**Chapter 50: The Viper's Bargain**

The moment the plasma screens lit up with Nyx's incriminating messages, the entire Celestial League training facility descended into chaos. Scouts whispered into comms, evaluators exchanged knowing glances, and players—some of whom Ibukun suspected had also been Nyx's targets—watched with barely concealed satisfaction as the once-untouchable agent was exposed.

Nyx stood frozen for only a second before her golden eyes locked onto Ibukun.

She knew.

And he knew she knew.

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### **The Fall of the Golden Agent**

Master Yuvan's voice was a blade of ice. **"Neural compliance manipulation is a Class 10 violation. Your representation license is suspended pending investigation."**

Nyx's composure didn't crack—not yet. She straightened, her chin high, but Ibukun saw the way her fingers trembled ever so slightly at her sides.

**"A misunderstanding,"** she said smoothly. **"Those logs are fabricated."**

Yuvan wasn't moved. **"The League doesn't act on fabrications. You will submit to a full neural audit."**

A neural audit. The one thing Nyx couldn't afford.

Her gaze flicked to Ibukun, a silent plea.

He said nothing.

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### **The Private Meeting**

She cornered him that night in the zero-gravity training module, the only place without surveillance. The moment the door sealed behind them, her mask shattered.

**"You set me up."**

Ibukun didn't deny it. **"You tried to turn me into a puppet."**

Nyx's breath hitched—not in fear, but in fury. **"You think you're the first prodigy to need *guidance*? Every great player has a hand on their leash. I just made sure mine was invisible."**

**"And now it's gone."** He stepped closer, watching her pulse jump in her throat. **"What's left for you, Nyx? A blacklisted agent with no prospects?"**

Her lips curled into something dangerous. **"I still have *you*."**

Then she dropped to her knees.

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### **The Bargain Sealed**

She was good. Of course she was.

Her mouth was warm, skilled, her hands gripping his thighs as she took him deep, her golden eyes locked onto his the entire time. A performance, yes—but one laced with desperation.

Ibukun let her work, his fingers tangling in her dark hair, his System running cold calculations in the background.

**>> SUBJECT NYX: MOTIVES ANALYZED

>> PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: REESTABLISH CONTROL

>> SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: AVOID NEURAL AUDIT

>> WARNING: HIGH PROBABILITY OF FUTURE BETRAYAL <<**

He already knew.

And yet—

He yanked her up by her hair, turning her roughly against the wall. Her breath came in sharp gasps as he pushed her dress up, her back arching instinctively.

**"You thought you could own me,"** he growled against her ear, his grip bruising on her hips. **"Now you'll learn what it means to be *owned*."**

She moaned, not in protest, but in something darker. **"Yes."**

He took her like that—hard, merciless, her body pressed against the cold metal of the module wall, her cries echoing in the empty chamber. Every thrust was a reminder: *She had lost. He had won.*

And yet, when she shuddered around him, her nails digging into his arms hard enough to draw blood, he knew this wasn't over.

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### **The Aftermath**

After, as she straightened her dress with trembling hands, Nyx didn't look at him.

**"The League will revoke my access by dawn,"** she said, her voice steady despite everything. **"But I have resources. Contacts. Things even you don't know about."**

Ibukun said nothing.

She finally met his eyes, her golden gaze burning. **"This isn't the end."**

**"No,"** he agreed. **"It's just beginning."**

As the door slid shut behind her, Jay-Jay's hologram flickered to life.

*"You *know* she's going to come back for revenge, right?"*

Ibukun smirked. **"I'm counting on it."**

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