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What followed was the largest digital battle in history. Mechagodzilla fought a Sixer dreadnought. Aech piloted the Serenity from Firefly . I summoned the Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam —a 60-foot robot that punched through Sorrento's flagship.

The bedroom wall dissolved. Behind it was the egg. A golden Fabergé egg, nestled on a pedestal.

I paused on the scene with the Black Knight. Legless, armless, still shouting, "It's just a flesh wound!" ready-player-one

But I'd studied Halliday's journal. Every movie, every song, every Zork command he'd ever loved.

I reached the egg as the battle raged. Sorrento's avatar tackled me at the last second, his sword at my throat. What followed was the largest digital battle in history

But Halliday loved absurdity.

And somewhere in the OASIS, on a forgotten server, a 1980s van flickered to life. Its radio played "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol. And inside, two avatars held hands, watching the sun rise over a digital world that had just become worth saving. I summoned the Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam

I finished the game. My score: 1,000,000 exactly. The score Halliday never achieved.

The Second Gate was a Blade Runner cityscape. The key was hidden in a replicant's locket. I had to recite Roy Batty's "tears in rain" monologue perfectly while dodging spinner cars. My throat was dry, my heart hammering against my ribs.