Chapter 715 In the Face Of Absolute Strength, All Tricks Are Meaningless


    After the drawing of ballots had ended, Thirteen looked at the lineup on the LCD Screen in front of him.


    Mikhail was in Group 2, while Shasha was in Group 3.


    Erica and Shana were both in Group 4.


    It was inevitable for his people to end up fighting each other, so all he could do was make sure that they were properly ced in groups where they would have some advantage.


    Cristopher and Colbert were in Group 2, while Alcapone and his Mafia Members were in Group 3.


    His Squad Captains were in Group 4, and they were matched up against the Prodigies of the Monarch ns and Prestigious Families.


    Believing that Alcapone and the others wouldn''t be able to exert their full might if they fought against the friends that they had trained with in the Rigel Continent, Thirteen rigged it so that they wouldn''t have to eliminate each other in the opening matches.


    After that, it was all up to their luck on who they would face in the next round of the tournament.


    That was the only thing that Thirteen could do for them.


    The teenage boy then nced at Rnd, who was looking at the LCD Screen with a determined look on his face.


    Since he was up against rk Ashford, their match would certainly draw a lot of attention.


    ''I''m sure the Ashford n will y some tricks for this match-up,'' Thirteen thought. ''I just wonder if it''s going to work.''


    For Thirteen, Rnd''s fight against rk would not be fought fair and square.


    There was a possibility that the Ashford n would drug the leader of the Hero Party by spiking his drink or spraying a scent that would weaken him during the time of their match.


    He had no intention of stopping such things from happening, surmising that this would serve as a lesson to Rnd in the future.


    During their training in the Rigel Continent, Thirteen repeatedly told him that only the strong could afford to fight fair and square.


    "You''re not strong, Rnd," Thirteen had said to him straight up. "I''m stronger than you, and even then, I still use every trick in the book to win. If you want to ovee someone like me, then be strong enough to shrug off these tricks.


    "Perhaps, by then, you will get a chance to win against me. But don''t dream too much, okay? You won''t win against me no matter what."


    Rnd merely scoffed at Thirteen back then and told him that he would definitely beat him in the future.


    The Leader of the Hero Party had already treated Thirteen as his rival, so he would do his best to surpass Zion no matter what.


    ''I wonder if his Plot Armor will kick in at thest minute,'' Thirteen mused.


    Heroes were loved by Fate, so when they were close to losing, they would suddenly awaken some kind of power that would help them ovee all obstacles that stood in their way.


    Thirteen and those who were knowledgeable about such matters called that Plot Armor.


    This was also the reason why he was very curious about who would remain standing at the end between rk and Rnd.


    Thirteen had already determined that rk was a viin and that Rnd was a Hero.


    However, when Viins faced off against Heroes, they would automatically win.


    Sometimes, the Viins would win, gaining some of the power of Fate that was exclusive only to Heroes.


    The Viins who seeded in beating Heroes were called Super Viins.


    They were no longer First Rate, Second Rate, or Third Rate Viins.


    They would stand at the apex of Viiny, and be a force that not even Heroes could easily defeat.


    After all the matches were disyed, Thirteen told everyone toe back in two days because that was the time when the first matches from each group would be held in the arena.


    Thirteen didn''t go to the Summer''s Residence and instead stayed at the property of the Leventis Family in Glory City. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After pulling some strings, he got a constructionpany to build a house on the empty lot, which only took them a month to finish.


    Thirteen had already bought furniture and used his squad captains as manualborers who did the heavy lifting or interior designers.


    Mikhail and Shasha also moved into this residence, where they would stay during the remainder of the tournament.


    Guards from the Leventis Family had already been stationed in ce and were all ordered to protect Zion and his siblings twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with their lives. Erica and Sherry also decided to stay in the Leventis House, which didn''t surprise anyone.


    The twodies followed Zion wherever he went, and since he had already shared many of his secrets with them, including Rocky and his Mobile Fortress, the teenage boy didn''t mind having them around.


    This was especially true at night because the number of times that he suffered from nightmares drastically decreased whenever Erica and Sherry slept with him on the same bed.


    ***


    Headquarters of the Central Government…


    "You will not leave the Headquarters before your match against rk Ashford," Tristan said in a serious tone. "As long as you are here, the Ashford n''s influence and dirty tricks will not reach you.


    "I will also be here, and I will personally deliver your food and drinks to ensure that none of them will be tampered with. So don''t drink or eat anything given to you by anyone else, okay? "While we have done everything in our power to prevent spies and special agents from infiltrating the core members of the Central Government, I wouldn''t put it past those Monarch ns to have their people wormed their way in."


    Rnd nodded in understanding. "Will they really try to fight dirty against me?"


    "Yes," Tristan replied. "You''re still young, Rnd. While you have seen the darkness within people''s hearts during your journey in Solterra, some people are just more vilepared to others.


    "The Ashford n is one of the Monarch ns who stand at the apex of this world. For them, their names, influence, and standing in Solterra are very important. As such, they would use anyone and anything as stepping stones to make them reach greater heights.


    "Right now, you are that stepping stone. After suffering a blow to their fame when they failed to protect Glory City from the Monster Outbreak, they are desperately looking for something that could help them regain their reputation.


    "You are a very special Wanderer whom many people admire and aspire to be. If rk manages to win against you, then their family would regain some prestige, making people forget their earlier mishap."


    Rnd frowned, but he also understood what the Field Marshal was talking about.


    "Don''t worry, Sir," Rnd replied. "I will not allow them to use me as a stepping stone."


    The Field Marshal smiled and patted the young man''s shoulder.


    "That''s the spirit!" Tristan said with satisfaction.


    After giving Rnd a few more pointers, the Field Marshal finally left the room, leaving the young man behind.


    Rnd sighed as soon as his superior officer left the room and thought of the teenage boy who had trained him in the Rigel Continent.


    "In the face of absolute strength, all tricks are meaningless," Rnd muttered. "Zion, just wait for me. I will not be anyone''s stepping stone. I will use them as my stepping stone instead, so I can reach you."


    The young man thenid down on the bed and closed his eyes.


    Two days from now, he would be fighting in the arena, where almost everyone in the world, including his rival, would be watching his performance and see whether he could win against the Prodigy of the Ashford n, who was considered as the strongest Wanderer in their generation.