File: Clone.drone.in.the.danger.zone.v1.3.1.37.... -

Then, the floor shook. A massive door at the far end of the arena ground open.

By Wave 15, I didn't feel like a human anymore. I felt like a finely tuned instrument of death. I had acquired a bow, maximized my arrow deflection, and added a layer of heavy plating to my chassis. I needed it. The arena was now throwing MK-3 Swordsmen at me—heavy bots with armor that required multiple hits to break.

I didn't think; I reacted. I dashed to the right as the arrow whistled past my head, clanging against the arena wall. My metal feet clattered against the floor. I closed the distance, swung my sword in a wide horizontal arc, and sliced clean through the archer's torso. Sparks flew, oil sprayed like black blood, and the robot fell in two pieces. File: Clone.Drone.in.the.Danger.Zone.v1.3.1.37....

The giant raised the hammer and brought it down. I dashed backward using my jetpack just as the weapon slammed into the floor, sending a shockwave that cracked the arena tiles. The hammer was stuck in the floor for a brief second.

I was launched backward, flying straight toward a pit of lava. In a panic, I triggered my new jetpack. The thrusters roared to life, halting my momentum just inches above the molten rock. Using the vertical boost, I flew over the Kick Bot, flipped upside down, and brought my blade down on its head. Chapter 3: The Armor and the Giant Then, the floor shook

I gripped my sword tightly, ignoring the low-battery warnings flashing in my vision. I looked at the giant mechanical monster, and then up at the Emperor's viewing box.

The arena smelled of ozone and hot oil. I blinked my optical sensors, adjusting to the bright, neon-soaked coliseum. My legs felt heavy, articulated hydraulic joints hissing with every tentative step I took. I felt like a finely tuned instrument of death

Out stepped a machine three times my size. In its hands was a gravity hammer the size of a small car. One hit from that thing would not just kill me; it would delete my source code.