Chapter 113: Universal System

The large screen flickered to life in the vast metallic chamber, casting a cold glow across the room. It was mounted above a raised platform that jutted out from the front wall like a judge’s bench in a cosmic courtroom.[ Humanity has been summoned ]

The words blazed across the screen,

[ The beginning of the First Stage ]

[ Preparing... ][ Loading information... ]

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

[ Welcome, Humans, to the Battle of Planets ]

The sentence etched itself like a scar on everyone’s mind. The room was drenched in dread.

[ Rules will be described shortly ]

Without warning, the structure of the room shifted again—metal plates folding and clanging into new shapes. The ground near the platform trembled as a large metallic door materialized at the front wall.

Then, directly in front of it, the smooth ground split open.



A circular mechanism rose slowly from the floor, almost like an offering. Surrounding it, nano-tech crawled out, reforming and collapsing into itself, morphing into something eerily similar to a metallic anthill—complex, shifting, alive.

The hum of alien technology buzzed in the air.

What the hell have we been dragged into? the new ones thought while the old ones dreaded even more at the familiar sight.

[ Ding! Connecting to the Meta-bots... ]

The notification rang through the chamber like a bell tolling for war.

All at once, the Meta-bots blinked—flashing in perfect synchrony—as if syncing with an unseen force, registering themselves with the strange system that governed this space.

Tyson glanced down at his own Meta-bot. It blinked white. A strange sensation surged through him—as though a tether had formed between the device and the colossal system controlling everything around them.

It felt... alive. Almost like a universal AI.

[ Whole hundred warriors... my, my. ]

[ My name is 100, your assistant in the Battle Room. ]

[ If you require any help, I will assist to the best of my abilities. ]

The mechanical voice was calm. Too calm. Like it didn’t understand fear.

Wearers exchanged glances. Some cautious, some confused. Edward remained stone-faced, unmoved.

Julian, settled in his chamber, kept his eyes closed—but the faint crease on his aged face betrayed his concern.

[ The door before you leads to a dungeon—a specific map. ][ To enter, you will need a Key from the key holder before the gate]

[ The first person to take the key becomes the Leader within. ][ That person will hold full authority over commands inside the gate. ]

A pause. Then—

[ Each gate contains a different scenario. Different objectives. ][ All are designed to be random. This applies to all races—humans included. ]

The air thickened with pressure. Choices had to be made—and fast.

Now, they understood why Edward moved so quickly. People watched him warily, some with awe, others with suspicion.

He was an experienced warrior. He knew how things worked in the Battle Room—how to seize the opportunity before it slipped away.

Edward rested his hands calmly behind his back, posture relaxed, as if he had no concerns at all.

In the corner, the black Meta-bot spoke in a hushed tone, meant only for Ryuk to hear."I like that human," it said with a metallic rasp.

Across the room, the purple Meta-bot murmured something quietly to Ryzen. Whatever it said made Ryzen tense immediately, his jaw clenching.

Then the system’s voice resumed, cold and unfeeling:

[ Each map or dungeon will reward your race in years. The time you will need in order to survive. ]

[ Be warned: Earn plenty—because if the tournament doesn’t return before your stock runs out, it will only mean destruction. ]

A stunned silence.

Then someone from the crowd burst out, "What does that even mean?!"

[ For example, ] the system continued,

[ say your race earns only 10 years from this tournament. But the next tournament isn’t called until 20 years later... your world will have already perished. No second chance. No battle to fight. Just extinction. ]

[ I have witnessed it countless times. Many planets were erased before their champions could even return to the field. ]

[ Humans are currently on the grey list. ]

[ To be safe, you must earn minimum 20 years. ]

A nervous murmur passed through the room.

The black Meta-bot spoke again, its tone oddly amused. "Hmm. Was it because of us?" "Since we’re with the humans now?"

Purple chuckled darkly.

[ Indeed, ] the system answered,

[ With you two among them, the system automatically raised the difficulty for humanity. You’re powerhouses. So... the scales shift. ]



The two Meta-bots laughed—an eerie, unnatural sound.

Everyone turned to look at Ryuk and Ryzen, unease settling in like a fog.

At first, people had believed that having these two strange Meta-bots—one black, one purple—would be an advantage. A blessing. Now, it felt more like a curse.

With them came more power, yes—but also greater risk. Everyone would now have to carry more weight than expected.

This wasn’t just about survival anymore. This was a game where power made the rules—And some pieces were heavier than others.

Tyson’s thoughts drifted. Victor had once spoken of the First Primes—the earliest warriors to wear that kind of Meta-bots.

They must have perished just like this... Scattered into a tournament they never understood, thinking it would be like any other battle.

They never realized they were walking into a storm designed for titans.

The screen flashed again.

[ You’ve come from far and wide. Rest easy for now. ]

[ The first map will begin shortly, along with the live broadcast to your people. ]

[ Remaining information will be revealed as we proceed. ]

A pause. Then another flash of system text appeared:

[ And now... congratulations to the three returnees. ]

The chamber shifted slightly as attention turned.

A spotlight illuminated Edward—stoic, standing like a wall.

Then it moved to Julian’s chamber, where the old general sat, eyes still closed, hands folded.And finally, it landed on a third man— An older Ranger, sitting alone on the floor, hunched and silent, as if the very announcement had passed a sentence over him.

His eyes were hollow. He didn’t celebrate. He didn’t even flinch. he sat there broken and knowing...

It was the face of someone who had seen too much... And perhaps had already decided this was his final round.

Edward glanced at him—briefly. Then looked away with a quiet sigh as if he felt his pain.

[ I hope you all make the most of it. ] the system intoned. With that, the screen dimmed and the panels disappeared.

The silence that followed was heavier than before. now humans were left on their own... to think, to do what they do best...

Then a rogue shouted—the same one Edward had punched in the gut earlier.

"Y-You knew this! You monster!" he yelled, voice cracking with fury. "See? These are the Rangers! Always taking advantage of our kindness!"

The rogues exchanged uneasy glances.

Blue remained seated on the cold floor, expression unreadable.

Raine glanced at him, hoping for something—maybe a denial, maybe reassurance. But all she got was a soft smile. Then he turned to look at Tyson.

Tyson’s jaw clenched as the word monster echoed in his ears. Calling his father a monster...But he wasn’t the only one itching to respond.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Alex’s lips. He looked ready to leap, and the Rangers behind him shifted with the same energy—tense, coiled, eager.

After all, a known enemy was easier to face than an unknown force.

and thus they were looking to escape in any way even if it meant turning to each other...

The rogue continued, louder now, desperate.

"You’ve seen it, haven’t you? What happened in Elria? how one of the Rangers pretended to be Rogue only to wipe us all out. They never considered us one of them, we are just here to bleed, be their scapegoats, meat shields so can they get the glory"

He shouted, "That is unacceptable, We are not here for them, they can’t decide what we must do"

The words stirred something in the crowd. More rogues stepped forward.

"He’s right!" one of them said, fists shaking.

"I never signed up to be a Meta-bot wearer. I’m just a human. I’m not a machine to fight and die for anyone"

"Yes we are not heroes like you" another one shouted. "We won’t fight"

"Me too!" another shouted. "I have family. I didn’t come here to die!"



The air thickened again—not with pressure from the system, but with emotion. Panic. Resentment. Fear. It was the beginning of division—of the very fracture Edward had anticipated.

It was always like this. Humans dividing themselves... instead of uniting when it mattered most.

Tyson stood still, watching the scene unravel—like history repeating itself. The same mistakes. The same fractures.

This was exactly what happened during the Elria conflict. And this... this is what Coco tried to prevent. By erasing the Rogues completely.

Coco, who once bled beside Edward. Who stood as his comrade. Who had to be killed—by Edward’s own hand—to restore order.

Now the same rift had cracked wide open again.

The rogue general raised his voice, bitter and sharp "They’ll send us to die first! We’re disposable to them—always have been. But not this time. No more. We’re not going." He added, "We’ll sit right here and let them fight their war!"

A Ranger stepped forward, fury in their voice. "Our war? Do you think we asked for this? You think we want to be here, to bleed again? to die? to fight?"

Silence fell like a hammer. But it didn’t last.

Another wave surged—shouts and curses erupting from both sides.Rangers yelling at Rogues. Rogues shouted back, defending themselves, their families, tand heir right to choose.

Some Rangers cursed them for their weakness. Others mocked their refusal to fight.And a few stared, quietly wishing they could be as selfish—wishing they weren’t bound by honor or duty.

The room was cracking under its own weight.