A Death in Four Minutes

The robotic voice spoke again: "Time remaining: Four minutes."

A tense hush fell over the arena. The big man, still flushed from the messy-haired girl's mocking remark, stood at the center, chest puffed out. His gaze darted from Light to the archer to the girl, as if he were trying to size up the weakest link. The white-haired archer's posture tensed, his fingers grazing the bowstring. The girl cradled her massive spiked ball with casual ease, looking bored, but her eyes danced with mischief.

Light took a step back, spear in hand. His heart pounded, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He could feel the hum of Astral Fang, the spear's presence in his mind. Kill one of your teammates in five minutes or suffer the consequences. The ultimatum echoed in his head. It was kill or be killed.

"You want to show him who's boss?"

A dry, mocking voice seeped into Light's thoughts.

"He did call you his side chick, after all."

Light's fingers tightened around the spear. Stop reading my mind, you jerk, he silently chided the weapon.

Meanwhile, the big man cleared his throat, obviously trying to reclaim some authority. "Alright, listen up," he barked. "We just gotta pick someone who's… not needed. We take 'em out, we pass this stupid test. Simple."

His eyes lingered on the messy-haired girl. She stared back with an unreadable expression, the spiked ball resting on the ground like a loyal dog. Light half-expected the big man to pounce on her, but instead, he turned and glared at Light.

"You," he growled. "You think you're so tough with that fancy spear. How 'bout we just get rid of you, yeah? You've been a pain since day one."

Light's pulse hammered, but he forced a smirk. "Day one? You don't even know me."

The big man pounded his chest again. "Don't matter. I can see you're trouble. And I like that."

An arrow whizzed past the big man's head, so close it ruffled his hair. Everyone's attention snapped to the white-haired archer, who was already nocking another arrow.

"Time is running," the archer said coolly. "We should get this over with."

The big man's lip curled. "Watch it, twig. You almost gave me a haircut."

A sinister giggle broke through the tension. The girl cocked her head, swinging her spiked ball in slow circles. "Aww, does the big baby not want a new hairstyle?" she cooed in that babyish voice, eyes shining with dark amusement. "You can always smash your crotch again if you need a distraction."

The big man's face turned beet-red. "Shut it!"

He lunged at her—fast, for a guy his size. But the girl sidestepped, letting him rush past. Her spiked ball grazed his leg, tearing through his pants. He hissed in pain but managed to skid to a stop.

Light took the opening. He whipped Astral Fang in a quick slash, forcing the big man to jerk away. The big guy wasn't unskilled, though; even without a purchased weapon, he had brute strength and decent reflexes. He lunged at Light, trying to grab him by the arm.

Light darted back, thanks to the Precognitive Reflex attribute of his spear. He's stronger than he looks, he thought.

"You know," Astral Fang's voice chimed in his mind,

"maybe let him grab you. Could be funny. I'll just stab him mid-hug."

Light ignored the suggestion. Instead, he pivoted, letting the big man's momentum carry him forward. The brute stumbled, nearly colliding with the archer, who smoothly danced out of the way.

"Three minutes," the robotic voice announced.

The girl's eyes flicked to the giant scoreboard hovering in midair. She grinned. "We're wasting time, boys. Someone's gotta die. Who wants to volunteer?"

The big man snarled. "You're the volunteer, sweetheart!"

He lunged again, aiming a massive fist at her. The girl raised her spikeball, a dangerous glint in her eyes. Light was certain she'd crush his skull in one swing, but at the last moment, she sidestepped, letting the chain's momentum carry the ball around in a wide arc. The ball slammed into the big man's back, sending him stumbling forward with a pained grunt.

Light felt a moment of admiration for her technique—she moved like she'd been using that monstrous weapon her entire life.

"Two minutes," the voice droned.

This is insane, Light thought, chest heaving. We're actually going to kill each other. Is there really no other way?

Light did not care about the big man's life, but he was not happy about being used as a slave and being commanded around.

But the muscular man's next move forced Light's hand. Instead of rushing the girl, he whirled around and bolted straight for Light, eyes burning with rage. "You're dead!" he screamed, swinging a wild punch.

Light raised Astral Fang to parry, but the impact jarred his arm. The man was strong, no question. He followed up with a kick that nearly knocked Light off his feet. Astral Fang hummed in Light's hand, as if eager for blood.

"C'mon, short stuff, let's finish him," the spear urged.

As the big man charged at me, I threw the spear to the ground on my left side. The move must've caught him off guard because he hesitated for just a second. That was all I needed. My fingers twitched as I activated Echo Strike, manifesting a second spear in my right hand. Without a second thought, I hurled it straight at his head.

But this guy wasn't dumb. He used his forearm as a shield, blocking the strike—but it cost him. Blood oozed from the deep cut on his arm, and his face twisted in pain. Before I could react again, his massive hand was wrapped around my neck, squeezing the life out of me. I gasped, struggling, as he bared his teeth like an animal. Wait—was he really about to bite me to death?

I could feel his hot breath, and the pressure from his teeth was only centimeters away from tearing into my throat. This is it, I thought. I'm dead.

Then, without warning, an arrow shot through his left eye with so much force it pierced into his brain. His grip loosened instantly. Blood splattered everywhere as the big man collapsed in front of me, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

I stood there, frozen, my heart pounding so loud it felt like it might burst out of my chest. What the hell just happened?

Before I could even process it, that cold robotic voice chimed in, "Task Completed. You have been raised to the next stage. You will be rewarded based on your personal achievements."

I just stared at the corpse, still in shock. The adrenaline was fading, but my mind was a mess. I could've died...

Then I noticed someone stepping toward me. It was the guy with the bow—the white-haired archer. He offered his hand to help me up. As he got closer, I realized how annoyingly good-looking he was. Like, really good-looking. It kind of pissed me off.

"You owe me one," he said in this annoyingly smooth, deep voice. "My name's Thadric, and the girl over there is my sister, Anys. What about you?"

I blinked, glancing at the girl with the messy hair. Wait, they're siblings? I couldn't stop myself from blurting out, "You two are related? Did they mix you up at birth or something?"

Thadric smirked slightly, and Anys just rolled her eyes like she'd heard that one a hundred times. I felt a little embarrassed, but hey, I just barely survived a death match—I figured I deserved a pass on the social graces.