/~Jennifer~/
The buzz of the command center was filled with its usual low-level chaos.
"It feels I've not been here in decades"
Screens flickered with data from drones and scouts. Holograms hovered above long tables littered with half-eaten rations and ammo diagrams. Conversations from players overlapped each other, there was laughter between low-ranking grunts and the occasional bark of a squad captain calling for silence.
I stood at the glass wall overlooking the training yard below and then back to the war room where Contrario, Renn, and two new recruits were gathered. I had been back for less than four hours and already my fingers twitched for a rifle, not wine.
No time to dwell. The tournament clock was ticking.
266 DAYS
I turned, my coat fluttering behind me as I stepped into the war room.
Every voice stopped.
"Back to form already," one of the recruits whispered to Contrario.
I purposely ignored it. My eyes scanning the small team.
Contrario stood out like he always did with broad stance, hands behind his back, unreadable.
Beside him was Elric, the brawler with molten gauntlets, Shay, a sniper with uncanny aim and a sharp tongue, and Renn, my second-in-command and a man of quiet instincts.
"We move out in two hours," I said without preamble. "There's a raid planned at Sector V-43. Small valley outpost tied to the outer rings of Nova City. If it's clean, we walk. If they've got intel or cores—"
"We extract," Shay finished.
I nodded. "Correct. This isn't just another warm-up. It's about refining leadership in real field conditions. And so…" I paused as I let my gaze fall directly on Contrario.
"Contrario leads this raid."
There was a beat of stunned silence.
Even Renn raised an eyebrow but to his credit, his smirk was subtle.
"Well," Renn said, tilting his head with that too-calm tone, "if it's Contrario, I can follow. Let's see if you've got more than just flair now."
Contrario didn't rise to the bait. He just nodded once. And I couldn't help but notice how at every moment, he avoided direct eye contact with me.
I turned toward the exit. "I'll be monitoring from HQ. I expect efficiency. No wasted movement. Dismissed."
---
/~Contrario~/
(4 Hours Earlier in Jennifer's Office Before Dawn)
Jennifer paced slowly in her private office, half-lit by the soft blue glow of a surveillance map. Myself and Renn stood on opposite sides of her desk like twin pillars of contrast...fire and ice.
"After the Shadow Tournament," Jennifer began, "we made noise. Enough that someone will notice. The real tournament's next stage isn't confirmed, but we can't be idle."
Fully adjusting my stance, I folded my arms. "So we strike first."
"Not just strike," Renn added, leaning forward slightly. "We build a net. Make friends with lesser factions. I say we pull them under our umbrella. Make it worth their while. At the same time, we surgically and tactically eliminate anyone tied to Nova."
Jennifer paused.
"Well there's that clever brain of yours, good to know it wasn't left at the Booty hole" she said. "We stretch them thin while we grow fatter."
"We need to be proactive," Renn continued. "Take out small rings quietly. Disrupt their scouting paths and we secure core zones."
I nodded. "We shouldn't forget the most important thing, we seal our borders tight."
Jennifer looked at me with her eyebrows arched in confusion, "I'm not following"
As I moved a piece on the screen, I said "Following what Renn said, we'll have to check everyone coming into Irish valley now but that also means we'll have to seal our borders tight because we'll be putting a target on our backs"
Jennifer moved toward the screen and tapped a glowing edge. "I get you now, that can be done. I'll pull two squads from recon and assign them to border duty. You or Renn might take the lead on the next raid, Contrario. I want to see how you guys lead under fire."
I didn't hesitate. "Understood."
Renn gave a slow smile. "Let's hope you're more than a hammer this time."
Jennifer stepped between us, standing firm. "This isn't about ego. Not anymore. We're playing in a war disguised as sport. The real tournament isn't about who's flashy. It's about who survives the game."
—---------
/~Contrario~/
(Present)
Back in the war room, I stood before my team.
After looking in the eyes of each one of them, I exhaled, then met each of their gazes again.
"You heard the Supreme commander. This isn't training anymore. From here on, every raid could be the one that puts us in Nova's crosshairs or seven feets below."
Then I turned to Elric. "You'll run point with me. No flashy entries. If we're seen, we go silent. Let's make stealth one of our best card in this raid, smooth in and out."
Elric gave a grin and cracked his molten knuckles. "Finally, a fight."
Moving over to Shay: "You're our eye in the sky. I want full visuals of the west ridge before we breach. Give me information on anything that breathes and moves."
Shay nodded, loading her drone module onto her visor. "Already scanning now."
Then, to Renn.
"You'll flank with me as usual brother. Cover our six and analyze their fallback patterns you're our brains here."
Renn gave a lazy salute. "Boss's orders."
After that, I stepped closer, lowering my voice just enough for the group to lean in.
"This isn't about how strong we are individually. It's about how loud our bang can be when we move together. We leave no one behind. If it goes south, we extract. Fast. Clean. No egos. No heroics."
I locked my gaze with all of them one more time.
"Let's make this count."
We've got 266 days left. And this was only the beginning.
—--------
The wind in V-43 always tasted like rust, it's been four years since I came here.
We crouched in silence just beyond the ridge, the sun barely touching the horizon. Ahead lay the valley, a rusted-out depot surrounded by broken towers and overgrown rail lines. A hidden tradepoint for minor Nova-affiliated crews, but if the intel was right, today it held something more: encrypted cores...and a high ranking Nova scout.
No mistakes today.
I tapped my comm once.
"Shay. Eyes."
A beat. Then her voice in my ear.
> "Four guards on the east platform. Two inside the relay room. One sniper on the tower. I've got eyes on them all."
"Copy. Wait for my mark."
I turned to the team. Elric, crouched beside me, knuckles smoldering. Shay, in her ghillie cloak up the slope. Renn, too calm as always, hands resting by his twin daggers. And then there was Drex, the last-minute reinforcement from our subunit. He was blunt, quiet, but brutal with his kinetic axe.
"Renn. You loop around the back, take the ridge line. Cut the relay's comm lines with Shay's sync."
He nodded once and vanished like a ghost into the tall grass.
"Elric, with me. On my mark, you draw fire at the east tower. Controlled heat only. No inferno this time."
He grinned. "Tch. You're getting very boring, boss."
"Drex," I said, turning to him. "Wait for my signal. You breach after the first distraction. Precision only."
He gave a firm nod.
My fingers curled around the hilt of my glaive module. Not a single doubt in my head.
This time, I wasn't going to charge head-first. This time, I'd cook with precision.
"Shay. Take the sniper."
> "Tagged. One shot. He's gone."
"Take it."
The soft sound of her silencer purred through my earpiece.
> "Tower's clear."
"Now."
Elric burst from the ridge with molten fists, slamming into the ground and sending a shockwave through the east platform. Sparks flew. Guards panicked, scrambling for their rifles.
I shot forward in a blur, blade-module flicking out and humming like thunder. I didn't aim to kill—only disable. First guard: leg sweep, reverse elbow to the temple. And he was out cold. Second guard raised his gun….
"Nope."
Elric launched a burst of lava pressure, melting the weapon in his hand before I swept the guard's feet out from under him.
From the back, I saw the relay station lights flicker and die.
"Renn's in," Shay confirmed.
> "Comm down. Door locked. Two inside panicking."
"Drex."
A massive thunk sounded as Drex burst through the side wall, not the door, his kinetic axe spinning like a turbine. Two bodies flew backward, knocked unconscious before they could even raise an alarm.
"Clear," he said over the comm.
We regrouped fast.
No alarms. No deaths. Clean sweep.
Renn emerged last, holding a small black case.
"Encrypted core. Definitely Nova-grade."
"Good," I said. "We get this back to Jennifer. Quietly. Nova can't know we hit this site."
Elric clapped me on the shoulder, grinning. "No reckless charges. No casualties. Damn, boss. You're actually becoming… a tactician."
I exhaled slowly, watching the light rise behind us.
"Not just becoming. I am HIM."
Renn gave me a glance. He said nothing. Just that same unreadable smirk.
But I didn't miss the look in his eye.
We moved out fast, silent ghosts melting back into the wilderness.
Today wasn't about showing off. Today was about dominating the field without noise. No flashes. No fury. Just results.
And we got them.
266 days left.