The first round ended in carnage. Half the teams vanished into the med bay. Theta survived barely. For weeks, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Omega, and Zeta watched battles unfold across Nexus screens. Squads entered. Squads fell. Some died screaming. Others without a sound. Alpha studied everything. Patterns. Mistakes. Timing. Beta watched Alpha. Learning the hunters by watching the hunted. Weeks later… Only three squads remained for the solo survival phase:
[Theta]
[Rho]
[Sigma]
Light erupted. Bodies materialized. Heat struck their skin. An island arena stretched endlessly beneath a blazing artificial sun. But Theta… Was reduced to two. Alpha. Beta. Alpha glanced sideways. Beta stood beside him, silent, crimson eyes calm. No fear. No hesitation. They both knew. This was no longer a team battle. This was survival. Their suits failed to deploy. Alpha clicked his tongue. "Tch." Without complaint, he pulled bandages from his pouch, wrapping them tightly around his left arm. Beta mirrored him, securing her wrists. Alpha bit into his palm. Blood flowed instantly. It spiraled violently outward, twisting into a dense sphere that ignited mid-air. Flames danced across its surface. Alive. Controlled. Then BOOM. Alpha smashed it into the ground. The sphere detonated into a rolling crimson mist, flooding the battlefield like a living storm. Vision blurred. Sound softened. Presence… amplified. Within the mist Everything moved. Every footstep. Every breath. Every heartbeat. Signals pulsed through Alpha's mind like vibrations across a web. Three to the left. Two above. One… Hunting them. Alpha's eyes snapped open. "There." Beta vanished. They became ghosts. Alpha slipped through the haze, dagger flashing once a guard collapsed without a scream. Beta emerged behind another, her staff coiling around their neck. Crack. Gone. No wasted motion. No wasted energy. Silent eliminations. The mist shifted. Alpha paused. Tilted his head. Then relaxed. "Main teams…" Beta reappeared beside him. Untouched. Unseen. Predators choosing their battles. Suddenly The mist trembled. Not from fear. From impact. Alpha's body reacted instantly, pulling Beta aside as a squad marched through the haze. One cadet carried a severed arm. A silver [Sigma] badge glinted. Alpha's gaze hardened. Sigma. Brutal. Efficient. Predictable. He released Beta's wrist. Their eyes met. Understanding passed between them without words. Beta gave a small nod. And sank into shadow. Alpha flexed his fingers. The mist condensed. Blood solidified into razor-thin strings weaving a tightening web around Sigma. They froze. Too late. Beta's shadow exploded from a ruined building. Her staff descended like divine judgment, expanding mid-fall into a colossal black pillar. CRASH. The ground shattered. Sigma vanished beneath pulverized stone. Beta landed atop the massive weapon. Eyes cold. Staff shrinking fluidly back into her palm. "Eliminated." But Darkness deepened. The mist dimmed unnaturally. A soft laugh echoed. Silky. Endless. Behind Beta A girl emerged. Her form flowed like liquid night, body dissolving into shifting constellations. Eyes like the abyss. Will of Nyx. "Oh wonderful," Hades groaned inside Alpha's mind. "The walking blackout has arrived." Simultaneously A thunderous force ripped through the mist. A towering cadet burst forward, muscles swelling with monstrous density, each step cracking stone beneath his feet. Golden aura blazing. Hades' tone sharpened. "…And the oversized flex machine." The Tau user charged Alpha. No technique. No restraint. Just raw destruction. Alpha slid sideways. The fist missed but the shockwave tore through a building behind him. Debris exploded Wind screamed. "Careful, kiddo!" Hades laughed "He fights like he thinks subtlety is a disease!" Alpha darted in. Daggers clashed against hardened skin. Metal screeched. Tau swung again. Alpha ducked. Countered. Struck. Dodged. Each movement precise against overwhelming brute force. Meanwhile Nyx attacked Beta like living darkness. Blades formed from shadow. Angles impossible. Strikes deceptive. Underhanded. Relentless. Beta didn't block. Didn't counter. She simply… Dodged. Effortlessly. Nyx grew irritated. Then reckless. Then furious. Beta's crimson eyes began to glow. Dark. Bleeding at the edges. "Let's tilt the scales…" Nyx lunged wildly. The probability shifted. Her footing failed. Her blade veered. Her body overextended. Beta stepped forward calmly. Staff rising once. THUD. Direct strike. Nyx collapsed. No drama. No struggle. "…How disappointing," Beta whispered. Blood trickled from her eyes. Back in Alpha's battle Tau grabbed him mid-dash. And slammed him through solid stone. Pain exploded. Alpha coughed blood. Hades clicked his tongue. "Oh look, he's hugging again." "Honestly, I never liked him." "Too loud. Too heroic. Too… alive." Tau roared. Charging again. Alpha wiped his mouth. Blood dripping. No flames. No constructs. Only Blood. He moved. Close. Fast. Fluid. Blood daggers forming, shattering, reforming with each strike. A brutal dance of precision versus power. Tau swung. Alpha slipped inside the arc.
Strike.
Elbow.
Dagger.
Impact. But Tau endured. Smiling. Thriving. "…Annoying," Hades muttered. Then
A pulse.
Alpha's left arm burned. The tattoo glowed. Faint green. Veins of emerald light crawled across his skin. Upward. Hungry. "Oh ho…" Hades whispered. "Well, well…" "Looks like someone finally knocked on Envy's door." Bone erupted. A skeletal gauntlet formed over Alpha's left arm sleek, predatory, terrifying. Its mouth split open. Flames ignited inside.
Blue.
Then Green.
Tau hesitated. For the first time. Alpha vanished. Reappeared. Hand gripping Tau' face. The gauntlet's jaws widened. Hades grinned.
"Burn."
FWOOOOSH.
Blue fire engulfed the cadet's skull. Shifted. Emerald flames devoured everything. Tau Turned to ash. Silence fell. Mist curling gently. Across the battlefield Alpha and Beta turned. Together. Their target stood before them. Watching. Waiting. Beta's crimson eyes bled softly.
Glow intensifying. Alpha's eyes burned into a light blue hue.
They stepped forward.
Slowly.
Predators once more.
And took their stance.