Chapter-631

The girls of the 13th Unit slowly opened their eyes. They blinked rapidly. They tried to clear the bright spots from their vision.

Naomi rubbed her green eyes. She looked around the room. She saw Ken lying on the floor. She saw the 4th Unit guards groaning on the ground. She saw the aquatic golems stumbling around.

She did not see Reddy. The assassin was completely gone.

"Where did he go?" Naomi asked. She spun her daggers. She looked at the shadows. "He vanished! Did he escape?"

Sayma pushed her cracked glasses up her nose. She checked her glowing blue crystal. She looked totally bewildered.

"His magical signature is completely absent," Sayma reported politely. Her voice was full of confusion. "He did not just run away. He entirely disappeared from this sector. He must have used a very advanced teleportation escape spell when the golem exploded."

Laxmi punched her open palm. "He ran away like a coward! He knew we were going to beat him!"

Zinia cracked her knuckles. She smiled a tough, confident smile. "He knew he was outmatched. The blinding flash gave him a chance to flee. It does not matter. He is gone."

Luna let out a massive yawn. She rubbed her face. "I am very glad he left. Fighting him was incredibly tiring. Can we just grab the shiny rock and go home now?"

Risa peeked out from behind Princess Iris. She hugged her teddy bear. "Is the mean ninja gone for good?"

"He is gone, Risa," Princess Iris smiled a warm, gentle smile. Her violet eyes shone with pride. She looked at her elite vanguard. "You all did remarkably well. You held the line against impossible odds."

Naomi walked over to Ken. She crouched down next to him. She did not look annoyed. She smiled her bright, friendly smile. She gently patted his back.

"You can get up now, Ken," Naomi teased softly. "The bright light is gone. You are safe. Your eyes are perfectly fine."

Ken slowly rolled over. He peeked through his fingers. He gave her a goofy, lazy grin.

"Are you sure?" Ken complained lazily. He sat up. He dusted off his wrinkled suit. "My vision is very blurry. I thought I saw a giant flying hot dog for a second. The light was incredibly aggressive. I need a pair of sunglasses."

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"I will buy you some sunglasses later," Naomi laughed a quiet, happy laugh. She helped him stand up. "Just stay close to me."

"I am basically your shadow," Ken promised happily.

The 4th Unit was completely defeated. Gideon and his guards were battered and bruised by the aquatic golems. The rival fighters slowly retreated. They backed out of the chamber. They realized they had lost the race. They did not want to fight anymore.

The aquatic golems returned to their original positions along the walls. They turned back into quiet stone statues. They stopped attacking.

The center of the room was totally clear.

Princess Iris walked gracefully toward the stone pedestal. She reached her hands out. She gently picked up the Core of Luminus. The beautiful, glowing white crystal pulsed warmly in her hands. She smiled a very proud smile.

She placed the ancient relic carefully into her secure leather pouch. She tied the strings tightly.

Suddenly, a loud, cheerful chime echoed from Sayma's communication device. The automated voice of the Upper Council’s tracking system spoke clearly into the quiet room.

Target secured. Race complete. 10 points awarded to the 13th Unit.

The girls erupted into loud cheers. Laxmi jumped into the air. Zinia clapped her hands. Sayma smiled politely. Naomi hugged Risa. They had done it. They survived the underwater labyrinth. They defeated the rival factions. They earned their glorious points.

Ken Eliot stood at the back of the group. He pulled his bag of potato chips from his pocket. He popped a chip into his mouth. He chewed loudly. Crunch. Crunch.

He smiled a lazy, totally satisfied smile. His secret was completely safe. His friends were incredibly happy. The assassin was locked in a marble in his pocket. The mission was a total success.

"Now," Ken mumbled lazily to himself. "I just need to find a way to get out of doing the laundry tonight. My suit is very dirty. I will definitely pretend my arm hurts."

The 13th Unit turned around. They walked proudly out of the sunken chamber. They were ready to go home. The lazy slacker trailed behind them, perfectly content with his flawless, low-effort victory.

Prince Ares ground his teeth together. He looked across the room. He saw the 13th Unit.

Princess Iris stood perfectly straight. She held her silver rapier at her side. She looked completely calm. Naomi stood next to her. Naomi spun her twin silver daggers. Laxmi grinned wildly. The fire user bounced on her toes. Zinia cracked her knuckles. Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. Ira stood totally still. Luna rubbed her sleepy eyes. Risa hugged her stuffed teddy bear.

They did not look tired. They did not look scared. They looked completely victorious.

Prince Ares frowned deeply. He turned his head. He scanned the dark corners of the large stone chamber. He looked for a specific shadow. He looked for a specific assassin.

Reddy was completely gone.

The legendary ZulFarah assassin had vanished entirely. The massive, pitch-black dome of dark magic was broken. The dome had covered the center of the room just a few minutes ago. Now, the space was totally empty. There was no smoke. There was no trace of dark magic. Reddy was simply missing.

"Where is he?" Prince Ares whispered to himself. His voice sounded very angry. "He promised to eliminate them. He used his best domain spell. He trapped the Princess. And now he is completely gone. He did not even leave a footprint."

Prince Ares realized the absolute truth. The assassin had failed. The dark magic was broken. The 13th Unit had somehow survived a lethal trap.

Prince Ares looked at his own soldiers. Gideon struggled to stand up. An aquatic golem raised a rusty trident. The golem prepared to strike Gideon again. The 4th Unit was totally disorganized. They lacked coordination. They lacked a proper defensive line.

Prince Ares knew the battle was lost. He was a very proud man, but he was also a military tactician. He knew when to pull back. He refused to let his entire vanguard get crushed by mindless rock monsters.

Prince Ares raised his right hand high into the air.

"Fall back!" Prince Ares commanded loudly. His voice echoed across the massive, wet stone walls. "Halt the attack! Regroup at the exit archway! We are initiating a tactical retreat right now!"

Gideon heard the order. He looked incredibly disappointed. He wanted to keep fighting. But he obeyed his Prince. Gideon scrambled backward. He dodged a swinging trident. He ran toward the dark tunnel. The rest of the 4th Unit soldiers followed him immediately. They lowered their weapons. They backed away from the 13th Unit.