Chapter 280: Stronger Monsters


    After over half an hour,the open space near the cover was filledwith people lying inall sorts ofpositions. Those who hadn''t fallen were sitting on the ground, either groaning while clutching their wounds or gasping for breath.


    "Hehe, it looks like I''m the victor of this chaotic battle," the only person standing dered, nting his scythe into the ground and crossing his arms.


    "Foul y! Captain, what you did is foul y," protested Pentacle Four, one of the team members who had a close rtionship with Shinji.


    As soon asthese words were uttered, they received immediate support from the teammates who had been beaten by Shinji.


    "They''re right."


    "You weren''t here when the match started, so you don''t qualify to participate."


    "Yeah, no qualifications."


    "That doesn''t count."


    ...


    Listening to the constant stream of protests, Shinji wasn''t angered. He calmly listened until the exhausted and injured teammates grew tired of shouting. Then, with no hurry, he asked, "Are you finished?"


    ...No one answered.


    "Ifyou''re not finished, you can continue."


    ...Still, no one answered.


    "It seemsyou''re finished. Then, let me speak—"


    Shinji raised his right hand and extended a finger.


    "—Is there a rule that states members who weren''t present before the match cannot participate?"


    "W-Well... there isn''t," Pentacle Four seemed to realize something, and his voice weakened significantly.


    "So I qualify to participate."


    With that sentence, Shinji silenced everyone.


    Everyone present was among the elite of the new generation of magus. No one would utter foolish words like "this is unfair" because magecraftitselfwas inherently unfair.


    Why couldn''t ordinary people be magus?


    Why did some people have more magic circuits while others had fewer?


    Why did some people have ordinary attributes like ''water,'' while others possessed all fivemajor attributesof ''earth, water, fire, wind, and void''?


    Why did somepeoplestruggle their whole lives without achieving a high rank, while others could be top-ranking at a young age?


    If they couldn''t understand this,they were not qualified to join theBrigade.


    As for the so-called glory of magus and the rules ofbat between magus adhered to by the Clock Tower, Shinji didn''t need to exin.Theveteran members of the teamwould naturally take on the responsibility of teaching the young ones. They had been tormented by Chariot and Judgment in the past, and now that they had the chance, they would naturally "avenge" themselves on the neers.The eight recruits had also faced their fair share of hardships since joining the team, which was inevitable in any military unit. Shinji saw this as a positive development.


    Of course, they were all young people, and even if they understood this principle, there would still beintsfrom time to time.


    In a slightly eased atmosphere, Shinji heard several people quietly grumbling:


    "The captain disappeared for so long, and when he finally returns, he bullies us. Not cool."


    "If we had known the captain was back, the whole team would have united against him."


    After thinkingfor a moment, Shinji felt it was the right time to add fuel to the fire.


    "I know you''re all unhappy. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn''t be happy either. But along with that unhappiness, I hope you remember today''s lesson. Anything unexpected can happen on the battlefield, so we must always remain vignt under any circumstances. Understand?"


    "Understood," the crowd responded with scattered voices.


    "Speak louder, I can''t hear you!"


    "Loud and clear!" The voices instantly amplified tenfold.


    "Oh? Quite spirited, it seems you still have some energy left.Well then,since you''re unhappy, I''ll give you a chance to vent.Anyone who can still fight can join in, and I''ll be the only opponent—how about it, areyou up for it or not? Opportunities don''te twice, you know? Though I don''t think even if youallgang up on me, you can win."


    It was tempting and provoking, and the young and ambitious elites couldn''t bear itany longer.


    The most restless one,Pentacle Four, wasthe first to stand up."Captain, although I admire you, I don''t believe what youjustsaid."


    "I don''t believe it either." Another neer, who hadn''tpletely lost their arrogance, stood up. The eight neers who had recently joined the team were not yet fully integrated, so they were temporarily referred to as "New One" to "New Eight."


    "Andme,I want to see if I can stand firm before the captain this time."Pentacle Three, who had been standing at attention for several months, stepped forward.


    With a few people taking the lead, the rest followed naturally. Almost everyone who could move stood up, ready to strike back at the captain''s arrogance. It would be even better if they could remove that skull mask.


    After dealing with the Hideo Hayama, Shinjideveloped a liking forwearing masks. So this time, when he returned to the base, he specially prepared a sturdy, durable mask withsome specialfeatures to wear on his face, giving him a more Death God-likeappearance,reminiscent of characters from movies and TV shows.


    The reason why itwas "almost" everyone, not everyone,wasbecause two individuals had indeed regained some of theirbat abilities but still sat with the severely injured personnel.


    "Chariot, Judgment, aren''t you twoing together? Without yourmand, their coordination might be problematic."


    "Captain, I''ve taken so many of your attacks. I''m in pain all over now, and I''m powerless."


    "Same here. My secret technique requires a certain cost, so I can''t move forthe time being."


    Looking at theckeys lying on the ground, feigning death, Shinji could only inwardly curse, "You two cunning fellows."


    The "Topple the Captain Alliance" that had formed on the open space urged incessantly:


    "Captain, are you ready?"


    "Captain, are you afraid now?"


    "Captain, it''s not toote to surrender."


    ...


    Facing the provocation from hisbrigade, Shinji raised his head and deliberately said in a disdainful tone. "I should be saying these words to you. It''s not toote for you to surrender now. Once I make a move, there will be no turning back."


    "Captain, we''re all waiting for you to make a move."


    Pentacle Three,standing at the forefront of the team, beckoned to Shinji.


    However, beforethe hand gesture waspleted, Shinji''s "skull face" had already appearedin front ofhim.


    "Well, you said it."


    With a response, a palm shining with golden light imprinted itself on the chest of Pentacle Three, directly sting him out of the "Topple the Captain Alliance" team. Two unfortunate fellows who couldn''t dodge in time suffered the same fate.


    Then, amidst the radiant Buddhist light emanating from Shinji''s "Vajra''s Left Arm," he charged into the crowd with the momentum of a descending dragon and pouncing tiger. Wherever he went, cries of pain echoed.


    Five minutester, the scene repeated itself, and no one except Shinji remained standing.


    "I told you, even if you all attack together, you can''t defeat me."


    "The captain has be even stronger, he''sa monster!" Someone couldn''t help but curse.


    "Thank you for your kind words. I will continue to work hard and be even stronger."


    "But with this, we might be able toplete the mission entrusted by the family."


    Whisperedthe captain of the Scepter squad, King.