đ Chapter 65:
I decided to leave Number Three to Haizen. I carried the prince, who was completely breaking down⊠even though this was the worst time for him to collapse.
This idiot keeps blaming himself for everything that's happened so far.
I lifted him and headed for the stairs, but Mirai told me there was a faster way:
"Wait⊠let's go through the window. I can summon a giant bird to carry us."
Aside from her healing ability, she could also summon.
That was genuinely impressive.
I agreed, and we moved toward the window. But before she could summon anything, Number Three emerged from the explosion's smoke, blocking our way:
"Don't think I'll just let you leave."
A kick sent him flyingâ
but it wasn't from Haizen.
It was from Mirai herself.
She looked toward Haizen and said:
"Alright⊠don't forget your role, swordsman."
Haizen responded in a cold tone:
"Just go."
Mirai raised her arm, a swirling mist forming above it before a massive white bird emerged.
We jumped onto its back, and without hesitation the bird took off, leaving Haizen and Number Three behind in the academy.
Below us, students were panicking, chaos erupting everywhere as everyone tried to find a place to hide.
Not just studentsâresidents too.
We were heading to the palace, and the situation was unbelievably dire.
As shocking as it all was, the prince had to face it. So I tried to snap him back to reality:
"Listen to me, Elithius. Whether you're guilty or not, that part is over. You can't change it.
Tryâjust this onceâto actually act like a prince and face the situation."
"Face what? I'm not strong. I'm not smart. I don't even know what my purpose is."
"It's this negative thinking that makes you uselessânot the lack of talent."
Honestly⊠I had no idea what he could do.
But if he stayed this depressed, we'd be in trouble.
Number Three came for himâmeaning Elithius was still useful to the gang somehow.
The situation below was worsening.
Gang members were attacking everywhere.
The capital had fallen into chaos in a matter of minutes.
As we flew toward the palace, another bird appeared in our path.
Number Four stood on its backâlooking far better than before.
She must've healed herself or had someone heal her.
She stared at me with sharp, hateful eyes after what had happened earlier.
"So you finally showed yourself, you deceitful rat."
"What, did you all agree to call me a rat or something?"
"What else would you be?"
"I don't know⊠maybe the guy who blew up the face of an arrogant woman like you."
My words infuriated her.
She manifested a bow from her bird's back, then arrows.
A sinister grin appeared on her face.
From those arrows⊠a liquid was dripping.
Probably the same poison she used against Haizen.
She aimed the bow at us and fired.
The bird carrying me, Mirai, and the prince tried to dodge.
But at the last moment, the spatial rift she used earlier appeared again.
Mirai was taken by surpriseâwe had no idea where the arrow would reappear.
It eventually emerged from beneath our bird, flying straight toward its chest.
The arrow hit, and immediately its flight became unstableâthe poison was taking effect.
Number Four didn't stop there. She kept firing arrow after arrow, trying to bring our bird down.
Mirai struggled to make it dodge, but it wasn't enough.
It couldn't avoid everything.
The poison's effects intensified, and the bird began to fall.
---
đ§ Narrator POV:
Elsewhere, the Numbers gang had already prepared themselves.
After abandoning their previous base, they anticipated the army's movements thanks to Number One's Skill, which allowed him to communicate with Minister Orfin.
He obtained information about the army's upcoming assault and dispatched all gang members to those areas.
They were prepared.
These were the least populated zones, yet the army suffered heavy losses despite having the advantage in numbers.
All of this happened quietly, during the exam period.
Once the tide began turning in the gang's favor, they moved out and spread chaos across the capital, with no army present to stop them.
The commander of the army was in terrible condition after clashing with one of the Numbers and taking massive damage.
Elnar wasn't much better but was saved by Ryo, who escaped with him.
Meanwhile, in the palace, the Boss of the gang walked through its nearly empty halls, heading downward toward the cell.
He descended the stairs until he finally reached it.
The cell was silentâexcept for one person who had been laughing alone this entire time.
"Hahaha⊠you finally arrived. Did it take you this long to finish them?"
Of course, it was Minister Orfin speaking.
He was severely injured in the face and all over his body, waiting for the gang to come free himâand the Boss himself, Number One, had come.
Number One replied mockingly as he opened the cell door:
"You know they outnumber us. Right now, they're the ones hiding, not us.
As for the older princeâwe still don't know where he is."
He continued as he removed Orfin's shackles:
"He lost to Number Two, but that weird dragon managed to escape with him.
By the way, I didn't expect them to turn your face into a work of art."
Once freed and healed from his injuries, Orfin stood up, immediately asking about the king:
"What about Orik? Did you capture him?"
Number One laughed:
"You must be joking. Capturing him was the easiest part.
He's a hostage now.
In the end, he only became king because he discovered that stupid crystal.
He's smart, but he's no fighter."
They left the cell, heading to the palace hall where several hostages were heldâthe king, his advisors, and other palace staff.
A victorious grin spread across Orfin's face when he saw the king bound before him.
"I can't believe it, Orik. Our positions have reversedâŠ
I want to know how you feel about that."
The king, Orik, was filled with rage toward the traitorous minister:
"You vile traitor! You deceived us all this time!"
Orfin scoffed:
"Hahaha⊠does it hurt knowing you're the ones who were fooled, Orik?
Unfortunately, you never discovered the whole truth.
I'm a traitorâbut, as you can see, I am not Number One."
The king couldn't understand.
How could Orfin not be Number One, when everything suggested they were the same person?
How could Elithius have mistaken them for one another?
Number One smiled beneath his mask as he watched the king's confusion.
He decided to give him the answerâremoving his hood.
When his face was revealed, the king was stunned, looking back and forth between him and Orfin:
"Impossible⊠you two are⊠identical?"