Rise of the Zillionaire Star

Chapter 23: Rap Battle: Round Two

The underground arena oozed with heat, noise, and the smell of sweat of the crowd gathered around. Camera flashes sliced through the dim light. It caught glints of gold chains and the gleam of eyes hungry to see the winner.

Ricko Flare stood at the center stage, basking in the disruption he thought he’d already won. He was cocky. His shoulders loose and his gold watch gleaming. His crew lined the back wall with their phones out, ready to capture the moment they believed would cement Jaylen as the night’s laughingstock.

Jaylen's voice cracked through the speakers,

“Due to heated debate from the judges and fan demand, we’re goin’ into a final sudden-death round! It's a one shot thing, no do-overs and no chokes. The winner takes the crown and the Loser? Well…” Jaylen smirked. “… The loser walks out with their pride in pieces.”

The crowd roared, “Yes.” stomping their feet against the sticky floor.

Ricko leaned into his mic with a dripping arrogance. “One more round? Fine. Let me show you who the real boss is.”

Jaylen said nothing at first. He rolled his shoulders, exhaling slowly, feeling the faint hum of the System activate in the back of his mind.

“System Trigger: “Freestyle Mode – Enhanced” Activated.

Function: Access opponent’s public + deleted digital footprint for lyrical ammunition.

Bonus: Speed-matched rhythm weaving.”

A flood of images, posts, and screenshots rippled through Jaylen’s vision like a private slideshow only he could see. There, he saw Ricko’s deleted tweets, half-truth interviews and old SoundCloud collaborations he had deleted from the internet. Jaylen's face brightened with a dark smirk. ‘It’s to make this resurface.’ He blinked once, puffing some breath out of his nostrils.

……..

The beat dropped. It was as heavy and dirty as it shook the arena’s walls. Ricko went first, firing off his opening like bullets from a rapid-fire pistol.

“Yo, Jaylen! You just pity clicks, sympathy streams,

Your whole career’s a weak charity dream!

Washed-up waiter with a pen and a mic,

Your Spotify’s full of skips, not hype!”

The crowd laughed in their pockets. Ricko’s crew started hyping him from the sidelines. He pressed harder,

“You got eviction letters for receipts,

You the broke man’s Drake,.discount beats!

I’m viral by nature, my name rings bells,

You trending for tears, I’m trending for sales!”

Ricko strutted across the stage, grinning like he had already won the game.

The MC’s hand shot toward Jaylen. “It's time!”

Jaylen stepped forward, mic in hand. His voice dropped low at first, almost conversational.

“Funny thing, Ricko… you talk ‘bout eviction and sales,

But forget them T*****r rants where you cried you failed.

Yeah, I got receipts, straight from your drafts,

Deleted fast, but the internet laughs.”

The crowd reacted instantly, “Ohhh!” They shot their phones upwards to start the recording.

Jaylen’s tone sharpened, syncing perfectly with the beat’s build.

“You called yourself ‘king,’ but the throne ain’t yours,

Fake collabs with names you could never afford.

Tagged Drake, tagged Cole, tagged every big star,

Only blue check you got was from your mom’s VCR.”

Ricko’s smile faltered for the first time, jaw tightening.

Jaylen pressed in, each line was a calculated cut,

“You ghostwrote for dudes who never paid in cash,

Then sold your own masters for a hundred flat.

Talk loyalty? You flipped on your crew,

Signed three trash deals ‘cause they promised you views.”

The system pinged in, “System Bonus: “Lyrical Impact Spike – Critical Hit” Achieved.

Opponent Morale: -25%.”

Jaylen wasn’t done. He stepped closer to Ricko, delivering the killer shot.

“You say I’m trending for tears, nah, I trend for truth,

While you trend for fakes in rented booths.

You’re the king of the cap, the prince of the lie,

And tonight, Ricko Flare, your career gon’ die.”

The beat cut and there came a loud and stunned silence throughout the stage.

For two seconds, the room froze and then exploded with cheers, shouts and stomps. Even some of Ricko’s own fans were grinning like they had just witnessed history.

Ricko tried to smirk, but his eyes told another story revealing a harsh panic across his face.

The MC raised both hands. “That’s it! Judges, tally it up!”

The panel huddled in the corner, murmuring. They took longer than anyone expected. Tension pulled hard in the air like the moments before a storm breaks.

Ricko’s crew crowded him, but he waved them off as he walked the edge of the stage. Jaylen stood still with his head high and there came a faint ding of the System in his ear.

“System Notification! Live Viewer Poll: 83% Jaylen – 17% Ricko. Social Trend Surge: #RickoExposed now top 5.”

The judges returned. The head judge leaned into the mic, “The Winner of this rap battle is… Jaylen Cruz!”

The place erupted like fire. Jaylen’s name echoed like a chant in a stadium.

Ricko ripped off his mic and stormed off stage angrily, shoving past photographers. His crew followed, trying to avoid the swarm of fans filming.

The system chimed with rewards, “ Quest Complete: Flame vs Fame – Sudden Death.

Rewards: +4 Fame, +2 Z-Credits.

Passive Unlocked: “Clapback Mastery” – verbal counters gain +20% media traction.”

Jaylen smirked. “Another win, another snake decapitated.” he blinked with a sigh.

Backstage, the adrenaline was still pumping. Sweat clung to Jaylen’s collar. One of his team members caught up with him, laughing.

“You didn’t just kill him, you made sure there’s nothing left to bury.”

Jaylen chuckled, but his mind was already moving ahead. Wins were great, but every win painted a bigger target on his back.

That was when the man in the tailored charcoal suit appeared sideways. He wasn’t part of the crowd. He didn’t look like the press. He just… waited in the corner until Jaylen noticed.

“You’re hard to miss tonight,” the man said, stepping forward with a slow and deliberate smile. “Name’s Luther Kane. I represent Vanguard Entertainment. Let’s just say… we like betting on dark horses.”

He handed Jaylen a slim envelope even before he could speak.

“There is a contract inside. And it's big money, bigger stages too. But it’s not for the public yet. Think of it as… our little secret.”

Jaylen didn’t take it immediately. Something about the way Kane’s smile didn’t reach his eyes made the hair on his arms stand up.

The System alerted, “Contract contains undisclosed clauses. Risk: HIGH.”

Jaylen slid the envelope into his jacket without opening it. “I’ll think about it.” He replied coldly.

Kane nodded once, turning away into the shadows as if he had never been there.

Jaylen exhaled. The noise of the arena was still pounding in his ears. Another fight was just won and another trap was waiting in the dark.

The System’s voice murmured, almost like a warning, “Some battles aren’t fought on stage, Jaylen.”

Somewhere deep in the city, a new player had just moved their piece onto the board.