The announcer’s voice boomed through the dome.

  “Next match — Deadzone Protocol! Team Vitalis… versus Captain Ganbold T?m?rbaatar of Team Null!”

  Gasps rippled through the cadets.

  The battleship groaned as steel decks sank into the depths below. Water drained away, waves receded, and plating sealed the void with a deep, echoing—

  CLANG!

  From beneath the dome, a new structure began to rise.

  Cold floodlights snapped to life, bathing the arena in sterile white. Guard towers jutted from the corners, red sensors sweeping in steady arcs. Steel catwalks lined the upper levels, their railings threaded with cables and motion-tracking lights. Cameras hummed, lenses panning like watchful eyes.

  At the center, behind double doors, sat a single containment chair — cuffs around the armrests. Null waited beneath a circle of harsh white light.

  It wasn’t sprawling chaos like the shipyard or the jungle. This was control. Order. Confinement.

  A maximum-security prison built for one purpose: containment.

  The prison rose higher, its walls cold and unwelcoming beneath the floodlights. Steel catwalks locked into place with metallic rattles. The air felt thinner already.

  ?

  From the upper seats, Cael leaned forward, brows drawn.

  “I feel like they built this just for Grid. I don’t see how any of us could reach our captain through that.”

  Lior exhaled, following the reinforced chamber with his eyes.

  “Yeah… it’s like they wanted to test him specifically.”

  Titan’s low voice rumbled beside them — calm, but edged with that unmistakable certainty.

  “Cadets like Grid are the ones the directors notice first. Someone with his mind… he could run Veritas one day. Maybe even become president of the organization.”

  Lior’s jaw flexed.

  “I don’t think that’s what he wants.”

  Ayasha’s tone sharpened, bitterness threading through her voice.

  “Think, Lior. Do you really think any of us wanted to be here? Our choices were taken the moment Potestas chose us.”

  Her words lingered as their focus shifted below.

  ?

  [ENTERING ZONE SEVEN — TEAM VITALIS]

  Grid sat on the bench near the staging tunnel, headphones loose around his neck, posture almost lazy. While the prison loomed above, he looked like a man waiting for a bus — not a cadet about to enter Deadzone Protocol.

  The announcer’s voice rolled across the dome again, echoing off the steel walls.

  “Team Vitalis — please proceed to the starting point!”

  Grid finally tugged his headphones down, muttering under his breath.

  “This is so messed up. Out of all the zones, we get the one with sensors, locked doors, the whole shabang.”

  Thorn stepped up beside him, arms crossed.

  “So… I’m guessing the plan we talked about doesn’t work in a place like this?”

  Grid exhaled through his nose, an irritated smirk pulling at his mouth.

  “This is the one place it won’t work.”

  Silverline tilted her head, unimpressed.

  “So what now?”

  Grid stretched, interlocking his fingers above his head until his joints cracked.

  “I guess… we’ll just have to fly it blind.”

  Silverline rolled her eyes.

  “You’re such a weirdo.”

  Thorn smirked faintly, glancing between them.

  “Would you want him any other way?”

  The three chuckled together — a rare moment of ease before the storm.

  ?

  A red sensor beam swept across the corridor, dragging its glow like a hunting eye. The sound of machinery thrummed faintly through the metal walls.

  Silverline shifted forward—

  Grid’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist.

  “Wait.”

  They crouched in silence as the beam slid across the floor, pausing just before their boots… then moved on.

  Grid’s voice was low.

  “Go. Now.”

  They darted through the gap, boots whispering against the floor.

  Thorn kept his tone quiet as they ran.

  “How do you want to go about this?”

  Grid’s eyes flicked from wall to wall.

  “If it were me? I wouldn’t put the captain in the back. I’d put them right in the middle — force intruders to go deep, then fight their way out while soldiers close from both ends.”

  Thorn nodded once.

  “Deal.”

  They turned a corner—

  A shadow rose behind them.

  A soldier swung down with the butt of his rifle. Thorn stepped in, catching the strike mid-fall with a harsh—

  CLANG!

  Silverline’s voice snapped.

  “Two more behind us!”

  Grid hissed.

  “We fight. Keep it tight. Don’t burn yourselves out before Null.”

  “Right!” Thorn and Silverline echoed in unison.

  The first soldier swung again. Thorn’s eyes flashed yellow—

  Zwhuuum!

  Stillpoint Bloom froze the air for a heartbeat. Thorn ducked, let the moment pass, then released it with a punch that cracked the man’s jaw.

  THUD!

  Another charged Silverline. Her yellow flared—

  Chhh–Chh–Chhing!

  Silver-blue light traced her joints.

  —Niche Activated: Precision Chain—

  Can detect minute weaknesses in movement, structure, or defense. Upon landing a clean hit, she initiates a “chain” — each follow-up strike becoming more powerful, faster, and harder to defend against.

  She slipped inside his guard — ribs, ribs, ribs again — smooth, surgical.

  The third soldier lunged for Grid. His eyes flickered—

  Zzz-zzzip… PING!

  A digital grid flickered around the man’s arms.

  —Niche Activated: Grid—

  Grid can project zones across the battlefield. Green zones that buff (enhanced speed or strength) or red zones that debuff enemies (Speed or strength). The stronger the debuff, the more setup time needed.

  The soldier’s movement staggered, broken. Grid’s knee snapped up clean into the gut.

  It was over in seconds.

  Grid brushed dust from his sleeve.

  “We can’t afford another run-in like that. ”

  They moved again — low, quiet, red sensors sweeping the walls.

  Then Grid stopped.

  A door. Different metal, slightly offset from the others.

  His breath caught. This is it.

  ?

  Xun Ren leaned forward over the observation table, silver hair glinting under the monitors’ glow. His voice carried a rare note of surprise.

  “This kid… he isn’t just intelligent. He’s tactical. Strategic. We put that door there, but never thought he’d realize why.”

  The other directors sat in silence, eyes locked on the screens.

  ?

  Grid’s jaw tightened.

  “There’s no other way but straight through. Let’s do this.”

  Thorn frowned.

  “Seems risky.”

  “I wish there was another way,” Grid muttered, then squared his shoulders. “But there isn’t.”

  The three burst through the door.

  ?

  Captain Vitalis sat bound at the center of the chamber, her coat draped nearby. Spotlights angled down, making her look like some centerpiece display.

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  Her voice carried high, exaggerated — pure damsel’s wail.

  “Ahhhhhhhhhh! Oh Jace, Stillpoint, and Silverline — please save me from this brute!!”

  Grid’s head suddenly popped into frame, deadpan.

  “You’re not a damsel in distress! You’re supposed to be a Captain! You should be telling us not to worry about you!”

  Vitalis glared, puffing her cheeks.

  “Why are you so rude? I’m your Captain! I probably got caught ‘cause you were too lazy to do anything!”

  Grid jabbed a finger at her.

  “Now you’re just making hypotheticals!”

  Thorn and Silverline exchanged a perfectly flat look.

  “…That’s a pretty good one,” Silverline muttered.

  Grid spun toward them, teeth gritted.

  “You’re distracting me!” Then he turns to his Captain. “Isn’t her mouth supposed to be taped or something?!”

  Vitalis fumed, cheeks puffed like a child denied candy.

  Up in the stands, cadets leaned forward in confusion, whispering.

  ?

  The humor broke with a blur.

  A shadow cut through the chamber.

  Captain Null.

  He moved without sound, slicing through air like a blade.

  Thorn was already reacting, stepping between them. Null’s strike landed full force. Thorn’s body crashed backward through the doorway — the steel frame crumpled inward as the entrance exploded apart.

  BOOM!

  The room shook.

  Grid’s eyes widened.

  “Thorn!”

  Null didn’t even look at the wreckage. His voice was cold as metal.

  “You should worry about yourself.”

  His foot snapped up like a piston—

  CRACK!

  The kick was aimed for Grid’s ribs. Grid tried blocking it by lifting his knee to no avail. The kick sent him hurling across the chamber.

  THOOM!

  He hit a steel pillar, grit scraping the floor as he dropped to a knee.

  “Gh—!” His breath rattled.

  Silverline’s eyes flared yellow. Sparks laced through her limbs, arcs of silver-blue threading her joints like live circuitry.

  Chhh—Chh—Chhing!

  Precision Chain.

  Perfect strikes — linked rhythm, accelerating precision.

  She darted forward, cutting for Null’s ribs—

  —but his hand was already there.

  Steel grip. Momentum reversed.

  Silverline hit the deck hard, sliding across the floor in a harsh skid, hit a group of trash cans.

  CLANG!

  Grid staggered upright, pain stabbing through his side.

  Now what? How do I even—

  His vision flickered—

  He wasn’t in the fight anymore.

  He was back in the stands.

  ?

  “Aw, man… he’s gonna try and kill us,” Grid muttered, dragging a hand through his hair.

  Selena slid into the row beside Team Vitalis, calm and sharp-eyed.

  “He won’t,” she said quietly. “My captain’s all about efficiency and image. He’ll end this fast — minimal commotion, maximum control. Efficiency and power. Perception is reality. That’s what he drills into us.”

  The sound of steel brought him back.

  ?

  Null’s pressure weighed the air like gravity itself. Silverline was down. Thorn barely moved.

  Grid’s eyes snapped open — yellow light flaring in jagged, digital lines.

  “That’s it,” he breathed. “That’s how we beat him.”

  Pain tore through Grid’s legs as he stood.

  “Freeze Frame is in play — now!”

  Thorn staggered up, voice rough.

  “But you said —”

  Grid’s glare cut him off.

  “I have a plan!”

  Thorn smirked through the pain.

  “I knew you would..”

  Across the room, Silverline pushed up on one knee, breath shaky.

  “Yeah… took you long enough.”

  Their voices rose together, sharp and sure.

  “FREEZE FRAME — GO!”

  Grid’s aura flared first — jagged golden lines pulsing outward like a digital lattice coming online. His tactical overlay shimmered across the floor.

  Null’s eyes narrowed. He moved.

  The trap sprung.

  Zwhuuum!

  Thorn’s Stillpoint Bloom detonated — a sphere of silence swallowing the captain mid-stride. For one heartbeat, time froze.

  Silverline’s aura blazed — silver-blue arcs linking through her limbs. She slid over the green grid, barely visible to those not looking for it, her speed spiking. The zone burst her forward

  Then she froze mid-motion, suspended in Thorn’s stillness.

  Thorn’s teeth clenched, shoulders trembling.

  “Now!”

  The sphere collapsed.

  Grid’s focus snapped — his zone shifted from Silverline to Null, except now it was red, slowing the captain’s ability to react quickly. Long enough for Silverline.

  She burst free like a drawn blade.

  Chhh–Chh–Chhing!

  Her chain ignited — strikes flowing in perfect succession: wrist, rib, then his shoulder— each weak point the overlay exposed.

  When the chain ended Null staggered. His footing slipped— but only for a second..

  He steadied.

  Silverline looked back at the captain in awe.

  I didn’t think it would take him down, but I thought it would do more than that.

  Thorn stepped through the fading shimmer of Stillpoint, muscles coiled, stepping on to another one of Grid’s zones, a strength buff. His fist swung — pure intent.

  THHHWAMM!

  The blow sent Null flying through the steel barrier, debris raining in sparks.

  Silence swept the dome.

  Even the captains leaned forward — no one had seen Team Vitalis’ “Freeze Frame”.

  He winced as pain shot through his head.

  Three zones simultaneously, It feels like my head is going to explode.

  Grid winced as pain shot through his head.

  “Kinda wanted to save that for the tournament… but we had no choice.”

  Silverline rose slowly, bruised but breathing.

  “Is he done?”

  Thorn rolled his shoulder, wincing.

  “Of course not.”

  He looked to Grid.

  “So what’s the real plan?”

  Grid’s smirk deepened.

  “I knew you’d catch that.”

  Silverline wiped blood from her lip.

  “So what now?”

  Grid leaned in, voice low.

  “Now we make him play on our time.”

  They huddled close — whispered words, too quiet for the crowd to catch.

  ?

  Sparks flickered across the rubble.

  Null stepped out — brushing dust from his shoulders like it meant nothing. His voice cut sharp as a blade.

  “Not bad.”

  Then he vanished — movement faster than thought.

  The fight exploded again, rhythm and pressure colliding.

  Every time Null pressed one, another cut in from behind. Silverline darted for his back, pulled short when he pivoted. Thorn lunged heavy, peeled off at the last step.

  It wasn’t dominance.

  It was control — irritation turned into strategy.

  Minutes burned away leaving seconds remaining.

  “Thorn—hold it!” Grid shouted.

  Thorn’s aura snapped yellow. Stillpoint Bloom. He stretched it wider, longer, veins standing sharp. Pain rippled through him, but he forced it to hold — nearly two seconds.

  “Go!”

  Silverline blurred, boosted by Grid’s field. Her path wasn’t toward Null this time — it was toward Captain Vitalis, still bound at the center.

  Null broke free of Stillpoint a heartbeat early. His knee crashed into Thorn’s gut—

  Thump!

  —folding him in half.

  Silverline hadn't reached her Captain when Null’s kick whipped across her ribs, sending her tumbling.

  While the other two were distractions, Grid’s strategy was going as planned. Leaving him unchecked to release their captain.

  He had gotten close enough to lung for her ropes— fingertips brushing them—

  Up in the stands, Team Titan leaned forward. Snapback and Arcline exchanged faint smiles. Director Xun Ren’s eyes gleamed, studying every motion.

  Grid stretched farther—

  Null’s shadow fell over him. The captain’s elbow came down like a hammer.

  THWAK!

  Grid’s body hit the floor, inches from victory.

  BZZZZZT!

  The buzzer screamed.

  Time expired — the jumbotron showed what everyone already knew.

  [ROUND SEVEN: COMPLETE]

  [TEAM VITALIS: FAILED.]

  Grid’s vision wavered, eyelids fluttering. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Captain Vitalis turning her head toward him, a faint smile on her lips — as if she’d known they had done enough.

  Then darkness swallowed him whole.

  ?

  When light returned, it was soft and white — too calm compared to the chaos of the arena.

  The faint fwoosh… fwoosh… of curtains drifted through the sterile air. Somewhere nearby, a steady beep… beep… beep…kept slow time beside him.

  Grid blinked awake.

  Above him sat Captain Vitalis, a soft green glow pooling from her palm onto his chest. The warmth of her healing Niche was gentle, like a blanket on a in cool night.

  She noticed his eyes opening and smiled.

  “Welcome back.”

  Grid’s gaze shifted past her. Thorn and Silverline sat side by side on the next bed, small bandages scattered across them but looking far better than he felt.

  He let out a low groan, one hand rising to the tape wrapped around his head.

  “…I thought… we had it.”

  Vitalis leaned forward, her emerald eyes kind.

  “Whether you had it or not,” she said softly, “I don’t think I’ve ever been more impressed with you three.”

  She paused, her tone tightening with warmth.

  “Especially you, Grid.”

  For a moment, the room went quiet.

  Grid looked away — cheeks blushed, embarrassed, unsure how to handle it.

  It was a quiet beat between them, heavy with exhaustion, relief… and the smallest flicker of pride.

  Then she smiled wider, voice shifting playful again.

  “Oh, come here—”

  Before he could react, she leaned in and yanked him into a full embrace, his face sinking directly into her chest with a muffled—

  WHMP!

  “Mmph—mmphh!!” Grid flailed helplessly, voice smothered in breast.

  From the next bed, Thorn deadpanned.

  “Uh, Captain… I think you might be suffocating him.”

  Vitalis blinked, realization hitting. She released him instantly.

  Grid flopped back on the mattress, dazed, eyes spinning as if he’d been knocked out all over again.

  Vitalis gasped.

  “Oh no—Grid!”

  Silverline’s laugh bubbled softly in the corner, while Thorn just shook his head, the faintest smirk tugging at his mouth.

  The infirmary door slid shut behind them with a soft shhhk, muffling the sounds inside.

  For now, at least, their fight was over— battered, but together.

  End of Chapter 35