No one moved. For twelve long seconds, both teams stood frozen in place. In the Game, twelve seconds was forever—yet no one dared move.
The Blue team stayed still from fear, shock, and losing all hope.
The Red team, from pure confusion.
Why wasn't there a Hero with the Blue creeps? Why were they marching alone? Paik and the IBAA man suspected a trap—but this seemed risky for everyone involved.
What could they possibly be planning?
Paik narrowed his eyes at the enemy creeps. Seeing most of them shaking with fear, he made his decision and charged forward.
If this was a trap, Paik just needed to trigger it—and the weakest part was these creeps who could barely stand straight.
"I do not enjoy this, but it must be done," Paik whispered as he thrust his palm forward. A violent burst of wind shaped like a giant hand tore through the creeps unlucky enough to be in its path.
Their bodies didn't stand a chance against the fierce wind. They were torn apart without even time to scream.
"H-Hiik!" Those lucky enough to be just outside the blast fell backward onto the ground. They shrieked, cried, screamed—making every noise imaginable.
How could they not, when their friends who stood beside them seconds ago were now splattered all over them?
Some couldn't even open their mouths for fear the blood on their faces would drip inside.
When the Red creeps saw the enemies fall apart, they looked at each other before roaring and rushing forward. But after just three steps, they stopped.
Because the Blue creeps did something unexpected. Though they still outnumbered the Red team, they all turned and ran away.
They kept running even as the people at the front burst into flames. They didn't care—they ran until their numbers dropped by half.
Eventually, the burning stopped—after more than half had already died, the Administrators decided the rest could make a valid retreat.
"E-everyone, follow them! Don't let them go, charge!" The IBAA man shouted, and the Red creeps snapped out of their shock and continued forward. Paik led the charge but didn't attack any of the fleeing enemies—expecting a Hero to appear any moment.
He let the creeps do their work, silently feeling for those who tripped and were killed without a chance to fight back.
But even after more than fifteen minutes of chasing, even after reaching the Inner Crystal itself, no Hero came to save them.
Not one.
Could it be that their Heroes abandoned them? Was there some sort of infighting between Blues who couldn't stand each other? That happened often enough when Heroes who despised each other were forced onto the same team—could that explain this mess?
Paik surveyed the creeps trembling before him, something like pity washing over him. As he watched his Red teammates slowly butcher their way through the unresisting Blues, all he could do was offer silent prayers while pressing forward.
He wasn't alone in feeling sorry for the enemy—many others felt the same tug of conscience, Adam and Grace among them.
"This is..." Grace covered her mouth with a shaking hand. She'd lost count of how many she'd killed, but those had been attackers, threats. "What... what do we do, Adam? Should we... should we join in? I... we're so close. I never thought we'd get this far."
Adam stood paralyzed, his thoughts a storm. He'd steeled himself to hurt and kill when necessary, but how could he justify attacking people who'd turned their backs, who weren't fighting?
Just kill them, Adam. Kill them all. How many times have they stabbed you now? The only reason they're not fighting is because we have a Hero and they don't. If things were flipped, would they hesitate?
His inner voice snarled the words. He glanced at the people standing beside him and Grace—they weren't attacking either, frozen by the same moral quandary.
And then—
"P-please! We... we surrender!"
"Just... just don't hurt us! Just destroy the crystal! We don't... I don't want to fight!"
"We surrender, please!"
The Blue creeps raised their hands, weapons clattering to the ground. Paik immediately stopped his assault, but many Red creeps were so caught up in bloodlust they didn't hear—or chose to ignore—the pleas for mercy.
Some simply didn't care. Paik didn't stop them as he made his way toward the Inner Crystal, stepping carefully around bodies still twitching with the last sparks of life.
"No... please! Tell them to stop!" Blue creeps that Paik passed begged him with outstretched hands, but he kept his eyes fixed forward. When the Red creeps saw his indifference, they took it as permission to continue their slaughter.
Some rushed to help Paik destroy the crystal, but he waved them away—they'd just crowd him and slow the work.
"Adam..." Grace grabbed his arm, her grip tight enough to bruise. She bit her lip as she looked away, her sword hanging loose at her side. Then her head snapped up at the sound of a high-pitched cry.
Her eyes darted toward the source—two children huddling together, tears cutting tracks through the dirt on their faces.
"No..." The whisper escaped her trembling lips. She glanced at her daughter, who was watching the unfolding massacre with a blank expression—as if there was nothing wrong with what she was seeing.
"Not like this..." Grace's voice hardened. "I'm not going to let my daughter grow up thinking this is normal."
She released Adam's arm. But before she could take a step, Adam was already moving.
And for the first time since the Game began, he attacked someone who hadn't threatened him—someone on his own team.
"Grah!"
His weapon connected with the man's shin with a sickening crack. The Red creep's body folded as his leg gave way, dropping him to the ground where he curled up, howling in pain.
The sudden scream cut through the noise, freezing everyone in place—except Paik, who continued hammering at the Inner Crystal. He glanced over curiously but couldn't stop. The Inner Crystal was tougher than the Outer and Middle combined, and with the pillar of light already flickering above them, an enemy Hero would surely arrive soon.
Whatever infighting or chaos had caused this massacre among the Blues wouldn't matter if he didn't finish the job now.
For a moment, silence swallowed everything except the wounded man's groans as he writhed on the bloodied ground. Every eye tracked Adam as he crossed the invisible line, stepping into Blue territory to stand before the huddled children, then turning to face his own teammates.
He gave the children a quick glance, then nodded to the adults cradling them. "Go, take them to the back," he said, voice steady. They scrambled away instantly, clutching the small bodies close. Red creeps lunged after them—only to find Adam suddenly in their path, a human wall.
"What the hell are you doing!?"
"We're on your side!"
"Get out of the way! Don't be fucking naive and play hero!"
Adam didn't flinch, didn't blink. Just stared them down with eyes that gave away nothing. One of the Reds stepped forward, hand reaching for Adam's collar, before being yanked backward.
"Wait, dude. It's him... that guy."
"What guy?"
"The one that's been killing all those creeps alone!"