happening at **Inverse Speed**.
Jam, the Being of Infinite Talent, vs. Lucky, the Boy of Highest Potential.
Experience vs. Growth.
A 14-billion-year-old Precognition vs. Immeasurable Speed.
Jam dismantled him. Despite Lucky being faster, Jam knew where Lucky would be before Lucky even decided to move. It was a hand-to-hand masterclass. Jam landed a finishing blow, driving Lucky into the sand.
The dimension shook. Lucky's eyes snapped open, glowing with a red and yellow aura.
"Thanks, Jam," Lucky whispered. "I've finally reached the ceiling."
Lucky stood, the ground liquefying under his power. He unleashed ten techniques in a heartbeat:
1. **Zenith Zero**
2. **Inverse Horizon**
3. **Calamity Reach**
4. **Logic Break**
5. **Absolute Vector**
6. **Time-Thief**
7. **Reality Anchor**
8. **Void Compression**
9. **History Erasure**
10. **The Beginning before the Beginning**
Jam dodged the first stage, but the second stage left deep gashes across his chest. Lucky's radius expanded, threatening to erase Flame and Divine.
"Flame! Activate **Divine Judgement**!" Jam commanded.
Flame looked at Lucky. His vision turned red as he saw Lucky's kill count: **10 Billion.**
The penalty was absolute. A glowing sword appeared in Flame's hand—a one-shot kill.
Lucky put on his glasses, his aura flaring. "Things are about to get funny." He activated **Stage 10.**
The attacks began before the thought of attacking even existed. Jam realized he couldn't see them anymore.
"Take care of him!" Jam shouted to Divine and Flame. "I'm going for the System!"
Jam sprinted toward the Spire.
"YOU SHITTY ASS IDIOT!" Divine screamed, lunging at Lucky with Anti-Matter manipulation.
An explosion rocked the island—but because they were in the Inverse, the explosion didn't destroy. It **created**. New landmasses, new stars, and new life-forms sparked into existence for a micro-second before being crushed by the weight of the battle.
Rexy, standing over a severely injured Lynx, spat a drop of blood and smiled.
"**Jackpot.**"
Shiro Kage : They aren't humans anymore. They are the constants that the universe is built on. I'm not watching a fight; I'm watching the birth and death of physics.
Jimmy : Misku wanted to own the world... but these people are rewriting it. I was a pawn in a game that didn't even have a board.