"No. No. Absolutely no way."
Sylvia's voice trembled, but her stance was firm. She wanted no part in the plan, especially not the role that required her to draw the Minotaur's attention.
Ares clenched his fists. "We don't have a choice. We might die if we don't do this." His voice was steady, but the weight of their situation bore down on him like a collapsing ceiling.
"I'm not confronting that beast alone." Sylvia's response was final, unwavering.
A brief silence followed, then—
"I can do it."
All eyes turned to Nia, her ever-present smile plastered on her face. But this time, it wasn't eerie—it was calm, almost reassuring.
Ares hesitated. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, yes! She's perfect for this," Sylvia interrupted before Nia could even answer. There was desperation in her voice—anything to get out of the role herself.
Ares didn't care about Sylvia's relief. What he needed to know was how long Nia could hold out against the Minotaur. Could she buy them enough time? Even if it cost her life, they had to see this plan through.
"Alright," Ares exhaled. "Just buy us enough time."
Nia tilted her head, still smiling.
"Okey-doke."
Then, in an instant—
She disappeared.
Ares blinked. Jones sucked in a sharp breath.
"Where the hell did she—?"
"Look!" Jones pointed, his voice unsteady.
Ares followed his line of sight—and there she was, already face-to-face with the Minotaur. The distance she had crossed in mere moments was inhuman.
The Minotaur, a massive wall of muscle and rage, stood frozen. Then—
It roared.
Ares and the others froze in place.
"Shit. It's using its skill again," Jones groaned through gritted teeth.
Ares' jaw clenched. He had overlooked this—the Minotaur's roar had some kind of immobilization effect. Damn it!
The beast lifted its colossal axe high, confident in its kill. Then—
BOOOM!
The ground trembled as the axe slammed down, sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air.
Did she dodge it?
Did she die?
The tension was unbearable. Then, as the dust settled—
Everyone's breath caught.
Nia stood there, unscathed.
And in her hands—
She was holding the Minotaur's axe.
No signs of struggle. No signs of strain. Just that same smile on her face.
The Minotaur's eyes widened, a flicker of something—confusion? Fear?—crossing its face.
With shocking ease, Nia pushed the axe back—forcing the beast to stagger a step.
It snapped. The Minotaur, feeling insulted, lifted its foot and stomped down—
But Nia vanished again.
The ground cracked where she had stood.
The Minotaur snarled, whipping around, but Nia had already moved—zipping back and forth so fast that its eyes struggled to keep up.
Ares watched, momentarily forgetting his own plan.
Jones shook him roughly. "Snap out of it! This is our chance!"
Ares snapped back to reality.
"Move!"
They sprinted toward the severed horn while Sylvia—her face pale and nauseous—began dragging corpses into a pile, gagging as she worked.
Ares felt the sharp pain in his leg but forced himself to move. The horn was within reach.
Then—
CRACK!
A searing pain shot through Ares' leg.
"AARGGHHH!!"
He collapsed, agony exploding through his body.
Jones rushed to him. His face darkened as he checked Ares' leg.
"This… isn't good."
Ares swallowed hard, feeling the bones in his leg shift unnaturally.
"If we don't get you treatment soon… you might have to amputate it."
A cold sweat broke out on Ares' skin. "What?"
Jones didn't repeat it.
[6 minutes remaining]
"What do we do now?" Ares gritted his teeth.
They didn't know how long Nia would last, and Sylvia was close to finishing the corpse pile. But with Ares down, there was no way Jones could lift the horn alone.
Then—
A corpse moved.
Jones let out a startled yell as a bloodied hand shot out from the pile of bodies behind them.
Ares flinched, expecting an undead.
Instead, a muscular man with blond hair and piercing blue eyes sat up.
"Hello there," he greeted casually, wiping some blood from his mouth.
WHAT THE HELL?!
Jones took a step back. "Holy shit!"
Ares, still wincing from pain, looked the man up and down.
"You're alive?"
The man smirked. "Yeah. I was playing dead so that thing wouldn't notice me."
Jones' eyes lit up.
"I have an idea."
Without hesitation, he grabbed the man and dragged him toward the severed horn.
"Wait, what?" the man sputtered.
"Help me carry this."
The blond man blinked. "Why?"
Jones gave him a grim look. "The Minotaur eats flesh. Even if we survive, it'll come for us eventually."
The man shuddered. "O-okay."
Together, they lifted the horn.
At that moment, Sylvia stumbled toward them, pale but determined.
She had finished the corpse pile.
She turned to Nia and yelled—
"NOW!"
Nia grinned.
In a blur, she changed direction—sprinting straight toward them.
The Minotaur roared and charged after her.
Everything was set.
Or so they thought.
The moment Nia jumped over the corpse pile—
The Minotaur plowed through it like it was nothing.
The bodies scattered, blood spraying into the air.
Everyone's eyes widened.
"Shit," Jones whispered.
The beast barreled toward them—unstoppable.
[4 minutes remaining]
Ares lowered his head. He couldn't run. He couldn't move. If he was going to die, at least he wouldn't watch it happen.
Then—
The Minotaur stumbled.
Ares lifted his head just in time to see Nia behind it, her foot buried in the back of its knee.
The monster's own momentum betrayed it.
It fell.
Right onto—
The horn.
The severed horn stood upright, piercing straight through the Minotaur's chin.
Blood gushed as the tip emerged from the top of its skull.
The Minotaur's body convulsed. It let out one final, earth-shaking roar—
"IT HURTS."
Then, silence.
The monster lay still.
Dead.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then—
"WE DID IT!" Sylvia screamed, pumping her fists in the air.
A few survivors began sitting up, having played dead like the blond man. Relief washed over them.
Ares let out a breath, exhausted, relieved, victorious.
But—
Something was wrong.
Jones wasn't celebrating. Instead, he looked at Ares, face tense.
"Did you hear that?"
Ares frowned; he wasn't the only one who had heard that.
Then—
[FIRST EXPERIMENT HAS ENDED]
[SUBJECT 1005 HAS BEEN EXTERMINATED]
[CONGRATULATIONS TO JONES, RICHARD, AND SUBJECT 0]
[RELEASING SLEEPING GAS]
"What?!"
Gas hissed from the walls.
Ares coughed. His vision blurred.
Before he lost consciousness, a shadowy figure appeared before him.
Through hazy vision, he muttered—
"…Kelia?"
A soft hand brushed through his hair.
"So, you do remember me," Nia whispered.
Then—
Darkness.
Suddenly, Kendrick came with several other people, some carried the remaining participants away, others cleared the corpses, lighting their lifeless bodies with fire.
Kendrick walks towards Nia, "What are you doing here". She gave a glare filled with bloodlust. Kendrick didn't give a hint of nervousness from it,
"I'll ask again what you're doing her, SUBJECT 0 ", his eyes darting over Nia giving uneasy feeling in her.
Who is Nia?