Chapter 168: Group Fight

Chapter 168: Group FightMandy shuffled over to the table with her tray, plopping down into her seat just as the cafeteria erupted in wild cheers.

The noise from the screen overhead yanked her attention away from her food mid-bite.

AMAT had kicked off.

"Tch, there goes your boss again, terrorizing the kids," Caesara teased, sprawled out across from her, tearing into a beast leg with one hand and casually sipping white wine with the other. She had zero filter, her manners as wild as the greasy leg had once been.

Mandy still wasn’t used to people like Caesara. "The principal and Instructor Andre sent her," she replied, keeping her tone careful.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. No way she’d be playing those dirty tricks herself," Caesara sneered. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, flashing a smirk as she locked eyes with Mandy.

"You do know what your boss is really like, though, right? She’s the type to mow people down without blinking. Ever heard of the Blackheart crew? Space pirates over on Voidstar No. 2? She trashed ’em so hard they had to slink back to petty theft and scavenging just to keep afloat."

Mandy’s jaw tightened—exactly the reaction Caesara was fishing for. She took a long sip from her bottle, clearly entertained by how easily she could rattle the younger girl.

Toying with newbies never got old.

Mandy quickly buried her discomfort and steered the conversation elsewhere. "Next time I have to face the queen bee, I’d appreciate some backup from you. Something feels... off."

Caesara gave a lazy shrug. "Sure thing."

With that out of the way, Mandy’s eyes drifted back to the action on the screen. She honed in on the woman tearing through the competition with ruthless efficiency.

Lyra was darting between collapsing buildings. She took out targets with deadly precision, swiping a score token from her latest kill. Her icy expression sent chills down Mandy’s spine.

This was not someone to cross lightly. But if Mandy could follow her, maybe it’d lead to what she craved most.

"Her success isn’t just luck," Mandy muttered under her breath.

Caesara raised a brow, surprised by the sudden intensity in Mandy’s voice.

Meanwhile, the tournament hit a fever pitch.

This year’s format was brutal—teams earned points by hunting down targets, whether they were enemies, beasts, or even rival teams, and snagging their score tokens.

The real kicker? You had to lock in your point at one of the three terminals scattered across the arena.

The moment a team uploaded their points, they were set in stone.

If you banked ten points early on, you couldn’t add more later, no matter what you did. But if you didn’t manage to upload your points before the tournament ended? You’d walk away with a big, fat zero.

Naturally, every team wanted to stack up points and hold off on depositing them until the final day. For the weaker players, it was about more than just grabbing tokens—they had to dodge the powerhouses hunting them down.

But when the final day hit, all hell broke loose.

The NMA team had obliterated two of the three terminals, leaving only one standing.

"Those maniacs! They’re trying to force a massive showdown!" someone yelled.

"What else would you expect from those psychos? They’ve been itching for a fight from day one," another competitor grumbled, charging toward the last terminal, ready for the chaos to unfold.

Out of nowhere, laughter rang through the battlefield. "Glad to see you get us!"

Before anyone could react, a massive wolf lunged from the shadows, his legs kicking up clouds of dust as he barreled toward the terminal.

Riding on his back, a girl decked out in shining gold armor grinned wildly, fists at the ready as she launched herself into the brawl.

"Score tokens, baby!" Someone hollered, diving headfirst into the fight.

As the group scrambled in panic, they barely registered the light breeze before realizing their score tokens were gone.

Vikie had already swiped them, holding the tokens high and flashing a triumphant grin. "Time to bounce!" she hollered, darting away in a blur.

Zinnia, smirking with amusement, added, "Too easy," before following closely behind, leaving the group in stunned silence.

They tried to give chase, but a massive wolf suddenly vaulted over them, his sheer force sending them stumbling backward. By the time they regained their balance, the three people had already disappeared from sight.

In a shadowy alley nearby, Helion shrank back into his human form, now wearing nothing but a pair of pants.

Vikie grimaced and threw her hands over her eyes. "Dude, seriously? Can you at least get dressed? We’re literally live-streaming!"

Helion, towering and muscular, shrugged with zero concern. Around his neck hung a black cord with a wolf fang, and his bronzed skin shimmered under the streetlights, still glistening with sweat.

"What’s the point? I’ll just end up tearing through whatever I put on again. Plus, have you seen the price of molecular bio-clothes? Not in my budget."

Meanwhile, the livestream chat was absolutely blowing up.

"Is this what I get for tuning in to AMAT? I’m sold!"

"Forget the game, does he need a sponsor?"

"A wild, shirtless dude with no cash? That’s my type, hands down."

Elsewhere in the arena, Thierry and the twins were stacking points fast, while Lyra took a different approach altogether.

She stood guard at the last remaining score terminal, her shimmering shield making it impossible for anyone to get close.

The weaker teams, desperate to try their luck, were quickly crushed by her relentless power.

"She’s a beast!" gasped one viewer.

"Other than EPMA and RMA, no one’s even touching her!"

"She’s in a league of her own."

"Don’t worry. Robin’s still out there. He’ll handle this."

As the game edged closer to its climax, the strongest teams converged on the last score terminal, each desperate to lock in their points.

The towering machine, nearly two meters tall, stood ominously in the middle of an abandoned town square, protected by a glowing green barrier.

Lyra stood watch, perched on a decorative rock in a dry fountain, her expression unreadable but her posture commanding.

Teams spread out across the square, each one trying to stake their claim. Tension built in the air as they eyed one another.

Before anyone could make a move, Lyra’s team arrived, their mere presence sending ripples of fear through the square.

"Well, this just got interesting," Helion remarked. He was still shirtless, his hands already morphing into claws. The urge to throw down was written all over him.

The captain of the RMA team stormed forward, anger seething in his every step. "NMA, what’s your deal? You’re intentionally wrecking the competition!"

Thierry just laughed, the sound casual but cold. "We’re playing within the rules, aren’t we?" He gestured to the twins, who sprang into position without missing a beat.

"We’ve still got an hour left," Thierry announced with a smirk. "We’ll open the terminal for the last ten minutes, so..."

Before anyone could react, Joe, faster than a strike of lightning, bolted toward the terminal. But as soon as he reached it, the machine blinked out of existence.

The entire square fell into a stunned silence.

Thierry clenched his fists, his smirk now a full-blown grin. "So, let’s brawl!"

With a deafening roar, his energy surged across the square. The invisible wave flattened the weaker competitors, pinning them to the ground under its crushing force.

It was like flipping a switch—the top teams from the three elite academies sprang into action, charging headfirst into the fray.

The skies opened up, rain pouring down in sheets as thunder cracked overhead. Lightning slashed through the battlefield, shocking anyone caught in its path.

The chaos intensified as thick clouds of smoke rolled in, obscuring everything in a swirling haze.

Their bodies convulsed from the electric strikes, hair standing on end as the storm’s fury hit full force.

Amid the chaos, it was clear—the final battle had begun.

As the thick, disorienting smoke engulfed the square, chaos erupted in every corner.

"Grab the score tokens!" someone shouted, sparking a mad scramble.

Zinnia was the first to dive headlong into the fray, weaving through the crowd like a bullet.

Meanwhile, Helion’s wicked grin stretched wider as he zeroed in on the EPMA team. His gaze locked on Grains, and he bellowed, "Grains! Let’s see if you’ve got the guts for a real fight!"

Grains, never one to shy away from a challenge, shot to his feet with a smirk. "Bring it on, you overgrown mutt!"

But before Grains could even throw a punch, Robin beat him to the punch. He swiftly conjured a swirling vortex of water, trapping Helion inside a liquid prison.

Caleb rushed over, rifling through Helion’s pockets, his hands searching for score tokens—only to come up empty-handed.

"Nothing," Caleb muttered, eyes wide with disbelief.

Helion’s feral laugh echoed inside the water prison, his sharp fangs gleaming. "You think I’m stupid enough to fight with tokens weighing me down?"

His muscles rippled, veins bulging as he let out a bone-chilling snarl.

To everyone’s shock, he tore through the watery cage like it was tissue paper, the force of his breakout sending waves of shock and awe through the square.