[From Rakin Alvas: How ya doing, partner? Hope you’re ready because, boy, do I have news for you. Both good and bad. Most of what you’re about to read is confirmed, but don’t take everything for granted either. I’m not infallible.

  Now then, let’s start with your new opponents—Oblivis. Yes, you remember right. One of the three Breakout worlds, just like Earth. I tried to stop this match-up, but unsurprisingly, I was overruled. Bloody bastards…

  That said, Oblivis. You’ve already fought one of its natives during the Pioneer Trial, so at least you have some experience. Good news? There are fewer of them than humans. And the cooperation between their city-states is… lacking. That’s your advantage.]

  Shit, Isaac cursed, pausing the reading for a moment.

  Deep inside, he had been hoping to avoid facing other Breakout worlds until the third round. Yet here they were. The product of Overlords’ manipulations.

  He really should have expected this.

  But worse numbers and bad teamwork? I will take it.

  Nodding to himself, Isaac proceeded to read the next part of Rakin’s message. There was a lot more there than just those three opening paragraphs.

  [Now for the bad news. You see, partner, Oblivis wasn’t a pleasant place even before the Breakout. Ignoring the fact that over half the planet has always been frozen, the wilds were also quite dangerous. So Salirians have adapted. They became masters of survival and hunting.

  That’s the main reason they came out of the Pioneer Trials with the highest number of survivors.

  Forty-eight to be precise.

  Lucky for you, about half of them are dead now. And before you ask—no, they weren’t killed by their opponents in the first round. Most fell to kin-slaying. Like I mentioned, their teamwork wasn’t all that good, especially in the beginning. Things have gotten better since, and no Pioneer has died since the end of the first round.]

  Double shit. Isaac grimaced, pausing again.

  He remembered his fight against the Salirian all too well. The alien had been good, very good. If not for his Origin, he would have lost there, and potentially given Oblivis yet another Pioneer.

  Forty-eight—or well, half of that now. Maybe not much compared to the total number that took part in the Pioneer Trials, but it was still way, way more than Earth had to offer. Not good at all.

  And that still wasn’t everything, as proven by the final part of Rakin’s message.

  [So your first problem, Pioneers. Most aren’t even close to your power level, but their numbers will give them a massive advantage on Victory Road. Another thing you need to consider is the average strength of a random Salirian. Due to their culture and way of life, it’s a bit higher than what you have on Earth. Those guys don’t tolerate weakness.

  And that’s about it. If this were a standard Fusion War, I would say the match-up was fairly even. But given how Victory Road works, Earth is at a slight disadvantage. And that’s ignoring all the extra bullshit the other Overlords will throw at you.

  Still, I believe in you, kid. I’m also doing everything I can behind the scenes to help. That’s why I’m contacting you like this. Need anything? Just message this name. I will get back to you as soon as I can.

  Talk soon.]

  With that, the message ended. Isaac didn’t dismiss it and just landed a fair distance away from Silent Oasis. There, he transformed, once again engaged Cloaking, and leaned against the nearest tree.

  A chuckle slipped past his lips.

  “Could have been worse,” he muttered, smiling slightly.

  Sure, Rakin was right about Earth being at a disadvantage, especially on the Battleworlds, but it wasn’t the end of the world. As long as he and the others came up with a decent plan, anything was possible. What worried him far more was what else the Overlords might decide to throw at him.

  Will have to prepare for that too, he mused. I definitely won’t be able to just sit on the Battleworld and act as if nothing was wrong.

  Fingers drumming against his thigh, Isaac read the message again, just to be sure. As expected, he hadn’t missed anything. Though when he reached the part about Pioneers, a question arose in his mind.

  What about Hosts on Oblivis that had Rakin listed as the Sire? It was a Breakout world, so there definitely had to be plenty of those. Was the Overlord simply abandoning them by throwing his support behind Isaac and, by extension, Earth?

  Sure seemed like it.

  Ever the opportunist, he thought, not surprised in the slightest. He himself had only become important because of his potential and then Genesis. Knowing Rakin, he wouldn’t even shed a tear at having to sacrifice some Hosts that didn’t play into his plans.

  Cruel, but it was a truth Isaac had understood ever since his first meeting with the Overlord. Others meant nothing to the alien if they weren’t useful. As simple as that.

  So really, expecting anything else from Rakin had been foolish at best. What should have concerned Isaac, however, was how he felt almost nothing when thinking about all this.

  No guilt. No shame. Not even anger.

  Just a brief flicker of hate that died as quickly as it appeared.

  Shows how much can change when it’s your and your world’s life on the line, he thought, rubbing his brow. We’re all monsters here, fighting for survival in a cruel tournament. Consequences can wait.

  Isaac shook his head lightly and pushed off the tree. For a couple of minutes, he just walked along the line of the nearby forest, his mind empty. After last week, he had more than filled his quota for depressing thoughts for the next month or two.

  Only the second round mattered now.

  With only two minutes left on the timer, Isaac rushed back to the edge of Silent Oasis. He slipped through the barrier, but didn’t go any further. He had already messaged his friends that he would be going straight to the Battleworld without meeting them first.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  There we go.

  Round Two of Virus Wars shall officially begin in: <12s>

  The final few seconds dropped to ten, five, then finally zero. The timer vanished, quickly replaced by a slew of new notifications.

  To the Hosts of Earth! The second round of Virus Wars has begun. This time, you will face the Hosts of Oblivis in a unique version of Fusion War. All systems have now been unlocked.

  You may access your assigned Battleworld through the nearest Support Nexus (LVL. 35+).

  Titans shall awaken in: <42m:23s>

  First Global Task for Earth shall be unlocked in: <7h:51m:55s>

  Warp Portals shall open in: <7h:51m:55s>

  “So that’s how it is,” Isaac muttered, dismissing all the messages. “At least we still have some time to prepare.”

  There was one thing missing from the notifications, though.

  The duration of the second round.

  Last time, the Interface had clearly stated they had a little over a month to win the war. Now, there was nothing. There were two possible explanations for that.

  One, the timer would appear after the Titans awakened. Or… there simply was no time limit for this round. The war would only end after one Titan defeated the other in the one-on-one duel.

  That’s probably it, Isaac thought, summoning the Nexus’ menu.

  With another command, the ground beneath his feet vanished, the world going dark. He didn’t fight the strange pull on his body and just waited for the transference to end.

  When he opened his eyes again, it was to the familiar sight of a cobblestone street lined with small white box-like houses. A quick glance upward confirmed that the sky of the Battleworld was also nothing more than an amalgamation of colors.

  He chuckled, smiling.

  Home sweet home.

  A moment later, the usual notification announcing a new Support Nexus connection appeared, but he paid it no mind. Rather, he focused inward, checking his body and Core, making sure the transference didn’t break anything.

  It didn’t. Though this quick check-up revealed something unexpected.

  His Legacy wasn’t blocked.

  Strange…

  Not wasting another second, Isaac transformed and flew straight up. Once he stopped, he received his next surprise.

  The Battleworld Safe Zone was tiny.

  During the first round, even his enhanced sight had struggled to make out its distant borders. This time, however, the entire zone was maybe only slightly larger than Galt. The Residential District took up most of the space, leaving little for Production and Training Fields.

  Damn, he thought, opening the map that came with all Battleworlds. It confirmed everything he was seeing. Guess it makes sense with the level limit.

  For now, though, Isaac tore his gaze away from the Safe Zone and looked beyond it. There, many more nuances to this Battleworld revealed themselves.

  For one, the Safe Zone sat atop a massive, round plateau. Only one wide path led off it, while all other sides were surrounded by empty space, colored the same as the sky. A quick glance at the map also showed that a small section of the plateau had been reserved for Warp Portals.

  He ignored that fact in favor of following the path leading off the plateau toward the main part of the Battleworld.

  To put it simply, it was land swallowed by an endless forest stretching for miles in every direction. There was only one place free of the freakishly tall yellow and green trees.

  A dirty road, wide enough to have a dozen or more cars parked door to door.

  It began at the path to the plateau and continued as far into the forest as Isaac could see. He opened the map again, and yes, there it was.

  The Victory Road.

  It ran through the entire forest territory and continued into another that the Interface refused to name. He tried to move the map to see if there was another region beyond that one, but he was blocked again. All he got was a notification.

  Earth’s Titan hasn’t reached this destination yet.

  Fair enough, he thought, closing the map.

  He could possibly fly all the way to the end of the forest territory, but something told him the Interference, or Overseer, would stop him. Besides, he didn't have time for it now. Maybe later.

  Right now, he had to meet his allies. He had already spotted a couple of people arriving on the streets of the Safe Zone, and according to the message he had just received, Harry was among them.

  To work.

  To Isaac’s surprise, Harry had already managed to claim one of the houses for them. And given how tiny this Safe Zone was, finding it took less than five minutes. Being able to fly with his Legacy anywhere he wanted, sure helped too.

  “There you are, my dear friend,” Harry greeted the moment Isaac stepped through the front door. “Ready to lead humanity toward the next glorious battle?”

  After sparing the interior a glance—it hadn’t changed at all—Isaac snorted at the question.

  “We will see about that,” he said, taking a seat at the small table in the middle of the room. “Carmela?”

  “The lady should be here soon,” Harry answered, sitting down as well.

  Isaac nodded and let the silence settle between them. Now that he was here, minutes away from having the almost full Pioneer team back together, a certain worry entered his mind.

  Could he trust Carmela fully going forward?

  When it came to Harry, Isaac had little concern. The man was loyal, very loyal. And his Patron was Rakin’s right hand. If the man ever betrayed him, Isaac would cut off his own arm.

  Carmela, on the other hand?

  Isaac liked to think that after everything they had achieved together in the last round, she wouldn’t turn on him. Still, the possibility remained. Worse, he had never asked who her Patron was—a mistake, in hindsight.

  Just don’t act weird, he told himself. Don’t alienate her when she has been nothing but helpful and friendly so far. Simply… be careful.

  And that was it. Being wary of betrayal was one thing; expecting it from everyone and ruining his relationships as a result was another. Fighting ghosts never ended well for anyone.

  The silence lingered until, finally, the front door slid open.

  Carmela stepped inside, dressed in her usual getup. She headed straight for the table and dropped into one of the free chairs. “Morning, gentlemen,” she greeted, her voice tired but firm.

  Isaac arched an eyebrow. “Long week?”

  Just like that, her entire body slumped, the last traces of her prim and proper persona vanishing. “Like you wouldn’t believe,” she grumbled, the dark bags under her eyes now impossible to miss.

  Before he could ask, Carmela continued. “But that’s unimportant. We have another war to win.” She looked Isaac directly in the eyes. “What do we know? I get a feeling you skipped a few details in the messages.”

  He sighed. She wasn’t wrong. Though that was mostly because he didn’t feel like sending essays through the Interface. Explaining everything in person was far easier.

  Which was what he did next.

  The attempt on his life. Dangers of possessing a Genesis. And finally, Rakin’s latest message.

  “That’s… troubling,” Carmela said once he finished. Harry nodded, his confident mask cracking a bit.

  “It also explains a lot,” the woman added.

  Isaac frowned at her. “What?”

  “My Patron has been silent ever since we won,” Carmela explained. “Overlord Conductor. A nasty creature, but a helpful one.” She exhaled slowly. “Guess now I know what happened.”

  Isaac opened his mouth, but a raised hand from her stopped any word from coming out.

  “Don’t apologize,” she said. “Even if this is the result of your actions, you did it to save our home. I can’t fault you for that.”

  “But now you’re without a Patron,” he pointed out.

  Carmela shrugged. “I’m a big girl, Isaac. I will live.” A sly smile made its way to her face. “Though… I wouldn’t mind if one of you put in a good word for me with someone on our side.”

  They all, even Harry, laughed. Most of Isaac’s worries also went away.

  Sure, Carmela could be acting and lying straight to their faces. But now that she had brought it up herself, letting Rakin verify her story wouldn’t hurt. And if she got a new Patron out of it?

  All the better.

  Titans shall awaken in: <9m:42s>

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