Chương 174: Chapter : 174

Naomi chuckled, shaking her head. She lightly patted Ken on the back, treating his silly jokes as perfectly normal background noise.

"Alright, everyone, the roster panic is officially over. We have nine people. We are fully in the tournament. Now, we need to get inside and figure out exactly how we are going to beat the 15th Prince."

The 13th Unit, now temporarily joined by their pristine blonde rival, made their way down the dusty wooden hallway and filed into the strategy room. Ken Eliot immediately shuffled over to his favorite wooden chair at the far end of the long table. He didn't even try to sit up straight. He slumped so far down into the seat that he was practically sliding underneath the table. He rested his chin lazily on his folded arms, looking entirely bored by the prospect of a planning session.

"Can we do this meeting lying down on the floor?" Ken complained out loud, letting out a massive, highly exaggerated sigh.

"My back is doing way too much work today. Sitting in chairs is an incredibly outdated concept. We should definitely invest in some comfortable beanbag chairs for this room."

"We are not buying beanbags, Ken," Naomi replied smoothly, not even turning her head to glare at him. She just pulled out her chair and sat down next to him, totally accustomed to his constant, ridiculous whining.

"Just try to keep your eyes open for ten minutes. This is important." Sayma walked over to the center of the table, opening her neat notebook and clicking her pen. She pushed her thick glasses up her nose, looking across the table at Princess Iris.

"We need to discuss our opponent," Sayma stated politely but firmly.

"Prince Hades is somewhat of a mystery in the capital. He rarely attends public social events, and he keeps his servants completely isolated in his own estate. Zinia, what do you know about his combat style?" Zinia crossed her strong arms over her chest, leaning back in her chair. She frowned, looking genuinely puzzled.

"Honestly, Vice-Captain? I don't know much at all. I have heard rumors that his vanguard is incredibly aggressive, but I don't know what kind of man the 15th Prince truly is. Is he a cruel bully like the 7th Prince?" Princess Iris shook her head gently. Her violet eyes narrowed with a deep, profound sense of concern.

"No, Zinia," Princess Iris explained, her voice dropping into a quiet, totally serious tone.

"Hades is not inherently evil, and he is certainly not a sadistic bully like Julian. He does not take pleasure in hurting commoners or picking on people weaker than him."

"Well, that sounds like a massive improvement," Ken mumbled lazily from his slouched position.

"I definitely prefer bad guys who mind their own business. He sounds like a very quiet, chill guy."

"He is quiet, Ken, but he is absolutely not 'chill,'" Princess Iris corrected him, her expression remaining entirely grim.

"His psychology is actually incredibly dangerous. Hades is a man who is completely obsessed with absolute control. He calculates every single variable. He plans for every single outcome. He wears these spotless, totally black suits, and he stands perfectly still, projecting an aura of total, unbreakable calm." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Laxmi leaned forward, resting her elbows on the wooden table. A tiny spark of orange fire popped between her knuckles.

"So he is a perfectionist. Big deal. We have fought perfectionists before." She shot a quick, highly amused glance over at Elma, who just rolled her blue eyes and ignored the jab.

"It is a big deal, Laxmi," Iris warned, her voice tight with anxiety.

"Because his mind is like a tightly coiled spring. He bases his entire identity on the fact that he never makes mistakes. But if things do not go exactly according to his flawless plans... he cannot handle it." Sayma started writing rapidly in her notebook.

"A psychological fragility," Sayma noted politely.

"He relies entirely on his plans succeeding."

"Exactly," Princess Iris nodded.

"He absolutely refuses to accept the concept of defeat. If he feels like he is losing control of a situation, his stoic, quiet demeanor completely shatters. He loses his mind. He shifts from a calm tactician into a frantic, highly aggressive, and wildly unpredictable state of madness. When he is cornered, he throws all logic out the window and attacks with a terrifying, reckless ferocity that makes him an incredibly lethal opponent on the battlefield."

The strategy room went totally silent as the elite girls absorbed the information. The idea of fighting an opponent who completely lost their mind when they started losing was highly unsettling. It meant the closer they got to winning the match, the more dangerous the enemy would become. Ira stood perfectly still near the window, staring blankly at the wall. Her face was completely flat, totally devoid of any emotion or worry.

"Statistically speaking," Ira stated in her robotic, deadpan voice, "the probability of a complete mental breakdown increases drastically when a perfectionist encounters sudden, illogical tactical disruptions. If we want to break his mental state early, we must introduce variables that he cannot possibly calculate." Luna let out a massive, highly dramatic yawn, resting her head flat on her arms.

"Dealing with crazy people sounds completely exhausting. Can we just ask him to forfeit? I really do not want to deal with someone throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of an arena." Ken suddenly sat up just a tiny bit in his chair. A massive, goofy, incredibly proud smile spread all the way across his face. He pointed his index finger right at his own chest.

"Wait, hold on," Ken announced loudly, completely destroying the serious, anxious atmosphere in the room.

"Are you guys telling me that the absolute best way to defeat this highly dangerous Prince is to just annoy him? We just need to do things that make absolutely no logical sense until he gets so frustrated he throws a giant tantrum?" Naomi looked over at him, a sudden realization dawning in her green eyes.

"Yes, Ken," Princess Iris smiled softly, seeing exactly where his train of thought was going.

"If we disrupt his perfect plans with unpredictable actions, his stoic mask will completely shatter." Ken threw his hands up in the air and let out a loud, joyful cheer.

"This is amazing!" Ken yelled happily, practically bouncing in his wooden chair.

"I am an absolute professional at being annoying! Doing things that make zero logical sense is my entire life's passion! I am going to be the absolute star of this tournament! This is my time to shine!" Naomi couldn't hold it in anymore. She let out a loud, bright laugh, shaking her head at his totally ridiculous enthusiasm. She reached over and lightly smacked his shoulder again.

"For once in your life, farm boy," Naomi chuckled, her voice full of genuine, warm friendship, "your highly annoying, totally chaotic personality might actually be useful. But do not get overly confident. We still have to train."