In silence, they waited, watching the final seconds tick down. When only fifteen were left, Isaac glanced at the two women, seeing their bodies tense. The pouts and smiles from just a moment ago were gone, replaced by rigid expressions. They looked—and probably felt—like they were going to war.

And in a way, they were. They just had no idea what those Virus Wars really entailed.

Five seconds…

Eyes back on the timer, Isaac watched it drop to the final second. When it happened, a large screen with a familiar dark red background appeared before him. A moment later, the half-crow, half-man stepped in front of the camera and spread his feathered arms wide.

"Welcome! Welcome again, my dear Hosts!" Fisk's strong and jovial voice filled Isaac's ears. "It's been a while, hasn't it? I had a wonderful break—thank you for asking. Got lots of work done. Some of you might even know what I mean," he finished with a wink.

"But we're not here to talk about my time off. Oh no." The Overlord flashed them a grin. "We are here to officially present you with the inner workings and rules of the coming Virus Wars! I'm so excited I can barely stand still."

With a wave of Fisk's hand, a familiar tournament bracket appeared by his side.

"To begin with, a short refresher for those of you who haven't been listening the last time," the Overlord said, gesturing to the bracket. "For now, the only parts that matter are the first two elimination rounds, the ones we call Fusion Wars. Help your planet win those, and you won't have to worry about being offered up as a sacrifice to the Overseer in the rest of the tournament. Simple, isn't it?"

Just like that, the bracket vanished, leaving Fisk alone on the screen. Isaac used this short pause to release a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"So, Fusion Wars… Personally, not my favorite rounds of the tournament, but I can't deny that they have a certain charm," Fisk said before raising one of his hands. "And no, we won't be discussing the later rounds today. All I will say is that in some ways, they will be harder. In others? Easier. But again, that's a story for another day."

"In Fusion Wars, two planets, two different civilizations, will face each other in a fight for survival. Sixty-four worlds. Thirty-two matchups. But how does it work? How is the winner decided?"

Fisk chuckled, giving the camera a shallow bow.

"Allow me to explain."

Next to the Overlord, a board-like window appeared, its background green. For now, it remained empty.

"Fusion Wars are all about points! Points. Points. Points!" Fisk exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "Each Host will earn them individually, but they all contribute to a shared goal—defeating the rival planet. As for how you can gain them? Have a look!"

With a snap of his fingers, the green board filled itself. Isaac narrowed his eyes at the stuff written there.

[Fusion Wars Points] - 1 Point is awarded for killing a monster no more than 10 levels below the Host's current level. - Non-combat Origin-bearers (Crafting related) can obtain points for certain breakthroughs or sheer hard work. - Points for eliminating Nests, Monster Villages, Dark Pits, etc., will be decided by the Interface based on the Host's contribution, performance, and the instance's threat level. - Fusion War winners can exchange points for bonus rewards before the next round begins.

"And that's the short of it!" Fisk declared. "At all times, you will be able to view a live ranking—just one—that shows which side is currently in the lead. Of course, it won't tell you how many points either your planet or your enemy has gathered. Why?"

Fisk's grin widened.

"To keep your fighting spirit alive, why else?" He winked. "It wouldn't do for one side of the conflict to see how badly they're losing and just give up. Nobody wants that! Always fight to the bitter end."

He gave a theatrical sigh before continuing. "Now, I know what some of you are thinking. 'That's it? Those are the rules, and now we just have to kill monsters?'"

He snorted, clearly amused.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Wrong! Why would we call it Fusion Wars if that was the case?" He snapped his fingers again. "Introducing… Battleworlds!"

The board vanished. In its place appeared an oval-shaped map. Two small green zones at opposite ends. Next came two yellow territories, much larger than the greens, and covering a good chunk of the remaining territory. Finally, the center lit up in a bright red, splitting the map into five uneven regions.

"This..." Fisk said. "This is where the real fighting happens. An artificial world, pieced together from fragments of the Broken Realm. As you can see, it has three zones. Green is where each side will have a single Safe Zone to their disposition. It's also where you will find the weakest monsters. The yellow and red? I think you can guess what those mean."

Yeah… Isaac grimaced. Doesn't take a genius.

"And of course, someone always asks," Fisk mocked, "'Why would we ever go there? Why not just stick to cleaning up our own planet?' Again, easy!"

He raised a finger. "On Battleworlds, you will earn twice as many points for killing monsters. But that's not all!"

His grin turned razor-sharp.

"I'm sure some of you looked at that rule board and wondered: 'What happens if I kill a Host from the other side?'"

The Overlord chuckled darkly.

"The obvious? You stop them from earning more points for their team. The less obvious? You erase all their contributions and steal a third of their points for yourself. See? Even if your planet is losing hard, there's nothing a little murder can't fix."

Isaac's blood froze in his veins. This was it, the part of the Virus Wars he had expected, but hoped wasn't true anyway. Even if those weren't humans. Even though he had already killed another Host during the Pioneer trial…

Could he really slaughter others just for points?

No… He shook his head, his fists clenching. Not just points. Survival. That's what we are fighting for. It's us or them. No other way…

Isaac let out a deep breath and refocused on the screen. Fisk was still talking, after all.

"Oh, and there's one more crucial detail about Battleworlds," the Overlord said, snickering a bit. "The Wrap Portals. You will find them in the yellow zones, but may only use the ones on your enemy's side. As for what they do? You guessed right! They transport you straight to the home world of your opponent."

Fisk raised his hands. "Now, before any of you die from a heart attack at the thought of a potential invasion, let me clarify a few things. One, each Wrap Portal can only transport a single Host before closing and respawning somewhere else. Two, invading your enemy's world will alert them, and every once in a while, they will receive the coordinates of your current location. Doesn't sound so bad now, hmm?"

No, Isaac agreed, frowning. But this can't be all. It wouldn't make any sense.

Fisk's next words proved him right.

"Of course, with all those drawbacks, you will ask me again. 'What's the point then? Why would we ever use these portals?'" Fisk's eyes glinted as he paused. "My answer? To win."

"Just like on Battleworlds, all monsters killed on the hostile world will award you double the points. To make it sweeter, if you survive long enough, the Interface will offer you a chance to extract. You will be returned to your home world, and all the points you have earned during your incursion—from monsters and Hosts alike—will be doubled just like that. How about that deal?"

Here it is, Isaac thought. The carrot on a stick.

On the screen, Fisk sighed. "And with that little revelation, we reach the end of this transmission. Once I vanish from your sight, a new, short timer will appear. When it hits zero, all functions of the Fusion Wars will unlock, including the ability to enter the Battleworld using your nearest Support Nexus… Oh, and one last friendly tip. If you reach the edge of a Battleworld… don't jump. We won't rescue you."

With that, the Overlord bowed low. "Fight well, young Hosts. The universe is watching."

The screen flashed and vanished, as if it had never been there.

"Well fuck," Isaac muttered.

"They are insane," came Marie's whisper.

Elaine snorted. "No. I think they are way past insane at this point…"

Isaac opened his mouth to reply, but just then a brand-new notification appeared before him.

Round One of Virus Wars shall begin in: <5h:43m:24s>

Marie spoke first. "Five hours. We should use it. Get some rest. Might not get another chance anytime soon."

To Isaac's surprise, Elaine didn't argue. He thought she would at least want to talk a bit about everything they had just heard. Apparently not. Still though, she turned to him.

"You're meeting Rakin again, right?" she asked, her face unreadable.

"Yes," he answered. No point in dodging the subject. They already knew about the Overlord's message. And if Elaine wanted to argue again, he honestly couldn't care less anymore.

Thankfully, she didn't. She just nodded. "Good. Get some answers from him. Anything we can use to win this bullshit. We don't even know how long the first round will last. Or who we are fighting."

Isaac shot her a tired smile. "Will do my best."

With that, he lay down and closed his eyes.

All right, Rakin. This better be worth it.

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