NABC Chapter 370 Forming the Lines
Chapter 370 Forming the Lines
The room fell silent as a commanding voice broke through the buzz of conversation, accompanied by the heavy stomp of boots. All eyes turned toward the center where a man clad in golden armor stood, his presence nearly overwhelming. Ty estimated him to be about 8 feet tall—no, perhaps even more.
As the armored giant unraveled a scroll from his waist, he began to address the crowd. "Good day, everyone. I am proud to see so many faces ready to conquer the Arena of Life, as I did 10 years ago."
His voice carried a tone of reminiscence and authority as he continued, "From rags and gutters to crime and robbing, to being imprisoned and on death row, I was given the chance to conquer the Arena, and I did so through grit and hard work.
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Since then, I have become the king's trusted guard over the last eight years, and I look forward to possibly welcoming one of you in, should any of you make it out."
Pausing for effect, he scanned the room, meeting the eyes of several participants before adding, "But without further ado, let us discuss your groups—or I guess you can call them squads of 5."
Closing the scroll, Ty watched as the towering man clad in golden armor clapped once sharply. His voice boomed through the room, "Advisor, can you do the cool parlor trick for me?"
A few seconds later, a short man dressed in a kimono-style garb adorned with black ropes stepped forward from the corner of the door. With a sly grin, he responded, "Of course, I think this is the funniest part you like, huh?"
The armored man chuckled, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Of course, pairing the best teams together is the most fun. Putting people together who don't mix or finding the perfect fits usually breeds great results—if they make it out."
He continued, his tone deliberate, "So, I have created a new role for you that will fit perfectly with your insane skills, but I also want to break this growing idea of you being some pacifist lover that's been spreading around lately."
"Demon Ty, you will be in Squad 2, The Assassination Squad," Lord Herald announced, his voice echoing authoritatively as he reached for the orbs. With a deft movement, he pulled out numbers 10, 24, 42, 50.
"All of you, step forward this once," he commanded.
Ty looked over his shoulder, a hint of intrigue flickering in his eyes as he murmured to himself, Huh, guess he doesn't get away from me.
As Kern approached, he stepped slightly in front of Ty, giving a slight bow to Lord Herald. His voice carried a mix of respect and reluctance as he spoke, "It's an honor to be selected as one of the first squads, Lord Herald, but must I be paired with the Demon and two prisoners?"
Lord Herald's calm demeanor vanished in an instant. With a slight flex of his hand, a rope of gold dust materialized rapidly around Kern's neck. "You dare question me?! MY voice is the Voice of the King!" he thundered, his voice reverberating through the room.
"Do you not know where I came from! You could be looking at a future lord, and you speak to them as lowly prisoners..." His frustration and anger bubbled over, contorting his face into a mask of rage.
With a snap of his fingers, the stones that had shackled all the prisoners crumbled and fell to the ground as fine sand. "Now how will you ever know who's a prisoner or who's a royal!? That's right, you won't. You are all equally trash and filth here until you make it to the end."
Kern, struggling to speak through the constriction, managed to gasp out, "Y-Yes Sir." Meanwhile, Ty observed his own hand turning purple, a subtle vortex of wind beginning to swirl around it