Capítulo 6: Fragile Alliances
The arena's cold silence was broken by the mechanical voice echoing above.
"Final 8. Prepare for the next stage: Team Deathmatch. Form your teams now."
A countdown appeared on everyone's BIOs: 5:00.
Kaito winced, his shoulder throbbing as blood seeped through his shirt. The others stood scattered around the circular arena, their eyes darting between each other. The tension was palpable, each person sizing up who could be an ally—or a threat.
Mika was the first to approach him, her voice low but urgent. "Kaito, you're hurt. You need help."
"I'll be fine," he muttered, though his pale face betrayed the pain.
"No, you won't. Let me check it," Mika insisted, pulling a small first-aid kit from her jacket. She worked quickly, cleaning and wrapping the wound as Kaito scanned the others.
The remaining players had already begun forming groups.
A tall, muscular man—the same one who killed the teenager—called out, "We need four per team. Who wants to survive? Stick with me."
Three others gravitated toward him, their expressions wary but determined. Kaito recognized the man from the earlier carnage and felt a chill. He's dangerous. We can't let him take control.
Another pair—two young women—formed a second team. That left Kaito, Mika, and one other straggler: a wiry, bespectacled boy hunched over his BIO, studying it intently.
Mika noticed him too. "We need a fourth," she said softly.
Kaito hesitated. "Do we trust him?"
"Do we have a choice?"
Mika waved the boy over. He hesitated, glancing nervously between Kaito's injured shoulder and the aggressive team leader. Finally, he shuffled closer.
"I'm Haruto," he mumbled, his eyes darting nervously. "You guys seem... less likely to kill me."
"Good enough," Mika replied, her voice steady.
The countdown on their BIOs dropped below 1:00.
"Team Deathmatch: Eliminate the opposing team. Top 4 survive."
The ground beneath them shifted as the arena transformed. Walls and buildings erupted from the ground, constructing an urban battlefield. In seconds, the circular space had become a sprawling, industrial maze.
Haruto's voice broke the silence. "We need a plan. Fast."
"We stick together," Mika said immediately. "Cover each other's backs, no splitting up."
Kaito gritted his teeth, flexing his hand on the gun's grip. "They'll come after us. We need to strike first."
"Wait," Haruto interrupted, pulling up his BIO. "I've been analyzing the game's mechanics. The BIO has more functions than it shows. I think I can hack the map."
Kaito blinked. "You're serious?"
Haruto nodded, his fingers flying across the device. "If I can reveal the enemy's positions, we'll know where to move. But I need time."
The first gunfire echoed in the distance. Kaito's heart raced.
Mika crouched behind a stack of crates, her voice urgent. "Do it, Haruto. We'll cover you."
Kaito scanned the area, his shoulder aching but his instincts sharp. "They're going to push toward the center. We need to hold this position until Haruto's ready."
The muscular man's voice bellowed nearby: "Spread out! Find them!"
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