Chương 457: Chapter : 457

Naomi chuckled. She looked at Ken. She offered him a warm, friendly wink.

"That is exactly what we are going to do, Ken. Just stay seated. Enjoy the show."

"I plan to," Ken agreed happily. He leaned back against a slanted rock. He closed his eyes.

"Wake me up when the yelling stops." The 13th Unit adapted instantly. They shifted their entire combat stance. They stopped trying to run across the open plaza. They used the hazardous environmental obstacles to their own advantage. An enemy soldier carefully squeezed between two tall rock spikes. He held his sword ready. He looked for Naomi. He did not see her. Naomi was clinging to the side of the rock spike, completely hidden from his view. She used her green wind magic to stick to the rough stone surface.

The moment the soldier walked past her, she dropped down silently. She landed perfectly behind him. She kicked him squarely in the back of the knees. The soldier stumbled forward. Before the soldier could recover, Naomi shoved him hard. He tumbled directly into one of the deep, dark trenches. He fell with a loud yell. He landed safely at the bottom, but he was completely trapped.

"One in the hole!" Naomi cheered loudly. She gave Ken a thumbs-up.

"Gravity works great!"

"I told you," Ken mumbled lazily without opening his eyes.

"Science." Laxmi ran through a narrow path between the rocks. Three enemy guards chased her. They fired magical blasts at her back. Laxmi did not run away. She led them into a dead-end surrounded by tall stone pillars. She turned around and grinned wildly. The guards realized they were trapped in a tight space.

"Time for a barbecue!" Laxmi shouted. She threw a massive, concentrated burst of orange fire. The flames hit the tall rock pillars. The fire bounced off the stone. The flames swirled around the narrow space, completely engulfing the three guards. They dropped their weapons and scrambled away in pure panic. Zinia did not even build new walls. She placed her hands on the jagged spikes the Lion King had created. She fed her own earth mana into his structures. An enemy mage stood on a flat piece of rock.

He prepared to cast a spell at Princess Iris. Zinia twisted her hands. The flat rock suddenly crumbled into sand. The mage lost his footing entirely. He fell face-first into a mud puddle. Zinia clapped her hands together. The mud instantly hardened into solid stone, trapping the mage's boots perfectly in place.

"Gotcha," Zinia laughed deeply. She dusted off her hands. The 13th Unit completely turned the tables. The hazardous obstacles became their greatest weapons. They used the blind spots to launch surprise attacks. They used the trenches to trap the enemy soldiers. The Lion King's grand, overwhelming assault totally collapsed. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. His army was scattered. His soldiers were trapped in holes or stuck in stone.

The environmental hazards completely backfired. The Lion King stood in the center of the plaza. He watched his elite vanguard fall apart. His face turned a bright, vibrant shade of crimson. He gripped his giant spiked club with shaking hands.

"This is impossible!" the Lion King roared furiously. He smashed his club against a rock spike. The rock shattered into dust.

"You are just a bunch of pathetic girls! You cannot use my own magic against me!" Princess Iris stepped out from behind a rock wall. She stood tall and proud. She held her silver rapier by her side. She looked at the angry warlord. Her violet eyes were completely calm.

"You rely entirely on brute force," Princess Iris stated clearly. Her voice echoed across the ruined plaza.

"You try to overwhelm your opponents with massive, chaotic spells. But you lack true tactical flexibility. We adapt. We learn. We use every single tool available to us." Sayma stepped up beside the Princess. The Vice-Captain pushed her glasses up. She opened her notebook.

"Your magical defenses are entirely flawed," Sayma declared politely. She pointed her pen at the Lion King.

"You channeled an immense amount of earth mana to create these obstacles. You completely drained your internal reserves. Your personal defensive aura is currently operating at a severely reduced capacity. We found your temporary vulnerability." The Lion King gasped. He quickly checked his own magical aura. Sayma was totally correct. He had used too much power on the Earthquake Protocol. His personal shield was very weak. He had exposed himself entirely. Naomi, Laxmi, and Zinia emerged from the rocks.

They formed a tight half-circle around the warlord. Ira and Luna stood behind them. They completely cornered the Lion King. The warlord was totally isolated. His army was defeated. His defenses were weak. He glared at the elite girls. He realized he had made a massive tactical error. He underestimated their intelligence. He thought his raw power would easily crush them. He was entirely wrong. Ken opened his eyes. He watched the scene from his comfortable spot in the dirt. He slouched his shoulders.

He did not look surprised. He knew his team was brilliant. He knew they would find the weakness.

"Well, this looks like the end of the line for the big guy," Ken mumbled lazily. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

"He really should have brought a comfortable chair. Standing up and yelling takes too much effort. Now he has to deal with Naomi. I do not envy him at all." Ken smiled a goofy, relaxed smile. He watched his friends prepare for the final confrontation. They had successfully shifted their combat stance. They had exploited the temporary vulnerabilities in the Lion King's magical defenses. They were fully prepared to engage him in intense direct combat.

The real showdown was officially about to begin, and Ken was totally ready to sit back, relax, and watch the fireworks.

The Lion King stood in the center of the ruined plaza. His massive hands gripped his giant spiked club. His face was red with pure anger. He breathed very fast. Sweat rolled down his face. He glared at the girls of the 13th Unit. He realized his environmental traps had completely failed. He realized his army was scattered. He had to fight them directly. He let out a deafening roar. The sound echoed across the broken cobblestones. He charged forward. He moved with incredible speed for a man of his large size.

He swung his spiked club in a wide, vicious arc. He aimed directly for Zinia. Zinia did not back down. The strong earth mage planted her boots firmly on the dirt. She slammed her hands together.

"Stone Shield!" Zinia shouted loudly. A thick slab of solid rock ripped out of the ground. The rock formed a tall barrier right in front of her. The spiked club crashed into the stone. The impact was absolutely massive. The noise sounded like an explosion. Large cracks appeared on the rock wall. Dust flew into the air. Zinia gritted her teeth. She held her ground. She refused to let the warlord pass.

"Laxmi! Now!" Zinia commanded.