"What you've got to be kidding me. You want to get us killed?" Ethan asked, staring at Gloria.
"Relax, we're going to enter. I assure you," she said.
"Isn't Helios War Academy the number one academy in the entire Stellar Nexus (human-controlled constellation)?" Freddy asked.
"Yeah. And one where ten thousand people apply for the test, but to even get an entry your aspect has to be A+ or above," Ethan said. He dropped his meatloaf and looked at Gloria. "And according to rumors, only ten percent even make it through. They say the tests are tough as fuck."
"Damn," Freddy muttered.
"Look guys, we have to do anything possible to be high-ranking and powerful. You don't want to be mediocre your whole life," Gloria said, her eyes fixed on Freddy.
"Well, too much of everything isn't good," Freddy replied.
Ethan kept quiet for a while, thinking. Yeah, he had a solid plan—he was already thinking of taking down the military from the inside. To do that, he had to be a high-ranking officer or an outstanding student who could access military secrets. He couldn't do that in some low-rank academy. He needed to be in the best.
The military was bigger than anything you could imagine. They were ranked number three in power across the entire Nexus constellation. Taking them down wasn't something one could do overnight. They had Supremes that could squash hundreds of Transcendents without batting an eye.
"Fine. I'll go with you. But we must stick together. The entrance exam for Helios War Academy is no joke. It's said that every decade a Supreme is born there," Ethan said.
"Good. Thanks for agreeing, Ethan. I think you knew about Helios all along," Gloria said.
Why wouldn't Ethan know? In his past life, he'd seen many failed students from there join Vanguard or other guilds. He knew the place too well.
"They say the head of the school, unlike any other academy, is a Supreme. And it's also the academy that bred the lost hero, Sam Axion. It was established before the xeridians invasion " Ethan said.
"Good. Then it's settled. Cheers to us becoming Supremes in the future," Gloria said, raising her cup.
"Cheers!" they echoed, raising theirs.
"Well Freddy, are you okay with this?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah, buddy. Anywhere you go, I follow. Besides, who wants to be mediocre?" Freddy grinned.
"Good." Ethan leaned back, taking another sip of his drink. But then his nose twitched. Something was off.
A man with long dark hair walked in, pushing a tray stacked with luxurious dishes.
"Woah, did someone order more food? I'm already full," Freddy said.
"Well, we're heading into a bitter environment soon. Might as well get fat and eat well now. What do you say?" Ethan asked.
"Anything my bro says," Freddy chuckled, passing Ethan a plate of sushi.
The sushi was costly as hell. Ethan swallowed it in one bite.
[Warning: You have consumed a heavily poisoned substance.]
[The substance has been neutralized. It will be converted into stat points in the next 3 hours.]
"Damn, this sushi is too good," Ethan said, already reaching for Freddy's plate.
"C'mon Ethan, you had yours!" Freddy sulked.
Ethan grinned and snatched it anyway, chewing like a greedy tycoon.
[Warning: You have consumed a heavily poisoned substance.]
[The substance has been neutralized. It will be converted into stat points in the next 3 hours.]
"Just as expected," Ethan thought, noticing the waiter's shifting expression.
Gloria was too busy typing on her phone to notice.
"Goddammit. Your assassin skills are trash. Come here, let me show you how to do it properly," Ethan mocked, laughing.
The man's face darkened. He dropped his apron. A butcher's knife flashed in the air, aimed for Gloria's neck.
But before it struck, it met with a terrifying katana the Death Blade. Its hilt was embedded with reptilian eyeballs, glowing with a wild energy.
"Foolish child, how dare you ruin my plan. Die!" the man snarled, stripping off his clothes to reveal armor beneath.
Gloria and Freddy froze in shock, scrambling aside.
Ethan rested the blade on his shoulder, calm as ever. "Are you blaming me for your mediocre talent? Too bad for you,it's Ethan Sylvester on duty today. You might've succeeded against her other bodyguards."
Their energy exploded as they clashed.
BANG.
Two strikes and the whole room shook. BOOM.
"What are you—an Ascended?!" the assassin gasped, feeling Ethan's power.
"Just shut up and die," Ethan grunted, his speed blurring.
The alarms blared through the hotel.
"You see… anytime I draw this blade, it must taste blood before I sheathe it. So you die here today," Ethan said, activating Star Sword Technique, Level 1.
The assassin felt suffocated. His body froze he couldn't move. Couldn't even see the strike coming. The Death Blade moved like stars weaving together in the night sky.
BANG.
The assassin's head rolled, spinning midair, shock still carved on his face. His head broke through the vip window as it landed in a bowl of soup of a fine first class female.
"AHHHHHH!" she screamed.
Ethan calmly sheathed his blade. "Come on. We've got to move more are coming."
Gloria was fuming with rage who dared to try and assassinate her? Freddy just stared at Ethan, admiration in his eyes. So much had changed.
"Now's not the time," Ethan said as they rushed downstairs.
"Damn, the security in your fancy restaurant is trash. I don't see a single agent worth a damn," Ethan muttered. Gloria snorted.
He thought about his old vehicle. It had been crushed during the dungeon break, covered in sacred beast blood and gore. Barely recognizable anymore.
Spotting a hovering first-class car nearby, Ethan didn't hesitate. He ripped the door off like it was paper.
"Get in. Go home. I'll see you both the day we depart for Helios," Ethan said.
"That's next week Monday. You better be ready," Gloria said, glaring.
"You too. And don't forget my raise. I've got risk management to handle," Ethan smirked.
Freddy hit the accelerator, the sleek car vanishing in a flash of light.
But as they sped off, a bulky man sprinted toward them faster than anyone his size should've been.
But the car was a first class car it speed outlived the bulky guy.
"That's it, boy. You're dead!" he roared. His thick brows twisted into a V-shape as he closed in.
But before he reached Ethan, the spot where Ethan stood was empty.
"Sorry, I've got a job to do," Ethan's voice whispered.
BANG COUGH
The man's eyes widened.As he coughed out blood . He looked down. His heart was missing.