"What will you do now?" The samurai in black clothing yells with rage.
The grey-blue cyborg is standing in the middle of the crowd, looking chill and unaffected by his united enemies. He tilts his head slightly to the right. Though his mechanical mask cannot show any expression, his neon-blue eyes gleam. He stretches his arms lazily. The crowd encircling him scream and step back in fear.
"We can defeat him." The leader Samurai turns around and addresses the hesitating crowd. "He can't kill us all."
"Lame." The Samurai flinches when he hears the cold mechanical sarcastic remark. His fingers tighten around the hilt of his sword. He faces the cyborg.
"You will lose today."
"You made it easier for me." The cyborg looks at his fingers. "Everyone is here? Do you need more time to call more people? Call everyone. I am starving. I don't want to waste more time a dog."
The samurai's face contorts in anger. "Who is the dog? You will be licking the ground in defeat."
The cyborg doesn't answer. In the next instant, he disappears from the spot. The samurai turns around swiftly and shields himself, expecting an attack. However, there is nothing.
"What? Did he run away?" He asks himself, clearly puzzled.
Painful screams emerge in the air. The men and women fall on the ground one by one with their smashed heads and bodies twisted in miserable ways. He didn't even use his weapon.
"Attack everyone. Don't hold back. He will kill us all." The samurai shouts to the survivors. A few of them are already running away from the psychopath cyborg. However, the cyborg isn't in the mood to let them run away.
He appears in front of them like a ghost and crosses his arms. "Where are you going after challenging me?"
"Please let us go." The survivors beg, trembling with fear.
"I hate the ones who run away." He lifts up his chin. His neon-blue eyes shine brightly. Anyone can guess that he is smiling. The survivors gulp down their saliva and bring out their weapons.
"Attack!"
The cyborg bends down his waist and crosses his arms close to his chest. "Titan Blaze."
A bright light emerges from his body, spreads out in like the rays of the sun, disintegrating everyone in the way. In the next moment, there is no one except the samurai and the cyborg standing in the battleground.
The cyborg eyes the massacre. "Tch! I expected some fight."
"That's a rare class skill. Only one player can acquire this skill." The samurai widens his eyes. "How? When did you get the time to acquire the skill?"
The cyborg chuckles and summons a gun. "Are you just going to stand there or fight?"
The samurai unsheath his long sword and smile. "It seems that I will lose today."
"At least, you aren't howling like before."
"You know..." The samurai smirks at him. "R3N is back."
The cyborg's eyes flicker several times. The hand holding the gun shakes slightly. But, it's only for a second. "So? Should I dance around and celebrate for the return of ringworm? Geez! "
"Such arrogance!" The samurai charges in his direction. The cyborg rolls his eyes and pulls the trigger.
***
"Your sister is amazing," Haru yells when he sees the scoreboard. "Did you see that move? She killed them all in one go."
"Did you forget what she told you?" Takeshi smacks the back of his head. "It's Merciless_B."
"I don't understand gaming." Iori looks at them. "She seems quite skilled."
"Look, she is coming." Haru points at Rie. Kiyohira has been quiet the whole time. He has seen her eyes fill with happiness when she was playing. She doesn't hold back. She seems to have fun. But, something has changed.
Despite the victory, Rie doesn't look happy.
***
"The winner of the world hack series is..." I hear the announcement as I remove the gaming gears. "Merciless_B."
I can feel the stares on me. It doesn't make me nervous. I am completely hidden inside my mask and an oversized hoodie. They don't know my real name or my past. They don't care about it either. In this world, only skills matter more than identity or background.
R1k9, the lady in black, appears in front of me. "Congratulations, you have won. You finished the game in 45 minutes."
"I took three hours last year." I roll my eyes at her. "There is no quality left. Is it even worth it to come here anymore?"
"We decided to make it easy because of the special round." She doesn't seem to be offended. "The special round will be held tomorrow. It will be held among the past winners. I have made the arrangements for your stay."
I climb the stairs and find them all where I have left them. Takeshi runs to me and says, "You are awesome!"
"I know." I give him a nod. "This is nothing. You will see more. You will realize how blessed you are to have a sister like me."
"I already know that." Takeshi smiles at me. "Promise me that you will play with me."
"Me too." Haru presses his palms together. "Takeshi's sister, please."
"She will play with me first." A familiar deep voice. I face the man with red hair. It's been eight years. He smiles and walks toward me. He has changed. His eyes have the same playful glint. He is still wearing the bracelet that I gifted him on his birthday.
"Who are you?" Suddenly, Kamiyama asks.
"My name is Ren." Ren winks at me, "I am her first love."