Silver Bridge

Noa and Eden soared through the air with their flying motorboards. The wind whipped against their hair, and the cold wind strongly brushed against their faces.

Meanwhile Cloud, Noa's AI companion, stood under the motorboard, lodged beneath.

After a few minutes of flying, they reached the landmark Silver Bridge, boasting a 1 kilometer span of boulevard and length of 10 kilometers.

As they got closer to the bridge, the sight of towering concrete pylons rising up from the river's edge became clearer. The pylons were connected by a series of steel cables that support the bridge's roadway, which was suspended high above the water.

The sky had its own traffic, and Noa and Eden had to do multiple twists and turns to bypass others. They moved in synchronization as they navigated through the bustling aerial road.

When they were only a short distance away from their destination, they swooped downward as they waved and called out to their fellow guildmates, who had gotten into the venue earlier than them.

Seeing the pair, the other members of Shadow Syndicate lit up in excitement.

Noa felt the arena's strong energy in the air. The crowd's loud cheers and chatters filled his ears.

Cloud jumped off the flying motorboard as Noa landed down. He then compressed the motorboard and carried it by hand. Eden also did the same.

Upon landing, the two boys approached their guildmates and greeted them, bumping fists with each other. A small talk followed, where they psyched each other up for the incoming battles they would soon face.

Noa easily spotted So-Rin among the group, and even if they were not near each other, he could sense the focus and determination from her expression. When their eyes met, he gave her a nod of acknowledgement, to which she responded with a smile.

Not wasting a second, Noa walked toward So-Rin.

Just as he was about to reach So-Rin, an unfamiliar woman with tall stature and rigid movements, got on his way. Although she looked very human-like, Noa easily noticed that she was an Android by her unrealistic body shape.

"Hi, Noa. Long time no see. It's great to see you again," the woman greeted kindly.

Hearing that, Noa was confused. "I apologize, but do I know you?"

"Are you unable to remember me? It's me, Venus 88," the female Android answered.

 "Venus 88?" Noa frowned, but he couldn't recall any information about that name. "I really can't remember you. I probably knew you, but I have a memory problem."

 "Oh. That's unfortunate." Venus 88 sighed.

Noa tried his best to recall any memory related to her, but his mind was still blank. "I'm sorry," he said.

"It's okay," Venus 88 reassured him. "I'm just glad you're still alive. That's all that matters."

"Thank you. And please excuse me. My friend is still waiting for me." Noa smiled apologetically.

"Oh, it's alright," Venus 88 said with a smile. "I also have to go now."

As Noa watched Venus 88 walk away, he couldn't shake off the feeling that the Android had a relation to something important from his past. However, no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't recall anything.

Noa cleared his thoughts and jogged toward So-Rin. Eden and Cloud were just a bit behind him and soon caught up.

"Have you been waiting long?" Noa asked as he approached So-Rin.

"Nope. I just got here," So-Rin responded. "Who was that girl earlier? I saw you talking to someone."

Noa shrugged. "I have no idea. She said she knew me, but I don't remember her at all."

"Oh, well." So-Rin shrugged her shoulders and then looked at Eden. "Hi Eden, I hope you'll do well today."

"Thanks. I hope you'll do well, too," Eden responded.

"Uh-huh. The tournament is very exciting." So-Rin had a small smirk on her face as her gaze scanned the area. "Looks like we'll have some tough battles."

"Yeah. I overheard some people talk about some skilled people participating," Noa agreed with a serious expression.

Hearing that, So-Rin grinned devilishly, her eyes filled with fiery determination. "Let's show them what we're made of."

"Confidence is good, but be careful at all times," Noa reminded.

"I know. Don't worry," So-Rin replied. As she was about to look away, she noticed Cloud on the ground. "Hey Cloud! Nice to see you."

Cloud beeped and replied, "Hello, I'm glad to see you as well."

Blue, who was right beside So-Rin, jumped toward Cloud. The two AI Companions greeted each other in friendly terms as if they knew that their Masters were good friends.

The group of three walked toward the center of the bridge. The stunning view of Neo Arcadia's skyline welcomed their sight. The towering skyscrapers surrounding them were bathed in colorful light, and the river below the bridge teemed with sleek, high-tech boats and hovercrafts.

As they walked, Noa felt his adrenaline surge. This was the moment they had been waiting for.

The opening ceremony commenced. After a short introduction, the organizers welcomed the guilds, and the hosts explained the mechanics of the competition.

The rules were simple. If a participant fell off the bridge, they were out. If a participant died in a fight, they were out. If a participant got beaten to the point that they couldn't get back up, they were out.

Participants were allowed to concede before the fight, but the consequence would be the obstruction from the guild they ironically belong to.

The hosts introduced the arena next, talking about the traps and obstacles that increased the difficulty of the battles.

Overall, the tournament was very fair and allowed participants a lot of freedom. For one, participants were allowed to use any weapons or gadgets to protect themselves and attack their opponents. For two, humans would only face humans, and androids would only face androids.

Noa, So-Rin, and Eden intently listened to the hosts. After the opening ceremony was over, the hosts announced a break to allow the participants to prepare themselves.

The trio registered for the tournament first. Upon receiving their respective numbers, they were told to wait in a designated area.

Later, once the registration was over, the system would randomly match participants with each other. Silver Bridge would be up for a bloodbath.

They were also told to only come up at the stage once they were called.

While Noa headed to the designated area with So-Rin and Eden, he began to feel a sense of self-doubt creeping in.

What if he wasn't good enough? What if he was far weaker than his opponents? What if he was unlucky and got matched with someone beyond his level?