EGO: Explore Game Online (LAMBDA)

Axel with a smug smile. "Hmm, didn't I tell you? That right there is my special ability. It gives me control over the radius of anything. And when two radii combine, you get a diameter."

She twirled the Compass Blade in her hand, the circular outline of her domain glowing faintly. "And don't bother trying to put yourself back together. It won't work this time."

Fragman's form flickered ominously, a distorted chuckle escaping his lips. "Are you sure?"

The crowd gasped as Fragman's glitching figure dissolved—and then reappeared in the air above Axel, fully reformed. Gasps and cheers erupted from the spectators.

"Whoa! What was that? How did he even do that?"

Axel's confident smile faltered as she glanced in front of her and realized Fragman was no longer there. "Huh? How did that even happen?"

Fragman's distorted voice echoed above her. "Just as you were about to pull a reversal on me, I decided to try something."

 He descended slowly, his glitching form crackling with energy. "You see, I can glitch to wherever I want. You might have absolute control over whatever happens in the circle, but you don't have control over your opponent. And that is the biggest weakness of your so-called perfect ability."

Axel clenched her jaw, gripping the Compass Blade tighter as Fragman continued. "I figured it out by testing a theory. If it didn't work, well…" He shrugged. "I'd either lose or die. Worth the gamble, don't you think?"

---

Fragman raised the Glitch Blade, the jagged edges humming with chaotic energy. "Why don't we settle this up close?"

With a blur of movement, he slashed downward. Axel raised the Compass Blade just in time, the metallic clang of their weapons reverberating through the circle. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, energy crackling between them.

Axel smirked, her composure returning. "Hah. You think you're so smart, don't you?"

Fragman's flickering figure leaned in closer, his tone cold. "Smart enough to beat you."

The Compass Blade clashed with the Glitch Blade in a shower of sparks. Axel gritted her teeth as the edges of her weapon began to distort, flickering uncontrollably. The distortion crept along the blade, crawling toward her hand like a spreading infection.

"Tch," she hissed, releasing the weapon just before the glitch reached her fingers. A new Compass Blade shimmered into existence in her grasp.

Fragman smirked, stepping forward with deliberate menace. "You see? Even the slightest mistake of touching me lets me claim whatever you're using. Anything I can glitch… becomes a part of me."

Axel's eyes narrowed. "Then I'll just have to try another way."

She dashed forward, swinging the newly formed Compass Blade. Fragman parried effortlessly, the force of the clash sending vibrations up her arm. As the blade started flickering again, she released it mid-combat and forged another without breaking stride.

Their blades became a blur of motion as they exchanged strikes, each clash punctuated by Axel's constant reforging of her weapon. Fragman's attacks were relentless, his blade glitching unpredictably as he pressed her back.

"You're quick, I'll give you that," Fragman taunted, his figure flickering in and out of focus.

Axel feigned a retreat, spinning her Compass Blade into a wide arc. "You talk too much."

Fragman vanished in a burst of static, reappearing above her. Before Axel could react, his glitched form solidified, grabbing her by the shoulders. With a twist of his body, he hurled her into the air.

Axel somersaulted, flipping to face downward as she ascended. She stared at Fragman below, his smirk unwavering.

"Alright," she muttered, spinning her blade into a new formation. "Guess I'll have to get serious this time."

As Axel plummeted from above, a faint glow radiated around her. Mid-fall, her form vanished into thin air.

Fragman, still on the ground, glanced upward, prepared to counter, but found nothing. Suddenly, Axel reappeared behind him, her Compass Blade poised. Fragman turned instinctively, raising his Glitch Blade, but found himself unable to move.

Axel smirked, her voice calm but cutting.

"This is just a taste of my power. You claimed I could only control what's within the circle, but not my opponent. Guess you were wrong."

Fragman's form flickered as he strained against the invisible force holding him in place. Axel raised her blade.

"My special ability—Absolute Control. It allows me to dictate whatever happens within the circle, including my opponent."

Her blade shimmered as she swung with precision, slicing Fragman apart piece by piece. His body shattered into fragmented glitches, scattering like shards of broken glass. Fragman's scattered form flickered and jittered as he attempted to pull himself back together.

Axel stepped back, her tone steady.

"You can't reattach yourself. Not while I hold control over everything in this circle."

Fragman's voice emerged from the scattered fragments, calm but defiant.

"Are you so sure about that?"

A pulse of static emanated from the disjointed pieces. Axel's confident expression faltered as the scattered fragments began to shimmer with new energy. Fragman's voice cut through the tension.

"Data Glitch."

The fragments reassembled rapidly, reconstituting into Fragman's form as if reality itself had been rewritten. He stood tall once again, his Glitch Blade humming ominously.

Axel's eyes narrowed as she took another step back.

"Even if you can move again, it doesn't matter. I still have absolute control over everything in this circle."

Fragman tilted his head, his smirk unshaken, though his tone grew more serious.

"You're definitely powerful. I can't deny that. But if I don't start getting serious, I might actually lose this fight."

Axel readied her Compass Blade as Fragman lunged toward her, his Glitch Blade crackling with energy. They clashed again in an intense close-combat exchange. The air filled with the sound of clashing steel, each blow sending sparks flying. Fragman moved with precision, dodging and countering, while Axel's swift strikes forced him to stay on edge.

The crowd erupted in cheers as the battle escalated, each move showcasing the fighters' mastery and skill. Fragman twisted through the air, narrowly evading Axel's attack, and retaliated with a spinning slash aimed at her midsection. Axel spun out of the way, her Compass Blade arcing upward to block his follow-up strike.

Their blades locked for a brief moment. Axel's eyes narrowed.

"You know, I didn't want to use this. But if I don't, I think this fight might just go on forever."

With that, she stepped back, her blade glowing with an intense light. Fragman watched intently as Axel raised her Compass Blade and began moving it through the air with precision.

"Diameter Frame. X-axis. Y-axis. Radius Line."

She finished the motions, her voice firm. A glowing line appeared, connecting her blade to Fragman. The energy surged as she uttered her final command.

"Infinite Circumference."

The line shot forward with impossible speed, slicing Fragman cleanly in half. His Right and Left halves flickered and glitched as he immediately tried to use his special ability.

"Data Glitch."

But nothing happened. The glitching fragments remained frozen, unable to reconnect. Fragman's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"What... what did you do?"

Axel took a step back, lowering her blade slightly as she explained, her voice steady and confident.

"This is my Ultra Ability. It allows me to create infinite distance between two things I cut. That means there will always be a gap, no matter how much you try to reattach yourself. You'll never be able to bridge that infinite distance."

Fragman's form flickered, his frustration evident as he struggled in vain. Axel raised her blade again, pointing it toward him.

"And with Absolute Control active, good luck trying to override it. I can even cut infinite distance between myself and my opponent if I need to."

Fragman's glitching slowed, his form stabilizing but still unable to reattach. The crowd's cheers reached a fever pitch, the audience captivated by the overwhelming display of power.

Fragman, still divided in two, began to smirk. Each half wore an unsettling grin as though the situation was under his control.

Axel, still poised and focused, narrowed her eyes. "What's with the smirk? You think you'll find a way out? Good luck trying."

But then, the ring began to flicker, faint glitches spreading through the space. Axel's circle, which represented her absolute control, began to distort. Lines wavered, shifting and twisting like a corrupted image.

Axel's expression hardened. "What is this? How are you doing this? It's impossible to close the infinite gap between you and your other half!"

Fragman chuckled, his voice coming from both halves in unison. "Who said I'm closing the gap?"

Nah, that's not what I'm tryna do at all." His halves began to reconnect, not by bridging the distance but through a cascade of glitches that rewrote the reality within the circle.

"You see," Fragman continued, "remember the reinforced glitch barriers I created at the start of the fight? They weren't just to protect the spectators, you know."

"They were also a failsafe, for this exact moment. Fun fact Axel, Fragman can see into the future. Did you really think I didn't see this coming?"

Axel's grip tightened on her Compass Blade, her frustration evident. "You're bluffing. There's no way you could've planned for this."

Fragman's smirk widened as the glitches intensified, converging into a single point between his separated halves. "Bluffing? Hardly. I didn't close the infinite gap—you're right about that. I rewrote it's data so that the gap never existed in the first place."

Axel's eyes widened. "What?"

With a wave of his hand, Fragman's body fully reconnected, as though he had never been severed. He held his Glitch Blade high, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

"Rewrite,"

He declared, and suddenly, everything within the ring and Axel's circle fell under his control.

The lines and boundaries of Axel's circle crumbled like shattered glass, replaced by a warped, glitching expanse.

"This fight is over, Axel,"

 Fragman said, stepping forward confidently. "Admit your defeat."

Sherry hesitated, her breathing uneven as her Requip form, Axel, began to flicker. The armor and weapon dissolved away, leaving Sherry standing there, her exhaustion visible.

Fragman, now fully restored, sighed and snapped his fingers. His own Requip, Fragman, faded away, leaving Knox standing.

The crowd roared, a mix of awe and confusion filling the air. The announcer, who had been silent throughout the intense battle, stepped back into the ring.

"And there you have it, folks! What a fight! A true clash of titans!" the announcer exclaimed, their voice nearly drowned out by the cheering audience.

Knox glanced at Sherry, his expression unreadable. "You fought well. But next time, think twice before underestimating a glitch."

Sherry smirked weakly, her resolve still intact. "We'll see about that... next time."

 CHAPTER END.