They stepped into the grand hall, filled with guests from various positions across the United States. Golden light shimmered through the massive chandelier above, its crystal pieces cut like reflective diamonds, casting warm glows across the entire room.
Once everyone had entered, the doors shut tight—and then the lights went out. Darkness blanketed the hall.
Ethan looked around and saw a white spotlight illuminate the top of the staircase. There stood a woman in her forties, breathtakingly beautiful, with fiery red hair and a black gown adorned with shimmering violet gems. Around her neck glistened a black-emerald necklace shaped like the infamous black widow spider.
Ethan tilted his head tiredly and muttered under his breath,
"...Here we go again."
-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ--ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-ـ-
The Spider Lady began slowly descending the staircase.
The emerald necklace on her chest shimmered with each step she took down.
The echo of her black heels filled the grand hall, resonating off the marble steps.
Step.
Step.
Step.
She stopped at the last stair, just before the floor of the hall.
Her green eyes scanned the crowd like a predator searching for its next prey.
Some guests lowered their gazes to avoid eye contact, while others simply smiled.
Gabriel, however, smiled at her and gave a small nod with a slight bow, which made her smile back with even greater confidence.
The Spider Lady walked eagerly among the guests until she reached the center of the hall.
---
She raised both her hands high and then— CLAP_CLAP!
The yellow lights returned, brighter than before, making the entire hall glow as if it were a chamber of gold.
The Spider Lady beamed widely at everyone and said enthusiastically:
"Welcome, everyone, to the monthly dinner!
Are you all ready for the fun you'll have tonight~ wink."
The guests' excitement immediately rose; eyes followed her every movement, cheers erupted from every corner of the hall.
---
Ethan, at that moment, whispered to Gabriel with a sigh:
"She overdoes it every single time, doesn't she?"
Gabriel replied calmly:
"It's called a theatrical entrance, Ethan."
Ethan crossed his arms and said sarcastically as he moved forward with the others:
"Yeah, yeah, a theatrical entrance, blah blah blah. Jeez, can't this lady act normal for once?"
---
Gabriel laughed and began walking beside him as the Spider Lady gestured toward one of the doors, saying:
"Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me this way, where we'll witness the show before dinner~"
Everyone grew excited, rushing toward that door, walking in quick rows inside.
As for the Spider Lady, she smiled in a way that didn't promise anything good, then motioned for only three guards to follow her—while the rest remained frozen in place like statues.
---
She ascended the stairs again with the three guards right behind her, and at the top, she entered one of the corridors on the first floor.
Ethan watched all of this from below, shrugged carelessly, and said while walking behind Gabriel:
"Well, that's new."
---
Gabriel and Ethan moved toward the same door the guests had entered so eagerly.
When they stepped inside, they found it wasn't another hall or a room, but a passage with stairs leading directly downward.
"Ohhohohoo! Don't say it… don't say it! Is this what I think it is?!"
Ethan said with wild excitement, practically jumping.
Gabriel started descending slowly with a side smile and said:
"Yeah, it's what you think it is."
He glanced sideways and extended his hand toward the stairs.
"Go on then, head down first and save me a seat."
---
Ethan didn't waste a single second; he dashed down the stairs and shouted, nearly tripping:
"OW! Don't worry, boss! I'll get us front-row seats! Hahaha!"
Gabriel just watched Ethan rush down the stairs like a kid on a sugar rush and muttered to himself:
"Well, first he liked it, now he's obsessed."
Gabriel descended leisurely as the yellow lights below grew brighter and brighter.
He kept walking until he finally reached the bottom.
The blinding lights struck his eyes, and the roar of the crowd filled the air around him. He turned his head, looking around, and what he saw was an arena—tiered seating arranged in a descending circle, and in the center, a cage-enclosed fighting ring.
Inside stood four men, each in a different corner, their eyes filled with fear and confusion.
---
Gabriel moved through the audience until he spotted Ethan standing on a seat, waving both arms:
"HEY, BOSS!
Got your spot right here!"
Gabriel squeezed through the crowd until he reached Ethan and sat beside him with a sigh of relief. He turned to him and asked:
"So… what do we have here?"
Ethan replied eagerly, pointing toward the four men:
"I don't know yet, but this is the first time there's four in the same ring!"
Gabriel leaned back, hands behind his head, and said lazily:
"Well, that's starting to sound interesting this time."
---
A microphone tap broke the silence, making everyone look up—there stood the Spider Lady, confident as ever, in her Royal Box, with her three guards beside her.
She tapped the mic again and said:
"Testing, testing—does this thing work?
Alright, anyway.
Welcome, everyone, to the Aaaabyss Riiiiiing!"
YEAH!!!
The crowd erupted in insane cheers, while the four men inside the cage only grew more terrified, glancing around in panic, unable to comprehend what was happening.
The Spider Lady stood at the edge of her balcony with a mad smile and said:
"Now then, let's go over the rules for our fighters, shall we?"
"First rule—fight until… death."
YEAH!
The audience went wild—whistling, shouting, stomping.
---
The Spider Lady grew even more excited, then gestured toward the guards surrounding the ring and said in a chillingly calm tone:
"And whoever refuses to fight will meet death… with a hole between his eyes.
So—try your luck, and maybe one of you will be the sole survivor."
---
Fighter No. 1 turned toward her in rage and shouted:
"You insane woman! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Release me or— CLUNK!"
"Shut the f*ck up!"
One of the guards struck the first fighter on the head from a slot in the cage.
The Spider Lady smiled wider, sat on the balcony's edge with her legs dangling above the crowd, and said enthusiastically:
"Oh, looks like we have a rebel against my system! You all know what that means, don't you~"
The crowd roared with excitement—even Ethan joined in, shouting:
"Yeah! Make him fight without his eyes!"
The Spider Lady leaned toward the crowd and shouted into the mic:
"You heard the crowd, Fighter Number One."
Then she whispered slowly into the microphone:
"I must fulfill the audience's wish."
Fighter No. 1 didn't understand what she meant. As he tried to stand, a section of his cage opened—two massive guards entered, built like human tanks.
The first one grabbed the fighter from behind, locking him in place.
The second stood right in front of him, smiling maniacally, and said:
"Don't worry, this will only take a few seconds."
The fighter struggled, panicking, but it was useless.
"Get off me! Don't you know who I am—"
The guard holding him cut him off:
"Doesn't matter who you are, scum. Either way, you're not leaving here alive."
The fighter twisted and jerked in desperation, but the guard behind him only tightened his grip, bones cracking with each movement.
The second guard, standing before him, placed a massive hand over the fighter's face, grinning as he brought his other hand closer to the man's eye.
The fighter was trembling in absolute terror, trying to apologize, but his mouth couldn't open under the crushing grip on his skull.
In a moment, everyone watched in breathless anticipation—the Spider Lady smiling calmly from above.
And then she whispered to herself:
"Now…"
SPLURCH!
"AAAAAHHHH!!"
The scream echoed through the arena, freezing the other fighters in horror.
The guards let go and left the ring. The second guard carried something in a small silver dish, which a servant quickly took and brought up to the Spider Lady.
She received the plate—and inside it lay the brown eyes of the first fighter.
The Spider Lady smiled faintly, set the plate beside her, and murmured to herself:
"Hehe.
Looks like I've got a little appetizer before the match."
Fighter No. 1 managed to stand, trembling violently, his hands rising to his face—his eyes were truly gone.
The remaining fighters glanced at one another in dread, their minds screaming the same thought:
I have to be the one who survives!
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-