After what the angel Elton had said, the situation on the platform took a dire turn. She had just announced that only a hundred people could pass to the next stage if they wanted to skip the remaining waves.

Despite the horrifying implication, that they needed to kill over a hundred of their own, the logic behind it still tempted them.

After surviving the wolf wave, none of them were confident they could endure any further waves. The idea of thinning their own numbers began to take shape in their minds, dark and desperate.

But then Elena stood up.

She might have been self-centered and focused on personal gain, but she still tried to present herself as a leader. She wanted admiration and obedience, using the guise of responsibility to manipulate others. That was who she was.

"Everyone calm down," she said. "I know our minds are in a jumble about what to do, but we have to think about this properly before making the next move."

"Think about what?" a voice cut sharply through the crowd.

"This is either stay and suffer all ten waves or take the chance to move on," the awakened man said.

He was older, maybe twenty-four, with scars lining his body from the wolf battle. His eyes were sunken with fear, his hand trembling around his sword. One look at him made it clear he was at his breaking point. Any path that wasn't facing more monsters sounded like salvation.

Elena turned to him. "We can't just decide something like that without talking—"

"I don't give a fuck about your decision!" he yelled.

He wasn't alone. Many others were just as desperate, refusing to risk another second inside this nightmare. They saw a way out and were ready to take it.

Elena's expression tightened as she realized her grip on the crowd was slipping. She scrambled for words, then finally said:

"So if we decide to kill… who decides who lives and who dies? Why should we be the ones to choose that for each other?"

She tried to sound righteous, but Aren could see through her instantly. She didn't care about fairness. She wanted control, no matter what path they chose, she wanted to be the one leading them through it.

Aren pushed himself up from the ground. That simple action drew the attention of several people.

He looked around and finally spoke.

"No one is killing anyone."

His tone was calm, almost lazy, as he scratched the back of his head. "Everybody here has the right to live and fight for their own life. We're all awakened with one goal, to save humanity. As far as I'm concerned, the second option Elton gave is off the table."

His voice wasn't loud, but the certainty in it shocked everyone.

Leon stared at him, confused. "What are you doing, Aren?"

"Exactly what I said. None of us get to decide other people's fate just because we're scared to die. None of us get to choose who fights or doesn't fight to move on. If we start killing each other here, we're taking away the right to fight for ourselves.

"We've all done cruel things already. We've killed to survive. All of us here are murderers now. But that doesn't mean killing should become our answer for every problem."

He let the silence settle before continuing.

"Killing should have purpose. A reason. Not because we want to run away. We were each supposed to face ten waves and survive through our own strength, and now a shortcut appears. A shortcut they want us to take. They want us to kill ourselves."

"And so what?!" someone yelled. "This chance lets some of us get through! If we stay for all ten waves, barely any of us will!"

"Then that's your fault," Aren roared back. "Your fault that you can't stand and fight. Your fault that you're so weak you're willing to kill a hundred people just to feel safe."

His eyes burned coldly.

"I might have killed a lot, and we all have, but I won't let death become casual. I won't allow bloodshed to be the default answer. Every life should end for a purpose, not out of fear. If there's another path besides death, then choose that path. Fight for yourselves."

He pointed at them all.

"You want to sacrifice a hundred people because you're scared. That's pathetic."

Aren's voice dropped, but somehow grew even heavier.

"Anyone who chooses the second option, anyone who tries to kill a hundred people to skip ahead, will have to go through me first."

The temperature on the platform seemed to plummet.

"You can either stay and fight your ten waves, or try to kill more than a hundred people and force your way ahead… and I won't let you."

He looked around.

"If you don't like what I'm saying, then come at me."

Silence.

Aren wasn't speaking out of heroism. He wasn't doing this to protect anyone. He had simply learned something very important in the short time he had been in the trial.

There were no "good" endings here.

He didn't believe Elton was giving them mercy. She wanted to shape them into obedient, heartless killers, people who followed her orders without hesitation. She was conditioning them, wave by wave, choice by choice.

But Aren refused to become that.

He refused to play into her hands.

His words struck nerves all across the platform.

Finally, one awakened stepped forward and pointed his sword at Aren.

"If you feel so strongly about us not killing each other… then how about you die first?"

Rate this chapter

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.