Chapter 98

What happened next, though predictable, still sent a cold shock through me. The vid screen continued to play out the carnage, my blurred senses struggling to catch every detail, but each one burned itself into my mind.

Gideon stood tall, his gaze fixed on my fallen form as it tumbled to a stop. There was no sign of disgust or outrage on him. The killer in him just saw a problem solved. He had face a titan, a titan that should have been the end of him. Now the titan lay broken and he did not.

His relief was to be short-lived.

From behind him, Lance's blade blazed with energy, the glow of a Level 3 CUT. Before Gideon even knew what was happening, the sword smashed into the side of his head with brutal precision. The strike came without warning, from behind, Gideon’s body never had the chance to react—no chance to flex his SHIELD, assuming he even had one. His form twisted mid-air, spinning violently before crumpling to the ground in a heap, completely and utterly defeated.

What a curious thing honor could be. Lance had raged at the blatant cheating as Leona took hold of me. But he thought nothing of turning on his ally the moment their agreement ended. I was down, their deal was done. Why give Gideon a chance to defend himself?

The vid screen cut away from the chaos of that fight and quickly flashed to other parts of the arena, showing what had been happening elsewhere at that exact moment. Brief clips snapped by: Arthur and Emilia—one Lance’s teammate, the other Gideon’s—were focused on the orb, pulling Flows from its energy without interruption. Olaf, exhausted and teetering, struggled to fend off Lauren. The weight of battle had taken its toll, and even with his Shield Suit, his movements had become sluggish. Lauren, faster and deadlier in her Arrow Suit, danced around him with ease, her type advantage clearly more than compensating for his greater affinity with his suit.

Zara was fighting Felix. He was struggling to match her affinity.

And Leona... Katya came at her. Did she do it to wipe out my team so the round could end? Was she avenging me?

Leona was barely hanging on, her bladed arms meeting Katya’s with every ounce of strength she had left. But Katya was overwhelming her, utterly superior in every respect. They were both Arrows, but Katya’s affinity, and natural skill, completely eclipsed Leona’s.

The vid screen cut back to Lance, and though there was no audio, his body language was unmistakable—he shouted a signal to his team. And then... chaos.

Lauren broke away from Olaf. I was surprised she was so agreeable to being part of the plot. But then, that was another virtue to these people. Lauren was lovely, truly lovely, but she existed in a different reality to me. Olaf could only watch her streak away from him.

Lance and Theo moved as one. It was a perfectly orchestrated arrangement. Each of them moved against one they had type advantage against. It might take me minutes to describe it, but it was over in heartbeats.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Lance hit Katya from behind as she exhausted her rage on Leona. Katya’s back arched in pain as the strike hit her. Leona did nothing. Her hands fell to her sides as Katya staggered. Lance hit her again and again. Katya jerked and staggered. She fell to her knees. One more blow laid her flat on the ground.

The screen flicked to Olaf. His mouth opened in shock as Lance's team assassinated Gideon's. Just before the screen shifted again, there was moment when the viewer could see Olaf’s jaw clench with a certainty.

Felix had been locked in combat with Zara. He turned as he detected Lauren surging at him. He turned to face her, opening himself to Zara. Zara hit him hard, sending him staggering towards Lauren. Her bladed hands flashed, kinetic energy rippling over them and he was sent reeling back to Zara. Back and forth like the world's unluckiest ping pong ball. Then, Zara's head cocked, and she drifted away from the fight, leaving Lauren to finish Felix.

I watched it all unfold, my concussion-riddled brain piecing together the inevitable. Once again, Lance was orchestrating the end of the round, ending it early just like he had tried before. With me down, Gideon down, and Katya defeated, Gideon’s team was crumbling. Felix, soon to be eliminated as well, left Lance free to pick apart my remaining teammates.

I realized with a sinking feeling that Lance’s plan was clear. Soon he would be facing the remnants of my team—leaderless, battered, and demoralized. He and his remaining allies could finish them off with ease. Emilia, the only one left on Gideon’s team who was still intact, was defenseless, locked into the orb, drawing Flows as the rest of her team crumbled.

Lance had won the round without breaking a sweat.

The screen flickered one last time, replaying the moment of Gideon’s fall, and the sight of his limp form hitting the ground was the final punctuation to my growing despair. Lance was methodical, ruthless, and he had just sealed his place in the final round.

Then the frame shifted again, drawing me deeper into the unfolding chaos. The vid screen focused on Olaf, running with purpose, his body language urgent, gesturing wildly in the air. His mouth was moving. He was clearly shouting instructions, and a few moments later, Zara appeared by his side.

Olaf, with a rough shove, physically propelled Zara towards the orb. His mouth opened wide as he barked orders—probably commanding her to draw Flows, to act quickly, before it was too late. In the next frame, Zara had done exactly that: her weapon was embedded into the glowing orb, and energy pulsed visibly through her body. The power surged as she began to siphon the precious Flows we so desperately needed.

The view flicked back again—now to Felix. He was being decimated by Lauren and Lance, tossed about like a rag doll. Every blow from Lauren’s glowing bladed hands sent him stumbling, and each CUT from Lance felt like it might break him in half. Felix was punch drunk But he swung that terrible axe and kept them fighting.

The vid screen darted back to show Arthur, Lance’s Axe, drawing Flows for his team with an almost frantic determination. Emilia, still locked into place with her Shield, continued to pull in Flows for Gideon’s doomed team. The battle had taken a different shape, a quieter shape. Victory now depended not on weapons but on the Flow scores ticking upward.

Then the view shifted to the banners above. My heart clenched as my eyes focused on the numbers. The banner over my fort read 47, just a sad, mocking 3 points away from securing victory. Gideon’s banner showed 38, his chances shrinking but still dangerous. And Lance... Lance’s banner hung at 30, dangerously poised but still behind us all.

As I watched Zara on the screen, her body lighting up with the pulses of energy from the orb, the truth hit me like a thunderclap. We only needed three more Flows. Just three.