The gym had become a digital battleground. Imagine a shattered mirror reflecting a broken world – that's what the floor looked like, pixelated cracks snaking everywhere. Chunks of wood hung in the air, transformed into glitching cubes, defying gravity. And then there were the Assimilators, eight of them, lumbering forward like puppets with tangled strings. Their movements were stilted, their forms flickering in and out of existence.
Riko stood his ground in the middle of this mess. Behind him, Luna was a shadow of determination. The floor vibrated under their feet, a low hum that felt like the building was one step away from melting down. On Riko's sleeve, a red warning blinked insistently, a frantic heartbeat in the chaos.
Suddenly, the emergency doors burst open with a clang.
And there he was: Kaze.
He wasn't running. He wasn't yelling. He wasn't even looking surprised.No fear, no rush, just a calm, measured walk, like this digital apocalypse was just another Tuesday. His eyes, sharp and observant, scanned the scene: the floating pixel blocks, the broken mannequins, the terrified students huddled in the bleachers. When his gaze landed on Riko, his expression didn't change, but something tightened, focused.
About time! Luna shouted over the static.
Kaze didn't even glance her way. They shouldn't be this active in broad daylight. His voice was low, steady, cutting through the digital noise.
Kaze, Riko said, urgency lacing his words.. They're after me, specifically.
Kaze's response was immediate, unwavering: They always will be.
Before Riko could reply, three of the Assimilators lunged. Their limbs, moving like jagged blades, aimed to slice. Riko dodged, a quick step to the right, sliding under a lunging figure. He struck upward, his fist connecting with its torso, shattering it into a cloud of corrupted pixels. Another one slammed into him from the side, its rigid arms like steel bars connecting. He braced for the impact, his shoes screeching against the pixelated floor.
Then, Kaze moved. He launched himself off the bleachers, a fluid, controlled leap that landed him beside Riko. The impact seemed to warp the glitched reality around them, distorting the pixel blocks like a slow-motion ripple.
Luna, meanwhile, was making a beeline for a dodgeball cart. She kicked it over, scattering balls, and grabbed a broom handle from the equipment pile. Alright, glitch dummies, she muttered, twirling the broom like some kind of improvised weapon. Time for some redecorating!
Riko stared at her, incredulous. You're fighting with a broom?
Until I get my superpowers, yes, a broom is what I have! she retorted. "Necessity is the mother of solutions right?"
An Assimilator lurched toward her, head bent backward at a grotesque angle. Luna ducked under its swipe and brought the broom crashing down across its knee. The wood splintered, but the blow was forceful enough to stagger the creature. Riko seized the opportunity, sprinting forward and smashing his fist into its chest, sending pixel smoke billowing across the gym.
Kaze was a study in efficiency. Without wasted movement, he appeared behind another Assimilator and slammed its face into the floor. The creature convulsed, its form struggling to hold together as its limbs twitched.
Riko blew out a breath.Okay – this is officially insane.
You get used to it, Kaze said flatly. But he's wrong, so wrong.
NO, you DON'T! Luna yelled, still twirling her makeshift staff. I, for one, am NOT used to this at all!
The remaining Assimilators regrouped, twitching, their faces flickering. The images of random faces shifted and cycled - like a deck of cards being shuffled at high speed. The air grew colder, a palpable chill settling over the gym. The pixel cracks widened, spreading.
Then, they all froze.
Every single glitch mannequin in the entire gym stopped moving at once, like someone had hit a pause button on reality.
Riko felt his pulse leap in his throat. Why did they stop? What does this mean?
Kaze didn't answer, his gaze narrowed, his attention fully focused.
Luna whispered, a tremor in her voice, Uh… Riko? They're doing something… weird.
The eight creatures turned inward, directing their attention at each other. Closer and closer, their heads jerked and snapped at unnatural angles. They shuffled, scraped. They inched until forming a tight circle. Their limbs twitched, jerked, twisted. Digital cracks splintered across their chests as their bodies leaned inward...as if forced by some invisible magnet.
Riko's screen vibrated, flashing white with increasing intensity.
Kaze muttered, They're merging.
The bodies collided, a soundless compression followed by a grinding, digital roar. Limbs fused, torsos melted, heads flickered into corrupted data. The gym lights flickered, struggled against the growing mass of glitch code drawing pixel blocks from the floor.
Luna stumbled backwards, shaking her head. Nope. Nope. Absolutely not. I don´t like this for a second."
The fusion pulsed once, then again.
It rose.
A monstrous creation towered over the bleachers, a twisted mass of pixel limbs and shifting faces. Its joints stretched endlessly, snapping into place with video-game lag. Transparent, solid, always distorted... something about it felt so wrong.
A single eye, an enormous pixelated orb of red static, blazed from the center of its torso.
Riko took a step back. What… what is THAT?
Kaze's voice was quiet, cold, devoid of emotion. High-tier merge. A networked entity.
English, please! Riko pressed, his voice rising again.
It's smarter, Kaze's tone was unwavering. Faster. Stronger. More aware.
And I hate it, Luna added.
The giant glitch monster shifted its weight, crushing the pixel blocks under its feet. It scanned the gym slowly, as if studying every living thing. Its gaze passed over. Luna felt goosebumps rise on her skin. As the eye passed on Kaze, the air seemed to sharpen around him.
But when the eye locked onto Riko—
The gym vibrated intensely, dust fell from the rafters.
Riko felt the pressure, suffocating him.
Luna whispered, Dude, it's looking at you like you're a snack.
Kaze stepped forward. Riko, don't hesitate.
I wasn't planning to! Riko retorted.
The creature moved.
No warning.
No windup.
Instant motion--like skipped frames from a video game. A massive limb swept across the gym, pixel digits extended. Before Riko could react, the monster sliced through the bleachers, sending shattered wood flying.
Luna shrieked, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
Riko dodged, grabbed her arm, and dragged her behind a fallen scoring table. Stay low!
I AM LOW! I AM SO LOW RIGHT NOW, I COULD BE A SNAKE!
Kaze lunged, landing on a glitch block, springing onto the creature's arm. With incredible balance, he sprinted, and drove a palm strike into shifting flesh. The hit reverberated, rippling outward like a shockwave.
The creature staggered, but then recovered.
Riko jumped, slamming a glowing fist into its leg. Pixels swirled. The ground shook under the shifting weight as the creature roared, limbs contorting wildly.
Luna grabbed a stray dodgeball and threw it at the monster.
It bounced harmlessly off.
She shouted, I KNOW THAT DID NOTHING BUT IT MADE ME FEEL BETTER!
The creature lashed out at Kaze, who dodged. "It's unstable focus the central node!"
"You mean the big eye? I can try!"
Riko charged, dodging the massive limb tearing the pixel floor. He climbed, blocks disintegrating slightly under his steps, each one bringing him closer to the monster's great gaze.
"Riko! Behind you!"
He spun to block a secondary limb. Code burst. The creature roared.
Riko lunged
His fists glowed
The creature widened its eye
He struck
Pixel static burst, students screamed and the creature almost lost its balance.
"YES! HIT IT AGAIN!"
But the thing wasn't going down yet. Its chest heaved and twisted as it spoke.
The room vibrated.
It screamed in a layered, echoing boom that made the body tremble.
"BRING ME THE USER."