Chapter 570: A Ship Called StrayComet
Chapter 570: A Ship Called StrayComet
"BOTH COMPETITORS ARE DOWN! REFEREE IS CHECKING STATUS!"
The ref knelt beside Reyna first. Checked her pulse. Her breathing.
"REYNA CABANA IS UNCONSCIOUS!"
Then he moved to me.
"SATORI NAKANO IS... STILL CONSCIOUS! SATORI NAKANO WINS! THE STRAY DOG TAKES THE ONE-ON-ONE DUELS!"
I tried to stand. Failed. Tried again. My arms shook. My legs refused to cooperate.
A hand appeared in my vision.
Isabelle.
She pulled me upright with strength that shouldn’t exist in her elegant frame. Her wine-red hair framed a face showing something I’d never seen before.
Pride.
"Well fought."
"Thanks."
"You owe her dinner."
"You heard that?"
"Everyone heard that. The arena microphones are surprisingly sensitive."
I looked at the VIP section. Found Natalia’s face in the crowd.
She was smiling. That was bad.
Her smile showed too many teeth. That was worse.
The temperature around me dropped ten degrees despite the afternoon sun. That was catastrophic.
"I’m going to die."
"Probably," Isabelle agreed. "But not today. Today you won."
Medical staff rushed onto the platform. They surrounded Reyna. Someone tried to approach me and Isabelle waved them off.
"He can walk."
"I can’t actually."
"You will."
She half-carried me toward the competitor’s exit. The crowd chanted my name. Camera drones followed our progress. Somewhere in the chaos, I heard Maximus Hype screaming about historical performances and tournament records.
None of it mattered.
Three events down. One in first place. Two in first place. Total domination of the one-on-one bracket.
Nike’s quest was almost complete.
The competitor’s tunnel swallowed us in cool darkness. My body sagged against Isabelle’s support. She bore my weight without complaint.
"Natalia is going to freeze you solid."
"I know."
"Reyna just challenged you to a date on national television."
"I know."
"Her sister Veronica watched the entire thing from the VIP section."
"I really know."
"And you said yes."
"I’m aware of my mistakes."
"Are you?"
"I’m starting to become aware."
Isabelle deposited me on a bench in the staging area. Emi appeared immediately with her healing aura already active. The green light sank into my body and started repairing the damage.
"Your ribs are cracked," she said. "Three of them. The regenerator brace is working overtime."
"But not broken?"
"Not yet. One more hit to that area and they will be."
"Good thing the one-on-one duels are over then."
"Bad thing that you still have three events remaining."
Point taken.
Natalia pushed through the gathered Hounds. Her purple eyes burned with cold fury. The white streaks in her hair glowed like phosphorus. Ice spread across the floor with each step she took.
"Dinner."
"I can explain."
"With Reyna."
"There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation."
"Alone."
"Technically she challenged me. I just accepted. To not accept would have been cowardly. You hate cowardice."
"I hate you right now."
"That’s fair."
She stood over me. The temperature dropped another five degrees. Frost formed on my eyebrows.
"She’s beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as you."
"She’s powerful."
"Not as powerful as you."
"She wants you."
"Everyone wants me. I’m very attractive."
"Satori."
"Yes?"
"Choose your next words very carefully."
I looked up at her. My disaster. My queen. My first and my constant.
"I love you. Only you. Always you. The dinner is a tactical opportunity to gather intelligence on the Cabana family. Nothing more. Nothing less."
The ice stopped spreading.
"Tactical opportunity."
"Exactly."
"Intelligence gathering."
"Precisely."
"And if she tries to kiss you?"
"I’ll dodge."
"And if she succeeds?"
"Then I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."
Natalia stared at me for a long moment. Her emotions crashed against our bond. Anger. Jealousy. Fear. Love.
Always love.
"You’re sleeping on the floor tonight."
"I expected that."
"And tomorrow night."
"Also expected."
"And you’re going to let me freeze your shower water for a week."
"That seems excessive."
"Do you want to negotiate?"
"No ma’am."
She leaned down. Pressed her lips to my forehead. Her touch was ice cold but the gesture was pure warmth.
"Win the next three events. Then we’ll discuss your punishment."
"Yes ma’am."
She walked away. The ice on the floor melted in her wake. The temperature normalized.
Skylar appeared in my peripheral vision.
"That went better than expected."
"You think?"
"She didn’t actually freeze anything important. That’s practically forgiveness by Natalia standards."
"Comforting."
"I try."
The intercom crackled. Maximus Hype’s voice filled the staging area.
"COMPETITORS! THIRTY MINUTE BREAK BEFORE EVENT FOUR! THE ASPECT DEMONSTRATION! ALL REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS REPORT TO THE MAIN ARENA AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR!"
Three events left. Aspect demonstration. Tactical challenge. Mystery event.
I was ahead on points. Way ahead. But Nike didn’t want ahead.
Nike wanted total victory.
"How are my stats looking?" I asked Nel silently.
"Hidden values remain at 6,250 across all categories. Temporary buffs from today’s absorptions have mostly expired. You are operating at approximately seventy-three percent capacity."
"And my competition?"
"Julian Valerius has been eliminated from the one-on-one bracket but remains registered for the tactical challenge. His hatred for you has reached levels that suggest irrational action."
"So he might try to kill me during the team event."
"Probability is high."
"Perfect."
"That was not meant as encouragement."
"I know. I’m taking it as one anyway."
Emi finished her healing work. My ribs still ached but the sharp pain had faded to dull background noise. I could move. I could fight.
I could win.
Akari burst into the staging area with her usual explosive energy.
"Three for three! You’re dominating! The betting pools are going insane! I just made enough money to buy a small island!"
"Congratulations."
"Also Veronica Cabana asked to meet with you after the competition."
"I heard."
"Also Reyna’s fans are split between wanting to kill you and wanting to date you."
"Sounds about right."
"Also someone started a shipping hashtag for you and Reyna and it’s already trending globally."
"What."
"StrayComet. It’s everywhere. They’re writing fanfiction. Drawing art. Someone already made a song."
Natalia’s temperature spike was visible from across the room.
"Change the subject," I said quickly.
"Right! Subject changed! The Aspect demonstration is next! You have to show off your registered abilities! Which are officially Thermal Incision at C-Rank with A-Rank potential! Except everyone just watched you absorb lightning and tank void damage so that might be a problem!"
That was actually a good point.
My official Aspect was a lie. A cover story for the System’s true nature. If I had to demonstrate Thermal Incision without revealing my other abilities, things could get complicated.
"Nel. Options?"
"Thermal Incision remains a legitimate ability within your Arsenal. You can demonstrate it authentically while downplaying other capabilities. However, any competent observer will note discrepancies between your registered power level and your demonstrated performance today."
"So I need to sandbag."
"Strategically, yes. Emotionally, that may prove difficult given your established pattern of seeking dominance in all competitive situations."
"You’re saying I have an ego problem."
"I am saying you have difficulty appearing weak even when weakness would be tactically advantageous."
Fair point.
The clock on the wall showed twenty-three minutes until the next event. Twenty-three minutes to figure out how to look average while winning everything.
Easy.
Totally easy.
I was definitely not screwed.