Zexrazhek) Cinema

10

THIRD ROUND: Hecilvic Hits the Hammer! "Nethertusk" (4.28) Destroys "Pigfeast" (3.82) and Puts Warora on the Tightrope

By The Intercontinental Chronicler of Literature | Published Worldwide

The Game Has Turned!

If the first round was from Colombia and the second was from Puerto Rico, the third round consolidated Puerto Rican hegemony. Editora Hecilvic arrives with everything and wins the second in a row, putting Editora Warora against the wall.

Round 3 Scoreboard:

🏆 "Nethertusk" (Editora Hecilvic / Puerto Rico) - 4.28 STARS (WINNER)

🥈 "Pigfeast" (Editora Warora / Colombia) - 3.82 STARS

With this result, the accumulated score for the rounds (considering only wins per round) is:

· Round 1: Warora (Zexrazhek 4.52 x Lorolas 3.80) → 1 to 0 for Colombia

· Round 2: Hecilvic (Blightbristle 4.52 x Scourgerazor 3.80) → 1 to 1

· Round 3: Hecilvic (Nethertusk 4.28 x Pigfeast 3.82) → 2 to 1 for Puerto Rico

Hecilvic now leads the competition and Colombia urgently needs to win the remaining two rounds to avoid suffering a historic defeat - with 10 Billion in GDP from the World Literary Educational Fund at stake.

📖 WINNER ANALYSIS: "NETHERTUSK" - THE ALPINE TERROR THAT CONQUERED THE WORLD

A Prince, a Fear and the End of the World

"Nethertusk" by author Boso Xiomarys is a masterpiece of Alpine Horror that transports readers to freezing peaks and metaphysical abysses.

The plot follows a Dublin prince tormented by an irrational fear of flying-a weakness that becomes the key to disaster when his antagonist, a rival prince who cheats on quiz shows, discovers how to use the hero's anxiety to trigger a global cataclysm. The villain wins and, shockingly, destroys the world.

World critics went crazy with the boldness:

"Xiomarys did something that few authors dare: the villain wins, the world ends, and the protagonist's fear (something as human as flying) is the lever for ruin. It's a Greek tragedy set in icy peaks with a touch of dark humor from quiz shows. GENIUS." -The London Review of Books.

The alpine system built by Xiomarys is visually stunning, and the way she turns cheating on talk shows into a weapon of mass destruction is described as "the decade's sharpest satire on entertainment culture."

The "Trickster Prince" Factor

The antagonist became an instant pop icon. His calculating coldness and his banal method (cheating on quizzes) to destroy civilization have been compared to great literary villains, but with a disturbing originality: he does not use magic or advanced technology, just distorted information and trickery. A brutal allegory for disinformation in the digital age.

📖 VICE ANALYSIS: "PIGFEAST" - A PIE IN WARORA'S FACE

A Sailor, a Competition and an Accident

"Pigfeast", by Doona Lee (who had already been defeated in Round 2 with "Scourgerazor"), brought a Courtroom Science Fiction set in a universe where pie-eating competitions decide legal and social destinies.

The protagonist is a sailor from Glasgow, thrilled to be taking part in the final of a pie competition. However, his nephew suffers a very serious car accident. Even so, she decides to compete, wins the competition and becomes a worldwide celebrity.

Why did the public reject it?

The tone of the book was pointed out as the story's great villain. The sailor's decision to ignore her nephew's suffering to eat pies - even though the book tries to justify it with a legal twist in court - was seen as insensitive and disconnected.

"Doona Lee tried to make a satire of the entertainment industry and the cult of celebrity, but what he delivered was an unlikable protagonist in a plot that doesn't know whether to be a family drama, slapstick comedy or science fiction. The result is a narrative Frankenstein that no one has embraced." - Review from The Guardian.

The score of 3.82 reflects public dissatisfaction. Many readers reported having abandoned the book halfway through, unable to sympathize with the protagonist.

🌍 GLOBAL REACTION AND WORLDWIDE DISCUSSION

🇵🇷 PUERTO RICO: THE PEOPLE EXULT

"Nethertusk's" victory turned Boso Xiomarys into a national heroine in Puerto Rico. San Juan held a spontaneous motorcade.

"Boso showed that we can be dark, philosophical and winning. The Prince of Dublin may be afraid of flying, but we Puerto Ricans are flying high in the ratings!" - Said the governor at a press conference.

Hecilvic has already announced a 150% increase in the circulation of "Nethertusk" and hired Xiomarys for a trilogy.

🇨🇴 COLOMBIA: DESPERATION KNOCKS AT THE DOOR

In Colombia, the situation is critical. After the humiliating defeat of "Scourgerazor" (3.80) in the previous round, Warora bet all its chips on Doona Lee again with "Pigfeast" - and failed miserably.

"I can't understand it. Doona Lee is a brilliant author, but her plots have been rejected in droves. Does the public simply not understand the depth of her absurdism?" - Questioned a Warora executive in an emergency meeting.

The Colombian media is divided. Some call for Lee's head; others argue that Warora urgently needs to change authors for the next rounds.

📊 CONSEQUENCES FOR THE BOOK MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT

1. "Alpine Horror" Soars, "Courtroom Sci-Fi" Plummets

Gender Average Before Round 3 Average After Round 3 Change

Alpine Horror 4.0 4.5 +0.5 📈

Courtroom Sci-Fi 3.9 3.4 -0.5 📉

Afrofuturism 4.6 4.5 -0.1

Absurdism 3.5 3.3 -0.2

2. The "Cheat Prince" Phenomenon

The antagonist of "Nethertusk" entered the Villains Hall of Fame. Hollywood studios are at war:

· A24 offered $200 million for the rights to "Nethertusk."

· Netflix and HBO also made proposals, but lost to A24, which promised a faithful and dark adaptation.

3. "Pigfeast" Becomes a Global Meme

In less than 24 hours, "Pigfeast" became a meme phenomenon. The hashtag #PieOverNephew went viral, with thousands of posts mocking the protagonist who exchanged her injured nephew for a pie.

Even Saturday Night Live has already announced a sketch parodying the book.

4. Sales and Audience

· "Nethertusk" sold 9.8 million copies in its first week.

· "Pigfeast" sold 1.5 million - the worst performance of the entire competition so far.

📈 ACCUMULATED SCOREBOARD AND THE MATHEMATICS OF VICTORY

The competition has clear rules:

· Until Round 5, books will be evaluated by critics (scores from 0 to 5).

· At the end of Round 5, the total number of evaluations (number of votesatings) that each publisher received throughout ALL rounds will be mathematically added.

· In addition, there will be 2 extra Rounds (Rounds 6 and 7) that will exclusively count the biggest sales of books and comics.

· Everything will be added together (grades + number of reviews + sales) to define the champion.

Final prize: 10 BILLION in GDP donated by the World Bank Educational Student Literature Ebooks to the winning publisher, invested in educational investment in the home country. The loser gets nothing.

Current Situation:

Publisher Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Won Rounds

Hecilvic (Puerto Rico) 3.80 4.52 4.28 2

Warora (Colombia) 4.52 3.80 3.82 1

Hecilvic leads in victories, but the final math depends on the total votes. So far, "Zexrazhek" (Warora) has had 2.1 million reviews, "Blightbristle" (Hecilvic) has had 2.3 million, and "Nethertusk" (Hecilvic) has already accumulated 1.9 million in just a few days. Hecilvic is ahead in the volume of votes too.

🗣️ DEBATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: THE FANS GET INVOLVED

Team Hecilvic (Nethertusk):

"BOSO XIOMARYS IS THE QUEEN! The fearful prince of Dublin and the quiz villain are the most iconic characters in this competition. Hecilvic will take the 10 billion and Puerto Rico will educate the world!"

Team Warora (Pigfeast):

"Unbelievable! Doona Lee is a misunderstood genius. The Glasgow sailor is a brilliant critic of human selfishness! The public who don't understand are shallow!"

Ironic comment from a French reader:

"Exchanging your nephew for a pie is AWESOME. Was whoever wrote this hungry or hating children? I prefer the quiz villain, at least he's honest about cheating."

🌐 REACTION FROM HOME COUNTRIES

Puerto Rico - Towards the Literary Olympus

The euphoria is general. Boso Xiomarys was invited to speak at the UN on "literature as a tool for social transformation". The Puerto Rican Ministry of Education is already considering including "Nethertusk" in schools.

"This 10 billion prize will change our education forever. We are two rounds away from conquering the world." - Xiomarys said.

Colombia - Wave of Panic

In Colombia, despair took over. Warora was fiercely criticized for insisting on Doona Lee after the Round 2 defeat. The Ministry of Culture placed the publisher on "critical watch".

Colombian authors began to speak out publicly against Warora, asking the publisher to make room for new talent.

🚀 WHAT'S NEXT: ROUND 4 AND ROUND 5 (REVIEWS) + ROUND 6 AND 7 (SALES/COMICS)

The competition isn't over yet! Four rounds remain:

Round Type Expected Date

4 Review (New Book) Next days

5 Review (New Book) After Round 4

6 Biggest Book Sales -

7 Biggest Comic Book Sales -

Spoilers for Upcoming Releases (leaked):

· Editora Hecilvic (Puerto Rico): Plans a "Mythic Noir" book for Round 4.

· Editora Warora (Colombia): Radically changed strategy - hired a new author and promises a "Historical Epic Fantasy" to try to reverse the score.

The winner of everything will take 10 Billion in GDP to invest in education in their country. The pressure is immense.

💬 FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

The third round proved that Hecilvic learned how to play the game. While Warora insisted on the absurdism that the public rejected, Hecilvic bet on the dark originality of "Nethertusk" - a fragile hero, a trickster villain and an apocalyptic ending that dared to be different.

Colombia, which started off with a bang with "Zexrazhek", now watches Puerto Rico build a solid lead. But the final math may surprise.

"We still have four battles. One victory in each round and history could change. But Hecilvic is playing at home now." - Commented literary analyst Clara Montes.

The world is glassy. Who will take the 10 billion? Puerto Rico or Colombia?

Wait for Round 4!

READ MORE:

· Boso Xiomarys: 'I wrote the quiz villain to haunt the entertainment industry'

· Doona Lee hits back at haters: 'Pigfeast is an uncomfortable mirror, not a comedy'

· Analysis: What has Hecilvic done right and Warora wrong?

· Round 4 Preview: Mythic Noir vs. Historical Epic Fantasy

· The impact of 10 Billion on education in Puerto Rico and Colombia

The Intercontinental Literature Chronicler will continue covering every step of this epic dispute. The score is 2-1 for Puerto Rico, but the literary war is far from over.

Report: The Global Books and Culture Editor

Published: July 21, 2026

Hecilvic Publishing Headquarters - San Juan, Puerto Rico

As soon as the official numbers appeared on the conference room's big screen, no one could stay seated.

4.28 for "Nethertusk."

3.82 for "Pigfeast."

For a few seconds, there was silence.

Then the room erupted.

Applause.

Hugs.

Shouts.

Some employees were weeping.

The company president, Valeria Santiago, smiled for the first time in weeks.

"We did it..."

She took a deep breath.

"We're leading two to one."

The CFO raised a glass.

"To the employees who survived the Lorolas crisis!"

Everyone raised their glasses in a toast.

Promotions

Valeria opened a folder.

"Today, we aren't just celebrating a book."

"We're also recognizing the person who made this possible."

She looked at an employee.

"Camila Ríos."

The young editor stood up nervously.

"You took a chance on Boso Xiomarys when no one else believed in it."

"As of today, you are the Editorial Director of Speculative Fiction."

The entire team rose to applaud.

Camila was in tears.

"Thank you..."

Bonuses

"All employees will receive a bonus equivalent to six months' salary."

The room turned into a party.

Some started calling their families.

Hiring

HR made an announcement:

"We are opening one hundred and fifty new positions."

The hallways filled with journalists.

Hecilvic had never grown so fast.

Meanwhile...

Warora Publishing - Bogotá

The atmosphere was the exact opposite.

No one spoke.

Frozen on the big screen:

Pigfeast - 3.82

President Camilo Herrera walked in slowly.

He sat down.

He closed his folder.

He looked at everyone.

"We've reached our limit."

Absolute silence. ---

Crisis meeting

Camilo spoke in a heavy voice.

- We've lost two consecutive rounds.

- We've lost market share.

- We've lost investors.

- We've lost credibility.

No one answered.

HR enters the room

The Human Resources director entered, holding several envelopes.

Everyone understood immediately.

Layoffs

- Unfortunately...

- we are beginning an immediate restructuring.

The first names were called.

- International Marketing Department.

- Digital Campaigns Team.

- European Sales Coordination.

- Events Supervision.

The employees remained motionless.

Some wept silently.

A manager asked:

- How many people?

The answer was blunt.

- One hundred and eighty employees.

The entire room was in shock.

An employee began to cry.

- I have two children...

Another colleague simply lowered his head.

Doona Lee

The author quietly entered the meeting.

The silence deepened.

Camilo looked at her.

- You remain a talented author.

- But we need to move in a different direction.

She simply nodded.

- I understand.

No arguing.

No shouting.

She just left the room.

Those who remain

Not everyone was let go.

Camilo took a deep breath.

- The team responsible for Zexrazhek will be kept on.

- We will also retain editorial planning and research.

An editor sighed with relief.

Another began to cry.

- Thank you...

The hallway

Cardboard boxes.

Books.

Photographs.

Mugs.

Employees walked slowly toward the exit.

Some had worked there for twenty years.

No one had imagined leaving this way.

A receptionist hugged another colleague.

- I hope to see you again.

- At a better publishing house.

Both of them wept. ---

Last meeting of the day

Camilo stood alone, gazing out the window.

The CFO walked in.

"We lost a lot of people today."

Camilo replied without looking away.

"I know."

"But if we hadn't done it, we might have lost the entire company before the fourth round."

They both fell silent.

Outside, journalists were waiting for a statement.

Inside Warora, however, everyone knew the real battle now was to rebuild a wounded publishing house before the fourth round determined its future.

I'll treat this as a fictional scene set in your alternate universe.

Bogotá - The day after the layoffs at Warora Publishing

News of the 180 layoffs spread across the city before dawn.

In dozens of apartments, the same conversation played out.

Andrés's family (Marketing Analyst)

Andrés walked into the house carrying a cardboard box.

His wife noticed immediately.

"No..."

He simply shook his head.

"It's over."

She covered her face with her hands.

"Did they let you go, too?"

"They called it 'restructuring'."

They both fell silent.

Their young son appeared in the living room.

"Dad... you're home early today."

Andrés smiled, trying to hide his tears.

"I am, champ."

Juliana's family (Designer)

Juliana sat down on the sofa.

Her mother noticed her red eyes.

"Sweetheart..."

"I got laid off."

Her mother hugged her immediately.

"You worked there for almost ten years."

Juliana was crying.

"I was making plans... I wanted to buy a house."

Fernando's household (Sales Supervisor)

Fernando placed the envelope on the table.

His wife read it.

After a few seconds, she asked:

"Will unemployment benefits help?"

"For a while."

She took a deep breath.

"Then we'll cut expenses."

"We'll cancel the trip."

"We'll sell the second car."

Fernando lowered his head.

"I never thought we'd be talking about this."

Elisa's home (Receptionist)

Elisa arrived, unable to speak.

Her father turned off the television.

"What happened?"

She handed him the letter.

He finished reading it slowly.

"You haven't failed."

She began to cry.

"But it feels like I have." ---

Messages in the former employees' group chat

Carlos:

"Has anyone managed to get an interview?"

Juliana:

"Not yet."

Fernando:

"Word is that other publishers have frozen hiring, too."

Elisa:

"I never imagined we'd all leave on the same day..."

The messages tapered off.

No one knew what to write.

Meanwhile...

At Hecilvic headquarters

The new hires were being welcomed.

New computers.

Renovated offices.

Photographers were capturing it all.

A manager remarked:

"Funny..."

"While we're hiring, they're emptying out an entire building."

Another employee replied in a low voice:

"Don't celebrate too much."

"Today, we're the ones who won."

"Tomorrow, it could be us carrying cardboard boxes."

The room fell silent.

Even amidst the celebration, everyone knew that the publishing market in that world was ruthless.

Late afternoon

At the entrance to the old Warora headquarters, a few former colleagues ran into each other by chance.

Andrés looked up at the building.

"I spent twelve years walking through that door."

Juliana replied:

"I always thought I'd retire here."

Fernando smiled sadly.

"I don't think any of us imagined that a book ranking would change so many lives."

The three of them stood for a moment, gazing at the publisher's logo.

Then they went their separate ways, carrying boxes, résumés, and the hope of starting over somewhere else in that world-a world where a literary defeat could transform thousands of lives overnight.