chapter twelve:Rise of the Titans

Chapter Five: Rise of the Titans

The air in the hall was thick with tension, the labored breaths of the surviving contestants mixing with the sounds of resetting machinery. After the sniper test ended, everyone stood at the finish line, watching the large screen displaying the names of those who had passed.

John, Greed, Jairo, Bella… and others who were lucky enough to overcome this difficult challenge. As for the rest, they simply vanished—eliminated from the competition without a trace, as if they had never been there at all.

Sitting on a protruding rock in the corner of the hall, Bella wiped the sweat from her forehead, breathing heavily. "That wasn't easy… I almost lost my balance more than once."

Jairo, pressing his injured shoulder, looked at her seriously. "The gravity you manipulate gave you an advantage, but you paid the price as well. One more hit, and you would have been eliminated."

Bella smiled despite her exhaustion. "But I wasn't eliminated, was I?"

Jairo didn't respond. He merely adjusted his metallic gloves before turning to John and Greed, who were deep in conversation.

"John, are you sure about what happened back there?" Greed asked, looking at his friend with concern.

John, staring at his hands, slowly shook his head. "I don't know… When I shot the arrow, I was sure I had missed the target… but I felt as if—"

"You controlled it?" Greed finished his sentence, sharing the same thought.

"Yeah… It was like the arrow responded to me. But that's impossible, right?"

Before Greed could reply, a powerful voice echoed through the hall, drawing everyone's attention.

"Survivors of the fourth test, prepare yourselves… The next stage will begin soon."

The ground trembled beneath them, and the reflective walls of the maze started to retract, revealing a new passage leading to a much larger chamber. At its center stood a raised platform, and atop it was a massive man, his body wrapped in black metallic armor, his eyes glowing an eerie blue.

"Welcome to the fifth stage."

The voice was deep and thunderous, carrying an undeniable sense of authority.

Bella folded her arms and whispered, "Looks like things are about to get worse."

Jairo nodded, clenching his fist. "Let's see how far we can go."

Everyone knew that each test was more dangerous than the last. But something in the air suggested that this time… things would be entirely different.

The rest: 16