Chapter 89: Facing Off Against Victor and His Group (2)

"Hahaha! Interesting... very interesting!"

Victor couldn’t hold back his laughter after hearing those bold words.

"I was right after all. You’re exactly the kind of opponent I deserve, Raven!"

A burning passion shone in his eyes.

Raven simply smiled without saying a word.

[Let’s begin the game.]

Enka’s voice echoed in every direction.

[Heads or tails?]

Raven didn’t answer right away. Neither did Victor.

"A game like this is really boring," Raven said casually. "How about we make a bet?"

"Oh? What kind of bet are you talking about?" Victor asked curiously.

"The loser dies too. What do you think?"

His words shocked everyone present. Even Victor was taken aback.

"R-Raven, what are you saying!? Have you lost your mind?"

Rose grabbed his arm and shook him vigorously.

But Raven remained indifferent, showing no sign of concern.

His eyes were fixed on Victor.

"Why are you just standing there? Are you scared?"

Victor snapped out of his daze and chuckled softly.

"You’re completely crazy, but I like that."

He took a deep breath before slowly exhaling.

"All right, I accept the challenge. The loser dies too—not just the bearer of the Kyoshi Mark, right? What do you think, test proctor?"

He looked up, as if he were speaking to someone watching them from above.

There was silence for a few seconds before Enka’s voice was heard again.

[I’ll be the witness. If one group loses, all its members will die too.]

Her cruel words sent chills down Thomas and Jason’s spines.

Rose and Claire were also terrified.

They trusted Raven, but it would be a lie to say they weren’t afraid of Victor.

That man was incredibly strong and mysterious. His mind was as deep as the ocean, and no one knew what sinister plans were brewing inside his head.

"Raven—"

Before Rose could say anything else, Claire pulled her back.

"Claire!? What do you mean?"

Claire shook her head.

"Don’t bother Raven. He’s so confident, which means he must be sure he’ll win. Why not give him a chance?"

"B-But—"

Rose wanted to say something, but she didn’t know what to say. In the end, she let out a long sigh and decided to trust Raven.

[Now, choose one side of the coin.]

"I’ll take heads," Raven said.

"I’ll take tails," Victor replied casually.

A coin appeared and spun through the air.

A few moments later, it landed, and tails was facing upward.

"Luck is on my side."

Victor couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Raven yawned lazily.

"Hurry up. I’m really sleepy. The fourth mission will be over soon, and I don’t want to stay here any longer."

Victor smiled at that.

"Hold on a second. I need some time to figure out who the Kyoshi Mark bearer is, right?"

He looked at Raven before shifting his gaze away.

His eyes slowly swept over Rose and Claire.

"Hmmm... My instincts tell me that you, Raven, aren’t the Kyoshi Mark bearer. It must be one of your female companions."

Claire’s heart raced.

"This guy is really sharp!" she exclaimed nervously.

She quickly suppressed her emotional fluctuations and put on a poker face.

Victor stared intently at Rose before smiling.

"I’ve found her. I’m sure you’re the one."

He raised his right hand and pointed at Rose.

Claire and Rose let out a small sigh of relief.

But suddenly, his finger shifted toward Claire.

"Sorry, I pointed at the wrong person. I meant you, the woman named Claire."

Boom!

Claire felt as if a wooden beam had slammed into her head. Her calm expression shattered instantly.

"Hahaha! Judging by your reaction, it looks like I was right."

Victor burst out laughing before giving Raven a playful look.

"You’re going to lose, Raven."

Claire and Rose looked at Raven anxiously. If he chose the wrong person, all three of them would die.

[Answer locked. Please select the Kyoshi Mark bearer on the opposing team, Raven.]

Raven looked at Victor before shifting his gaze toward Jason and Thomas.

He didn’t choose right away, and the atmosphere naturally grew tense.

"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up," Victor urged jokingly.

Raven smiled and shook his head.

"You’re such an idiot."

Victor’s expression darkened.

"What did you say?"

"I’ll say it again. You’re... an idiot," Raven taunted.

Victor narrowed his eyes.

"Don’t tell me you’ve given up and can only hurl insults at me?"

"No. You’re wrong."

Raven let out a small chuckle.

"Don’t think too highly of yourself, Victor. To be honest, I’ve never considered you a worthy opponent from the very beginning."

His words shocked Thomas and Jason.

"Damn it! How dare he say that to Victor!?"

Thomas was furious and was about to step forward, but Jason quickly stopped him.

"Don’t be reckless! Do you want to die!?"

"But we can’t just let this slide!"

"Even so, that’s out of the question!"

While the two argued among themselves, Victor could no longer keep his composure.

"What’s this all about, referee? Are you just going to stand there and let him insult the other players? Or have the gods lost their touch?"

[Player Raven, don’t waste your time talking nonsense. Point out who is holding the Kyoshi Mark, or you’ll be declared the loser.]

Raven wasn’t afraid. He slipped his hands into his coat pockets and sneered.

"Point to one? What if I told you none of them are holding the Kyoshi Mark?"

The atmosphere instantly fell silent.

"No one is holding the Kyoshi Mark?" Claire muttered in surprise. "R-Raven, are you telling the truth?"

Raven turned toward her and nodded.

"That’s right. Not a single one of them is holding the Kyoshi Mark. So from the very beginning, this game was pointless."

He shrugged helplessly.

[What do you mean!? Every team has at least one player holding the Kyoshi Mark!]

Enka’s angry voice boomed throughout the altar.

Raven remained unfazed.

"I don’t know if you’re pretending not to understand, but that’s the reality. If you don’t believe me, you can check for yourself. Unless you don’t know how, of course."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"Besides, you’re the referee for this fourth mission. How could you not know?"

Enka began to pant. Even though she was invisible, the sound of her breathing could still be heard.

Raven ignored her and stared intently at Victor.

"What do you think, Victor? Surprised I saw through your trick?"

Victor lowered his head. Suddenly, his body began to shake before he burst out laughing.

"That’s incredible! I knew you weren’t an ordinary person, Raven! Honestly, I never expected you to figure it out."

He covered his face with his right hand and shook his head.

His gaze was filled with intense madness.

"Now I understand! It’s only natural that the gods fear you! You really are dangerous!"

"Thanks for the compliment."

Raven bowed his head slightly.

Victor snickered at his reaction.

"You’re right. None of the three of us is holding the Kyoshi Mark."

"See?"

Raven looked up with a mocking smile.

"He admitted it himself. All right, let’s end this boring game. I want to get some rest."

Buzz!

A bright white light radiated from Raven and the others.

Enka hadn’t said a word this whole time, most likely because she was too embarrassed to respond.

"Raven," Victor called from across the way. "You managed to survive before, and you’ve survived again. But don’t count on there being a next time."

Raven gave him a challenging smile.

"I’ll be waiting for it. That is, if you’re capable."

Whoosh!

All six of them vanished from sight at the same time.