<h4>Chapter 62: {Seth Sr}</h4>


    Seth Sr watched with arms crossed at a wide telescreen broadcast showing a B ss disaster variant wreaking Havoc on Haven''s streets. He watched with his gang of A-ss fellow students in their barracks rec room where previously, they had been reviewingbat footage from their training sessions.


    "Don''t some of us have to go out there and help? We''re technically hero trainees, right?" said Simon Wells, rank 10 A-ss student. He was leanly built with a gleaming red visor around his eyes to help channel his ability to generate kic beams.


    "No. We''re bottom of the rankings, remember? Heh." said Zayn, rank 8 A-ss student and closest to Seth Sr now that Ghost was found dead. Zayn shrugged, the ck feather wings on his arms ruffling. "They''ll never call on a bottom feeder school like us.


    Plus, Haven Supers Academy is right there."


    There was distinct sarcasm in Zayn''s voice, and for good reason. Haven Supers Academy was a mediocre super academy, almost at the bottom where ckwater sat. There was no way any of their trainees could handle a disaster of this caliber.


    Most likely, they were cowering in their academy walls or, at best, assisting in evacuation.


    ckwater, on the other hand, sat at the bottom so as not to attract any attention, not because they were weak.


    In terms of purebat, its students were all quite capable, and the A-rank likely matched the trainees from the top 50 academies. Of course, in other aspects like civilian evacuation, the students were woefully undertrained by design, because what did future viins and mercenaries need to know about saving civilians?


    But if the entire A-ss were unleashed on this variant, then they could destroy it in half an hour, tops. Seth Sr alone could probably kill it, but then again, his power was exponentially higher than anyone else''s in his ss.


    The current rank 1 Mel Morales only beat him due to the nature of her force reflecting barriers that used his own power against him.


    In raw destructive capability, she fell far, far below him.


    "Yeah, Haven Supers, hah! What a stupid joke," said Evan Harker, rank 15 A-ss student and thest of Seth Sr''s gang. Evanughed as he fiddled with parts for his wolf shaped battle drones. "I bet one of my dogs could fuck their top students up."


    "Woah, look at diator and Rocket Man go," said Zayn as his avian pupils narrowed down to slits.


    On the telescreen, diatornded on the giant manta''s back and stabbed his de in before flying back, carving out a long scar.


    Unfortunately, said scar healed near instantly, and a bolt of targeted lightning struck diator from the manta''s spines, sending him hurtling down to the ground below.


    In retaliation, Rocket Man jetted above the manta before firing down a volley of heat seeking missiles. A cloud of smoke erupted from the ensuing explosion, and out of it, another bolt struck Rocket Man head on. This shorted out Rocket Man''s mechsuit, causing him to fall down like a rock.


    "Dumbass didn''t even have EMP protection," said Evan. "Look, now he''s going to fall to his death. I don''t get these heroes, honestly. Why go into a fight you know you''re at a disadvantage with? Pointless, if you ask me."


    Before Rocket Man hit the ground at terminal velocity, diator emerged from a pile of rubble and saved his fellow B-rank hero.


    "Aww, would''ve been cool to see Rocket Man get crushed in his tin can suit," said Evan.


    "Kinda sweet, though, the way he saved him," said Simon. He sneered. "I bet you they''re fucking each other on the down low."


    "Shut up." Seth Sr crossed his arms as he watched the screen intently. He grit his teeth, knowing that if the damage from his manta got any worse, it might hit the Red Circle where his precious Boost was.


    But Seth could not intervene. He could never, ever show himself in public as that would reveal that ckwater, a supposedly bottom tier school, had a top ss Alter in their ranks.


    Not only this, but if word ever got out about his Sr blood, then it would cause a sh*tstorm of bad PR for both the main Sr bloodline and Seth.


    The Sr family was a billion credit dynasty propped uprgely by the biggest viin organizations.


    Many of the disasters that Solomon Sr, the shining patriarch, triumphed over were set up by these viin syndicates.


    Caged variants that just happened to escape in popted city centers where Solomon patrolled.


    High profile viins that Solomon Sr kept beating over and over again after they always mysteriously escaped from jail, often with tips from Solomon Sr himself.


    Everything was a setup to maximize Solomon Sr''s power and position.


    In return, Solomon Sr was the highest ranked nt in the AA and gave the Dark Six, the most powerful criminal organizations in the world today, inside information about the AA and Panopticon.


    Even Seth Sr, in the end, was just a PR tool.


    Once he graduated from ckwater and worked a few years as a high-profile viin, he was supposed toe out the shadows as Solomon Sr''s kidnapped, estranged son who had fallen to viin corruption.


    Then, after a lengthy fight, Solomon Sr would show the world his resolve and lock up his own son, at which point, Seth Sr would enter into Solomon Sr''s revolving rogue gallery.


    Seth Sr''s entire life was essentially a marketing scheme for Solomon Sr.


    But fuck that.


    Seth would obey his evil wretch of a mother, the current headmaster of ckwater and the one who controlled his entire life, for just a few more years. He would do the viin work and build up his reputation, but when it came time for him to fight Solomon Sr, that heartless, cruel fuck that had forced Seth into this sham of a life, Seth would not hold back.


    He would kill his ''father''.


    Then, he would show this disgusting world what a true viin was. He would make them feel true fear and suffering.


    For that, he needed Boost.


    As a Starter Child, Seth reached close to his full potential power from a young age, but in exchange, his power ceiling was not as high as it could be. Unlike, say, current rank 1 ss A student Mel, Seth could not dramatically improve with training either.


    In a fight with Solomon Sr who had honed his powers for over fifty years, Seth would always lose regardless of whether it was staged or not.


    Seth needed Boost to make up the difference. Then, he needed to find a way to counter his Kryptic weakness so that the higher criminal organizations did not have a way to instantly kill him when he got out of control.


    "Something wrong, Seth?" said Evan. "Still in a bad mood about Ghost kicking the bucket?"


    "Fuck that junkie," said Zayn. "He wasn''t fit to be with us. All those times he jittered - all because he couldn''t control himself. Pathetic."


    Simon took a sip from a can of Co. "Agreed."


    "No. I could care less about Ghost," said Seth. What he really cared about was the Boost.


    All of a sudden, Seth received a phone call, his Eye-Phone buzzing in the pocket of his uniform. He took the call.


    "Seth, my golden boy, how do you do?" said Casimir.


    "Casimir? You better not tell me my order''s canceled this Saturday," said Seth. "You don''t know how fucking long I''ve been waiting for it. And how much I''ve paid you."


    "Aha, asdy luck would have decreed, I was calling you about that. You see, Seth, I believe you need to step in here. Why not flex those muscles of yours and drive this creature back?" said Casimir.


    "What? Are you joking, Casimir?"


    "I do make quips here and there, but no, my boy, this is no jest."


    "AA reinforcements and Panopticon drones areing in a half hour, maybe an hour," said Seth. "You can''t hold out that long? What are all those viins there for? Show? They can''t handle a couple of slime minions on the streets?"


    It was not that Seth did not want to rip this variant apart to make sure the Red Circle was safe. He could not.


    Revealing his face and powers to the public at this stage was far too early. And he was supposed to be a viin. Saving the city would make him too sympathetic for hister staged conflict with his father.


    If Seth disobeyed these orders, there was no guarantee that the high ranking criminal organizations that worked with his father would not send assassins with Kryptic against him.


    "I cannot have this beast make a mess of the city before my grand event on Saturday," said Casimir. "I understand your position, but could you do me a favor? I will be generous enough to add in additional samples of Boost to your order as well as fine liquors on tap this Saturday."


    Seth paused for a moment. "Fine. But ten minutes. Ten minutes is all I''m spending fighting this thing."


    He flipped his phone shut and walked out the room.


    "Where you going, Seth? This sh*t''s just getting good!" said Evan.


    Seth did not spare a nce back before he shut the rec room door behind him. "Shut the fuck up and wait here until I get back."