Chapter 572: The Leash and the Prince
Chapter 572: The Leash and the Prince
I looked at the Sentinel section of the room. Found Julian’s golden hair among the crowd.
He was smiling.
"That’s not random," Isabelle said from beside me.
"No it’s not."
"Commander Valerius arranged it."
"Almost certainly."
"Julian will try to sabotage you."
"Almost certainly."
"What are you going to do?"
I stood from my chair. Stretched my shoulders. Cracked my neck.
"Win anyway."
Team Seven assembled in a designated preparation area. Four unfamiliar faces watched me with varying degrees of suspicion.
Derek Chen. The Cobalt Viper I’d knocked out with one punch during the duels. His jaw still showed bruising. His eyes showed resentment.
Maria Santos. Scarlet Phantom. Fire manipulation. Average skill. No notable achievements.
Chen Wei. Azure Dragon. Enhancement type. Big guy. Muscles on his muscles.
Julian Valerius. Broken hand. Burning hatred. Family connections that probably explained why he ended up on my team despite the astronomical improbability.
"Team leader speaks," Julian said. His voice dripped with contempt. "Go ahead, stray. Tell us your brilliant plan."
"Simple strategy. Chen Wei takes point. Maria provides ranged support. Derek handles flanking. Julian stays in the rear as backup."
"Backup." Julian’s smile widened. "You want me in the rear."
"Your hand is broken. Close combat would be disadvantageous."
"My Aspect doesn’t require close combat."
"Your Aspect requires concentration. The rear position allows for maximum focus with minimum distraction."
"Or it keeps me out of the action entirely."
"Interpretation varies."
Julian stepped closer. His quantum disruption field flickered around his fingers. The air between us warped slightly.
"I know what you’re doing."
"Winning?"
"Neutralizing me."
"Utilizing you efficiently."
"Same thing."
"Not from my perspective."
We stared at each other. The rest of the team watched with obvious discomfort. Nobody wanted to be caught between two rivals with obvious grudges.
"Listen carefully," I said. "I don’t care about your grudge. I don’t care about your pride. I care about winning this event. If you help me win, I’ll make sure you get appropriate credit. If you sabotage me, I’ll make sure everyone knows who cost us the victory."
"Threats?"
"Promises."
"You think I’m afraid of your reputation?"
"I think you’re afraid of your father’s disappointment. Commander Valerius arranged this team assignment. He expects you to either beat me or undermine me. If you fail at both, he’ll be very unhappy."
Julian’s smile froze. His quantum field flickered more intensely.
"You don’t know anything about my father."
"I know he’s watching from the judge’s platform. I know he expects results. I know you’ve disappointed him three times already today. First place in the simulation. First place in the obstacle course. First place in the duels. All to the Zero he told you to crush."
"I’m going to kill you."
"Not during the tactical challenge. Too many witnesses. Too many cameras."
"After."
"Looking forward to it."
The preparation period ended. Team Seven filed toward our starting position. The urban environment stretched before us like a concrete jungle. Three-story buildings. Narrow alleys. A central plaza with our flag positioned on a raised platform.
Our objective. Defend this while capturing the enemy’s.
Team Three waited on the opposite side of the map. Their composition looked solid. Two enhancement types. One ranged attacker. One support. One battlefield controller.
Standard team. Standard tactics. Nothing special.
"Chen Wei. Take the central approach. Draw their attention."
"Got it."
"Maria. Rooftop position. Cover fire on my signal."
"Understood."
"Derek. Circle left. Hit their rear guard when Chen Wei engages their front."
"You knocked me out with one punch."
"And now I’m putting you in position for a killing blow. Motivational reversal."
"I still don’t like you."
"You don’t have to like me. You just have to follow orders."
Derek nodded reluctantly. His pride was wounded but his tactical sense recognized solid strategy.
"Julian."
"What?"
"Stay with me. We’re going straight for their flag while the others create chaos."
His eyes widened. "You want me as your partner?"
"Your Quantum Disruption neutralizes enemy Aspects. That’s useful when we’re facing unknown abilities in a confined space. You’re coming with me because you’re the most dangerous person on this team."
"Flattery?"
"Honesty. I don’t trust you. But I trust your competence."
The starting signal sounded. Chen Wei charged toward the central plaza with a battle cry that echoed off the buildings. Maria scrambled up a fire escape toward her rooftop position. Derek disappeared into an alley on our left flank.
Julian and I moved right. Through a narrow street. Between abandoned storefronts. Toward the enemy’s base.
"You’re not afraid I’ll stab you in the back?"
"If you stab me in the back, you lose the tactical challenge. Your father loses the chance to prove his son can beat me in direct competition. The Sentinels lose their narrative about superior breeding."
"And if winning means more to me than my father’s approval?"
"Then you would have stabbed me already instead of asking about it."
Julian laughed. The sound held genuine amusement mixed with something darker.
"You’re smarter than you look."
"Most people are."
We reached a three-way intersection. Enemy territory ahead. Their flag visible on a platform two hundred meters away.
One guard. Enhancement type. Big. Armored.
"Can you disrupt his enhancement field?"
"At this range? Partially. His strength will drop but not disappear."
"How much?"
"Thirty percent. Maybe forty."
"Good enough."
I sprinted toward the guard. Julian’s quantum field expanded behind me. The air warped. The guard’s enhancement flickered.
The guard spotted me and shifted his stance, bringing his massive fists up in a boxer’s guard that would have looked intimidating if his muscles hadn’t been flickering like a faulty light bulb. His eyes tracked my approach with the confidence of a man who’d spent his whole life relying on raw power.
His first punch came in a wide, telegraphed arc. The kind of haymaker that would have turned my skull into paste if it landed clean. But Julian’s quantum field was eating away at the enhancement that made him dangerous. The fist sailed toward me with all the threatening presence of a drunk throwing pool punches.
I dropped low, feeling the displaced air ruffle my hair as the blow passed overhead by a comfortable margin. My legs coiled like springs. The bat came up in a short, vicious arc that buried itself deep between his ribs.
The satisfying crack of bone echoed off the nearby walls.
His enhancement guttered out completely as shock and pain overwhelmed his concentration. His knees buckled. His eyes rolled back.
He dropped.
"Clear."
Julian emerged from cover. His expression showed surprise poorly hidden behind aristocratic composure.
"That was fast."
"Your disruption helped."
"It wasn’t supposed to help that much."
"Guess I’m lucky."