Ken was completely fine with letting the arrogant Prince take all the credit. He did not want the glory. He did not want the applause. He just wanted the loud noises to stop.
"Go ahead, shiny lightning guy," Ken mumbled lazily under his breath. He leaned back and closed his sleepy eyes. "Finish the boss. Claim your points. I am officially going on my lunch break. This episode is finally over."
---
The dark clouds swirled high above the ruined plaza. Yellow lightning flashed inside the storm. Zeus Belmontia stood in the center of a massive crater. He lowered his right fist. He stared down at the giant Bug King. The monster lay flat on the dirt. A giant crack spread across its dark purple chest shell.
Zeus raised his right hand toward the sky. He prepared to call down a final lightning bolt. He wanted to erase the monster completely.
"It is over," Zeus announced coldly. His voice echoed across the quiet street. "You are finished."
But the Bug King was not finished.
The giant monster let out a bubbling, wet hiss. Toxic green liquid dripped from its jaws. The glowing red eyes burned brightly again. The beast pushed its massive scythe arms against the ground. It forced its huge body upward. It refused to die.
The dark purple shell began to glow. A sickening green light pulsed inside the giant crack. The broken armor started to knit itself back together. Thick, magical vines stitched the shell closed. The monster was regenerating.
Zeus lowered his hand. His pale face turned into a strict scowl. He looked incredibly annoyed.
"You are very stubborn," Zeus stated flatly. "That is a massive mistake."
Ken Eliot sat on a broken piece of concrete. He watched the monster stand up. He slouched his shoulders. He reached into his pocket. He pulled out a fresh bag of chocolate chip cookies. He opened the plastic bag. He took a cookie. He popped it into his mouth.
Crunch. Crunch.
"This is classic video game design," Ken mumbled lazily to himself. He swallowed the cookie. "You drain the boss health bar to zero. You think you won. Then the music changes. The boss suddenly gets all its health back. Phase two officially starts. It is incredibly tedious. The developers just want to waste our time."
Naomi stood a few feet away. She held her twin silver daggers. She turned her head and looked at Ken. She smiled a very warm, bright smile. She walked over to him.
"Are you eating cookies now?" Naomi asked softly. Her green eyes sparkled with genuine affection. "You just finished an entire bag of candy. Your stomach is a bottomless pit."
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Ken gave her a goofy, relaxed grin. "Cookies are an excellent source of energy, Naomi. I need to keep my strength up. Watching people fight is very exhausting. Do you want a cookie? They have extra chocolate chips."
Naomi chuckled quietly. She reached into the bag. She took a cookie. She took a small bite. "Thank you, Ken. Just stay seated. The 1st Prince has to finish his fight."
Laxmi stood near the rock wall. The fire user bounced on her toes. She punched her open palm. Bright orange flames popped around her fingers. She looked incredibly excited.
"The bug is getting back up!" Laxmi cheered loudly. "Let me go out there! I can help him! I want to roast the giant bug! I have a brand new fire punch ready!"
Zinia reached out and grabbed Laxmi's shoulder. The strong earth mage shook her head. "Stay here, Laxmi. The 1st Prince does not want our help. He wants all the glory for himself. We will just watch."
Sayma sat on a clean stone. The intelligent Vice-Captain pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She opened her neat notebook. She clicked her pen rapidly.
"The monster is exhibiting rapid cellular regeneration," Sayma observed politely. She wrote a quick note. "The toxic magic is repairing its armor. Its defensive stats are increasing significantly. This will be a difficult challenge for Prince Zeus."
Ira stood perfectly still next to Sayma. Her pale face showed zero emotion. "Statistically speaking, rapid regeneration consumes a massive amount of internal mana. The monster will eventually exhaust its energy supply. It is a battle of attrition."
Luna lay flat on the grass. The lightning user rubbed her sleepy eyes. A knitted blanket covered her shoulders. She let out a massive, dramatic yawn.
"This fight is taking way too long," Luna complained lazily. "I want to go back to my bed. My pillow is very lonely. Can they just speed this up?"
Risa hid behind the stone wall. The sweet pink-haired healer hugged her stuffed teddy bear tightly. She peeked around the corner. She looked very nervous. "The bug looks very angry now. I hope it does not come over here."
Princess Iris stood at the front of the group. The violet-eyed royal held her silver rapier. She watched her older brother carefully. She knew Zeus possessed incredible power. She knew he would not lose.
Across the plaza, Princess Hestia watched the battle. The 2nd Princess wore a pristine white silk dress. She crossed her arms. She looked incredibly bored.
"Zeus is so inefficient," Princess Hestia scoffed. She smoothed a tiny wrinkle on her sleeve. "He relies entirely on brute force. He lacks elegance. My unit would have frozen that creature instantly."
Elma stood right behind Hestia. The blonde swordswoman wore her spotless white and gold uniform. She gripped her twin silver swords. She looked across the ruined plaza. Her blue eyes landed directly on Ken.
Ken was currently trying to balance a cookie on his nose. The cookie fell onto his lap. He groaned lazily and ate it.
Elma’s cheeks instantly turned a vibrant shade of pink. Her heart did a sudden, fast flip. She quickly looked away. She stared very hard at a broken streetlamp. She tried to hide her blush from her teammates.
The Bug King roared a deafening roar. The sound shook the remaining glass windows in the city. The monster raised its six massive legs. It charged straight toward Zeus.
Zeus did not flinch. He raised his fists. Bright yellow electricity cracked violently around his hands. He dashed forward. A loud sonic boom echoed across the street. He moved with blistering speed.
The two giants clashed in the center of the crater.
The Bug King swung its massive scythe arm. The jagged blade sliced through the air. It aimed directly for Zeus's head.
Zeus ducked smoothly under the blade. He spun his body. He drove a lightning-infused punch into the monster's knee. The impact sounded like a bomb. Yellow sparks flew everywhere. The monster stumbled. It did not fall. The regenerated armor absorbed the blow perfectly.
The monster opened its jaws. It sprayed a wide wave of toxic green acid.
Zeus teleported instantly. He used his spatial magic. He vanished from the ground. He appeared high in the air above the monster. He raised his right leg. He brought his boot down in a brutal axe kick.
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