luck

With all the teams formed, we headed to the storage area designated for Scouts. There, I located my locker and collected my belongings. As I was leaving, I noticed that everyone was picking up a small silver disk with a slight bulge in the middle.

Elysia was also heading for the exit, so I approached her to ask, "What is this?"

"It's a kind of battery that maintains the barrier around our bodies," she explained.

I grabbed one as well and mimicked how Elysia attached it to the back of her jacket. The device seemed to recognize the jacket instantly, adhering to it seamlessly. Tiny holes appeared in its surface, and small plates extended outward, forming a protective field around my body. Once it completely covered the surface, the barrier turned invisible.

As we regrouped, Serena appeared, her gaze instantly finding Luna. Her expression twisted into one of pure hatred, but she made no comments, instead opting to keep her maximum distance from Luna.

Once everyone was gathered, the professor, Mr. George, stepped forward and addressed the crowd. "Now that all the teams are finalized, it's time for the commanders to select their teams."

Nero and Astrel approached Mr. George and began the selection process, with Astrel picking first. They didn't deliberate for long, suggesting they already knew who they wanted. The process was smooth and without any overlap until it was our turn.

"Elysia's team," they both said in unison.

The announcement sparked a wave of whispers among the crowd. However, the members of our team didn't flinch, their expressions unreadable. We had already accepted Luna, and with that decision, we had willingly placed a target on our backs.

"First, finish choosing, then we'll sort things out with this team." Mr. George interjected, clearly impatient. His words seemed to set the stage for a confrontation later.

The rest of the selections proceeded with a few surprises. Eventually, it came down to two remaining teams—ours and another team that usually ended up with Astrel. This time, though, they were left unchosen to keep a free spot.

"Ah, two teams left," Mr. George muttered, pulling a coin from his pocket. He turned to Nero. "Heads or tails?"

At that moment, the tension within our team was palpable. Cold sweat broke out on nearly everyone, and Luna visibly began to tremble. Strangely, I remained calm, watching the scene unfold with a detached indifference.

After a brief pause, Nero's voice broke through the silence. "Tails."

His tone lacked conviction, but his face was deadly serious.

The coin flew into the air, momentarily spinning from the professor's hand. With each flip, the tension in our team grew heavier. Everyone's hands were clenched into fists, breaths quickened, and heartbeats thundered in unison.

The coin landed in Mr. George's palm, and without a moment of suspense, he announced the result.

"It's heads. Astrel, Elysia's team is yours."

Astrel's face twisted into a grimace of euphoria, the kind of expression that sent chills down your spine. Seeing it, my teammates were visibly close to panic, their faces pale and strained.

Yep, luck's definitely not on my side

With the result determined, the other teams dispersed to their assigned areas. Our team, however, remained frozen, still reeling from the announcement. Breaking away from the group, I decided to head toward Astrel's side. There was no use in delaying the inevitable—better to jump into the situation and give myself time to adapt.

As I walked away, I glanced back to see Elysia trying her best to motivate the team, her voice carrying reassurance despite the hysteria and anger Serena was directing at her.

When we finally gathered in the area now under Astrel's absolute control, the atmosphere shifted entirely. Every glance from the other teams felt predatory, like a hunter watching its prey. Uncertainty loomed in the air, every tiny sound threatening to shatter our fragile composure. I pulled my hood further over my face and kept my gaze firmly fixed on the ground.

"All commanders, gather for a strategy discussion!"

One of Astrel's assistants barked the order, and twenty-four people began moving toward a makeshift command post quickly assembled in the center of our area. It was surrounded by Astrel's guards, ensuring no interruptions.

"I'm heading over now," Elysia said, stepping away from us and joining the group of commanders.

As soon as she disappeared behind the line of guards, the tension between the remaining team members became unbearable. The weight of it wasn't just directed at me or anyone else—it was squarely aimed at Luna.

Her presence radiated unease, and the hateful stares from our team were now amplified by the piercing glares of nearly everyone in the area. It wasn't just dislike—it was raw, unfiltered killing intent. Luna looked miserable, her trembling hands barely able to hide the fear she felt.

This won't affect me,  I thought, attempting to push away the oppressive weight of the atmosphere. Still, one concern gnawed at me—I needed to attract as little attention as possible. Ideally, activating my head armor would shield my identity entirely, reducing the chance of being recognized to zero. But doing so now would undoubtedly draw even more eyes toward me, and that was something I couldn't risk.

Elysia emerged from the discussion, accompanied by two or three others. Her steps were steady, her expression as unreadable as ever.

"What's the plan?" Lyra asked, her voice tinged with apprehension.

"We'll be human shields," Elysia replied in her usual calm tone.

"So… we're the front line in battle?" Tarian pressed further, his worry now more evident.

"Not exactly. Yes, we'll be on the front lines, but each of you will be assigned to someone in the vanguard. Your job is to defend them. You're forbidden to attack, and you can't move more than five meters away from the person you're assigned to."

They've literally chained us down, I thought bitterly, my mood darkening further.

"And if the person we're assigned to is eliminated, are we free then?" I asked, trying to find any loophole in this grim arrangement.

"No," Elysia said firmly. "Even then, you're not allowed to move beyond five meters from where they fell."

The little motivation we had left was crushed entirely. Despair was etched onto everyone's faces, and even I felt a wave of dread creeping in.

The other commanders had dispersed, Astrel among them. Now, he was heading directly toward us, flanked by his assistants. With each step he took, an oppressive discomfort seemed to swell, suffocating the air around us.

His target was clear—Luna. She noticed it too and instinctively began to step forward, but Elysia moved first, raising a hand to stop her. She positioned herself between Luna and Astrel, standing tall like a shield.

Astrel's expression darkened immediately. "Fuck off," he commanded, his voice low but brimming with authority.

"Use me as a shield—" Elysia began, but before she could finish, Astrel's fist drove into her abdomen. The impact was brutal, sending her to her knees as she clutched her stomach, struggling to suppress the gag reflex that followed.

"I said, fuck off," he snarled.

Ignoring her entirely, Astrel grabbed Luna by the hair and began dragging her toward the front line. Her cries of pain and pleas for him to stop were met with cold indifference as he continued, his grip unrelenting.

The rest of us watched in silent horror. Each of us was then approached by someone from Astrel's team. Some mimicked his methods, using violence to establish dominance. Others, as the persons responsible for Serena and Tarian, were spared the physical brutality, their assignments communicated through mere words.

I wasn't so lucky. Approaching me was a familiar face—Tim, a scout from Astrel's team, someone I'd met during my scout lessons.

"Today, you won't be able to escape," he said with a smirk, his tone filled with malicious satisfaction.

Tim lunged at me, his punch aiming directly for my face. His technique, however, was laughable—sloppy and riddled with openings. Tilting my head slightly, I dodged his strike effortlessly. Frustration flared on his face as he tried a follow-up attack with his knee, but I redirected it with ease, causing him to lose his balance and crash to the ground.

A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd as more eyes turned toward our confrontation. Realizing the attention he was drawing, Tim scrambled to his feet, his expression dark with humiliation.

"I just wanted to scare you a little," he hissed, his voice dripping with venom. "But now you'll be right in the center of everything. Don't think you'll get out of this unscathed."

I didn't reply, but his words weighed heavily. Even with the barrier, if someone failed to escape the combat zone, injuries—sometimes severe—were inevitable. Once an attack started, stopping it wasn't always possible, even if the target had already been eliminated.

Both armies had taken their positions, roughly two kilometers apart. My team stood exactly in the first row, dead center, with Astrel towering beside us. Luna, her face pale but defiant, was next to him, a forced participant in this nightmare.

Each of us held our weapons at the ready. Luna, carried none. Lyra and Elysia both wielded dual swords. Serena's steel whip hung menacingly at her side. Tarian gripped a mace, while Avelyn held her rapier with practiced precision. Din stood silently, a heavy sword resting in his left hand, its blade glinting ominously in the sunlight.

Suddenly, the entire battlefield, spanning approximately five square kilometers, became encased in a transparent cube. In its center, a floating wheel appeared, its segments displaying different terrain types. The wheel spun rapidly, the sections blurring together until it finally slowed and stopped on Open Field.

The ground beneath us began to shift. The once-flat terrain morphed with subtle deformations—small mounds and dips appearing across the battlefield. The grass vanished entirely, replaced by dry, crumbling earth, a lifeless and barren expanse. The sun remained fixed overhead, its rays casting harsh shadows over the desolate land.

A loud, resonating signal marked the start of the battle. From above, two glowing bars appeared—one red and one blue—both at 100%, representing the health of each army.

The armies began advancing toward one another, the tension palpable in the air. At the forefront were the leaders, Nero and Astrel, moving steadily toward the centerline.

I, shackled to my five-meter radius around Tim, could only follow. The weight of this pointless restriction was unbearable. I was tethered to what felt like useless baggage, forced to march toward chaos while others carried out their roles freely.

As the two armies closed in, the vast expanse of dry earth echoed the heavy footsteps of soldiers, the clinking of weapons, and the distant, guttural cries of determination. A storm was brewing, and we were standing directly in its path.