Chapter : 634

The arrogant, aggressive Prince did not look guilty. He did not look like a mastermind caught in a lie. He looked completely and utterly bewildered.

"A ZulFarah assassin?" Prince Ares asked. His voice lost its angry tone for a single second. It sounded genuinely confused. "What in the world are you talking about?"

Sayma pushed her glasses up. She watched his facial expressions closely. "Do not pretend you do not know him, Prince Ares. The assassin named Reddy attacked us. He used a Shadow Domain. He stated he was working under a highly lucrative contract."

"I have absolutely zero idea who that is," Prince Ares stated firmly. He crossed his arms over his chest. His pride flared up again. "I do not hire foreign assassins. I do not use sneaky, cowardly shadow tricks. I rely entirely on raw, explosive physical strength. If I want to destroy you, I will do it with my own two hands. I would never taint my vanguard with a spy."

Ken Eliot sat on his broken piece of concrete. He chewed his strawberry candy. He slouched his shoulders. He looked at Prince Ares.

Ken used his flawless, highly observant slacker logic. He analyzed the Prince's reaction.

"He is telling the absolute truth," Ken thought casually to himself. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "Ares is a total meathead. He is a brute force character. Brute force characters do not use complex stealth tactics. They just punch things. The assassin definitely did not work for him."

Ken realized exactly what happened. He remembered the confession the assassin made inside the dark dome.

"Reddy said he was hired by the Anti-Empire faction," Ken recalled silently. "The corrupt politicians hired the assassin. They just used the 4th Unit as a convenient distraction. They hid Reddy inside Ares's shadow to sneak past the guards. Ares was totally clueless. He was just a loud, noisy pawn in a much bigger game."

Princess Iris stared at her brother. She saw the genuine confusion in his eyes. She realized he was not lying.

"If you did not hire him," Princess Iris said softly. Her voice carried a deep, profound worry. "Then someone else embedded him in your ranks without your knowledge. Someone is manipulating your unit."

Prince Ares scoffed loudly. He completely rejected the idea. His massive ego could not accept that he was manipulated.

"Nobody manipulates me!" Prince Ares roared angrily. He glared at Iris. "You are just trying to confuse me! You are making up ridiculous stories about assassins to distract from your own cheating!"

Prince Ares turned around. He faced the dark tunnel. He prepared to leave. He wanted to exit the humiliated situation.

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"You can investigate your imaginary assassins all you want, Iris," Prince Ares mocked loudly over his shoulder. He did not look back. "Waste your time playing detective. But remember my warning. When we meet on the surface, there will be no games. There will be no excuses."

Prince Ares raised his fist into the air. He delivered his final, utterly arrogant parting words.

"You will soon witness the true, overwhelming strength of the future Emperor!" Prince Ares declared proudly.

With that final dramatic statement, the 4th Prince marched into the dark tunnel. Gideon and the rest of his bruised, battered soldiers followed closely behind him. They disappeared into the shadows. The sound of their heavy boots faded away.

The 13th Unit was left entirely alone in the massive, ruined underwater chamber.

The area was completely silent again. The aquatic golems stood frozen against the walls. The bright blue light from the ceiling crystals illuminated the wet marble floor.

Luna let out a massive, dramatic yawn. The lightning user rubbed her sleepy eyes. She pulled her knitted blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"Is the yelling finally over?" Luna mumbled lazily. She sat down on a dry piece of stone. "That guy yells way too much. He is very loud. I am exhausted. Can we please go back to the hotel now? I want a very soft pillow."

Risa hugged her stuffed teddy bear. She smiled a sweet, relieved smile. "The scary men are gone. We are safe."

Ken Eliot stood up from his broken rock. He stretched his arms high above his head. His back popped quietly. He dusted off his wrinkled navy blue pants. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He walked casually toward the center of the group.

"I totally agree with Luna," Ken announced cheerfully. He popped another candy into his mouth. "The villain monologue is officially complete. He said his catchphrase. He made his threat. The cutscene is over. We can skip the rest of the dialogue and go straight to the reward screen."

Naomi laughed a warm, genuine laugh. She walked over to Ken.

"You are completely ridiculous, Ken," Naomi teased softly. Her green eyes sparkled with amusement. "But you are right. We secured the Core of Luminus. The mission is a total success. We survived the water level."

"And we did it without ruining my suit," Ken bragged proudly. He popped his collar with one hand. "That is the absolute greatest victory of the day. Now, let us go find a massive pizza. Or a giant burger. I am incredibly hungry. Staring at rocks burns a lot of calories."

Princess Iris smiled a beautiful, gentle smile. She patted the leather pouch on her belt. The glowing weather relic was perfectly safe. She looked at her chaotic, messy, wonderful team. She felt a profound sense of pride.

"Let us go home," Princess Iris commanded smoothly.

Ira raised her pale hands. The giant magical bubble began to roll forward. It moved slowly across the smooth marble floor. It headed toward the exit archway.

The 13th Unit walked together inside the dry, safe sphere. They joked and laughed. They were completely ready to leave the Sunken Labyrinth. The brutal race was finished. They had secured the points. And Ken smiled a goofy smile, totally content to let his friends guide him back to the surface, where a very comfortable nap was waiting for him.

The girls of the 13th Unit stood around the table. They stared at the ancient weather relic. They looked completely exhausted. Their clothes were covered in dust and dried mud. They had survived a massive, chaotic battle at the bottom of a crater lake. They had finally secured their prize.

Ken Eliot sat in a wooden chair at the far end of the table. 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 slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He slid down in his chair until his chin almost touched his chest.