System's POV

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 placed 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 Clans 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 glanced at Roland, who was looking at the LCD Screen with a determined look on his face.

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

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

For Thirteen, Roland's fight against Clark would not be fought fair and square.

There was a possibility that the Ashford Clan 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 Roland 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, Roland," 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 overcome someone like me, then become 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."

Roland 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 the last 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 overcome 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 Clark and Roland.

Thirteen had already determined that Clark was a villain and that Roland was a Hero.

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

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

The Villains who succeeded in beating Heroes were called Super Villains.

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

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

After all the matches were displayed, Thirteen told everyone to come 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.

After pulling some strings, he got a construction company 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 manual laborers 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 place 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 two ladies 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 Clark Ashford," Tristan said in a serious tone. "As long as you are here, the Ashford Clan'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 Clans to have their people wormed their way in."

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

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

"The Ashford Clan is one of the Monarch Clans 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 become. If Clark manages to win against you, then their family would regain some prestige, making people forget their earlier mishap."

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

"Don't worry, Sir," Roland 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 Roland a few more pointers, the Field Marshal finally left the room, leaving the young man behind. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Roland 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," Roland muttered. "Zion, just wait for me. I will not become anyone's stepping stone. I will use them as my stepping stone instead, so I can reach you."

The young man then laid 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 Clan, who was considered as the strongest Wanderer in their generation.