Chapter : 371
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Chapter : 371
Prince Julian led the group. He wore his flashy, highly polished gold breastplate. His red silk cape fluttered gently behind him. He wore a sinister, arrogant grin on his face. His chestnut hair was styled perfectly. He did not look tired at all. He did not look sweaty. He looked like he had been relaxing in the cool shade for the last thirty minutes.
Behind him stood his elite vanguard. They wore matching red and gold armor. They carried sharp swords, long spears, and glowing magical staffs. They looked incredibly hostile and ready for a fight.
Mo Yuna stood near the front of the enemy line. She was a fast, cruel assassin. She twirled a small, sharp throwing knife around her finger. She smiled a nasty, wicked smile at the 13th Unit.
Junpei walked right next to her. He was a highly destructive fire user. He cracked his knuckles loudly. Small, bright red flames popped around his hands. He glared directly at Laxmi, viewing her as his ultimate rival.
Sanvi held a long, sharp metal spear. She stood perfectly straight. She looked very eager to cause some damage.
Scott walked in the back row of the 7th Unit. The wealthy nobleman wore his sleek dark gray combat suit. He held his magical rapier firmly. His brown eyes scanned the 13th Unit. He completely ignored Sayma. He completely ignored Princess Iris. His angry, jealous gaze locked directly onto Ken. He wanted his revenge for the fake romance story.
Prince Julian stopped a few feet away from Princess Iris. He crossed his arms proudly over his gold armor. He let out a loud, mocking laugh.
"Look at you all," Julian sneered. His voice dripped with pure condescension. "You look so incredibly tired. You look like you just ran a marathon. Your clothes are dirty. Your faces are sweaty. You are a complete, pathetic mess."
Princess Iris stood her ground. She kept her rapier pointed toward the dirt. Her violet eyes were completely calm. "We worked hard to find the rings, Julian. We secured the majority. We are winning."
"Yes, you are currently winning," Julian smiled his cruel smile. He slowly clapped his hands together in a sarcastic gesture. Clap. Clap. Clap. "I must thank you, Iris. You did a fantastic job today. You did all the boring, manual work for me."
Naomi frowned deeply. She tightened her grip on her daggers. "What are you talking about?"
"Do you honestly think I wanted to search this massive garden?" Julian scoffed loudly. He acted like searching was a crime. "Searching dirty bushes is a job for peasants. It is a job for lowly commoners like you. I read the rulebook very carefully before the match. I saw the technicality. The winner is the team that holds the rings at the end of the time limit."
Julian pointed a shiny gold finger directly at the cloth bag on Laxmi's belt.
"I realized I did not need to find the rings at all," Julian bragged proudly. "I just needed to let you find them. I let you run around and exhaust yourselves. I let you do all the physical labor. Now, you are completely trapped. You gathered all my glorious prizes into one convenient little bag. It is a perfectly efficient strategy."
Sayma pushed her glasses up. She felt a strong surge of anger. The 7th Prince had played them flawlessly. He used their own determination and hard work against them. He turned their scavenger hunt into a massive trap.
"You are incredibly arrogant," Sayma stated politely, though her voice was freezing cold. "You assume you can simply take the rings from us. We will not hand them over to you."
"You will not have a choice, Sayma," Julian laughed again. He spread his arms wide to show off his team. "Look at my vanguard. They are completely rested. They have full mana reserves. They are entirely ready to fight. Now look at your team. You are panting. You are slow. You cannot possibly win this battle."
Laxmi took an aggressive step forward. She ignored her tired muscles entirely. Bright orange flames roared to life around her fists. The heat warmed the plaza. "We can win! I have plenty of fire left in me! Come and get the rings if you are so brave!"
"Gladly," Junpei mocked from the other side of the clearing. His red flames sparked aggressively. He stared at Laxmi with pure hatred. "Your little orange fire is nothing compared to mine. I am going to melt you into the dirt."
Mo Yuna tossed her knife high into the air and caught it effortlessly. She looked directly past the tall fighters. She noticed Risa. The cruel assassin saw the small, scared healer hugging a teddy bear in the center of the formation. A sinister, terrible idea formed in Mo Yuna's mind. She knew exactly how to break the 13th Unit's defensive circle.
"I think I will start with the pink-haired girl," Mo Yuna whispered loudly. Her voice was sharp and incredibly nasty. "She looks very fragile. I wonder how loudly she cries when she gets cut."
Risa gasped softly. She took a frightened step backward. She tried to hide completely behind Zinia's broad back.
Ken stopped slouching immediately. He heard the assassin threaten Risa. He did not like that comment at all. Risa was a sweet kid. She drew happy pictures with colored pencils. She liked his sour cream and onion chips. Ken felt a tiny, cold spark of true annoyance bloom in his chest.
He did not show his annoyance to the enemy. He quickly put his goofy, lazy smile back on his face. He stepped out from the safe center of the group. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He walked right up to the front line. He stood casually next to Princess Iris.
"Hey, gold guy," Ken called out lazily. He pointed a finger at Julian. "You are very loud. You talk a lot. But your grand plan is actually really bad."
Julian glared at Ken. He remembered the boy from the hallway in the Upper Council building. He felt a strong flash of total disgust. "Silence, you filthy peasant. You have no right to speak to a Prince."
"I am just trying to help you out," Ken argued cheerfully. He slouched his shoulders again. He leaned his weight on one leg. "You want these rings. But if you attack us, you might break the rings during the fight. Magical explosions are very destructive. If you break the rings, nobody gets the points. The Emperor will be very mad at you."
Julian frowned slightly. He glanced at the cloth bag on Laxmi's belt. He knew Ken made a valid, logical point about destroying the artifacts.
"So," Ken continued smoothly. He offered a completely ridiculous solution. "I propose a peaceful trade. We keep our seven rings. You keep your six rings. We win the match. You go home and take a nice, relaxing bath. Everyone stays completely safe. It is a fantastic compromise."