The next moment, the battle erupted.
...
"Trigger, 11—things are heating up over there. Aren't you two joining in?"
As Soldier 11 and Trigger watched the clash from afar, a teammate passing by glanced at them curiously.
"You guys have it covered. One more or less won't make a difference."
Soldier 11 shook her head. She'd been beaten so many times that dodging had become instinct...
If she fought Zane in front of everyone, some of these combat-savvy teammates might start noticing things.
And if anything got exposed... that'd be bad.
Trigger, meanwhile, was munching on candy while enjoying the spectacle. Her reason for sitting out was simple: ever since Zane had scared the hell out of her last time, she'd made up her mind.
Avoid fighting him at all costs.
Unlike Soldier 11, she didn't need to level up by "taking hits"...
Whoosh—
A blade of light sliced past Trigger's face, close enough to cut a strand of hair. A shallow groove carved into the ground formed beside her.
She froze, then quickly jumped back and patted her chest.
"Must've been an accident. Just some aftershock from the battle. I'll just move back a bit..."
Clang!
Soldier 11 instinctively drew her blade and cleaved a silver denny in two, sending the halves flying past her sides.
She looked toward Zane in the middle of the field, brows furrowed.
Was that... a coincidence?
She turned to Trigger, who had just dodged, and asked,
"Trigger, did Zane notice us just now?"
"He... probably didn't? He didn't look over here even once."
Trigger hesitated, then shook her head.
"Then these attacks...?"
"Just coincidences."
Whoosh—
"That sword slash just now—another coincidence?"
"Probably. He didn't look at us."
Clang!
"And this flying crystal sword too?"
"I guess...?"
Suddenly, a black blur zipped by. The next second, Soldier 11 was sent flying. Before Trigger could react, a voice murmured by her ear.
"This one too, a coincidence?"
"Y-yeah... I guess...?"
Trigger turned and found herself face to face with a strange, masked figure. Black robes fluttered, and those icy eyes pierced straight into her.
Coincidence...?
She swallowed hard.
"I didn't even do anything! You can't just take it out on me! And I don't even have a grudge with you—if you've got a problem, go deal with Soldier 11..."
Trigger sold Soldier 11 out without a second thought—conveniently ignoring that Soldier 11 had just been flung across the battlefield...
"Wait! Don't hit the face! I've got such a pretty face—how could you... You jerk!!"
Soldier 11 had just staggered to her feet, dazed, when something—or someone—slammed into her again.
Both of them went flying once more.
...
On the battlefield, Ether energy swirled wildly. As time passed, more and more combatants dropped out.
Eventually...
"Huh? You're assigning your direct squad to that one? You've got good taste. That team's the elite of the elite..."
Xin watched as Zane selected the Oberus Squad, a trace of reluctance on her face. It wasn't an act—she meant it.
The Defense Army → Staff Corps → Obol Squad—these people were cream of the crop.
"What, not allowed?"
"No, no, it's your call. Besides, after that performance, they're clearly on board. I can't say much..."
Xin shook her head. After the recent skirmish, the Obol Squad had been completely won over by Zane's strength.
Even those two girls weren't exceptions.
Though... Xin couldn't quite figure out what was up with them.
Resentment? Didn't seem like it... Surely they hadn't been hit so hard they were traumatized?
"Hey, they're your people now. Take care of them. And seriously—look at how those two are looking at you. Something's off..."
She leaned in closer, frowning.
Now that things were settled and Zane was officially her teammate, she began offering genuine advice.
Zane raised an eyebrow, glancing at Trigger and Soldier 11. Xin hadn't said names, but he knew exactly who she meant.
Those two looked absolutely ice-cold—hard to miss.
"Don't worry. I've got it under control."
He waved her off with a calm smile.
Then he strolled to the side to rest, but not before giving the two girls a long, meaningful look. He smiled, then said,
"Was I too rough back there? My bad. Come to think of it, I kinda regret it..."
He wore the expression of a caring superior. Soldier 11 stared at him, mentally exhausted, but didn't say anything. She just turned her head away.
Getting beaten up was still training, right?
But Trigger? Her patience was gone.
"Hey! We were just watching! Why'd you drag us into it? That was so mean—what's wrong with you?!"
She frowned, trying to make sense of what this guy was even thinking. Sure, she'd expected him not to play by the rules, but still...
"Because it looked fun. You two seemed like you were having a good time chatting, so I thought I'd interrupt. Help you experience the joy of battle..."
Zane shrugged with a grin.
Trigger's face darkened.
Fun?Joy of battle?
They'd just fought not long ago!
"You're just messing with people without caring how they feel..."
"Yep. So what?"
Zane's blunt response caught her off guard. She didn't expect him to admit it so casually.
Then again... maybe that was exactly like him.
Trigger deflated.
Soldier 11 gave her a look—resigned but unsurprised.
She'd known this was how it would go.
Her eyes followed Zane as he walked away, and she sighed again, her mood mixed.
So now they had... a very special boss.
Zane was infuriating—but for some reason, she couldn't hate him.
After all, he'd never done anything truly horrible. And honestly? The cat café thing... kind of hinted at a soft side...
As Soldier 11 continued "mentally redeeming" Zane, he and Xin had already left the Obol Squad's staging area.
...
"Tsk. You guys really had another one of these."
Outside the bulky transport aircraft, Zane peered into the cargo bay at a second Black Coffin, a touch of admiration in his voice.
This thing really packed a punch.
"Just a precaution. It's our first time deploying it in combat—if something went wrong, we needed a backup."