Chapter 68: The Fan and The Idol

Jax’s chest heaved as he stared at Emma’s three beasts.

Vulkrayne, the Furnace Knight

(SS-Rank)—a molten behemoth with magma dripping from its greatsword.

Aethernox, the Void Devourer

(SS-Rank)—a mass of swirling darkness with gravitational rings that bent reality itself.

Zephyra, the Stormwing Sentinel

(S-Rank)—lightning-wreathed and impossibly fast.

He was backed into a corner. His health was critical at 7%. His Tempest Sovereign was damaged.

’I can’t win a beast-on-beast fight. Her team is built for coordination.’

His eyes scanned Emma’s formation—Vulkrayne the brawler, Aethernox the tank, Zephyra the harassment unit.

’That’s it. The S-Rank. It’s the weakest link.’

If he could eliminate Zephyra, he’d break her coordination. But she’d expect that.

’I need a distraction. Make her believe I’m targeting her strongest beast.’

"

TEMPEST!

" Jax roared, pointing at Aethernox. "Full power!

SKYBREAKER WRATH!

"

The Tempest Sovereign reared back. The sky turned black as a massive vortex of storm energy formed above—huge, obvious, suicidal.

Emma watched, expression calm. ’A desperate, full-power strike. How predictable.’

"Aethernox. Singularity Pulse. Swallow it. Vulkrayne, brace for impact."

The void beast hummed, preparing to consume the attack. Vulkrayne planted its feet, molten armor glowing defensively.

Jax’s grin was maniacal. ’Got you.’

"

NOW!

"

The Tempest Sovereign didn’t launch the storm upward. It unleashed it sideways.

The wind grabbed the massive crystal platform—tons of rock—and used the storm’s force as a slingshot.

CRACK!

A colossal crystal shard ripped free, flying like a railgun slug under the aerial battle, aimed directly at Zephyra.

Emma’s eyes widened. "Zephyra, Ion Step! Dodge!"

Too late.

KRA-KOOM!

The crystal obliterated the S-Rank beast instantly.

[Zephyra (S-Rank) - ELIMINATED]

For one perfect moment, triumph surged through Jax. ’One down!’

"You really think," Emma’s voice cut through the air, cold as ice, "I wouldn’t account for your love of misdirection, Jax?"

Jax froze.

"You targeted my S-Rank. That was the only move you had." She smiled. "The Singularity Pulse wasn’t for the storm."

Fwwwip!

Aethernox’s gravitational attack latched onto the Tempest Sovereign, locking it in place.

"Vulkrayne. Infernal Charge."

The Furnace Knight rocketed forward. The combo was perfect—one beast to hold, one to destroy.

BOOOOOM!

Vulkrayne’s molten fist slammed into the immobilized dragon. The Tempest Sovereign roared in agony as void and magma energies tore it apart.

[Tempest Sovereign (SS-Rank) - ELIMINATED]

The backlash threw Jax backward, slamming him into the ground.

[Jax Rayne - HP: 7%]

Silence.

Jax stood frozen, his body trembling. He stared at his empty hands, then at the spot where his Tempest Sovereign had been.

He had no beasts. His health was critical. He had... lost.

For the first time in his life—the very first time—he was defeated. He didn’t know this feeling. Didn’t understand it. His mind couldn’t process it.

Emma stood before him, her two SS-Rank beasts flanking her like judgment itself.

"So, Jax," she said, her voice soft and almost gentle, "how is the feeling of defeat? I’m sure it would be your first time."

He didn’t say anything. Couldn’t. His throat felt tight. His thoughts were scattered fragments.

Emma’s expression twisted, her voice rising with barely contained emotion. "Oh, come on! You won’t speak? Not even on this wonderful moment? The moment I dreamed of? The moment I craved of? The moment to see your ego, your confidence, your everything crushed right in front of me!"

Her hands clenched into fists, trembling.

"For my revenge! For the humiliation you gave me! You don’t have a single idea what I have done for this day! What I’ve sacrificed for this revenge! And yet here you are, standing there without even realizing who I am!"

Jax’s mind slowly churned. ’So it was me all along. She was aiming for me. But... for what revenge?’

Then something clicked. A memory. The entrance match. The battleground. A girl—he’d forgotten her name his very first elimination. But he was sure. She was the one.

He didn’t say a single word because he didn’t know what was happening to him. Didn’t understand this hollow, crushing weight in his chest.

And then unexpectedly he laughed.

It started low, then grew. He laughed hard at his own foolishness, at considering himself the best, at thinking he was untouchable. And just doing stupid things here.

Emma saw it. His laughter. And she got angrier.

She hissed under her breath, her thoughts venomous. ’This maniac! After all these years! After everything I done for his single defeat! He’s standing there laughing! Maybe he’s seeing his defeat as a new experience, a new thrill!’

Her mind raced. ’All my efforts... gone. Wasted. I need more. New ways to humiliate him. The bet—yes, I’ll use it differently now. Make him suffer more than I planned.’

But then she looked at him again—truly looked and saw something that made her pause.

She smiled slowly, understanding dawning.

’Wait. I was wrong about Jax. I can feel it now. That laugh... it’s not excitement. He’s gone mad. He’s lost it. The defeat—his very first—the desperation, the realization that for the very first time in his life, he’s powerless.’

Emma’s smile widened, satisfied and cruel. "Good. Good. That’s what I wanted."

The laughter stopped.

Jax’s eyes focused on her with manic intensity.

"

RAAAAAAAGH!

"

He charged—not thinking, not planning, just pure rage. A man who’d never known helplessness, suddenly drowning in it. He lunged at Emma with bare hands and raw fury.

Emma just smiled.

One of her beasts moved. Vulkrayne’s massive hand grabbed Jax mid-charge and slammed him down. The beast’s armored foot pinned him to the ground, face pressed against cold stone.

[HP: 6%]

Emma walked over in a jolly mood, almost skipping. She crouched down, bringing her face level with his, her expression bright with twisted joy.

"How does it feel from down there, Jax?" she chirped. "From the place you send countless people?"

Her voice softened, turning contemplative. "You know, you’ve destroyed hundreds of people’s dreams. Their futures. Their everything."

She paused, her eyes going distant.

"I was one of them too. I lost everything."

In her mind’s eye, she saw herself—locked in a dark room, walls closing in, the same video playing over and over. The darkness. The isolation. The breaking.

She blinked, returning to the present, and looked up at the simulated sky. "But I was lucky. God helped me. Gave me a way to come out of that situation. Gave me a chance to have my revenge."

Jax, pinned and humiliated, spat out his response through gritted teeth.

"Fools. They’re all fools who give up on their dreams just because of me! If I was in their shoes—if I was defeated—I would have crushed the other me! Just like I will do to you! You wait and watch! I am not done with you! This is just the start! You will soon see the real Jax that you have never seen before!"

Emma threw her head back and laughed. A real, genuine laugh that rang with years of bitter irony.

"The real Jax?" She shook her head, still chuckling. "Oh, Jax... I have known you for ages. I have studied you. Only you. You don’t know how many countless nights I spent trying to make you acknowledge me, trying to make you understand I wasn’t someone weak like you said."

Jax’s mind stuttered. ’Ages? For ages?’

Confusion broke through his rage. "Wait... weren’t we met just a few weeks ago? In the exam?"

He struggled against the beast’s weight. "Are you not the girl from the entrance exam? The battleground?"

Emma smiled—sad, broken, and terrifying all at once.

"Look at you, Jax. You don’t even remember how many of your opponents you’ve made into enemies. How many of them you’ve tormented."

Her voice cracked with raw emotion. "And most importantly... you don’t remember me. The one whose entire life went looking for you. For your respect. For your acknowledgement. For just a tiny bit of appreciation for all my hard work."

She leaned closer, her breath hot against his face.

"Jaxon Sterling. Or should I call you Jax Rayne now?"

His blood turned to ice. ’She knows. She knows my real identity.’

Emma continued, her voice trembling with years of suppressed pain. "I’m pretty sure you didn’t know my name. Not even when we met back on earth. But I should tell you my story."

"I grew up watching you dominating games when you were just a mere child. You defeated every professional, and at the end of it, you would harshly tell them their mistakes and brag about what makes you better."

"And for that..." Her voice softened with the memory. "I liked you. Every bit of you. For what you were. I made a dream. My only goal was to stand on the same stage as you. To fight you. Defeating you was never my goal—I just needed appreciation. From my idol."

"And my hard work paid off. I made my way to my very first Grand Event. The Players Battleground Championship. Everything was going right. I was on the right track."

Her expression darkened.

"Until I saw you. At first, I was so happy."

"I still remember. You were holding an M14 rifle. I had a P90. You were looking straight at me, and then you said..."

Her voice took on a harsh imitation of his. "’Your angle of the gun is bullshit. Your balance and stance for it is all wrong. Go away. I don’t wanna fight weak opponents.’"

"It triggered me. The very first advice from someone I considered my idol was this."

"And worse came next. You turned your back. You put the gun away. My anger told me to shoot. And I did."

"But you..." She laughed bitterly. "You bought out your small knife and just used my bullet to sharpen its blade. And the next moment, you threw the knife and got me eliminated."

Clang!

"You know what happened after? You got praises. So many more followers. You were like a god to them. But you never thought a bit about me. What happened to me."

"I was trolled on socials. My parents told me to quit. In school, I was bullied. The same tape—your words—ranged in my head like forever."

"But it wasn’t enough to break me. Not yet. I worked hard on the same game. Worked on everything you said."

"And then next year, I stood again. Same place. You were standing in front of me, fighting other players. I took the advantage and shot right at your side."

"But you caught it from the sound. Just a dive to your right, and you fired right at my traveling bullet to change its direction and eliminate another player. Then I shot a barrage of bullets. None met your skin. Most hit your gun, shielding you. And I couldn’t dodge like you."

"Your fire met my head. And you said..." She smiled through tears. "’Still pathetic. Come back when you learn the difference between courage and stupidity.’"

"After that, I didn’t give up. Not yet. I broke after fourteen more tries. Fourteen more matches. Just for once—just for one time—to have my revenge. But in all of them, I ended up in humiliation."

Hearing it all, Jax was sure now. He knew who she was.

A girl from Earth. A girl with a never-giving-up attitude. What he gave wasn’t humiliation—it was his way of appreciation, his way of giving advice. Because he never knew how to appreciate others properly. So it went on like that.

He saw the hard work in her eyes. He’d checked her background, her stats. He constantly analyzed her game style because he knew it would be reckless not to—not for someone who could actually defeat him.

He knew her in every match, whether she wore an in-game avatar or played as herself. Her playstyle always gave her away.

And Jax was always happy to play with her. Her constant growth—he liked it. In his mental list of interesting people, she was right at the top.

He didn’t know her name because he never knew her by her real name. The name he knew her by was the name he gave her.

Em.

But now he couldn’t bring this all up. That person—the one he’d secretly respected most—was now the reason he was in this state.

Emma’s voice broke through his thoughts, cold and final.

"Jaxon Sterling. As you said before—’this isn’t over.’ Well, yes. This isn’t over."

She stood up, brushing off her knees. "Get used to losing, Jax. Because your biggest fan will be joining you soon."

His eyes widened in horror.

"Same academy. Same year. Same class."

Her smile was victorious and terrifying. "I’ll see you in Class 1-A, Jax Rayne."

She turned to her beast. "Vulkrayne. Eliminate him."

The Furnace Knight raised its massive fist, molten and glowing.

Jax smiled.

[Player Jax Rayne - ELIMINATED]

[A/N : Don’t miss the author note below]