"Hiding behind rocks is very exhausting!" Ken argued cheerfully. He popped another potato chip into his mouth. He chewed it quickly. "You have to find the right rock. You have to make sure the rock does not have any bugs on it. It requires intense mental focus."
Ken pointed a lazy finger at Laxmi. He used his ultimate, goofy anime logic to explain the situation.
"You guys do not understand how story arcs work," Ken stated proudly. "This is a classic anime trope. The main tournament arc always gets interrupted. It is a totally mandatory plot device. Some random villain always attacks the stadium, or a massive global crisis happens. The judges pause the matches. Everyone goes home. The tournament gets put on hold indefinitely."
Laxmi crossed her arms. She pouted. "But I wanted to use my new fire punch technique! I practiced it all week!"
"You can punch a tree later," Ken consoled her lazily. He leaned back against the cushions. He slouched his shoulders again. "Right now, we enter the filler episode phase. Filler episodes are the absolute best. We do not have any plot progression. We just do normal, everyday things. We can go to the beach. We can visit a hot spring. A hot spring episode is totally mandatory for our team morale. We just sit in warm water and eat snacks."
Naomi rolled her eyes, but her warm smile remained. "We are not going to a hot spring, farm boy. We are staying right here."
"A boy can dream," Ken sighed happily. He ate another chip. "A temporary suspension means zero stress. I am going to maximize my couch time. I am going to achieve a new level of laziness. I might even take two naps today."
Princess Iris smiled softly at her chaotic team. The news was very surprising, but she felt a profound sense of relief. Her team had fought incredibly hard. They deserved a break. The Succession War was paused. The deadly battles were put on hold. The 13th Unit could finally relax completely.
Ken smiled his goofy smile. He felt entirely safe. He did not care why the Emperor paused the war. He only cared about his free time. He closed his eyes. He prepared to take a very long, very peaceful nap.
---
The atmosphere was completely different on the other side of the capital city.
The 1st Prince, Zeus Belmontia, stood in the center of a massive, private training arena. The arena was located deep inside his luxurious mansion. The walls were made of thick, solid gray stone. The floor was covered in burnt cobblestones.
Zeus looked incredibly imposing. He was a very tall, broad-shouldered man. He wore his pristine white military uniform. His platinum blonde hair was cut in a sharp, strict military style. His green eyes burned with intense, unfiltered power.
He raised his right hand. He pointed his palm at a row of solid stone training dummies.
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"Ionized Storm," Zeus commanded coldly.
A brilliant, blinding flash of yellow electricity erupted from his hand. The lightning bolted across the training arena. It cracked loudly through the air. The sound was totally deafening. It sounded like a massive thunderclap.
The lightning slammed directly into the stone targets. The solid rock exploded instantly. The dummies shattered into a million tiny pieces. Gray dust and debris rained down onto the floor. The smell of ozone filled the room. Sparks of electricity popped around his polished black boots.
Zeus lowered his hand. He did not smile. He did not look satisfied. He demanded absolute perfection. He viewed himself as the only rightful Emperor. He wanted to crush every single rival in the Succession War.
A set of tall wooden doors opened at the edge of the arena.
An elite guard walked into the room. The guard wore shiny silver armor. He held a small silver tray. A golden envelope rested on the tray. The envelope featured the bright red wax seal of the Upper Council.
The guard walked briskly toward the 1st Prince. The guard stopped ten feet away. He bowed his head deeply. He showed ultimate respect.
"My Prince," the guard stated formally. "An urgent messenger arrived from the Imperial Palace. He delivered this official decree from the Upper Council. It was sent to all royal candidates."
Zeus turned his cold green eyes toward the guard. He did not say a word. He simply reached out and took the golden envelope. He broke the red wax seal with his thumb. He pulled out the white parchment. He unfolded the paper.
He read the text silently. He read the exact same message Princess Iris had received. The Succession War was temporarily suspended.
Zeus did not look surprised. He did not look relieved. He looked incredibly, profoundly annoyed.
His face hardened into a strict, angry scowl. His jaw clenched tightly. His green eyes flashed with sudden, dangerous electrical energy.
"Suspended," Zeus whispered coldly. His deep voice echoed in the ruined training arena. "They suspended the war."
Zeus tightened his grip on the white paper. He crushed the official document in his hand. He crumbled it into a tight ball.
Yellow sparks of lightning ignited around his fist. The raw electrical energy burned the paper instantly. The document turned black. It caught on fire. It dissolved into dark gray ash. The ash drifted out of his hand and fell onto the cobblestones.
Zeus was furious. He did not want a break. He did not want a pause.
"This is an absolute insult to my power," Zeus declared fiercely. He glared at the empty space in front of him. "I am the strongest candidate. I possess overwhelming military might. I am currently dominating the leaderboard. I want to crush my rivals today. I want to secure the throne right now."
He paced across the stone floor. The yellow sparks continued to pop around his boots.
"A temporary suspension halts my momentum," Zeus complained angrily. "It gives the weaker factions time to recover. It gives them time to scheme and plot in the shadows. The Upper Council is showing weakness. They fear the chaos of true combat. They pause the war because they cannot handle the pressure."
Zeus stopped pacing. He crossed his arms over his chest. He radiated an aura of strict, absolute authority. He hated waiting. He hated delays. He believed weakness needed to be eliminated immediately.
"I will not tolerate this delay," Zeus ordered coldly. He looked at his kneeling guard. "We will not rest. We will double our training protocols. We will increase our military patrols. When the suspension lifts, I will eradicate the other units completely. I will show them absolute destruction."
The guard bowed even lower. "Yes, My Prince. Your will is absolute."
Zeus turned his back. He stared at the shattered stone dummies. He wanted to fight. He wanted to conquer. The suspension letter only fueled his intense, burning desire for total victory.
Meanwhile, in a completely different sector of the Inner City, a vastly different reaction occurred.
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