Chương 114: Chapter : 114

Princess Iris gripped her rapier, her violet eyes scanning the battlefield frantically. She was trying desperately to find a tactical weakness, a gap in their armor, anything they could use to break the 16th Unit's perfect rhythm. But Hestia's team was too well-trained. They were slowly, systematically pushing the 13th Unit away from the center of the room, completely blocking them from reaching the glowing white stone resting on the pedestal.

"You fought well against the monsters, Iris," Princess Hestia called out smoothly, her voice echoing over the sound of clashing weapons.

"But monsters are mindless beasts. You are fighting true Royal perfection now. Yield the artifact, and I will allow your messy little unit to leave with their dignity."

"We will never yield to you!" Naomi shouted fiercely, her green wind magic flaring up as she dashed forward, trying to find a blind spot. But Celia, the quiet trap-setter of Hestia's team, immediately threw a magical net onto the floor, forcing Naomi to jump backward to avoid getting caught. The situation was completely tipping in Hestia's favor.

The 13th Unit was exhausted from the Lamia fight, and they simply did not have the perfectly synchronized coordination to break through the spotless white wall of the 16th Unit. And in the background, completely detached from the serious, high-stakes tactical warfare, Ken Eliot was still playing his ridiculous game of tag.

"Whoops! Missed me again!" Ken cheered loudly, casually ducking under a furious, wide swing from Elma. He popped back up, pointing his shiny blue plastic ring right in her face.

"You really need to work on your aim! Maybe you should try wearing glasses! All thanks to the blue fire core ring!"

"I am going to kill you!" Elma shrieked, completely abandoning her elite training and just wildly swinging her swords like a crazy person. Ken just laughed, putting his hands in his pockets and casually side-stepping another lethal blow by pretending to look at a pretty crystal on the wall. He was completely unfazed, perfectly comfortable, and successfully keeping one of Hestia's best fighters totally distracted without breaking a single sweat.

He was buying his team as much time as he possibly could, playing the absolute clown while the chaotic, desperate race for the Core of Luminus reached its boiling point.

"Hold the line! Do not let them break the center!" Sayma yelled, her voice echoing loudly across the crystal-lit cavern. Sweat was pouring down her face, and her thick glasses were constantly slipping down her nose. She threw her hands forward, desperately pouring her magic into the glowing golden honeycomb barrier that stood between her team and the spotless white army of the 16th Unit. The cavern was an absolute mess of flashing magic and clashing weapons.

The giant, unconscious snake monster still lay on the floor, completely ignored by the two Royal teams fighting right next to it. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. Laxmi gritted her teeth, her hands blazing with bright orange fire. She was incredibly frustrated. Every time she threw a massive, roaring fireball at the 16th Unit's shield wall, Princess Hestia simply raised her hand.

With her Thermal Equilibrium magic, Hestia instantly sucked all the deadly heat right out of the flames, turning Laxmi's best attacks into a harmless, comfortable breeze.

"This is so annoying!" Laxmi shouted, punching the air in anger.

"I can't even singe their clothes! It's like fighting a giant air conditioner!"

"Keep trying, Laxmi! Force them to keep their shields up!" Zinia yelled back. The tough earth magic user slammed her heavy boots onto the stone floor, pulling up jagged spikes of solid rock to block the incoming spear thrusts from Hestia's perfectly coordinated servants.

"If we stop attacking, they are going to push us right out of the room!" Ira stood perfectly still, her face completely flat and emotionless as she swung her high-pressure water whips.

"Their formation is mathematically flawless," Ira stated in her usual deadpan, robotic voice.

"Every time I target a weak point, another servant steps in to cover it. We are currently losing ground at a rate of two feet per minute."

"Well, stop doing the math and start hitting harder!" Naomi yelled, dashing forward. Her green wind magic flared up around her as she tried to slip around the side of the 16th Unit's shield wall. But the moment she moved, a glowing silver net shot out from the enemy line, forcing her to flip backward just to avoid getting trapped. Naomi landed perfectly on her feet, but she was breathing heavily.

The 13th Unit was already exhausted from fighting the dungeon boss, and dealing with Hestia's spotless, arrogant team was draining whatever energy they had left. Princess Iris stood behind Sayma's barrier, gripping her silver rapier tightly. Her violet eyes darted back and forth across the battlefield. She was trying to find a clear path to the center of the room, where the glowing, beautiful Core of Luminus sat resting on a stone pedestal.

But Hestia's team was slowly and systematically moving forward, completely blocking Iris from reaching the prize.

"Just give up, Iris," Princess Hestia called out smoothly, her voice totally calm over the sounds of the battle. Her white silk dress was still perfectly clean.

"You are just embarrassing yourself now. My team is clearly superior. Let us take the Core, and you can go back to your crumbling little house."

"We are not leaving without that artifact!" Naomi shouted fiercely, refusing to back down. Meanwhile, entirely separate from the intense tactical warfare happening in the middle of the room, Ken Eliot was busy playing a highly ridiculous game of tag.

"Whoops! Too slow!" Ken cheered happily. He casually ducked under a vicious sword swing from Elma, the incredibly vain blonde servant from Hestia's team. Elma was completely losing her mind. Her pristine white uniform was starting to get messy because she was swinging her twin silver swords so wildly. She just could not manage to hit the lazy, untucked boy who was currently jogging backward in a slow circle.

"Stand still so I can chop you into pieces!" Elma shrieked, her face turning bright red with pure anger. She lunged forward, aiming a deadly thrust right at his stomach. Ken didn't block. He didn't use a magical shield. He just randomly decided to bend over and tie his shoe at that exact second. The sharp silver sword sailed harmlessly over his back.

"You really need to stretch before you swing like that," Ken advised casually, popping back up and dusting off his expensive navy blue suit pants. He held up his right hand, making sure to wiggle his index finger right in front of her face.

"You see this? This is the legendary Blue Dragon's Flame Core ring! It is a highly powerful good luck charm! As long as I wear this piece of cheap plastic, your swords will never touch me! The universe loves me too much!"

"That is a piece of garbage from a street vendor!" Elma screamed, completely abandoning her elite training. She raised both swords over her head and charged at him like an angry bull.

"I am going to smash that stupid ring and your stupid face!"