Chương 377: Chapter : 377

Sayma turned her head. She looked at Ken. She noticed he was completely unharmed. She remembered him holding her hand just seconds before the smoke appeared.

"You moved very fast," Sayma noted politely. She offered a warm, genuine smile.

"Thank you for the dramatic speech, Ken. It was incredibly embarrassing, but it provided a perfect distraction."

"The Power of Love is very distracting," Ken agreed happily. He let out a loud yawn. He stretched his arms into the air.

"Anyway, all that yelling made me super hungry. Do you think the stadium sells hot pretzels? Because I could definitely go for a pretzel right now." Naomi walked over to them. She spun her daggers and slid them into her belt. She shook her head at his lazy request.

"You just survived a duel, and you want a pretzel?"

"I always want a pretzel," Ken replied seriously. The 13th Unit gathered around. They looked at the defeated enemy. The battle in the garden was winding down. They had successfully defended their position. Ken's ridiculous, cartoonish dodging and Sayma's brutal shield-bash had secured another victory for the team. Ken smiled a goofy smile. He was very glad he did not have to throw a single punch.

The match was almost over, and he was completely ready to go home and take a very long, very comfortable nap on his favorite couch.

BZZZZZT! The massive stadium buzzer sounded loudly. The noise ripped across the ruined botanical arena. The giant digital clock in the sky hit exactly zero. The match was officially over. The bright blue number on the scoreboard stopped moving. It read seven. The bright red number on the scoreboard read six. The 13th Unit successfully held seven of the thirteen magical rings. They secured the majority. They won the match. The entire stadium went completely silent for a single second. Then, it erupted.

Millions of citizens screamed at the top of their lungs. The thunderous applause bounced off the concrete walls. People jumped out of their seats. They waved dark blue flags in the air. They threw colorful confetti into the sky. The noise was absolutely overwhelming. Up in the broadcast booth, Bob the anchor yelled into his microphone. He waved his arms wildly. He wore a bright blue suit. He looked like he was about to explode with pure joy.

"They did it!" Bob screamed loudly.

"The 13th Unit has won the match! Princess Iris and her team secure the absolute victory! They shut down the 7th Unit! They beat the odds!" Sarah sat next to him in her red blazer. She clapped her hands furiously.

"This is an incredible moment, Bob! The underdog team wins again! They showed incredible resilience today! They fought through mud, water, and intense magic! They are walking away with ten glorious points!" If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The broadcast cameras zoomed in on the 13th Unit. The footage was broadcasted to magical screens across the entire Empire. In the VIP boxes high above the arena, the other Royal siblings watched in pure shock.

The 1st Prince, Zeus Belmontia, stood near a glass window. He crossed his arms tightly over his white uniform. He did not smile. He glared at the screen. He realized the 13th Unit was a massive threat. They were no longer a joke. They were climbing the leaderboard fast. Princess Hestia watched from a different box. She sipped her tea. She tried to look bored. But she set her teacup down very carefully. She looked at her sister on the screen. She felt a strange spark of respect. The 13th Unit was gritty.

They did not quit. Down on the grassy battlefield, the 13th Unit celebrated. Princess Iris lowered her silver rapier. She slid the sharp blade back into its sheath. She took a long, deep breath. A bright, beautiful smile spread across her face. She looked at her team. She felt incredibly proud of her friends. They had worked so hard. They had earned this win. Laxmi punched her fists into the air. Bright orange flames popped around her knuckles. She shot small, safe fireworks into the sky.

"Yes! We won!" Laxmi cheered loudly. She jumped up and down on the muddy grass.

"I told you we could beat them! The 7th Unit is totally roasted!" Zinia walked over and patted Laxmi on the back. The strong earth mage smiled a huge, confident grin.

"You did great, Laxmi. We all did great today. My arms are very sore, but it was completely worth it." Sayma stood near the broken stone fountain. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She opened her neat notebook. She clicked her pen and wrote down the final score. A polite, warm smile touched her lips. Her tactical plans had worked perfectly. Her fake boyfriend had provided the ultimate distraction. Luna let out a massive, dramatic yawn.

The sleepy lightning user stretched her arms high above her head. She rubbed her tired eyes.

"Can we please go home now?" Luna mumbled lazily.

"I used a lot of electricity today. I need to recharge my batteries. My bed is calling my name. I can hear my pillow singing to me." Risa sat on the grass. The sweet pink-haired healer hugged her stuffed teddy bear tightly against her chest. She watched the stadium lights shine. She giggled happily.

"We are all safe," Risa smiled.

"Nobody got a bad injury. I am so happy we won the game." Ira stood perfectly still near a damaged hedge. Her pale face showed zero emotion. She stared blankly at the giant scoreboard.

"Statistically speaking, our victory was secured by a very narrow margin of one single artifact," Ira stated in her robotic voice.

"However, a victory of any margin still yields the maximum reward of ten points. The outcome is highly satisfactory." Elma stood a few feet away from the main group. The blonde servant from the 16th Unit wiped a smudge of dirt from her white uniform. Her clothes were very messy. She had fought hard for a rival team. She looked at the 13th Unit celebrating together. A small, genuine smile appeared on her face. She actually liked fighting with them. They were chaotic, but they were very loyal.

Ken Eliot was not celebrating. Ken stood near the broken stone fountain. He covered his ears with both hands. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He squeezed his eyes shut. His navy blue suit was covered in dirt, grass stains, and water spots. His white shirt hung entirely untucked. His tie was stuffed into his pocket.

"This noise is absolutely terrible," Ken complained loudly to himself. He kept his hands pressed against his ears.

"Why are they blowing those giant horns? My eardrums are vibrating. I am going to lose my hearing. This is a severe medical emergency." He opened one sleepy eye. He looked at the giant stadium screens. He saw his own face on the screen.

"Oh no," Ken whined softly.

"They are pointing cameras at me again. I told them not to do that. I look terrible. My hair is a disaster. I need to find a place to hide."