I hustled to stand guard just outside the throne room. It didn’t take long for sounds of pandemonium among the castle troops to start. Not long after that, a small Throskart came around the corner into the hall, shanking Troopers in his way and jumping and flipping around like @#$%ing Yoda.

When he tried it on me, though, he bounced off my Fiery Deflection. His eyes bulged, and I used my Enemy Scan:

HP: 2,112/2,307

Energy: 728/728

Stamina: 1,520/1,604

Jackal was one of the members of the team well known enough that I was briefed on them. They were the team’s infiltration and assassination specialist. And now, he’d lost the element of surprise.

But he didn’t back off...yet. Instead, he flipped backward and back onto his feet, attempting and failing to dodge my fireballs as he maneuvered to close the distance with me. “How?! How are you here?! You can’t have killed the army we sent so quickly!”

“I get the feeling it won’t be the last time someone bets on there being something I can’t do and losing.” After I evaded him a few times—he was almost as fast as I was, but not quite—he tried to turn tail. It was finally time for me to bust out a certain spell: .

“Hey asshole! What’s the matter, I’m the real target here, right? And now you’re too chickenshit to take me on?!”

He froze, then instantly turned back and leapt at me in a rage. Unfortunately for him, his defenses weren’t great—he was already below 500 Health at that point. He was used to avoiding attacks, not tanking them, and my attacks couldn’t be dodged. In about five more seconds, he’d been burned to a crisp.

His crown was unharmed though. I picked it up and it vanished, the points from all the crowns he collected adding to my own. I returned to Darril.

“Are there still enemies in the region?”

Darril shook his head. “No...”

“It was just one of them, then. Hopefully, I can use the fact that I killed one of them to get the rest to come after me. I’ll go send them a message.”

“I think you’ve already sent one!” He was still flustered.

“Then I’m going to go make it clearer.”

[Lheticus: I warned you. I told you that you’d regret it if you sent troops after me. I didn’t think I needed to warn you not to come after my teammates, because I mistakenly thought that you weren’t that stupid.]

[Hound: Lheticus, you son of a bitch! You’re acting way too cocky for someone who’s already dead! You just messed with the wrong crew!]

I shook my head, laughing to myself. No matter what else the Tower pushed me to, I seriously doubted I would ever become so arrogant that I’d actually shit-talk someone for not dying to me.

[Lheticus: One of us is definitely messing with someone who shouldn’t be. Since you assholes have brought out my paranoid streak, I won’t be isolating a territory again, but I still don’t intend to use troops against you. But if anyone else tries to strike against my teammates again...I’ll make it painful.]

That last bit was a total bluff of course. Like hell I knew the first thing about torturing. Though being burned to death was never going to be painless in any case.

[Hound: Even you can’t possibly take all of us at once. But since you keep saying that’s what you want, you’re gonna get it!]

[Hound: When we attack tomorrow, you won’t last five minutes past the start of turn. Get ready to die.]

Then, I sent a message to the team chat.

[Lheticus: Everyone arrange the troops to defend the innermost territories. Then, everyone should go to Betty’s castle ASAP. The final battle is imminent.]

To my slight surprise, Team FOXHOUND really didn’t attack Team Firebrand’s main nation again that day. Instead, they stopped territory-hopping toward it and started properly expanding in that direction instead.

After the turn ended, AzurePrincess contacted me again.

[AzurePrincess: You’ve really set them off—the Hounds are baying for your blood. They’re not just coming for you, they’re setting things up to ensure the entire empire is watching. Our bargain is fulfilled and then some...provided you actually win, of course.]

[Lheticus: Do you think I won’t?]

[AzurePrincess: I’m not sure what to think. That massacre you pulled today defies explanation. And that still isn’t your limit, is it?]

[Lheticus: Pray you never need to find out.]

[AzurePrincess: Sweet dreams...my champion.]

Contrary to what one might expect, I did sleep well. After tomorrow, I’d be out of the 4th Floor. The next time I took one of these on, Mewi and I would do it together. I was going to see him again, and with the item to grant him a Gold class in tow. These thoughts were more than enough to overcome any nervousness about the battle to come.

I wasn’t worried about Team FOXHOUND possibly killing me. It was unlikely any one of them would outclass my stats in more than one or two areas. More importantly, Arvallei’s projections of me against them reckoned without the trick I’d used to beat the Gorilla Frigus Rex so handily and quickly.

I did prepare one more thing, however. This part was in the original plan, a contingency in the event I’d have to face any FOXHOUND members directly. Some of the slots that ordinarily would have been health potions had been replaced in my suit’s injector system with a set of 10 Highest quality Agility Potions—enough to give me Agility for a half-hour. If that wasn’t enough for me to do this, I deserved to fail.

I was back in the pub I had seen a couple of dreams ago. Now, it was a lot more lively, and the arcade multi-machine was set up and clearly in pristine condition. “Hey mister,” said a small child, though they were tall enough to see the screen and reach the controls—just, “can I have a turn?”

“Now Cody,” said the proprietor, “you don’t ask the town’s guardian protector to get off of his game!”

But the masked man visibly released his hands from the controls. “Now Jack,” he said, “this town’s guardian protector would never stand between a child and the joy of gaming. Besides, I was getting bored with that one anyway.”

“You know,” said the proprietor Jack as the masked man went to sit at the bar, “it’s been a whole year since you first came to Hell Town, and no one has seen your face even once.”

“The mask keeps my true identity hidden and safe,” said the masked man, “and besides...”

He didn’t continue the sentence for a good half-minute, opting instead to stare at the drink Jack brought him. “I don’t deserve to show my face in Area 1.”

“Now, that’s a load of bull and you know it,” said Jack, looking like he was tempted to take the drink back, “you’re the only reason this town exists. I still remember the day you walked in, when this place was just another run-down shanty in just another war-torn block. Now, over 10,000 people live here, safe from the Kinetice and from AFL conscription, and it’s thanks to you.

I’ve known you longer than anyone else here, Hellflame. You can’t at least give me a peek?”

Hellflame sighed...then drained the entire glass he’d been given from full in one go. “All right. I’ll try.”

He reached for the mask, and took it off. He revealed his face.

He revealed my face.

Evolving Trait | White

When sleeping, occasionally experience dreams that show visions of a certain time. You will always remember these dreams perfectly upon waking.

Upgrade Criteria: Experience all available visions. Current progress: 6/?