Chapter 573: One Hour to The Gauntlet
Chapter 573: One Hour to The Gauntlet
We moved toward the flag. More guards appeared. Two of them. Ranged attackers.
Fire and ice. Classic combination.
"Julian. Left one."
"I don’t take orders from you."
"Julian. Please disrupt the left one’s Aspect so I can engage the right one without getting burned to death."
"Better."
His quantum field extended. The fire user’s flames sputtered. Her expression showed confusion.
I closed the distance on the ice user. He threw spikes at my face. I absorbed the kinetic energy on impact. Let it flow into my muscles.
My bat connected with his shoulder. He spun. Fell. Stayed down.
The fire user recovered. Launched a burst at Julian.
Julian’s own disruption field scattered it into harmless sparks.
"Thanks for the assist."
"I was protecting myself."
"Sure."
We reached the flag. Grabbed it. Started moving back toward our territory.
"TEAM SEVEN HAS CAPTURED TEAM THREE’S FLAG! TWENTY POINTS AWARDED!"
The crowd roared. Somewhere in the chaos, I heard Maria’s fire support covering our retreat. Heard Chen Wei’s combat shouts as he held the central position. Heard Derek’s surprised exclamation as he found the enemy’s rear guard already weakened.
We won.
Team Seven won.
I won.
With Julian Valerius as my partner.
The irony was not lost on me.
Back at the preparation area, the team regrouped. Chen Wei was bleeding from a cut on his forehead. Derek looked exhausted but satisfied. Maria grinned with the high of successful combat.
Julian stood apart from the group. His expression was unreadable.
"Good work," I said to the team. "Everyone performed their roles exactly as planned."
"We won," Derek said. The surprise in his voice was almost insulting.
"Obviously."
"I didn’t expect that."
"Lower your expectations next time and you’ll be pleasantly surprised more often."
Commander Valerius appeared at the edge of our area. His eyes found Julian. The disappointment was visible from across the room.
Julian had been positioned to undermine me. To sabotage the team. To prove that the Nakano nobody couldn’t lead.
Instead Julian had helped me win. Efficiently. Professionally. Without any betrayal.
I’d forced him into it. Made cooperation the only rational choice. Used his competence against his grudge.
He knew it. His father knew it.
I walked over to Julian. Stood close enough that only he could hear.
"Thank you for your assistance."
"Go to hell."
"Already living there. It’s quite comfortable."
"This isn’t over."
"I know. But today it is."
Julian turned and walked toward his father. Their conversation looked unpleasant from a distance.
One more event. The mystery challenge.
I was winning. Dominating. Crushing every obstacle in my path.
Nike’s quest was nearly complete.
"COMPETITORS! EVENT SIX BEGINS IN ONE HOUR! THE MYSTERY CHALLENGE! ALL PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE DETAILS UPON ARRIVAL AT THE FINAL ARENA!"
One hour. One mystery. One more victory.
I returned to the competitor’s lounge. Emi met me at the door with her healing aura already active.
"Your ribs are getting worse."
"They’re fine."
"They’re cracked in four places now."
"Still fine."
"You need to rest."
"I need to win."
Her sapphire eyes showed frustration mixed with affection. A familiar combination when dealing with me.
"You’re impossible."
"Thank you."
"That wasn’t a compliment."
"Everything sounds like a compliment when you say it."
Emi’s cheeks flushed pink. She looked away. Her healing aura intensified.
"Just... be careful in the last event."
"Define careful."
"Not dying."
"I can probably manage that."
"Probably isn’t good enough."
I pulled her into a hug. She squeaked in surprise. Her hands found my back. Her body pressed against mine.
"I’ll win," I said into her hair. "I always win."
"You’re arrogant."
"I prefer confident."
"Same thing."
"From a certain angle."
She pulled back. Her eyes were wet but her smile was genuine.
"Win. Then come back to us."
"Always."
Natalia appeared behind Emi. Her arms crossed. Her expression cold.
"Done with your moment?"
"Natalia. You look beautiful."
"Don’t change the subject."
"I wasn’t. You look beautiful and I’m done with my moment. Two statements. Both true."
She stepped closer. Her hand found my collar. Pulled me down to her eye level.
"One more event."
"Yes."
"Win it."
"Yes."
"Then we talk about the dinner situation."
"I was hoping you’d forget."
"I never forget."
"I noticed."
Her lips brushed mine. Cold from her Aspect but warm in their intent.
"Win," she whispered. "For me."
"For you. For all of us. For the cosmic audience that apparently finds my suffering entertaining."
"What?"
"Nothing. Inside joke."
The hour passed too quickly. Emi’s healing faded. Natalia’s cold lingered. The mystery event approached like a storm on the horizon.
The final arena was different from all the others. Larger. More complex. A massive dome structure with seating for fifty thousand spectators.
Inside the dome, chaos awaited.
A shifting environment. Platforms that rose and fell. Obstacles that appeared and disappeared. Hazards that seemed designed by a committee of sadists with tenure.
"WELCOME TO THE FINAL EVENT OF THE CRUCIBLE TOURNAMENT! THE MYSTERY CHALLENGE IS... THE GAUNTLET!"
The crowd roared.
"FIFTY COMPETITORS WILL ENTER! ONLY TEN WILL FINISH! THE GAUNTLET TESTS EVERYTHING! STRENGTH! SPEED! INTELLIGENCE! ADAPTABILITY! SURVIVAL!"
I looked at the entrance. Saw the other competitors gathering. Reyna among them. Her arm still wrapped. Her eyes finding mine.
She smiled. Not the competitive smile from our duels. Something warmer. Something that promised dinner and conversation and complications I wasn’t sure I wanted.
Julian stood further back. His hand still braced. His hatred still burning.
Isabelle positioned herself near the front. Her spear ready. Her wine-red eyes showing something like excitement.
"COMPETITORS! THE GAUNTLET BEGINS IN FIVE MINUTES! TAKE YOUR POSITIONS!"
Five minutes.
Five minutes until the final event. The last obstacle between me and Nike’s total victory. The last chance for everything to go wrong.
Nel’s voice whispered through our bond.
"The Audience is at peak engagement. Apollo has placed his remaining wagers. Nike watches with intense focus. Veronica Cabana has moved to the VIP section overlooking the Gauntlet entrance."
"Any advice?"
"Don’t die."
"Everyone keeps saying that."
"Because it’s good advice."
I walked toward the starting line. Took my position among the other competitors. Felt the weight of fifty thousand eyes. The pressure of twenty million viewers. The expectations of gods and monsters and beautiful women who’d bet everything on a C-Rank nobody from the slums.
The countdown began.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
I rolled my shoulders. Cracked my neck. Let the tension flow out of my muscles.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Reyna caught my eye. Mouthed something I couldn’t quite read.
Four.
Three.
Julian’s quantum field flickered. Anticipation or aggression. Hard to tell.
Two.
One.
The gates opened.
I ran.