A Battle
Cyberpunk 2097
Chapter 13 – "Kill the Reaper"
The void pulsed around Glitch, the Architect's words lingering in her mind.
The Red Reaper was created.
But by who?
Did it even matter?
Probably. But right now, all she cared about was ripping his corrupted ass apart.
The Architect extended a hand. "I can show you the way. But you must be prepared. The path is… unpleasant."
Glitch smirked. "Unpleasant? Buddy, I eat unpleasant for breakfast."
The old AI sighed. "Then step forward, and face the Trial of Code."
The world shattered around her.
The First Challenge – The Mirror Maze
Glitch blinked.
She was no longer in the abyss.
Instead, she stood in a massive, endless hallway of mirrors. Each surface reflected different versions of herself.
Some were younger. Some older. Some were… dead.
"Creepy as hell," she muttered.
She took a step forward, and the mirrors rippled.
A voice whispered through the air. "Who are you?"
Glitch rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Psychological horror? Really? Just let me kill something already."
The mirrors exploded.
And her reflections stepped out.
Not just one. Hundreds.
Every version of her that could have existed.
Some were monstrous, twisted by code.
Others were lifeless husks, hollow-eyed and grinning.
And they all charged at her.
Glitch grinned.
"Finally."
She dove into the fight.
The first reflection swung at her with a digital scythe. Glitch ducked, ripped the weapon from its hands, and slashed its head clean off.
Another lunged with razor-sharp fingers. She caught its wrist, snapped it backward, then drove her knee into its chest.
More swarmed her.
She hacked the air, ripping a tear in the code.
A wave of corrupted energy surged out—disintegrating her weaker copies into pixels.
One survived.
A version of her that was pure red code, eyes burning with the Reaper's energy.
It spoke in his voice. "You cannot escape your fate."
Glitch punched straight through its chest, grabbing its digital heart.
She crushed it.
The copy screamed and shattered into nothing.
The maze crumbled.
One trial down.
The Second Challenge – The Red Storm
She barely had time to breathe before the sky exploded.
A massive storm of corrupted data roared toward her, twisting the world into chaotic glitches.
Buildings warped. Time stuttered.
Glitch's body glitched in and out of existence.
A voice boomed from above. "Drown in my corruption."
Glitch growled. "Not today, asshole."
She ran.
The storm chased her, devouring the Matrix behind her.
She leapt from floating debris, hacked gravity, and ran along collapsing code.
The storm almost swallowed her whole.
But at the last second—
She hacked herself.
Split into a thousand different versions.
The storm tried to consume her but couldn't keep up.
The moment it hesitated—
She unleashed every version of herself into one final attack.
A wave of pure energy slammed into the storm, tearing it apart.
And standing in the wreckage…
Was the Red Reaper.
The Final Battle – Glitch vs. The Red Reaper
He loomed over her, twice her size, his body pulsing with raw, unchecked power.
Glitch spat blood onto the floor.
"Finally. I was getting bored."
Reaper laughed. "You're a fool, Glitch. You think you can stop me?"
She cracked her knuckles. "I don't think. I know."
They clashed.
Reaper swung a massive blade of red code.
Glitch dodged, flipping over it, landing a kick to his jaw.
He barely flinched.
He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her through three buildings.
Glitch coughed, her body flickering. "Okay. Ow."
Reaper raised a hand, preparing to erase her completely.
But she hacked into his code.
He froze for a split second.
And that was all she needed.
Glitch hacked time itself, slowing everything down.
She ran straight at him, driving her fist into his chest.
And ripped out his core.
Reaper's eyes widened.
"No… this isn't possible—"
Glitch crushed his heart.
His entire body glitched, screaming as he disintegrated into nothing.
The Matrix shook.
And then—silence.
Glitch took a deep breath. "That's how you debug a motherfucker."
The sky cleared.
The Matrix was hers again.
For now.