892 Frost Squad Vs White Squad
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!~
As was the case with the previous rounds, the fourth one also ended on the same note—absolute victory at the hands of the seemingly invincible O'jog.
It was slowly getting to the fifth round…
'Looks like our time is finally here.' Rey felt a small smile forming on his face. 'No one would fault me if our team ends up losing, will they?'
After all, O'jog was simply a monster beyond any Dragon he had ever faced. In terms of stats, the White Dragon Lord was definitely superior, but… those weren't what made O'jog such a menace.
It was his Skills.
'His Skills are quite problematic—at least to other people dealing with them.'
To Rey, this posed no issues for him whatsoever.
'After watching the fights so far, I've assimilated that [Perfect Protection] Skill of his. I already had his [Perfect Expansion], so this is a nice addition.' He smiled. 'The problem now is… how to get the rest of those Skills.'
Rey wanted everything O'jog had, since he was plenty strong.
No Skill in his possession would be wasted if they were in Rey's possession and he desired them greatly—almost to the point of being too greedy.
'The issue is that he's obviously so strong that it would be difficult for me to make him show his full power without also displaying the same level of strength.' He glanced at his teammates—particularly Kat'erin and Shai'ya and felt their calmness even in the precarious situation.
'These two are certainly stronger than most of the Generals I've seen already, but they don't stand a chance against O'jog. If possible, they should take care of the two—L'ester and D'aru—while Lucielle and I take care of O'jog.'
Even though it would be plenty suspicious that mere students were going against the strongest Dragon of his generation, it would look less absurd since there would be two of them, and not just Rey.
'Besides, we can leverage on the fact that he was our Instructor for a while, which can cause him to hold back…' Rey's thoughts flowed. 'Either way, as long as we can suspend their disbelief for long enough to achieve our objective… we'll be safe.'
After all, this was the last day they would be spending undercover anyway.
Rey was still concerned about the gaze of the Dragon Emperor on him, which was why he had to weigh his desire to get O'jog's Skills and the intentions to preserve his identity.
"The fifth round is between the Frost Dragon Squad and the White Dragon Squad!" The Host's voice broke into the air, snapping Rey from his deep thoughts.
He immediately felt a hand on his shoulder, glancing beside him to see who it was—even though he already knew.
"Looks like it's our turn now…" Lucielle smiled warmly at him, her brows raised in slight excitement and amusement.
"Are you nervous?"
As that question echoed in his mind, him processing it within the fragment of a second, he couldn't help but shrug and smile.
"No. Are you?"
Lucielle returned his confidence with a wide grin, slapping him on his shoulder as she jogged forward in order to catch up with the pace of her seniors.
"Am I ever?"
Rey couldn't help but shake his head, his lips curling up even further as he raised his feet and marched forward to meet up with his teammates. In the end, he would make up his mind depending on how the event played out.
There was no need to be nervous or scared.
'I've got this!'
Stepping out into the light, the first thing he felt was the overbearing shadow of the Emperor's vessel over the battlefield—a stark representation of the sheer amount of influence he exerted over the Dragon Empire.
Rey did not feel intimidated, though—at least, not too much.
He kept up his pace, walking right beside Lucielle and behind Kat'erin and Shai'ya, their pure white uniform glowing beneath the pressing gloom.
'This aesthetic fits Lucielle and the other girls well, but I don't think it's such a good fit for me, honestly…' While he didn't mean to be so conscious about his appearance, it was something that he couldn't quite control.
Taking a quick glance around, he looked at all the members of the audience.
'As expected, they're all distinguished…' He smiled to himself, even taking a peek at a few Status Windows.
Then, his eyes traveled to the High Table, which the Dragon Lords all occupied. He could see all of them lined up, most of whom were in a bad mood.
Why wouldn't they be?
O'jog had demolished their Squad singlehandedly… without expending any effort at all.
He was tempted to look at their Status Window, but decided not to push his luck. Instead, his eyes met the White Dragon Lord, whose exposed eye was also fixated on his. She had something of a melancholic expression—as if she was worried, or perhaps waiting for something.
He couldn't quite understand it, but she felt somewhat sad.
'I also sense something quite powerful in her other eye, though it's hard to make out. That eyepatch… it's similar to the one Ater gave me, isn't it?' The moment Rey thought about his Familiar, anger nearly rushed through him, but he controlled those emotions the best he could.
Now wasn't the time…
'In any case, looks like she's still expecting something of a performance in this match… which should honestly be impossible, considering who we are up against.'
Back when he trained in her Estate as a disciple, he made sure to never display his full power. The disciple that Lord Frey'ja was familiar with wouldn't be able to hold a candle to the enemy at all.
'See, this is why you should have added Adonis to the team… though, speaking of Adonis, I can't seem to find him.'
Rey had even checked the Regular Seats after going through the VIP Section, but he didn't see him there. It was possible that he got lost or slept off, which would explain his tardiness, but Rey could think of another explanation.
'It seems he's already carrying out whatever plan brought him to the capital.'
He would be a hypocrite if he condemned Adonis' actions, especially since he too had a mission to accomplish within the Capital.
'Once this round is over, even…' He told himself.
Adrien must have already been setting things up—or at the very least, waiting for the rest of them at the rendezvous spot.
'Let's get this over with, shall we?'
He could already feel so many stares on him—from the Dragon Lords, and perhaps even from the Emperor… though he didn't dare look to confirm.
More than anything, he wanted the round to be over and done with.
But—
"Begin!"
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!~
As soon as the White Dragon Squad attacked, O'jog set up his [Perfect Protection] and even used his [Perfect Domain] at the same time, encasing the entire area that Rey and his team stood in a fiery explosion.
Not fatally dangerous for a Dragon—but enough to knock them out.
However… the most absurd thing happened.
"Looks like you really thought we'd go down like the rest." Lucielle's voice echoed throughout the battlefield as she smiled.
The smoke cleared, revealing a protective field around each of the White Dragon Squad members, and the surprised expressions of the Frost Dragon Squad.
O'jog appeared to be the most shocked of all.
"You…"
"Hehe! We won't be that easy, Instructor." Lucielle replied with a sweet smile and added a bit of her theatrical flair to the mix.
Rey watched this and couldn't help but sigh.
'You've gone and done it now…'
*
*
*
[A/N]