Chapter : 196
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Chapter : 196
"Are you kidding me?" Ken complained out loud, pouting like a child who was told to do homework. "Now they are running around? Tracking moving targets requires so much extra eye movement. My eyelids are getting a serious workout today. This is completely unfair."
"Just shoot them, Ken!" Zinia laughed, using her earth magic to create solid stone stepping stones for Laxmi to jump on.
"Fine, fine," Ken sighed. He raised his hand again, totally unfazed by their running. "Pew. Pew."
It didn't matter how fast the enemy guards ran. Ken's aim was absolutely flawless. He tapped a running guard on the knee, instantly teleporting the man three meters straight up into the air. The guard yelped in surprise and fell back down into the dirt.
"Sleepy time," Luna yawned loudly.
The lazy lightning user didn't even run across the field. She just stood near the center line, raised two fingers, and fired a massive, jagged bolt of bright yellow electricity. Because Ken had completely cleared the defenders out of the way, the lightning bolt struck the third and fourth towers at the exact same time. Both stone pillars exploded in a brilliant flash of light.
The buzzer sounded loudly across the stadium, marking the end of the third round.
"Time is up!" Bob the anchor shouted. "The 13th Unit secures four towers in a single round! They have completely seized the upper hand! Princess Iris's team is looking absolutely unstoppable!"
The crowd went wild. The cheers were so loud the ground actually vibrated.
For the fourth round, the roles reversed again. The 13th Unit went back to defense.
But this time, the defense was completely effortless. Every single time the 15th Unit tried to coordinate an attack, Ken just pointed his finger and teleported their lead attacker into a completely different direction. He popped a fire-mage into a puddle of mud. He displaced a swordsman so he accidentally swung at his own teammate.
It was a total comedy of errors. The highly trained, elite fighters of Prince Hades's team looked like a bunch of confused, stumbling beginners. They couldn't land a single attack.
By the time the buzzer sounded to end the fourth round, the 15th Unit had still not destroyed a single tower belonging to Princess Iris.
The two teams backed away from the center line, taking their mandatory thirty-second break before the fifth and final round began.
Ken casually strolled back to his team, putting his hands in his pockets. He was completely dry, without a single drop of sweat on his face.
"Man, my index finger is actually starting to cramp," Ken joked, shaking his hand out. "Pointing is very intense manual labor. Does anyone have a hand massage device? Or maybe a cold soda?"
Naomi grinned, lightly punching his arm. "You are doing great, slacker. Just keep it up for one more round. We just need to break a few more towers and this match is officially ours."
Across the grassy field, the atmosphere in the 15th Unit was incredibly dark.
Prince Hades was breathing fast. His perfectly combed dark hair was slightly messy. His absolute need for control was totally shattered. He glared across the arena, completely ignoring Princess Iris, Naomi, and Laxmi. His cold, pale green eyes locked entirely onto Ken Eliot.
"The data was wrong," Hades whispered, his voice trembling with manic frustration. "He is not a statistical zero. He is the entire foundation of their strategy. He is the linchpin."
Adrian walked up beside his Prince, looking totally exhausted. "Your Highness, our defensive patterns are completely useless against his displacement magic. We cannot protect the towers."
Hades’s eyes narrowed into dangerous, ruthless slits. He abandoned his perfect logic. He threw his pristine rulebook entirely out the window.
"Forget the towers," Hades ordered coldly. "Abandon our defensive line completely. Concentrate our entire magical arsenal on one single goal."
He pointed a pale finger directly at the messy boy in the navy blue suit.
"Eliminate Ken Eliot," Hades commanded. "Take him out before he can fire another shot."
---
The giant digital clock above the stadium flashed bright red. 5:00. The final round of the match had officially begun.
"This is it, folks!" Sarah the anchor screamed into her microphone, her voice bouncing off the stadium walls. "The fifth and final round! The 13th Unit is on the attack! If they can secure just one more tower, this match is mathematically over!"
Princess Iris drew her silver rapier and pointed it across the field. "Vanguard, move out! Finish this!"
Laxmi, Zinia, and Luna surged forward, totally ready to smash the remaining enemy towers into dust.
But as they crossed the center line of the grassy field, they quickly realized something was entirely wrong. The nine elite servants of the 15th Unit were not standing in front of their stone pillars. They were not raising their magical shields or preparing their defensive spells.
They had completely abandoned their objective.
Instead, all nine servants of Prince Hades turned their entire focus away from the advancing girls. They turned their bodies, aimed their weapons, and locked their eyes directly onto Ken Eliot, who was currently standing near the middle of the field.
"Target identified," Adrian yelled, raising his glowing purple staff. "All units, full frontal assault! Erase him!"
A massive, frantic wave of highly trained assassins and spellcasters abandoned their posts and rushed straight across the grass. They were sprinting at top speed, ignoring the rules of the game, and pouring every single ounce of their magical energy into a totally desperate charge.
Ken blinked his sleepy eyes. He stopped slouching for a second and looked at the angry mob running directly toward him.
He didn't use his god-like power. He didn't drop his disguise. He just threw his hands up in the air and put on a masterclass of comedic panic.
"Whoa! Timeout! Timeout!" Ken screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking like a terrified cartoon character. He took two massive steps backward, waving his arms wildly. "Why is everyone looking at me?! I didn't even do anything! I am just standing here! I don't even have a sword! Go bother the girls, they are the ones breaking your stuff!"
Up in the broadcast booth, Bob the anchor gasped. "Oh my goodness! The 15th Unit has completely abandoned their defense! They are launching a massive, all-out strike directly at Ken Eliot! They realized he is the core of the strategy, and they are trying to take him off the board!"
"Run, Ken!" Laxmi yelled, stopping her advance.
But Ken didn't have to run anywhere.
The absolute second the enemy team shifted their focus toward Ken, the entire 13th Unit reacted without a single moment of hesitation. They didn't even need to discuss a plan. They moved on pure, fierce instinct.
The girls immediately collapsed inward. They abandoned their attack on the towers and rushed back to the center of the field. In the blink of an eye, they formed a tight, impenetrable circle completely surrounding Ken.
Sayma pushed her glasses up and slammed her hands forward. A massive, brilliant golden honeycomb barrier snapped into place right in front of him.