**Chapter 51: The Shadow Gambit**
The Lunar Derby's stadium was a coliseum of glass and steel, floating in the void between the moon's shattered remnants. Eighty thousand spectators watched from pressurized domes, their faces illuminated by the holographic pitch below.
Ibukun adjusted his armguards, the System's silent analysis streaming across his vision:
**>> OPPONENT PROFILES LOADED
>> PRIMARY THREAT: DARIUS VOIDSTEP (BIONIC LEFT ARM - 12% REACTION TIME ADVANTAGE)
>> SECONDARY THREAT: REFEREE LACAN (PAID BY UNKNOWN PARTY) <<**
Jay-Jay's hologram flickered at the edge of his perception. *"Scouts say Nyx was spotted boarding a warlord's shuttle last night. Whatever she's planning—"*
*"Not here,"* Ibukun thought back. The System's security protocols flared:
**>> CONCEALMENT MODE ACTIVE: NEURAL SCANNING DETECTED IN VIP BOX <<**
Master Yuvan wasn't just watching. He was *hunting*.
---
### **The Match Begins**
The ball was a hyper-compressed sphere of quantum-stabilized leather—illegal in lower leagues for its unpredictable trajectory.
Ibukun let the opening pass roll past him, feigning hesitation.
**>> OPPONENT TACTIC IDENTIFIED:
>> DARIUS'S BIONIC ARM CONTAINS GRAVITIC DISRUPTOR
>> INTENDED TO INDUCE 0.3-SECOND LAG IN FIRST TOUCH <<**
He waited until the last millisecond before intercepting, his true reaction time masked by a theatrical stumble.
The crowd gasped.
Yuvan's eyes narrowed.
---
### **Nyx's Revenge**
She appeared at halftime in the VIP lounge, draped in a warlord's colors. Her gold eyes locked onto Ibukun through the glass, her lips forming silent words the System instantly decoded:
*"You'll break before I do."*
Then she turned to the man beside her—General Krazith, the same warlord who'd once tried to buy Ibukun's training data.
Jay-Jay's hologram glitched. *"Oh hell. She sold him *something*."*
The System's alert was instantaneous:
**>> GENERAL KRAZITH: BIO-SIGNATURES MATCH 93% TO ILLEGAL 'SOULBIND' RITUAL
>> DETECTED LINK: NYX'S NEURAL PATTERNS (PARTIAL SYNCHRONIZATION)
>> WARNING: ENTITY CAN SENSE SYSTEM'S PRESENCE BUT NOT IDENTIFY <<**
So that was her play. She couldn't expose what she didn't understand—but she'd bound herself to someone who *could*.
---
### **The Second Half**
Krazith's gaze never left Ibukun. Every touch, every move was scrutinized by something *other*—a presence that slithered along the edges of the System's awareness.
**>> EXTERNAL SENSING ATTEMPTS:
>> - 12% SUCCESS RATE (INSUFFICIENT FOR IDENTIFICATION)
>> - 89% PROBABILITY OF PSIONIC ORIGIN <<**
Darius came at him in the 78th minute, his bionic arm crackling with suppressed energy.
**>> GRAVITIC DISRUPTOR ACTIVATED <<**
Ibukun's muscles locked—for exactly 0.3 seconds. Long enough for Darius's studs to find his knee.
The impact should have shattered bone.
**>> QI REINFORCEMENT: ENGAGED (HIDDEN) <<**
Ibukun rolled with the foul, screaming convincingly as medical drones swarmed.
---
### **The Revelation**
In the med-bay, alone under the guise of a neural scan, the System delivered its verdict:
**>> NYX'S CURRENT ALLEGIANCE: GENERAL KRAZITH
>> PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: IDENTIFY YOUR 'SECRET'
>> SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: BREAK YOUR CAREER
>> WARNING: SOULBIND RITUAL ALLOWS LIMITED SYSTEM 'DETECTION' BUT NOT COMPREHENSION <<**
Jay-Jay materialized, uncharacteristically grim. *"She's made herself a living radar for whatever's inside you. And Krazith? That bastard collects *anomalies*."*
Ibukun flexed his uninjured knee. **"Can they expose me?"**
*"No. But they can *smell* you now."*
---
### **The Countermove**
That night, Ibukun accessed the System's deepest archives.
**>> REQUESTING: SOULBIND COUNTERMEASURES
>> SOLUTION FOUND: 'GHOSTWALK' PROTOCOL
>> EFFECT: TEMPORARY NEURAL DECOUPLING (DURATION: 6 HOURS)
>> SIDE EFFECTS: 47% NEURAL DEGRADATION PER USE <<**
A brutal trade-off. But necessary.
As the protocol initialized, a final warning flashed:
**>> NYX REMAINS UNAWARE OF SYSTEM'S TRUE NATURE
>> GENERAL KRAZITH CAN ONLY SENSE 'ABNORMALITY'
>> RECOMMENDED ACTION: LET THEM CHASE SHADOWS <<**
Ibukun smirked.
Let them hunt ghosts.
The real monster was *right behind them*.
---