The aftermath of the duel still lingered in the air.
Zane didn't return to class. He didn't need to. After what he'd done to Nero—an elite enforcer with an S-rank system—his name was already spreading like wildfire through the encrypted campus networks. Screenshots. Combat footage. Screengrabs of Nero's Chimera Drive being overridden in real-time.
The system had tried to erase the data.
It failed.
Zane made sure of it.
Inside the utility tunnels beneath Sector 3, far from cameras and curious eyes, Zane was already planning his next move. Root Access displayed three new files floating in front of him, glowing like hovering ghosts.
[Acquired System Fragment: Chimera Claw Subroutine]
[Acquired Data: Nero Kyros Combat Logs]
[Unlocked: Phantom Rewrite – Clone Module v1]
His fingers flew across an invisible interface, configuring a new hybrid module. A shadowy chimera limb emerged from his shoulder, morphing and flickering before stabilizing.
"Huh," Zane muttered. "So that's what your claws feel like."
They retracted into data particles.
[Notice: Surveillance activity increasing. Campus-wide scanners on high alert.]
[WARNING: Authority Level 2 scanning for anomalies. Precautions recommended.]
Zane wasn't surprised.
He'd poked the beast. Now the system wanted blood.
Good.
He wanted war.
Meanwhile, deep within the System Authority Tower...
A man in a crimson longcoat stared at the footage of the duel on a quantum-monitor. His eyes glowed faintly.
"Unauthorized override. Direct hijack of an S-rank signature. He's just a student... How?"
Another agent in armor stepped forward. "The system registered him as a low-tier remnant. But this... this breaks every rule."
The man in red smiled faintly. "Then maybe it's time we bend the rules."
He turned.
"Send in Unit Sigma. And initiate Code Sweep across Academy Zone 12. If he resists—"
He paused, then grinned wider.
"—test him harder."
Back in the lower campus zone...
Zane walked into a warehouse—abandoned, rusting, corrupted. The perfect place to disappear.
Except someone was already inside.
"Didn't think you'd come here so soon," a voice echoed.
Zane turned slowly.
A girl stepped out from behind a broken terminal—black combat suit, sleeveless jacket, silver tech-strands wrapped around her fingers.
Eyes sharp. Dangerous. Familiar.
Name: Kira Vey.
Former system engineer. Blacklisted. Vanished last year after an unauthorized raid on a System Data Vault.
Also: Zane's old ally.
"You're alive," Zane said, stunned.
Kira smirked. "You're still a smartass."
They stared at each other for a moment before she flicked her fingers—and holograms exploded into view around them. Maps. Signal trackers. Data fragments.
"You cracked Chimera Drive."
"Yeah."
"And let the whole school see it."
"...Yeah."
She sighed. "You're insane."
Zane chuckled. "You're still watching."
She nodded, eyes narrowing. "Because I know what's coming. And you're not ready."
Zane crossed his arms. "Then bring me up to speed."
Kira pulled up a corrupted system map, showing nodes connected across the academy like a neural web.
"This school isn't just an academy. It's a testbed. A proving ground for corporate weapons, system AI, and override tech. Every duel? Every signal spike? It's logged. Analyzed. Sold."
She zoomed in.
"At the center is something called Project Orion. It's what the Authority really cares about."
Zane's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"
Kira shook her head. "Don't know yet. But you triggered a flag. That duel? It wasn't just watched—it activated Orion's primary alert."
Zane took a breath. "So I'm in their crosshairs."
"No," Kira replied. "You are the crosshair now."
An hour later...
The warehouse exploded.
Literally.
A sonic boom shattered the roof, and cloaked figures dropped in—six of them, masked, glowing armor suits enhanced with bleeding-edge override systems.
Unit Sigma.
Zane didn't hesitate.
[Root Access: Engage Combat Mode.]
[Phantom Rewrite: Chimera Claw Activated.]
[Ghost Code: Decoy Emission Online.]
He flicked his fingers—five Zane clones darted outward like glitching shadows.
One agent lunged. Zane met him mid-air, spinning and slicing with the chimera claw. Sparks and shredded armor burst like shrapnel.
Another fired a suppression round—Zane hijacked the bullet mid-flight, flipping its trajectory into the next agent's face.
But the real problem?
The leader.
Unit Sigma Captain: Model 7A. Code name: Nullshade.
He moved like a phantom, his override system absorbing light and heat. Even Root Access struggled to track him.
[Warning: Threat Level – Lethal.]
Nullshade struck—blades of null-data raking across Zane's shoulder. His flesh hissed with digital burns.
But Zane grinned through the pain.
"You hit hard," he spat blood. "Now it's my turn."
He reached into his HUD and force-activated an unstable hybrid file:
[Override Command: Phantom Rewrite + Blackout Virus]
[Result: CHAOS MODULE v0.1 – "DATA PREDATOR"]
His body warped.
Half-shadow. Half-system glitch. His eyes flared with corrupted energy.
Zane leapt.
Clashed.
Tore through one agent. Hijacked another's defense system and made them explode mid-defense. Slashed Nullshade's chest, forcing a rare grunt.
"Who the hell are you?!" Nullshade snarled.
Zane's voice echoed, distorted by the chaos code.
"I'm not a user anymore... I'm a predator."
With one final lunge, Zane drove his corrupted claw into Nullshade's chest—infecting his system with a viral lockout.
Nullshade fell, screaming.
The battle ended in fire and sparks.
Zane collapsed to one knee, chest heaving, blood dripping from his lips. Kira ran to him, eyes wide.
"You idiot! That Chaos Module could've killed you!"
Zane coughed. "But it didn't."
She helped him up.
"We need to move. Now. The system won't stop. You're a target."
Zane stood tall, eyes burning with purpose.
"Let them come. I'll tear their code apart."
Behind him, the remains of Unit Sigma sparked and fizzled.
Ahead of him... war.
End of Chapter 7