CHAPTER 73: EX 73 . RIVALRY

As the call connected, the holographic screen on Vanguard Rebecca’s desk flickered to life, revealing a stunning woman lounging casually in an ornate chair. Her chestnut-brown hair cascaded in effortless waves, and her velvet brown eyes gleamed with mirth.

The playful smirk on her lips said everything before she even opened her mouth.

"Sky Whale, how did the selection go? I heard a demon crashed your little party."

Rebecca’s eyebrow twitched.

As her jaw clenched and her teeth ground like grinding gears.

"I told you," she growled through gritted teeth, "Stop calling me that."

Raven blinked, putting on the most exaggerated innocent face imaginable.

"Which one? The Sky... or the Whale?"

SLAM!

Rebecca’s palm came down on the desk like a war hammer, shaking her terminal.

"STOP IT, RAVEN!"

On the other end, Raven Stone threw her head back and burst into laughter, her voice ringing with unfiltered amusement. She laughed so hard she nearly fell out of frame, brushing a nonexistent tear from her eye when she recovered.

"Ah, Rebecca," she said between chuckles, "you really never change."

Rebecca leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, silently wondering if she’d get court-martialed for strangling a fellow Rank 1 noble through a hologram.

"Why does she always have to be such a bitch,"

she muttered internally.

The history between them was long and full of flame.

Rebecca Sky of the Western Sector’s Sky family, and Raven Stone of the Western Sector’s Stone family. Both Rank 1 nobles. Both top talents in their generation. And unfortunately... both raised in a world that ensured their paths would constantly collide.

The problem? Their personalities were like oil and fire.

Rebecca was iron-bound discipline and blunt force.

While Raven was a laid-back troublemaker with a tongue sharper than a blade.

Their relationship was a warzone of clashing philosophies, endless arguments, and duels with no clear victor.

"Anyway," Raven said, sobering just a little, "on a serious note, what did happen during the Selection? I got a report about a demon incursion, but details were vague."

Rebecca opened her mouth, ready to say something snarky, but stopped herself. Her eyes narrowed as a devilish glint sparked to life behind them.

’Wait a minute...’

’This is the perfect chance to pay her back for our last duel.’

Her frown turned into a sly smirk and her voice suddenly became sweet.

"Oh, it would be my pleasure, Raven."

Raven’s smile instantly froze.

Her expression twitched, like a sixth sense had just kicked in.

She narrowed her eyes at the screen.

’...What’s this bitch up to now?’

Rebecca’s smirk only widened.

This conversation was about to get very interesting.

****

Rebecca leaned back in her chair, a smug glint in her sharp blue eyes as she began her tale with the dramatic flair of a seasoned storyteller.

"An S-rank demon, managed to deceive one of the cadets... convinced the fool to sacrifice Himself in a summoning ritual."

Across the screen, Raven’s teasing smirk faded instantly. Her spine straightened, and her velvet-brown eyes narrowed with sudden focus.

Rebecca continued, her tone steady but laced with underlying tension.

"I gathered multiple reports from surviving cadets. And after cross-checking the stories, it became clear the demon didn’t appear just to cause chaos, it was after someone."

She paused.

No, she savored the moment, reaching over to pick up her cup of herbal tea and taking a long, deliberate sip.

Raven’s fingers twitched at her side.

"And?" she pressed, unable to hide the edge of irritation in her voice.

Rebecca gently set the cup down, smiling like a fox who had just cornered a rabbit.

"Hold your high horses, Raven."

Raven clenched her jaw. She hated that tone. That smug, slow, patronizing tone Rebecca always used when she had something juicy and knew exactly how to drag it out.

But there was nothing she could do, except glare.

Finally, Rebecca tapped a finger against the rim of her now-empty teacup and said,

"Where was I again?"

A vein pulsed visibly on Raven’s temple.

"You were saying," she said with barely-contained restraint, "how the demon was after someone."

Rebecca snapped her fingers, grinning as if she’d just remembered a forgotten something important.

"Right! Thank you, Raven. The demon wasn’t just attacking at random, it was targeting the top cadets of this year’s selection. Quite the ambitious one, don’t you think?"

Then, leaning forward, she added with a touch of glee,

"Luckily for me... the brat ended up in my base."

Raven’s eyes widened, her lips parting in disbelief.

"What?" she asked, stunned. "That’s impossible."

Rebecca’s internal monologue was already celebrating.

"Got you now, bitch. Eat your heart out."

But before she could savor her victory, Raven’s next words slammed into her like a brick wall.

"Then why... why was I tasked with protecting him?"

Rebecca blinked.

Her pupils dilated. Her breath caught.

"...What?" she said, voice dropping flat.

Raven stared at her, just as confused.

Rebecca, after shaking off her shock, straightened her posture and narrowed her eyes at the screen.

"Raven," she said with uncharacteristic seriousness, "what do you mean you were tasked with protecting him?"

Normally, Raven would’ve jumped at the opportunity to mock Rebecca, to toss in a well-placed jab about how she didn’t understand something so simple but even she knew when to put the jokes aside after all she was as confused.

"I received a directive straight from the capital. It stated I was to oversee and protect a cadet during his deployment. I assumed he’d be sent to my base."

Rebecca’s expression darkened, a cold premonition crawling down her spine. Something was off.

"Send it," she ordered.

Raven didn’t argue. She quickly forwarded the directive, her usual smugness replaced by a rare flicker of concern.

Rebecca pulled up the message the moment it arrived and began scanning it. Her lips moved silently as she read.

"Oh no... this can’t be," she muttered.

Raven, hearing that, leaned in toward the screen. "What? What did it say?"

Rebecca didn’t respond immediately. She just kept reading, eyes going wider with each line until she stopped altogether and stared at the screen like she’d seen a ghost.

"How far did you even read the directive?" Rebecca asked slowly, turning her gaze back toward Raven.

Raven scratched her cheek, averting her eyes with a guilty smile. "Just the important parts..."

Rebecca buried her face in her hands.

"Fuck..." she whispered, dragging the word like it physically hurt to say. "Why can’t you be serious for once?"

Raven could now clearly see the sheer dread carved into Rebecca’s face, like someone had drained the very life from her.

"Okay, okay, stop being dramatic and just tell me what it says!"

Rebecca lowered her hands, exhaled long and hard, and then looked Raven dead in the eyes.

"...It’s a joint mission."

Raven’s chair screeched as she shot up from her seat.

"It can’t be," she gasped.

Rebecca nodded grimly. "You were assigned to my base. And the both of us... we’re tasked with protecting the boy."

Raven slammed her desk with both hands. "No! Anything but this!"

Rebecca sat back, arms folded and face pale with disbelief.

In the silence that followed, she muttered to herself,

"What did I do in my past life... to deserve this?"

...

A/N: That’s it for the mass release. And also, I wanted to do something special for you guys! I’ll be creating a character bearing the same name as my number one fan. So, if you’re my top fan before this week’s end, be expecting your name in my book. Depending on how this week goes, I’ll be doing the same thing week by week.