Chapter 361: Nebula
The blinding white light of Jayden’s lobby faded, replaced instantly by the breathtaking, infinite expanse of outer space.
Jayden materialized on a massive, circular platform made of polished obsidian. There were no walls, only a colossal, transparent energy dome separating the arena from the freezing vacuum of the cosmos.
Outside the dome, a vibrant nebula swirled in violent hues of violet and gold, and distant stars burned like cold diamonds. It was a terrifyingly beautiful, isolated battleground.
A few dozen yards away, a column of pixelated light coalesced into his opponent. Nebula.
Jayden’s eyes narrowed as he took in her avatar. Given her Rank status, he had expected an absolute juggernaut—someone clad in mythical, glowing armor or wielding legendary weapons
Instead, Nebula looked remarkably simple. She wore a sleek, sleeveless obsidian bodysuit that clung to her lean frame, devoid of any armor plating or tactical gear. She was barefoot. Her stark white hair floated gently around her head, defying gravity as if she were submerged underwater. But the most unsettling detail was her posture: she wasn’t standing on the obsidian platform. She was casually hovering six inches above it, and the floor beneath her was spider-webbing, groaning under an invisible pressure emanating from her body.
There was no doubt about it. She was strong. And not game-strong like those elite players that depended on in-game skills and weapons. She was naturally strong.
He also noticed on her public display that her class was listed as Psionic. Which suggested that telekinesis was her main ability. That would explain how she was able to float.
Jayden checked his own status.
Because of the VR system’s dampeners on supernatural physiology, his strength as well as his newly acquired Mach 1 speed had been heavily restricted in the game, slashed by 90% to keep him within the server’s calculable parameters.
He was still incredibly fast, but he wasn’t breaking the sound barrier here. Furthermore, he mentally locked away his Pyrokinesis and, more importantly, his Intangibility. Using his phasing ability in front of the massive audience currently tuning in would be digital suicide; it was the signature move of the masked vigilante. Connecting ’Orion’ to the vigilante was a risk he absolutely could not take.
He decided to strictly stick to his brawler roots: raw strength, claws, and his very own telekinesis.
"Let’s see how I would fare against a fellow force user," Jayden thought, then he took a fighting stance.
Up in the Global Streaming Pavilion, the digital stands were overflowing. Millions of players were flooding the spectator servers. Nebula was a ghost—a legend who rarely accepted random challenges. Orion was the undisputed rising star, the monster who had brutally dismantled Hercules in record time.
The chat logs were moving so fast they were a solid blur of text. Everyone was holding their breath.
Back in the arena, the countdown hit zero.
FIGHT!
Jayden didn’t hesitate. He launched himself forward, the obsidian floor cracking under the sheer force of his strength. He raised his hand, channeling a massive, concussive wave of Telekinetic force aimed directly at Nebula’s chest, and fired. It was a blunt, brutal attack designed to flatten her against the dome.
But Nebula didn’t even blink. She lazily raised a single finger and the massive TK shockwave parted around her like water hitting a stone pillar, dissipating harmlessly into the vacuum of space. And before Jayden could even register the failure of his attack, she casually flicked her wrist.
BAM!!
An invisible force hit Jayden like a speeding mag-lev train.
He was launched backward, his feet entirely leaving the ground. He crashed brutally into the invisible energy dome, the impact sending shockwaves of digital pain through his avatar’s sensors. He fell to the platform, groaning as his HP bar took a noticeable dip.
He scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide. It was clear now. Her telekinesis was superior.
Jayden’s telekinesis was like a sledgehammer; but hers was an invisible scalpel wielded by a god. She wasn’t just pushing matter; she was entirely dominating it.
Jayden vanished again. He became a localized storm of violence, attacking relentlessly from afar. He threw several TK shockwaves at Nebula, creating massive sonic booms that simply dispersed around her and tore trenches into the arena floor. Not a single wave managed to hit her.
"Fine. Close quarters it is." Jayden unleashed his claws and charged. He moved in a zigzag pattern, pushing his nerfed speed to its absolute limit, trying to create blind spots. He closed the gap, leaping into the air to bring a devastating, clawed fist down on her head.
Nebula sighed softly. She didn’t dodge. She didn’t even look up.
Jayden’s fist stopped dead two inches from her face. It felt as though he had punched a wall of solid diamond. He pushed with all his monstrous strength, gritting his teeth, but he couldn’t move his hand a single millimeter forward. He was suspended in mid-air, completely immobilized by her telekinetic grip.
Nebula finally looked up at him, her glowing eyes entirely devoid of exertion.
"Is this the ’Orion’ everyone is going crazy about?" she spoke for the first time since she arrived at the arena. Her voice was cold, echoing with a strange, synthetic resonance. She tilted her head, inspecting his struggling avatar like a disappointing science project. "I expected better."
Jayden snarled, trying to rip his arm free, but her psychic grip was too strong. And before he could even think of way out, a pulse of purple energy slammed into his chest. It bypassed his own TK armor completely. He was swatted out of the sky like a fly, sent tumbling violently across the jagged ground.
He dug his claws into the earth, carving deep grooves to halt his momentum. He heaved, his avatar sparking with digital scuff marks.
Jayden gritted his teeth, forcing his screaming muscles to obey.
"You’re fast," Nebula continued, her intense violet eyes locking onto his. "But you’re loud. Your mind is like a flickering candle. You’re constantly broadcasting your next angle of attack before you even move."
Jayden’s breath hitched. "My mind?"he thought, staring at her. The game didn’t have psychic skills that clear.
Unless... it wasn’t a game skill.
Jayden’s eyes widened. "Wait. Is she actually reading my thoughts?" He pondered. "But how is that possible?"
A new, terrifying calculation ran through his head. He could phase right through that absurd TK shield and rip her throat out. He felt the instinct flare up, begging him to use it. But he forced the urge down. He couldn’t risk everything for a game.
"Hahaha!" Nebula suddenly let out a bright, melodic laugh. It was completely at odds with her terrifying power—a playful youthful sound that betrayed the teenager hiding beneath the cold persona.
"Get stronger, Orion," she said, offering a small, mocking wave like she was dismissing a classmate in the hallway. "I’d hate to be this bored the next time we meet."
Jayden raised a brow wondering what she was talking about. But suddenly she closed her fist.
Shhhnkt!
Jayden didn’t see an attack. He didn’t see a weapon or a flash of light. He just felt a sudden, sharp pull deep inside his avatar’s chest. And then, his vision instantly shattered into a million white pixels and he was deleted from the arena.
Jayden rematerialized in his lobby. He stumbled forward, catching himself on a digital console, his chest heaving as the game’s sensory feedback faded.
He stood there in absolute, paralyzed shock.
Apart from that one time with Ava, he had never lost a fight since he started playing the game. Never. He had decimated every player he fought with. But just now... he hadn’t just lost. He had been swatted away like an insect. He didn’t even know how he died. There was no explosion, no crushing blow. Just a tug, and his HP directly plummeted to zero.
"What the hell just happened?" He thought.
Meanwhile, in the Global Streaming Pavilion, the deafening roar of millions of spectators had been reduced to an eerie, horrified silence.
The match had lasted less than five minutes.
Slowly, the murmurs began, swelling into a chaotic uproar as the instant replay materialized on the massive holographic screens floating above the digital stadium.
"What the...? Did she just...?" a player in the front row stammered, his avatar pale.
"She didn’t even break a sweat."another murmured.
On the massive screens, the footage was slowed down to 10% speed. It showed Orion and Nebula in the arena. And then, the system’s advanced X-ray combat-log overlay kicked in, rendering the invisible telekinetic forces in bright red.
The entire pavilion watched in horrified awe as a concentrated, surgical tendril of raw psionic energy phased directly through Orion’s chest and wrapped perfectly around his avatar’s digital heart.
Then with a casual clench of Nebula’s physical hand, the telekinetic tendril violently ripped the heart straight out of Orion’s chest, instantly dropping his HP from 85% to 0 in a single frame.
The entire pavilion was in stunned silence. The knew Nebula would defeat Jayden from the start, but they didn’t think it’d be this fast and flawless. Nebula hadn’t just beaten Jayden. She had completely terminated him, tearing his heart out without moving an inch.
