“The competition is over!”
“The Edge has taken the flag and is unquestionably first!”
“Flame Dragon second, Black Phoenix third!”
“Kirin fourth… Havoc Strikeforce tenth!”
After careful deliberation, ten Greater Sovereigns announced the final rankings for the ten military districts. Maxwell Grey’s teams dominated the top three spots.
Thanks to The Edge’s favor, Kirin managed to climb one rank higher than last year. Serving as The Edge’s sparring partners had finally paid off. But Talon Emberhart’s people weren’t so lucky. They ranked at the bottom.
The greatest humiliation was that Havoc Strikeforce, the team Talon had secretly supported and pinned his hopes on, landed in last place. Havoc Strikeforce-his pride and joy-reduced to a laughingstock.
Shame!
Utter disgrace!
Maxwell Grey, a man of calm demeanor, rarely concerned himself with the performance of Flame Dragon, Black Phoenix, or even The Edge. He was steady, poised, and magnanimous, never one to fight for dominance.
Talon Emberhart, on the other hand, had gone all-in this year, pouring his energy into Havoc Strikeforce just to outshine Maxwell Grey. He tread carefully, fearing even the slightest misstep.
And yet, Havoc Strikeforce still ended up last!
How could he show his face now?
“The Steel Battalion selection list is out. I’ll announce it,” said one of the Greater Sovereigns, holding a roster and speaking loudly.
The special forces soldiers tensed up, their eyes burning with anticipation, hoping to hear their names called.
“The Edge’s Clayton Robinson, The Edge’s Ethan Langley, The Edge’s Faith, The Edge’s…”
Every name announced came from The Edge.
The room erupted.
“We made it! We all made it into Steel Battalion!” Clayton Robinson and his teammates shouted wildly, hugging each other in sheer joy.
“AAAHHH-”
Adam Davies tilted his head back and roared, releasing three years of pent-up frustration.
Three long years.
He had waited far too long for this moment.
Only the Shipmeda State Military Region understood the suffocating humiliation they had endured for over three years. Under Talon Emberhart’s suppression, The Edge couldn’t recruit any promising newcomers for years. They had to scrape the barrel for talent.
Even Clayton Robinson, a semi-Grandmaster, only joined because Nate Black, a mutual acquaintance, persuaded him to work under Maxwell Grey.
The Edge had started with weak foundations. Without a proper chief instructor to lead them, they were destined to languish at the bottom.
But this year, they reclaimed the honor of the Shipmeda State Military Region! They redeemed its officers!
No-this was all thanks to Mr. Clark.
It was Mr. Clark who had brought The Edge to glory.
Without him, The Edge wouldn’t exist today.
This triumph belonged to him alone.
Meanwhile, soldiers from the other military districts lay sprawled on the ground, eyes filled with despair.
Finally, they understood why The Edge was so arrogant-they had the skills to back it up!
In contrast, the other districts, who had strutted around so smugly before the competition, ended up beaten so badly they couldn’t even stand.
Noah Reed and Logan Hayes stared blankly, like soulless husks.
Now they understood why The Edge’s chief instructor hadn’t shown up-he already knew the outcome.
Why bother coming?
Even if the combined forces of the other nine districts joined together, they couldn’t stand against The Edge.
It was a complete and utter rout.
They weren’t even on the same level.
“This result… is acceptable,” said Thorne Callister, leader of Flame Dragon, with a faint smile.
Although they didn’t retain first place, The Edge’s meteoric rise had given Maxwell Grey the perfect opportunity to humiliate Talon Emberhart.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
He sent a message to Nate Black and Talon Emberhart.
Meanwhile, Raven Stormbringer, leader of Havoc Strikeforce, turned red with shame. He couldn’t even lift his head as he recalled how he had mocked Adam Davies earlier.
Now, he felt utterly humiliated. He had let Talon Emberhart down.
But how could he have known The Edge was this formidable?
Talon Emberhart’s face was as dark as coal, his expression stormy and grim. He wanted nothing more than to leave immediately.
But he couldn’t.
He had to represent Dragonguard and present the awards to The Edge. He couldn’t leave.
It was pure agony.
The final blow came when all ten members of The Edge were inducted into the Steel Battalion.
It was too much for him to bear.
Steel Battalion-a training ground for future generals. Many of the military’s top brass came from there. It represented the future of the Ostrad military.
The more students a leader had in Steel Battalion, the more supporters they would command in the future.
Who was the chief instructor that had turned The Edge into such a powerhouse?
Who was he?
Talon Emberhart’s eyes burned with fury.
Not far away, Lyra, who had been silent for a long time, narrowed her eyes and took out her phone.
“Get me all the major news from Niarak recently. I want answers in five minutes.”
She hung up immediately after giving the order.
The energy radiating from The Edge was too unnatural. It didn’t resemble the effects of performance-enhancing drugs, nor did it align with the typical Adept path.
In her experience, there was only one man capable of turning someone from a semi-Grandmaster to a Great Grandmaster in such a short time.
Flynn.
Yes. That scoundrel who had been avoiding her all this time.
Five years ago, after a godlike being appeared on Demon Island, Maxwell Grey and Nate Black had tried to make contact.
They only knew Flynn hailed from Slatin.
When Flynn was released from prison, they spent days searching for him there, only to come up empty-handed.
Nate Black had concluded Flynn either left the country or went into hiding.
It was a headache.
Now, with The Edge’s miraculous performance and the mention of a “Mr. Clark” as their chief instructor, Lyra had her suspicions.
As her thoughts raced, a list of recent events from Niarak appeared on her phone.
Lord Valerian Nox?
Perfect.
She didn’t need to read further. Those three words were enough to make her heart race.
Outsiders wouldn’t understand, but she and a few others-like Yves Yancey-had spent over a month on Demon Island.
The world called Flynn the King of the Underworld.
But on Demon Island, the villains there revered him as Lord Valerian Nox.
“I’ve got you now!” Lyra thought, her eyes blazing with excitement.
“You’re done for, you scoundrel!”
“You wouldn’t come to Haralu, but marrying me should be no problem, right? Why won’t you even see me? Am I that unattractive?”
“Damn it!”
“And Cruz Brooks, Yves Yancey!”
“None of you are any good! All of you have been hiding things from me!”
“You just wait!”
“If I don’t make Maxwell Grey curse you all until you’re drenched in sweat, I won’t call myself the commander of Black Phoenix!”
Lyra’s almond-shaped eyes burned with fury. Her stunning face was clouded with anger, making her seethe in frustration.
“I’m furious!”
She thought back to Yves Yancey and Cruz Brooks traveling to Niarak.
They had gone to see Flynn!
No wonder, when she wanted to visit Cruz Brooks for fun, they had practically dragged her away to East Sea for three days.
They were helping Flynn avoid her!
She had to head south to Niarak.
She needed to see for herself what Flynn was up to there.
Let’s see where you’ll run this time!
Hmm? Wasn’t Brandon still on a video call?
Knowing Flynn’s tendency to ogle girls in the Demon Island cafeteria, he must be surrounded by women in Niarak.
He was probably already surrounded by beauties.
If that were true, she would rip his ears off!
“Let’s see you avoid me again!”
“Let’s see you keep your little harem!”
The more Lyra thought about it, the angrier she got. She stormed toward Brandon.