A second later, it stopped and It looked straight at her.
She didn’t scream. She didn’t even make a sound. Her stomach just turned over, and she bent, body shaking as she threw up right there on the floor.
But she didn’t stop moving.
Didn’t stop running.
Fear dragged her forward anyway.
"Four."
The number fell heavier this ti.
Because now almost everyone understood—
There was no safe choice.
Only faster death or slower death.
The remaining few hesitated only a fraction longer before bolting toward the portal, desperation stripping away whatever resistance they had left.
Bodies disappeared one after another.
The projection above flickered with new motion.
New shapes.
New sounds that didn’t quite reach the arena— but didn’t need to.
"Five."
The final number landed.
And for a second—
There was still one left.
He hadn’t moved.
Still sitting where he had been, hands braced against the ground, breathing uneven, eyes locked on the portal like it was sothing alive and waiting for him.
Above him, the projection continued.
Below, the crowd quieted just slightly.
The bunny announcer looked at him.
And her eyes twitched.
Slowly, she raised her hand.
A small point of light gathered at her fingertip, faint at first, then tightening into sothing thin and precise, humming softly with restrained intent.
The man noticed.
Too late.
His head snapped up, eyes widening as understanding hit all at once— and whatever was left of his composure shattered. He moved instantly, not out of courage, not out of thought, just raw instinct dragging his body forward. He stumbled as he pushed off the ground, nearly losing his balance before forcing himself into a full, desperate sprint toward the portal.
No hesitation.
No looking back.
He threw himself through—
And the portal snapped shut behind him.
Gone.
Like it had never been there.
For a fraction of a second, the arena held its breath.
Then—
The light at her fingertip released.
It shot.
A thin streak, needle sharp, cutting cleanly through the air with a quiet, slicing sound— so fast it almost didn’t exist until it was already gone.
It struck the exact spot where the man had been sitting.
And then—
Boom.
The ground buckled inward with a violent crack, dust and shattered fragnts bursting outward in a tight, controlled explosion that vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, leaving behind a scorched mark like sothing had been erased rather than destroyed.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Absolute.
A ssage, delivered perfectly.
Above them, the bunny announcer lowered her hand slowly.
And smiled again.
Like everything had gone exactly the way she wanted
She then laughed, W speed.
The bunny announcer’s laughter didn’t ring out this ti. It slipped out softer, quieter, like sothing she was trying not to enjoy too openly. Her ears tilted as she glanced toward the next group, one finger lifting lazily before pointing straight at them.
"Now..." she murmured, voice light but edged with expectation. "Team Three."
Her smile widened just a fraction.
"I think you already know what to do."
Below, Team Three didn’t move at first. Their eyes were still fixed upward, locked onto the projection of Team Two’s hallway, where movent continued in flashes and fragnts— just enough to understand, never enough to forget. The earlier "luck" they had been handed felt thinner now, like a promise written on water.
Then soone inhaled sharply.
Reality snapped back into place.
"Yes... we will," one of them said, stepping forward, though his voice betrayed him slightly, the edges trembling despite the effort to sound composed.
Not everyone shared that hesitation.
A quiet snicker slipped from the side, sharp and dismissive. One of the mbers rolled his shoulders, scoffing under his breath as if the tension around him was exaggerated nonsense.
"Why are you all acting like this?" he said, glancing back at them with a crooked grin. "We’re royal guards. Not bait."
Before anyone could respond, he jogged forward, casual, almost playful, and stepped cleanly through the portal.
***
(INSIDE~)
The world shifted instantly.
The mont his foot crossed the threshold, the arena vanished, replaced by a vast, polished hallway stretching deep into the heart of sothing grand and ancient. Marble floors glead beneath towering pillars, banners draped high along the walls, and golden light spilled from chandeliers above, casting everything in a regal glow.
He blinked once, adjusting—
And then felt it.
A weight.
Not heavy, but settling.
tal ford around him with a sharp, clean shimr, armor manifesting piece by piece across his body as if it had always belonged there. Plates locked into place over his chest, his arms, his legs, the final piece settling at his shoulders with a faint tallic click.
He looked down, flexing his fingers once.
"Woah," he muttered, a grin tugging at his lips. "Okay, this is actually c—"
BOOM.
The sound tore through the palace.
Not distant enough to ignore.
Not close enough to locate.
Just violent.
The entire structure seed to shudder for a split second, dust trembling loose from sowhere above as the golden calm cracked apart like glass under pressure.
The grin on his face faltered.
Another explosion followed— closer this ti— accompanied by the sharp echo of sothing collapsing sowhere beyond the walls.
And then—
"GUARDS!!"
The voice cut through the chaos, loud, frantic, echoing down the corridor with desperate urgency.
"Guards, to the throne room at once! We are under siege!"
The man turned instinctively, barely processing the shift before soone ca rushing toward him from the far end of the hall.
A figure in ornate armor— older, decorated, bearing the marks of rank— moved with hurried steps, his posture rigid despite the clear strain in his movents. His breath was uneven, his composure barely holding together under the weight of whatever was unfolding beyond these walls.
When his eyes landed on the newcor, relief and urgency collided instantly.
"You there!" he barked, closing the distance quickly. "Why are you standing idle?! This is no hour for hesitation!"
The man opened his mouth, caught off guard— but the guard didn’t wait. (Shit... I don’t know what he’s saying...)
"Preposterous!" the older man snapped, running a hand through his hair before gesturing sharply down the corridor. "The enemy has descended upon us without warning— no declaration, no herald, nothing but fire and ruin! They breach our outer defenses as we speak!"
Another explosion thundered through the palace, louder now, close enough that the floor beneath them trembled again.
From sowhere deeper inside, distant screams echoed.
Not many.
But enough.
The older guard’s expression tightened, sothing grim settling behind his eyes as he leaned in slightly, lowering his voice just enough to carry weight instead of volu.
"His Majesty is within," he said. "The royal family remains under protection—but for how long, none can say."
He straightened imdiately after, turning sharply.
"Move!"
Without waiting, he strode forward, expecting him to follow.
And whether from instinct, confusion, or sothing deeper— he did.
They moved quickly through the corridor, past tall doors left ajar, past flickering torchlight that now cast uneasy shadows against the walls. The sounds of battle bled in more clearly the deeper they went— tal clashing, distant shouting, the low, constant rumble of sothing breaking apart beyond sight.
Then—
They reached it.
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