Chương 197: Chapter : 197

Zinia stomped her boots onto the grass, pulling up a thick, solid barricade of jagged rocks to cover his back. Ira stepped to his left, her high-pressure water whips spinning in a rapid, continuous circle to knock away any incoming magic projectiles.

"Don't worry, farm boy," Naomi smirked, standing right in front of him. She pulled both of her daggers out, her green eyes flashing with intense, protective loyalty.

"We've got you." Elma stepped up right next to Naomi. The blonde girl from the 16th Unit gripped her twin silver swords tightly. Her pristine white uniform was practically glowing in the stadium lights. She glanced over her shoulder at Ken, her cheeks flushing a tiny bit, but her expression was totally fierce.

"Just stay behind us and keep shooting your little sparks," Elma ordered confidently.

"Nobody is going to touch a single hair on your messy head." Ken sat right down in the middle of the grass, crossing his legs comfortably. He felt completely, absolutely safe. He actually reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of wrapped strawberry candy Elma had given him the night before.

"You guys are the best," Ken mumbled happily, popping the candy into his mouth.

"I will just provide the background support from my comfortable new office." The massive wave of enemy assassins crashed into the protective ring. It was an absolute, spectacular explosion of elite combat. Naomi and Elma moved together like a twin hurricane of green wind and flashing silver steel. They didn't just block the attackers; they systematically, violently slashed down anyone who dared to step within ten feet of Ken. An enemy swordsman tried to leap over Sayma's golden barrier.

Elma jumped into the air, spinning gracefully, and kicked the man squarely in the chest, sending him crashing back into the dirt. Two enemy spellcasters tried to flank them from the right. Naomi dashed forward in a blur of wind, slicing through their magical staffs and tripping them onto the grass before they could even finish their chants. The teamwork between the red-haired vanguard and the blonde swordswoman was absolutely flawless. They created an unbreakable wall of blades.

"They cannot break the line, Bob!" Sarah the anchor screamed, jumping out of her seat in the broadcast booth.

"The 13th Unit has formed a totally impenetrable fortress around Ken Eliot! The 15th Unit is throwing everything they have at him, but they cannot even get close!" Sitting comfortably in the center of the fierce protective ring, Ken casually raised his right hand. He chewed on his strawberry candy, squinted his left eye, and pointed his index finger through a small gap in Sayma's golden shield. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

"Pew," Ken said lazily. A tiny cyan bullet zipped out and tapped Adrian right on the knee. The enemy leader instantly teleported three meters backward, causing him to crash directly into his own teammate.

"Pew. Pew," Ken mumbled, aiming lazily. He casually continued to snipe the enemy formations into absolute oblivion. Every time the 15th Unit tried to organize a focused strike, Ken just popped them out of position. He displaced their archers. He teleported their magic users into mud puddles. He turned their desperate, frantic charge into a complete, humiliating comedy routine. While the enemy was entirely distracted trying to get to Ken, the rest of the 13th Unit went to work.

"They left their towers totally unprotected!" Laxmi laughed wildly.

"Let's finish this!" Laxmi ran past the chaotic brawl, her hands bursting with roaring orange fire. She hurled massive fireballs across the empty field, blowing up the fifth and sixth towers with two deafening explosions. Luna yawned loudly, raising her fingers. She shot a massive, jagged bolt of yellow lightning that cracked across the sky, completely obliterating the seventh tower. Zinia slammed the ground, sending a shockwave of earth that shattered the eighth tower into a pile of dusty rocks.

Prince Hades stood on his side of the field, his pale face completely drained of color. He watched his perfect, flawless strategy totally collapse. His elite servants were stumbling around in the grass, completely unable to touch the boy sitting in the middle of the field eating candy. His towers were turning to dust. He had entirely lost control. Laxmi jogged up to the ninth and final glowing blue stone tower. She didn't even use magic this time.

She just reared back and kicked it as hard as she could with her combat boot. The stone pillar exploded. The final blue light died out. BZZZZZT! The massive stadium buzzer sounded, ringing loudly across the entire arena. The giant digital clock stopped ticking.

"That is it! The match is over!" Bob the anchor roared, his voice filled with pure, unfiltered amazement.

"Princess Iris and her team have systematically dismantled every single one of Hades's towers! The 15th Unit failed to score a single point! It is an absolute, undeniable shutout!" The crowd in the grandstands went absolutely wild. Thousands of citizens jumped to their feet, cheering, clapping, and throwing colorful confetti into the air. The noise was incredibly loud, shaking the entire stadium. The dust slowly began to clear from the grassy battlefield. Princess Iris's team stood victorious amidst the rubble.

Sayma dropped her glowing golden barriers. Naomi spun her daggers and slid them smoothly back into her belt, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. Elma sheathed her swords, letting out a long, satisfied breath. Ken casually stood up from the grass, dusting off the back of his navy blue suit pants. He swallowed the last bit of his strawberry candy and stretched his arms high above his head.

"Man, that was a great match," Ken announced happily, totally unfazed by the massive scale of their victory. He slouched his shoulders and gave the girls a big, goofy smile.

"You guys did an amazing job protecting me. I didn't even get a grass stain on my shoes. Does this mean we can finally go get some lunch? I am starving." Naomi just laughed, walking over and lightly throwing her arm around Ken's shoulders.

"You did good today, slacker. Lunch is totally on me." Princess Iris walked out onto the field to join her team. Her violet eyes were shining with immense pride and profound joy. She looked at her chaotic, mismatched, incredibly loyal family. They had just secured a massive, highly publicized victory in front of the entire Empire. They had proven to every single corrupt politician and arrogant noble that the 13th Unit was a true, unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

As the stadium continued to cheer their names, Ken simply shoved his hands back into his pockets and enjoyed the moment. His secret was still safe, his friends were happy, and he was finally going to get his cheeseburger. To him, that was the ultimate victory.