The battlefield was chaos. Crumbling buildings, smoke rising from shattered streets, and the deafening sounds of gunfire echoed through the air.
Liam sprinted forward, his boots slamming against the pavement as he navigated through the ruined district. He wasn't alone this time—just ahead, locked in a desperate battle, was Kai Mercer.
Kai had always been the strategist, the thinker. But right now, he was just trying to survive. His back was against the wreckage of a broken hovercar, sweat dripping down his forehead as he barely dodged another explosive round fired from the towering machine before him.
A-Class Titan Mech.
A walking fortress of destruction, standing over five meters tall, armed with missile pods, energy cannons, and thick armor plating that could shrug off most conventional weapons. It was a boss-class enemy, something that even experienced players in the game would struggle against.
Kai gritted his teeth, gripping a scavenged plasma pistol. But against something like this? He might as well have been throwing pebbles.
Just as the mech locked onto him with its targeting system, preparing to fire—
BZZZT!
A wave of digital distortion rippled through the air.
Override Activated.
The mech's targeting reticle flickered, its systems briefly lagging as if caught in an unseen error.
Kai's eyes widened as he saw a figure appear beside him, stepping into the battlefield with a confident smirk.
"Liam?!"
Liam cracked his knuckles. "Guess I showed up just in time."
A Desperate BattleThe Titan Mech recalibrated fast. Its red optics flashed as it unleashed a barrage of energy blasts, forcing both Liam and Kai to dive for cover.
"Alright, genius," Liam shouted over the noise. "Any ideas?"
Kai, still panting, wiped sweat from his brow. "Yeah. Run."
Liam sighed. "Figured."
The mech's missile pods locked onto their position. With no time to think, Liam grabbed Kai by the collar and yanked him backward just as the explosion erupted.
Dust and fire filled the air, sending them both rolling across the pavement.
Kai groaned. "That was… unpleasant."
Liam ignored him, already scanning the environment. His Override ability was still active, and that meant…
His eyes locked onto something—a glitched anomaly flickering near a ruined building.
Perfect.
He extended his hand, activating Override again. The air around the glitch shimmered, and suddenly, a massive Ravager Beast materialized out of thin air—its form half-digital, half-organic, eyes glowing with static energy.
Kai's jaw dropped. "You—What the hell is that?!"
Liam grinned. "Our new weapon."
Turning the TideThe Ravager Beast roared and lunged at the Titan Mech, its claws scraping against the metal plating. Sparks flew as it bit into the machine's exposed wiring, causing it to stagger.
Liam didn't waste the opportunity. He sprinted forward, using debris as a platform to leap onto the mech's back. His hands pulsed with the glitch energy of Override, and with a single touch—
ERROR. SYSTEM MALFUNCTION.
The mech froze, its movements jerking as its entire targeting system went haywire.
Liam grabbed onto the control panel, overriding its core. "Game over."
With one final surge, the mech exploded from within, sending a shockwave of energy outward. The Ravager Beast vanished as the system corrected itself, and Liam landed with a roll as the dust settled.
Kai, still sitting on the ground, looked at him in absolute disbelief. "You. Are. Insane."
Liam grinned, offering him a hand. "Welcome to my world."
A Watchful EyeHigh above, standing on the rooftop of a ruined skyscraper, a dark figure watched them.
Zero-One.
His helmet's visor glowed faintly as he analyzed the fight. He had seen everything—how Liam used the glitch, how he controlled the Ravager, and how he overrode the Titan Mech's system.
So... he's the one with the glitch.
Zero-One tilted his head slightly.
"This just got interesting."
Then, without a sound, he stepped back into the shadows.
AftermathLiam and Kai stood in the ruined battlefield, both catching their breath.
Kai looked at Liam, still processing everything. "Okay. Explain."
Liam smirked. "It's a long story."
They had survived. But Liam knew this was only the beginning.
Victor Kane wouldn't ignore this.
—
End of Chapter 4