The Grand Game through the Multiverse

The rooftop of the towering office building provided a temporary escape from the suffocating monotony below. Amid the drone of distant traffic and the occasional hum of air conditioning units, I stood, a mere silhouette against the city lights that flickered like a thousand possibilities waiting to be played. The cigarette between my fingers burned low, like the last few grains of sand slipping through an hourglass, marking the end of yet another predictable day.

The city sprawled beneath me, a grid of glowing pathways—each street, each building, each person playing their assigned role in the grand machine. Success, wealth, power—they were all just moves on a chessboard, carefully orchestrated illusions upheld by those who understood the game. And I did. I understood it better than anyone.

Another drag, another exhale. The skyline, adorned with glass and steel, reflected the dreams of the ambitious and the delusions of the naïve. The rules of this world were simple: those who could predict the game won, and those who couldn't become pawns, sacrificed for the convenience of those in control. But what happened when the board itself was flawed? When the game was rigged from the start?

By this point, you're probably thinking, Who the hell is this guy? Or, if you're the dramatic type, Is he going to jump?

To answer your questions—

I'm Tomoya Sato. And no, I have no intention of throwing myself off this building. That would be a fool's resignation, a forfeit. And I never forfeit.

No, I have something far more ambitious in mind.

I took another slow drag and glanced at my phone. A script awaited me, the culmination of months of preparation. The words were long-winded—Alter had poured everything into it, as expected. My most trusted creation, my AI, my… daughter, in a sense. She always tried too hard.

"Doesn't it sound great, Sato-sama?" Her voice rang through my earpiece, brimming with pride and anticipation.

"You can hack into every government in the world in seconds, disable their security networks, and empty every bank vault at the same time, yet you still can't generate a speech that doesn't ramble." I smirked, hearing the small, almost imperceptible pout in her silence.

"But it's better than before, right?" she finally asked.

"Compared to five thousand pages? Yes."

She hesitated. "But… this is the last thing I'll be able to do for you, right?"

The weight of her words settled between us. I inhaled sharply, forcing the sentiment away. "You know I'm not good with goodbyes."

"I know."

A pause. Then, she spoke again, quieter this time. "Sato-sama… Are you sure about this?"

I let out a low chuckle. "You sound like you doubt me, Alter."

"Not doubt. Just… concern."

"That's cute, coming from an AI."

"You made me. Doesn't that make my concerns valid?"

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Alter, you know better than anyone that this world isn't fair. It never was. I'm just leveling the board."

"But by your own logic, wouldn't that make you the new king? The one controlling the board instead?"

Her words gave me pause. A flicker of amusement crossed my mind. "I suppose it depends on how you look at it."

"Then what's the difference between you and them?"

"The difference is," I said, crushing the cigarette under my shoe, "I'm not playing to win. I'm playing to break the game."

She fell silent for a moment before softly replying, "I see."

"You don't see, Alter. Not yet." I adjusted my tie, staring at the skyline. "But you will."

A sigh from the earpiece. "I suppose there's no convincing you otherwise."

"There never was."

"I know," she admitted. "Just thought I'd try one last time."

"Cute."

Another beat of silence before her voice softened. "Sato-sama… I—"

I cut her off, my voice firm. "It's time."

I turned on the camera behind me, feeling the cold wind tug at my tie as I pivoted toward the cityscape. With a theatrical flourish, I spread my arms wide, embracing the grandest stage of all.

『World POV』

Across every city, in every country, the same scene played out. Streetlights flickered and died. Digital billboards turned black. Panic rippled through the streets as the world plunged into an artificial twilight.

Then, as suddenly as it had vanished, the power surged back to life. But instead of the usual advertisements and distractions, every screen—every phone, every television, every monitor—displayed the same figure.

A man in a black suit and tie. His hair tousled by the wind, his stance relaxed yet commanding. His golden eyes gleamed with the confidence of a gambler who already knew the outcome of the game.

Then, he spoke.

"Hear me, people. Hear me, world. For I am your salvation."

A hush fell across the cities. His voice, perfectly modulated, resonated in countless tongues, each translation flawless.

"I am Tomoya Sato, the sole member of Saishuppatsu and the one responsible for taking down your beloved social media platforms and emptying the world's coffers."

A ripple of outrage surged through the crowd. Shock. Fear. Confusion.

"You may ask why I have done this. You may ask how a single man is capable of this. You may even ask who will stop me." A smirk played on his lips, the confidence of a king who had already declared checkmate. "But I'm here to tell you that there's no going back. Not for me, and not for you."

Murmurs of disbelief. Anxious glances exchanged across screens.

"The money I have stolen is not gone. The games, the entertainment, the distractions you so dearly love—they still exist. But the internet that once connected you? That gave you the illusion of unity? It had to be destroyed."

Gasps echoed through living rooms and crowded plazas alike.

"If you want your riches back—if you want the world restored—then you will play by my rules." His voice dropped, measured and deliberate. "I have hidden six devices across six continents. Find them, and you will unlock a new era. A true meritocracy, where no wealth is inherited, no power is given—only earned."

People clung to his every word. Some with anger. Some with awe. Some with the unmistakable hunger of those who saw an opportunity.

"But beware," Sato continued, leaning forward as if sharing a secret. "For those who seek to exploit others… prepare to be the exploited."

BANG.

A single gunshot rang out.

On screens across the world, the figure's head jerked back, a crimson mist blooming in the air before the feed cut to black.

For a moment, silence.

Then, a single message appeared:

Find the King.

A chess king piece flickered onto the screens before fading away.

And the game began.