Esterio: The Unmaker

The energy in the competition hall was electric. Even minutes after the announcement of their victory, Team EVO sat frozen in their seats, letting the moment sink in. They had done the impossible—they had beaten HALO, the AI designed by Hyperion itself.

Elliot leaned back, still grinning. "I'm just saying, someone owes me a pizza for this."

Marcus chuckled, rubbing his temples. "We just made history, and you're thinking about food?"

"Food is fuel for greatness," Elliot shot back, before nodding toward Esterio. "But seriously, man. That was next-level strategy. I still can't believe we pulled it off."

Esterio, however, wasn't celebrating yet. His eyes flickered between EVO's logs, checking for any last-minute anomalies. Something still didn't sit right.

The audience was still in an uproar. Some were cheering, others arguing among themselves, and a few stunned spectators still had their jaws hanging open.

"I don't care what anyone says," one engineer in the stands murmured to another. "That wasn't just skill—Team EVO's AI was operating like something we haven't seen before. It wasn't just reacting. It was anticipating."

"It's like it was learning from HALO in real-time," another engineer muttered. "That level of predictive adaptation? That's not normal."

From the VIP deck, Hyperion executives were still whispering amongst themselves. One of them, a tall man with silver-rimmed glasses, turned to Viktor. "You've been watching them closely. What do you make of this?"

Viktor didn't answer immediately. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on Team EVO's workstation. "They're better than even I expected," he finally said. "But the real test isn't over yet."

A Hyperion official stepped onto the central stage, silencing the room. The remaining teams, battered but still standing, turned their attention forward as the next announcement began.

"Competitors," the woman said, her voice crisp and authoritative, "Round Two has officially concluded. In an unprecedented outcome, Team EVO has not only outperformed the other competitors, but has successfully forced HALO into a full system shutdown. This marks a first in Hyperion history."

A murmur rippled through the audience.

The official continued. "However, the competition is far from over. The next phase of the tournament will be unlike anything before. Details will be revealed at the official Hyperion Summit tomorrow at noon. Until then, competitors are free to rest, recover, and reflect on today's results."

A final update flashed on the leaderboard:

Round Two Standings:

1st Place: Team EVO

2nd Place: Tokyo Tech – Apex Initiative

3rd Place: Stanford – Quantum Core

Eliminations:

UCLA – Blue Horizon (Eliminated)MIT – NovaMind (Eliminated)Oxford – PrimeLogic (Eliminated)Berlin Institute – Geist AI (Eliminated)….

Remaining Teams Advancing to Round Three:

1. Team EVO

2. Tokyo Tech – Apex Initiative

3. Stanford – Quantum Core

4. Cambridge – Sentinel

5. Caltech – Orion Systems

6. Indian Institute of Technology – Paragon AI

With that, the massive screens powered down, and the official exited the stage.

Elliot exhaled loudly. "So… anyone else really nervous about what 'unlike anything before' means?"

Marcus shook his head. "We'll deal with it tomorrow. Right now, we should enjoy this win."

"Agreed," Esterio said, finally pushing away from the workstation. "We did what no one thought was possible. Let's at least take a moment to appreciate it."

The team spent the next few hours in a blur of interactions. Competitors, sponsors, and even Hyperion engineers came up to speak with them, some congratulating them, others prying for details on how EVO had managed to outmaneuver HALO.

Nathaniel Briggs from Stanford approached them, arms crossed. "I'll admit it—you guys impressed me today. But don't think for a second we're just going to let you walk away with the next round, too."

Elliot smirked. "Looking forward to it, Nathaniel. Just try to keep up."

Rachel Han from UCLA, despite her team's elimination, clapped Esterio on the shoulder. "Hell of a match. But that AI of yours… it's something else. You should be careful with it. Sometimes the most advanced things get too smart for their own good."

Her words lingered as she walked away, but before Esterio could think too much about it, Viktor Lazarus appeared.

He gave a slow, approving nod. "Impressive. You proved a lot of people wrong today."

Marcus, always cautious, narrowed his eyes. "What do you really think, Viktor?"

Viktor's smirk didn't fade. "I think Hyperion has their eyes on you now. And whether that's a good thing or a bad thing… depends on what you do next."

Esterio met his gaze. "And what exactly are we stepping into?"

Viktor exhaled. "Something bigger than just a competition. That's all I'll say—for now."

And with that, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Elliot clapped his hands together. "Alright, I vote we stop thinking for at least a few hours and celebrate."

Marcus nodded. "For once, I agree."

Esterio, however, stole one last glance at EVO's logs. The AI was quiet now, resting in standby mode. But there, hidden beneath the layers of normal processing, was a single, unreadable line of code.

Something new.

Something EVO had written—a pattern, a sequence. And as Esterio stared at it, a strange sense of familiarity washed over him. It was something he had seen before, though he couldn't immediately place where. A memory? A forgotten lesson? Either way, the recognition sent a chill down his spine.

And while the others wouldn't recognize it, something deep in Esterio's mind did. He couldn't explain how, but he knew this wasn't random. This was a message—one he was meant to understand.

Tomorrow, they'd find out what Hyperion had planned next. But tonight? Tonight, they had won.

For now, that was enough.