Omniscient POV
The Tokyo International E-Sports Dome pulsed with energy. Neon lights flashed, camera drones zipped through the air, and thousands of fans roared in anticipation.
Giant screens displayed the stylized title of the day's event:
Last Battlefront: World Championship Grand Finale.
In the center of the dazzling stage, the zesty tournament host—ZettaRay, a streamer-turned-global MC in a gold-sequinned blazer and pink shades—stepped into the spotlight, arms spread wide like a game show god. 'Praise Me!'
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GAMERS OF ALL AGES!" he shouted, his voice echoing with practiced flair.
"Welcome to the FINAL ROUND of the Last Battlefront World Championship! It's been a bloodbath of all range of players—but now, it all comes down to THIS!"
The crowd erupted.
"Two champions. Two legends. Two titans of the FGC (Fighting Game Community)! But only ONE CROWN!"
A split-screen flickered on the monitors, showcasing two imposing avatars: Celestaria, a radiant blade-dancer with a flowing cloak of starlight, and Netherthorn, a dark mage-queen riding a floating obsidian throne.
"In the left booth," ZettaRay continued, striding toward the stage-left podium, "we have the undefeated prodigy, the storm of the leaderboard, the terror of ranked queue—give it up for PRINCESS!"
The stadium shook with cheers. A spotlight flared over Elle in her gamer booth, adjusting her headset with sharp, precise fingers.
Her eyes gleamed with focus. Fans waved banners and LED boards with her name.
"Queen of Combos."
"Celestaria Sweep."
"Marry Me, Princess!" (Ignored!)
"And on the right," the host boomed, walking dramatically to the opposite booth, "we have a living legend. The veteran of five titles, trash-talker in five languages, the Iron Widow of Warlocks—QUUEN!!"
The cheers turned into a different kind of thunder. The kind with awe and fear mixed in.
Kiana Emberfaust sat in her booth with her arms crossed, exuding an aura that made the arena noticeably colder.
Her screen-name flashed like a warning: Quuen, misspelled long ago, never corrected, now feared.
"The rivalry between these two has become the stuff of esports legend!" ZettaRay declared.
"Four matches. Four draws. But today, we settle it. Today—one rises, one falls."
Their matches were the stuff of memes, fan edits, and questionable doujins.
But today was the finale, the decisive fifth match. No more draws. No more GGs (Good Games).
The crowd erupted.
The crowd roared as the two finalists took their seats on opposite sides of the stage, headsets on, fingers flexing over their controllers.
Neither had seen the other's face before—until today.
Elle adjusted her headset, cracking her knuckles with a smirk. "Alright, Quuen. Time to dethrone you."
Across the stage, her opponent scoffed. "Cocky little brat. I've wiped the floor with you before."
Elle froze.
That voice.
That specific brand of smugness.
Slowly, her head turned toward the booth across from her.
The camera zoomed in just in time to catch the flicker of recognition on both faces. The arena quieted. Eyes narrowed. Mouths opened slightly.
One blinked.
The other blinked.
"…Mom?" Elle mouthed, stunned.
"…Elle-chan?" Kiana squinted, equally horrified.
The booth mics picked it up.
The audience gasped.
A full beat of silence hung in the air—
And then the arena exploded.
The tournament host, a peppy guy in a flashy blazer with too much caffeine in his system, nearly choked on his mic.
"WAIT—YOU TWO ARE RELATED?!"
From the VIP box, Felix Emberfaust—sporting a freshly printed "I Support Both My Girls!" T-shirt—slowly sank into his cushioned seat as if trying to disappear.
His soul, dignity, and future peace of mind visibly exited his body.
Both Kiana and Elle turned in perfect sync toward the audience, eyes locking onto the one man who should've known everything from the beginning.
They glared.
"YOU KNEW?!" they shouted together, horror and betrayal in their voices.
Felix raised his hands slowly, like a peace-loving potato trying not to get mashed.
"I—I thought it was funny at first! You were both using voice modulators! How was I supposed to know it'd end like this?!"
A camera drone zoomed in to capture the sweat beading on his forehead, the nervous twitch in his cheek, the pure panic in his eyes.
If the denizens of the Spirit Realm had seen this, they would have gouged out their eyes—witnessing their exalted Spirit King reduced to a trembling, guilt-ridden dad under the wrath of his wife and daughter.
Honestly? He never thought it was funny. He'd just been too scared to say anything to those two hyper-competitive gamers. He only wanted to preserve the tiny shred of peace left in their household.
The host stepped in with perfect timing, trying to regain control of the chaos—but even he knew: no tournament finale could top this reveal.
"THIS IS A MATCH FOR THE AGES, FOLKS! A FAMILY FEUD! A ROYAL RUMBLE—MOTHER VERSUS DAUGHTER! PRINCESS VERSUS QUUEN!"
The crowd lost its mind.
Hashtag #PrincessVSQuuen trended in seven languages in less than a minute.
The countdown started.
3...
2...
1...
FIGHT!
The timer hit zero.
The match began.
Round One:
Elle's Celestaria blinked behind her mother's Netherthorn and unleashed a flurry of flaming daggers.
"Nice try, sweetheart," Kiana's voice crackled through the headset—dry, unimpressed.
At least, she wasn't shit talking her daughter in front of everyone.
With calm precision, Netherthorn summoned a magical shield and uppercutted Celestaria into the air with a follow-up dark lance.
Felix clapped awkwardly. "W-Well done, Elle-chan! And great counter, honey!"
Unbeknownst to everyone, two flaming daggers embedded themselves in the booth wall just behind him. He shrank deeper into his seat.
After an intense battle, the round finally came to an end.
"Round one goes to Quuen! Give a round of applause for her, folks," says ZettaRay in his overly dramatic way.
The crowd erupts into a big applause and a cacophony of noises—some revering Kiana, while others cheer and console Elle for her loss.
"Hmph! I won't lose in the next round," says Elle.
"Heh," is all Kiana said to her cute daughter, making Elle even angrier in her defeat.
Soon after, round two started.
Round Two in the Summoning Category:
Netherthorn conjured a roaring three-headed chimera, fire and lightning pouring from its jaws.
Celestaria countered with a celestial dragon, wings wide with blazing stars.
They clashed mid-screen—fire against light, fang against claw. Spells lit the arena like fireworks.
Felix sipped his drink like it was a potion labeled 'instant regret'. He clapped, smiled, and tried to cheer for both of them.
The camera rolled perfectly to capture it all.
He would regret all of that later.
Nothing is more embarrassing than an overly enthusiastic cheer from family members.
After fighting tooth and nail for almost an hour, the round finally ended in Elle's favor, making it a draw between the two.
The crowd exploded again.
The next round would be the final one to determine the victor.
Both seemed mentally exhausted, so after a brief break, the game continued as the final round began.
Final Round:
.
.
.
...Both health bars flashed red. One second on the clock.
Netherthorn hurled a meteor spell.
Celestaria ducked—frame perfect.
Elle activated her ultimate skill: Crownfall Eclipse.
A massive wave of starlight surged through the battlefield. The explosion swallowed everything.
K.O.
A loud mechanical sound reverberated from the sound system as the monitor flashed with glowing 'K.O.' signs.
"PRINCESS WINS!!" ZettaRay yelled, nearly falling off his platform. The arena went feral.
Elle stared at the screen, stunned. Then she grinned and jumped up from her seat.
Kiana rose from her booth, calm, arms folded, a smile barely touching her lips.
"You did great," she said.
Elle ran to hug her. "You're still the scariest boss I've ever fought, Mom."
Back in the VIP box, Felix gave a thumbs-up like a man clinging to hope.
"So… pizza tonight?"
Kiana narrowed her eyes. "You bet. We will be having some serious discussions tonight, mister."
Elle crossed her arms with a smirk. "Also, you're banned from my gaming streams for a few months now."
"But I—"
"No 'but's," they said together.
ZettaRay laughed nervously into the mic. "Well, folks, that was the most intense and emotionally complicated match in tournament history! Let's hear it one more time for the Emberfausts!"
The crowd roared as the giant screen displayed:
Victory to Princess. But the biggest loser today seems to be... the dad.
For a moment, Felix considered burning the board, but with his wife and daughter present, he didn't dare.
He sighed, long and slow. "I should've just entered that fishing tournament instead of coming…"
The Spirit Realm hosted fishing tournaments around this time for catching gigantic killer whales that could easily kill anyone in the Ultimate Class just by breathing.
But that's a story for another time.
[A/N: How is the chapter? Leave behind a comment. Just wanted to end Elle's gaming gag.
https://www.patreon.com/c/Sol_Pendragon
https://discord.gg/TpZWKss5bj]