**Chapter 54: The Butchers of Mercenary FC**

The Obsidian Arena was silent. Not the usual pre-match buzz of vendors and chattering fans—just a dead, hollow quiet. The kind that settled over battlefields before the first artillery barrage.

Mercenary FC strode onto the pitch in perfect unison, their black kits devoid of any names or numbers. Only the League-mandated biometric scanners on their wrists gave away that they were human at all, and not combat drones.

Ibukun's System flared to life the moment their captain—a towering figure with a neural disruptor grafted where his left eye should be—locked onto him.

**>> OPPONENT ANALYSIS:

>> - CAPTAIN VORGAATH (FORMER VOID MARINE, 87 CONFIRMED KILLS)

>> - MIDFIELDER KESS (NEUROTOXIN STRIKES - ILLEGAL IN 14 LEAGUES)

>> - DEFENDER MALKOR (SUB-DERMAL ARMOR PLATING - 90% IMPACT RESISTANCE)

>> REFEREE: DOLGRUK KRAZITH (GENERAL'S BLOODLINE, 100% CORRUPTION RATING) <<**

Jay-Jay's hologram materialized, uncharacteristically pale. *"Kid... this ain't football. This is an execution."*

Coach Drayven's roar shattered the silence from the sideline. **"League officials! You *seeing* this? These aren't players—they're fucking war criminals!"**

The Celestial League overseer—a frail bureaucrat in pressurized robes—shrugged. **"All augmentations are... *technically* legal under Exhibition Clause 47-B."**

Drayven's cybernetic eye whirred dangerously. **"Then we forfeit."**

The crowd gasped.

Ibukun's System pulsed:

**>> MISSION UPDATE: "SURVIVE THE PURGE"

>> FORFEIT = AUTOMATIC FAILURE ("GLASS BONES" DEBUFF APPLIED)

>> SUGGESTED ACTION: CONVINCE COACH TO PLAY <<**

Ibukun grabbed Drayven's arm. **"Coach. *Let me handle this.*"**

---

### **First Blood**

The whistle blew.

Mercenary FC didn't bother pretending.

**00:03** – Kess's "tackle" on Ibukun left bone-deep gashes across his shins. Referee Dolgruk waved play on.

**00:47** – Vorgaath's elbow shattered Lysander's nose. Yellow card.

**12:19** – Malkor's armored knee found Ibukun's ribs. The sickening *crack* echoed through the silent stadium.

**>> INJURY REPORT:

>> - 3 FRACTURED RIBS

>> - PUNCTURED LUNG (QI CONTAINMENT: 89% EFFECTIVE)

>> - INTERNAL BLEEDING (STABILIZED) <<**

Ibukun spat blood onto the pitch.

**Mission Progress:**

- **Fouls Suffered: 11**

- **Fouls Called: 1**

- **Time Remaining: 77:41**

---

### **The Turning Point**

Halftime. 0-0.

The locker room looked like a triage ward. Lysander's face was a mask of crimson. Vorian's left arm hung limp, the bone visibly protruding.

Drayven kicked a medical drone into the wall. **"That's it! We're done!"**

Ibukun stood, ignoring the searing pain in his chest. **"No. We play."**

The System's new alert flashed:

**>> CRITICAL MISSION: "BLOODIED BUT UNBROKEN"

>> OBJECTIVE: WIN THE MATCH DESPITE MERCENARY FC'S TACTICS

>> REWARD: "ZHANGBO'S IMMOVABLE WILL" (PERMANENT +25% PAIN RESISTANCE)

>> FAILURE: PERMANENT "SHATTERED SPIRIT" DEBUFF (-50% CLUTCH PERFORMANCE) <<**

Vorian laughed through broken teeth. **"You're either the bravest bastard I know... or the dumbest."**

Drayven's optics zoomed in on Ibukun. **"Why?"**

Ibukun met his gaze. **"Because they think we'll break."**

The coach exhaled sharply. **"Fine. But we change *everything*."**

---

### **The Gambit**

Second half. New formation.

Drayven's adjusted 5-4-1 parked every player behind the ball except Ibukun, who now lurked near midfield like a wounded predator.

**>> TACTICAL ANALYSIS:

>> - COACH'S PLAN: ABSORB PRESSURE, COUNTER WITH LONG BALLS

>> - USER ROLE: LURE VORGARTH INTO RED CARD OFFENSE <<**

It worked.

**63:14** – Ibukun's feigned stumble left Vorgaath's vicious kick whiffing through air—right in front of Referee Dolgruk's face.

The red card *almost* came.

Instead, Dolgruk awarded a free kick... to *Mercenary FC*.

The crowd's boos shook the stadium.

---

### **The Miracle**

**89:57** – Ibukun's lungs burned. His vision swam. The System's warnings blared:

**>> QI RESERVES CRITICAL (9% REMAINING)

>> CONCUSSION PROTOCOLS OVERRIDDEN

>> LAST ATTEMPT: LONG-RANGE STRIKE (SUCCESS PROBABILITY: 3.7%) <<**

Then—

A clearance from Vorian. A bouncing ball.

Ibukun *moved*.

Kess's neurotoxin-laced studs grazed his calf. Malkor's armored shoulder clipped his ribs.

He fell.

But not before *shooting*.

The ball arced like a dying star—

**GOAL.**

1-0.

---

### **The Aftermath**

The final whistle blew.

Mercenary FC looked... stunned. Vorgaath actually *apologized* as he helped Ibukun up.

Dolgruk's corrupted eyes burned with fury as he stamped the match logs.

**>> MISSION COMPLETE: "SURVIVE THE PURGE"

>> REWARD UNLOCKED: "GATTUSO'S IRON WILL" (PERMANENT PAIN RESISTANCE)

>> NEW TRAIT: "BUTCHER'S RESPECT" (MERCENARY FC WILL HESITATE TO TARGET USER) <<**

Nyx waited in the tunnel, her golden eyes wide. **"You... *won*?"**

Ibukun collapsed into the med-drones' grasp.

**"Told you,"** he gasped. **"I don't lose."**

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