The arena was still buzzing from their upset win. Fans pressed against the glass, holo-cams hovered overhead, and Shizuka's name trended louder than fireworks.
But Ren... couldn't hear it.
His HUD had stopped behaving like a scoreboard overlay. It now swallowed half his vision, code dripping like molten glass.
[ACCESS PROTOCOL TRIGGERED]
Key Progression: 2 / 5
The world shuddered.
For a heartbeat, the court dissolved. The blue turf bled into ink, the walls stretched into cathedral arches. Ren stood not in Aurelia, but in a cavernous hall of sketches and constellations—like Leonardo's notebooks brought to life, glowing with runes.
On the mural ahead, faceless players leapt mid-air, striking comet-like balls across a court carved into the stars. Around them spun diagrams of circles, lines, sacred geometry.
At the center, the Lost Court fractured like broken glass.
And then—shapes in the mural shifted. Two figures collapsed, their rackets shattering into dust. Their outlines faded into nothing.
A voice, layered and metallic, reverberated across the mural:
"Two fell before you."
Ren staggered back. "Who? Who were they?"
No answer—only the third silhouette flickering into shape. Its face almost looked like his own.
The vision snapped. The roar of the real arena rushed back. Ren nearly dropped his racket.
Shizuka caught his wrist. "Ren. You're pale. What happened?"
He forced a grin, though his heart hammered. "Just... overdid it."
But deep inside, he knew it wasn't fatigue. The Oracle had marked him again. Another piece of the Lost Court puzzle revealed.
Above the stadium, the HUD sealed the message with cold finality:
[Access Key Acquired — 2 / 5]
Ren clenched his cracked racket tighter.
If two had already fallen, then every step he took was not just a climb—it was survival.