Chapter : 632
Chapter : 632
The aquatic golems did not chase them. The golems just stood in the middle of the room. The rock monsters returned to their original positions along the walls. They turned back into quiet stone statues. The battle was officially over.
The 13th Unit relaxed their combat stances.
Naomi slid her silver daggers back into her belt. The metal clicked sharply. She let out a long breath of relief. She smiled a very warm, bright smile. She turned her head. She looked for Ken.
Ken Eliot sat on a broken piece of a stone pillar. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He wore his navy blue suit pants. His white dress shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He did not wear a tie. His black hair stuck up in wild, messy spikes. He shoved his left hand deep into his pocket.
He held a small plastic bag in his right hand. The bag was full of colorful, ring-shaped gummy candies.
Ken pulled a yellow gummy ring from the bag. He held it up to his eye. He looked through the hole in the candy. He stared at the retreating 4th Unit soldiers.
"This is exactly like a video game cutscene," Ken mumbled lazily. He popped the gummy ring into his mouth. He chewed it slowly. "The boss realizes his health bar is too low. So, he calls off his minions. He stands there and prepares to deliver a long, boring monologue. It is a very predictable script. I wish there was a skip button. I want to skip the dialogue and go straight to the loot screen."
Naomi walked over to Ken. She did not scowl at him. She did not tell him to sit up straight. She smiled fondly.
"You are always eating candy, Ken," Naomi teased gently. Her green eyes sparked with genuine affection. "The fight is over. You can stop hiding on that rock."
"I am not hiding," Ken argued casually. He slouched even further. "I am observing from a highly tactical vantage point. I need a clear view of the cutscene. Do you want a gummy ring? They taste like fake pineapples. They are very delicious."
Naomi chuckled softly. She reached into his bag. She took a gummy ring. She ate it. "Thank you, Ken. Just stay quiet. The 4th Prince looks very mad."
Prince Ares did not walk into the dark tunnel. He stood near the exit archway. He glared across the wet marble floor. He stared directly at the 13th Unit.
He looked at Princess Iris. He looked at Sayma. He looked at Laxmi. He looked at Ira, Zinia, Risa, and Luna. Finally, he looked at Ken sitting on the rock.
Prince Ares frowned deeply. His dark eyes filled with intense, undeniable suspicion.
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"This makes absolutely zero logical sense," Prince Ares stated loudly. He crossed his arms over his red armor. "Look at you. Just look at your entire unit."
Princess Iris did not flinch. She kept her chin held high. "We are standing right here, Ares. What is your point?"
"My point is that you look like a total disaster," Prince Ares mocked openly. He pointed a finger at the girls. "You do not fight with traditional military formations. You do not use standard tactical maneuvers. You have a fire user who just throws flames wildly. You have a lightning user who is literally falling asleep against a wall right now."
Luna rubbed her sleepy eyes. She let out a massive, dramatic yawn. A soft knitted blanket rested on her shoulders. "I am very tired. The loud noises gave me a headache. Please lower your voice."
Prince Ares glared at Luna. He shook his head in pure disgust. He turned his finger toward Ken.
"And you have a servant who just sits on a rock eating candy!" Prince Ares shouted. He sounded incredibly frustrated. "He does not wear armor. His shirt is untucked. He does not even carry a basic weapon. He just slouches and watches. You are a complete group of misfits. You are a collection of rejects."
Ken stopped chewing his candy. He blinked his dark, sleepy eyes. He looked at the angry Prince.
"Hey, I provide excellent moral support," Ken complained lazily. He tossed another gummy ring into the air. He caught it in his mouth. "Moral support is a very vital role. Also, my suit is very nice. It is just a little dusty right now. You should not insult a man's wardrobe. It is very rude."
Naomi smiled. She liked his goofy attitude. It made the tense situation feel much less serious.
Prince Ares ignored Ken's joke entirely. The 4th Prince uncrossed his arms. He took a slow step forward. The suspicion in his eyes grew much stronger.
"You look weak," Prince Ares declared smoothly. "You act disorganized. You bicker with each other. You complain about being tired. You do not project an aura of power. You look like the absolute easiest target in this entire Succession War."
Prince Ares paused. He stared directly at Princess Iris.
"But you always win," Prince Ares observed coldly. The words hung in the quiet, damp cavern. "You win every single conflict. You secured the Core of Luminus. You defeated the giant bugs. You broke a flawless assassination domain. You survive situations that should absolutely crush you. You do it over and over again."
Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She opened her neat notebook. She clicked her pen. She offered a very polite, calm smile.
"We win because we adapt, Prince Ares," Sayma explained smoothly. "We do not rely on rigid military textbooks. We use fluid strategies. We trust each other completely. We cover each other's blind spots. It is a highly efficient operational method."
"Do not lie to me, Sayma," Prince Ares snapped back. He pointed a sharp finger at her. "Trust does not shatter a dark magic dome. Teamwork does not make a legendary assassin vanish into thin air. Adaptation does not explain your miraculous survival rate."
Prince Ares paced slowly near the archway. His boots splashed in a small puddle of water.
"There is an anomaly in your unit," Prince Ares stated with absolute certainty. "There is a massive, hidden variable. You possess some kind of secret weapon. Or perhaps you use a highly illegal magical artifact. You are hiding something massive from the Upper Council. I know you are cheating the system."
Laxmi punched her open palm. Bright orange flames popped around her knuckles. She grinned a wild, excited grin.
"We are not cheating!" Laxmi yelled happily. "We are just totally awesome! We punch harder than you do! You are just mad because your big soldiers got beat up by a bunch of rocks!"
Zinia cracked her knuckles. The strong earth mage nodded in agreement. "Laxmi is right. You lost the fight. Now you are making excuses. Accept your defeat and walk away."