On the wide-screen TVs on Ninth Street, pixelated fireworks, letters and animations flickered to life. Massive digital banners unfurled over shops and skyrails, elevated with the voice of an excited announcer.
"ERIDU'S BIGGEST GAMING EVENT RETURNS!"
The streets were packed as cute Bangboos passed out promotional flyers, and big screens broadcasted a sleek trailer of last year's championship highlights — epic clashes, jaw-dropping reversals, and dramatic slow-motion finishers.
"The Fatal SmackDown Online World Tournament is BACK! Sponsored by the creators of Hounds I! Do YOU have what it takes to become Eridu's next GOD OF GAMES?!" the voice screamed through the TV.
Somewhere in the crowd, a small figure stood quietly before a poster board. He wore a red hoodie several sizes too big, hood drawn low over his face. He looked up at the competition rules, system, and that prize written in bold letters.
[50,000,000 Million Dennies!!!]
He pulled the hood tighter, gave the flyer one last glance... and walked off.
---
Half a month quickly passed since the tournament announced its return. The competition had raged online for seven days straight.
Over ten thousand hungry competitors signed up for the brutal all-for-one, one-for-all death matches. Victory meant survival. A single loss meant complete elimination for the participant.
Now, after all that pain, sweat, tears, missed showers, appointments, and putting on deodorant, only sixteen remained.
Inside the virtual arena's commentators' lounge, two stylish avatars appeared in a holographic window: one with slick silver hair and a dark purple suit, the other with fluffy fox ears, orange eyes, and a dazzling orange-and-white kimono, with her hair in twin tails.
The screen behind them displayed the remaining participants and their highlight reels, while also showing funny fails from the eliminated competition.
Tens of thousands were watching from home live or on their devices, and now, the ending was soon coming to its finale.
"Welcome, ladies and gents! I'm Mr. Drake! Last year's champion."
"And I'm Kyumi Hoshimi, chief editor of God Finger Monthly. We're bringing you the FINAL DAY of Fatal SmackDown: World Showdown Tournament!"
They waved as thousands of viewers filled the chat. Emojis, popcorn GIFs, and sad emojis spammed the stream.
"Ahhh, I can't wait, shout out to my homeboy J-Doooog."
"Hi Mum, look I'm on TV. 😘"
"🍿🍿🍿🍿"
"MY Sheilllaaaaaaa..."
"I bet Zero is winning this thing."
"Please have my babies, Miss Kyumi."
Mr. Drake: "It's been one heck of a ride for all those involved! Over 9,000 eliminations, turnarounds, surprise upsets, and here we are with our top sixteen!"
Kyumi: "Let's go over the rules again for the new viewers joining us. This is a one-on-one, single-elimination format. Players must win FOUR matches in a row today to become the champion!"
Mr. Drake: "That's right. And don't forget the prize — a whopping 50 million Dennies, lifetime membership to any HyperKade in the capital, and of course, the coveted God of Games title!"
Kyumi: "And let's not forget — our top contenders. We've got last year's semi-finalist Sword_XV, the flashy combo prodigy ComboQueen42, the ruthless technician GrimBeta, and the mysterious newcomer who's shocked everyone…"
Mr. Drake: "…Player Zero. No profile. No history of previous competition. A complete and utter mystery, not only for us but for veterans of the gaming field too. Nobody knows who he is."
Kyumi: "They've swept every match. Clean, no losses. That 300-hit combo on KingGrin still has people talking!"
Mr. Drake: "Well, whoever they are, they're just four wins away from glory. So without further ado—"
The screen cut to black for a moment…
Then erupted into a dazzling display of digital flames over a roaring virtual crowd.
Kyumi: "LET THE FINAL SHOWDOWN… BEGIN!!"
[MATCH ONE — LOADING…]
---
The livestream chat scrolled like wildfire, a flurry of emotes, screaming capitals, and inside jokes blasted through the screen, with some being immediately banned for inappropriate comments.
The Hounds I Global Tournament was reaching an all-time high in viewership with half a million watching across the Capital, New Eridu, the Outer Ring, and beyond, as the final sixteen faced off in the bracketed elimination round.
Inside the virtual commentary booth, Kyumi Hoshimi sat in her holographic chair, one ear flicking in excitement. "This has been one of the most unpredictable brackets I've seen in years. Mr. Drake, how are we feeling?"
Mr. Drake adjusted his mic, his signature black turtleneck and glasses in place. "Kyumi, I don't say this often, but I'm genuinely rattled. The quality of gameplay is unreal, it's even getting me itchy to join them. We've already seen last year's fourth-place finalist knocked out in round one by someone named… get this — 'BootyGoblin420."
Kyumi laughed, showing her fangs.
As they spoke, the screen split to show multiple matches happening at once:
Match 1: A clean-cut corporate gamer named "ByteKnight" faced off against a streamer known for playing in full cosplay, "MechaBabe." Their fight was flashy, with sparks flying from weapon contacts, armor, and sword strikes. ByteKnight used strict frame-perfect counters, but MechaBabe baited him into a corner combo and won with 80 HP left.
Match 2: "MuffinCrusher" and "TanktopTurtle" had an even crazier match where they both taunted mid-fight, tried to high-five mid-combo, and somehow ended in a double KO. In the rematch, MuffinCrusher won by just spamming low kicks and shouting "TECHNICAL STRATEGY!" in the mic.
Match 3: A battle of pure speed. "FlashFrame," known for moving so fast he looked like a blur on screen, versus "MistressAFK," who… appeared to not move at all. Until the very end. She pulled off one perfect parry-combo and annihilated him in a single string. The chat exploded.
"Yo! AFK was baiting the whole time!"
"She's my new religion."
"MOMMY!!!!"
---
But the player everyone was talking about? Zero!!
He swept his first opponent with perfect rounds, never letting them touch the ground.
His second match was already underway, a fire-lit arena resembling a collapsing cityscape. His opponent? A well-known teen esports player named "Brav3Heart," last year's runner-up.
Brav3Heart grinned from his webcam, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see if the mystery man can keep up."
Mr. Drake spoke up. "This is the one to watch, folks. Zero's clean, yes, but Brav3Heart's experience on the big stage is no joke. Let's see how it goes."
The match started.
Round One — lightning fast.
Brav3Heart opened with pressure-heavy jabs, cornering Zero's fighter. His fans cheered in the chat:
"LET'S GO BRAV3HEART!!"
"RUSHDOWN! RUSHDOWN!!"
Mr. Drake: "As expected of Brav3Heart — for the first time since the competition, Zero has lost HP and has been corner—"
Zero blocked. Rolled. Then opened up.
A seven-hit launcher combo. Then a bounce. Then another juggle. Then a perfect dodge.
Kyumi gasped. "Wait… he turned that around mid-air. That's not even in the tech guides yet."
Brav3Heart looked surprised but didn't panic. He adjusted. Round One went to Zero, but just barely.
Round Two — Brav3Heart adapted quickly to Zero's fighting style. He started baiting Zero's parries, punishing him with delayed strikes. He ended the round with a flashy aerial knockout.
The crowd went WILD.
"1-1! LET'S GOOOOO!!"
"THIS THE FINALS?!"
"MY MUM IS ASKING WHY I'M ON MY KNEES."
"PUT THIS ZERO GUY IN A MUSEUM, BECAUSE HE'S HISTORY."
---
Round Three, the final round.
Tension in the chat was unbearable. Zero opened with a full dash, no hesitation whatsoever.
They clashed in the center — hit for hit.
Brav3Heart was faster, but Zero was more methodical. His inputs were exact. Fast and to the point with no wasted moves. His movements were almost… mocking.
And then the finishing combo.
Parry. Low jab. Cancel into aerial. Mid-air reset. Ground slam. Guard break. Final move: Fatal Claw — the screen turned red.
KO.
Zero wins.
Brav3Heart sat there, stunned. He removed his headset, leaned back in his chair, then laughed and gave a respectful salute to the camera.
Mr. Drake whistled. "That kid's got ice in his veins."
Kyumi nodded slowly. "No… he's got fire. I don't know who Zero is… but he just made his way into the semifinals."
The virtual bracket updated live, filling in Zero's name in bold letters.
SEMI-FINALIST: ZERO
The stream chat ignited.
:ZERO IS BUILT DIFFERENT."
"My man really said 'hold my bear' and cooked."
"ZEEEEEEEEROOOOOOO!!!!"
---
The semifinals had finally arrived.
Four names remained on the glowing bracket board, beamed above the virtual stage in flashing neon blue and black.
Zero
MistressAFK
MuffinCrusher
MechaBabe
Kyumi Hoshimi leaned forward. "This is it. Two matches. Then the title. Eridu's next God of Games."
Mr. Drake nodded, adjusting his glasses. "And from what I've seen… it's anyone's game. I'm sure everyone cant wait a second longer, so let the semifinals begin."
"..."
MechaBabe vs. MuffinCrusher.
The arena: Sky Temple Zero.
Platforms rotated over a swirling sky, and random gravity shifts mid-round happened constantly. MechaBabe dazzled the viewers with spinning combos and hard reads. MuffinCrusher… well, crushed muffins. At one point, he stopped to eat a real muffin on camera, taunting his opponent.
Final result: MechaBabe's precision overpowered the memes. A good meme, but a meme nonetheless.
She advanced to the finals.
Then came the second semi-final.
Zero vs. MistressAFK.
The crowd knew this would be a brutal matchup. AFK had eliminated every single opponent with one-hit clutch plays. Her webcam was still dark. She wasn't an unknown like Zero, but she still preferred her privacy.
The match loaded into the Twilight Canyon map with rocky ledges, traps, and a whole lot of mobs.
AFK opened aggressively, a rare move from her. She knocked Zero off the platform three times in the first round alone.
"Is this it for Zero?" Kyumi whispered.
But Zero adapted.
By Round 3, the two were locked in a dizzying dance of parries, blocks, and counters.
Then, just as AFK went in for her finisher, a triple-step aerial drop — Zero ducked, side-canceled, and hit a frame-perfect reversal.
KO.
Match over.
The chat went feral.
"This kid's not real, he can't be — who the hell is he?!"
"ZERO IS INSANE WTF."
"Zero, please win this."
"AFK GOT UNAFK'D."
---
Mr. Drake couldn't contain his laughter. "He just turned a kill move into a finisher reversal. Who is this guy?!"
The bracket updated live:
GRAND FINAL: ZERO vs. MECHABABE
The tournament's host team announced a surprise:
"For the final match of this year's tournament… we'll be unveiling a brand new battlefield debuting now, and available in a few weeks' time!"
The screen flashed white and a new map loaded in, never-before-seen: Elysium.
A massive floating garden suspended in the sky. Shimmering glass walkways. Giant glowing lilies that pulsed in time with the background music. Sunbeams cast radiant patterns across the floor.
The beauty stunned the viewers.
"Whoa," Kyumi whispered. "They definitely saved the best for last."
Then, the match began.
Zero vs. MechaBabe.
The final fight to decide who will walk away with 50,000,000 Dennies.
She opened aggressive with spinning kicks, burst combos, midair throws. Zero was on the ropes early — barely any time to respond. He tumbled through glass vines and flying platforms, taking hit after hit.
HP: 420… 310… 200… 130…
Down to 100.
The chat screamed:
"RIP ZERO 😭"
"MechaBabe cracked for real."
"How's he gonna come back from this?!"
"Come on MechaBabe, I've bet a million Dennies on you, you son of a biych."
"I can't look, tell me when it's over."
---
Kyumi leaned forward. "This is match point. If Zero's gonna do something, it has to be—"
And then it happened.
In the span of two seconds, Zero parried a mid-combo launcher, frame-canceled, rolled beneath her finisher, wall-ran off the glowing lily, and came down with an air dive attack...one pixel-perfect input at a time.
MechaBabe staggered.
Zero kept going.
Juggle. Wall bounce. Aerial strike. Reset.
Even Mr. Drake stood from his seat. "Wait, wait — is he going for the Godlink Combo?!"
Kyumi gasped. "That's only been pulled off once. In a simulation. Years ago!"
Zero hit every frame.
As the screen pulsed red, the combo ended in a final attack:
Judgment Spiral.
A tornado of color swallowed MechaBabe whole.
KO.
Silence.
Then:
WINNER: ZERO.
The screen exploded in gold. Fireworks and a virtual rain of confetti.
The chat completely detonated:
"ARE YOU SERIOUSSSSS, FUUUUUUUCK MY MONEY!!!"
"ZERO = GOAT."
"HE DID THE GODLINK. HE'S THE GOD OF GAMES NOW."
"..."
---
Back in the virtual booth, Kyumi put her hands to her head. "He actually did it. The dark horse of the tournament actually did it."
Mr. Drake stared at the scoreboard. He sat in his chair, still in disbelief. "Whoever you are, Zero… you've made history today."
The final title screen appeared:
NEW GOD OF GAMES — ZERO
50,000,000 DENNIES PRIZE
"UNDEFEATED."
---
Somewhere, away from the flashing lights and thousands of screaming spectators, a couch creaked softly in a small apartment.
The screen flickered as confetti rained over Zero's digital name.
On the couch, a kid in Bangboo pajamas lay sprawled with his legs up, controller upside down in his lap. A half-empty bag of Boo Puffs rested on his chest.
Tata let out a sleepy yawn, stretching one foot lazily.
"Mmmm… guess we've got the capital now. I was really stressing on how to start this thing, but with this 50 million, there should be no problem. Hopefully. Now I just need to convince the old man."
From the other end of the couch, Tupa backflipped off a pillow, flinging snacks everywhere.
En, ehn-en!! Ne-ne, na nah no!!!! [THAT WAS INSANE!! Did you see the GODLINK?! Tata, you did the aerial flip slice explodey thing! You're a legend now!!]
Tupa struck a fake martial arts pose, clearly trying to reenact the final combo, then fell off the couch with a crash.
Tata yawned again. Now that he had won, all he wanted to do was go to sleep, not even bothering with the award ceremony. He'd read the contract. The money would be sent to his dad's account by next week.
"I told you," he muttered, tossing a puff into his mouth. "Easy game."
The TV still flashed with the final scene:
ZERO — CHAMPION.
Tupa looked at the screen, then at Tata, beaming.
Nu-nah. [I bet the whole city's trying to guess who you are.]
Tata smirked, already dozing off.
"Let 'em. Alright, I'm off. Have a good night, Tupa." In a few seconds flat, he was already asleep.
Tupa shook its head at its master's nonchalant attitude, but grabbed a blanket and pulled it over Tata.
Na-na. [Good night!!]
-------
A.N
If you want to read 3 chapters ahead on Zzz:Prometheus or support me, my Patreon is: patreon.com/Prometheus_VII