The moment Komi steadied her breath, Zero13 took a step forward. The 404 Abyss crackled beneath them—its dark, unstable terrain buzzing with fragmented code and static lightning, but no monsters dared appear. It was just them.
"Your Highness," Zero13 called out, his sword drawn. "This will be a test of reflex, endurance, and control."
Komi narrowed her eyes. "Stop calling me that. And bring it on."
Zero13 lunged. His form blurred, and with a gleam of light, his blade moved like wind. Komi ducked—barely.
CLANG!
Their weapons met. Her Beta Swords—long, pink, with glowing beta symbols—clashed against his polished silver greatsword, "Aegis Breaker."
"You're fast," Komi muttered, skidding back.
"And you're improving." Zero13 spun, bringing his sword overhead.
New Skill Unlocked: Pulse Parry
Komi instinctively raised both swords in an X. Her blades sparked—then released a pulse wave that knocked Zero13 back.
"Woah!" she blinked. "Did I just do that?"
Zero13 straightened, his armor humming. "Good. Again."
He vanished—no footsteps, no movement. Just glitch-teleportation. Komi gasped, spinning around just in time to block another strike.
Zero13 Skill: Frame Skip
A glitchy trail of afterimages followed his movement, each one striking like a copy—ghostly slashes, illusions backed with real force.
Komi leapt back and yelled, "Okay, try this!"
Beta Skill: Glitch Bloom
A circle of pink glyphs bloomed around her. From it, multiple holographic versions of her sword spiraled outward like petals—piercing each afterimage and cancelling the glitch echo.
Zero13 blinked. "Adaptation… impressive."
Komi smirked. "Yeah well, I'm kinda cool like that."
They clashed again, blades lighting up the void. Thunder cracked in the background like a cheering crowd.
Zero13 Hidden Skill: Crashed Horizon
He raised Aegis Breaker into the air—code formed around it. With one slash, the arena bent, the gravity fluctuated, and Komi was flung into the air as if the world crashed beneath her.
"Ahhh!"
Beta Emergency Protocol: Data Shift
Just before hitting the fragmented ceiling, her body pixelated, shifted midair, and reassembled behind him.
"Boo," she whispered.
She slashed.
Beta Special Move: Dual-Core Reboot
Her twin swords glowed red and blue, slashing in a spinning motion that left code trails in the air—rebooting a portion of the abyss into a rainbow glitched spiral.
Zero13 took the hit, flipped midair, and landed on one knee.
"Excellent," he said. His voice had a tiny glitch. "Battle capacity rising… You're syncing with the Beta Code."
Komi stood panting, blades shaking.
"I didn't even know I could do any of that…" she said.
Then he raised his sword slowly.
"Time for your final test."
Komi blinked. "Wait, final—?"
Zero13 Ultimate Move: Core Eraser
The ground darkened. His sword extended, covered in digital energy as the abyss behind him roared open.
Komi's swords floated mid-air, vibrating.
She closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and whispered: "Alright… Beta Override."
Komi's Secret Skill Unlocked: System Reclaim
Both swords flashed, and a circle formed below her feet. Wings—coded in pink glitch light—spread from her back.
She charged.
Blades and blade met. Their energies collided. A sonic blast of glitch and light engulfed the arena—
And then… silence.
Smoke floated in the air. Komi was standing, panting heavily, Zero13 down on one knee.
"…You win," he said, smiling faintly. "Training complete."
Komi fell onto her butt and let out a loud groan. "I hate this game…"
But deep inside, she felt it.
Power. Progress. Potential.