Cheng Zihao''s avatar flickered in the neon-lit spectator stands. Six hundred million viewers pulsed through the virtual arena, yet his augmented reality HUD only registered collapsing profit margins. "Six. Point. Five. Billion." He spat each syllable like rotten seeds. "All this traffic... wasted on bloodsport."
His brother''s hologram materialized beside him. "Look at Spear Phantom''s donation rank," Cheng Zimo sneered. "Fifth place. Pathetic."
The stats board confirmed:
<ol>
<li>?Eliza "The Marksman" Sharpe? - ￥6.52M</li>
<li>?Gale? - ￥5.50M</li>
<li>?Spear Phantom? - ￥3.21M</li>
</ol>
"Half goes to the system." Cheng Zihao''s fingers twitched with phantom stock tickers. "These fools throw money at digital ghosts."
<hr>
Rain-Slicked Battlefield
Titan''s war pike screeched against Marcus "Panda" Quinn''s trident. "No more arrows," the giant roared. "Now we dance!"
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Lena Liu''s pixelated corpse dissolved as Titan''s weapon found new prey. The rookie''s tower shield shattered under three consecutive impacts—Boom! Crack! Crunch!—before her avatar imploded.
"Worthless!" Titan spat at the fading pixels.
<hr>
Eastern Flank - Spear vs Axe?
Raven''s battle-axe kissed steel as Ethan''s spear danced. "Still relying on daddy''s tricks?" The veteran taunted, shield deflecting twelve thrusts per heartbeat.
The Spear Phantom''s retort came in binary:
<ol>
<li>?Feint High? - Speartip grazed the shield''s upper rim</li>
<li>?Mountain Breaker? - Full-body torque transfer</li>
<li>?Shadowless Thrust? - 0.07s kill window</li>
</ol>
Raven''s chestplate bloomed crimson. "Damn... your... efficiency..." The world silver medalist disintegrated mid-curse.
<hr>
Final Stand?
Two legends circled in the acid rain. Titan''s pike drew blood-red circles in the mud; Spear Phantom''s breathing synced to distant thunder.
"Just us now," Titan''s voice rattled armor joints. "No tricks. No shields."
Ethan rotated his spear shaft. Polymer grip fibers hissed like angry serpents. "Weapons check complete."
The kill clock flashed:
00:00:00