I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 178: Alliance Quest (3)

Those in the Blue Army leisurely observed the White Army’s formation.

The cadets of the Blue Army wore faint smiles, their faces already filled with confidence in their victory.

And it was no wonder.

The White Army had thirty members, with only four being second or third-year cadets.

Moreover, there was only one third-year cadet, Goetz Röthen.

In other words, most of the upper-ranking second and third-year cadets were in the Blue Army.

If there was any silver lining for the White Army, it was that many of the upper-ranking 50th-generation cadets were among their thirty members.

Nevertheless, no one could deny that the composition was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for the White Army.

However, Coco, as if there were no further announcements or interventions needed, handed the list back to the bespectacled man.

Satisfied with the early conclusion of the task, she looked at those who had not been called.

“What are you doing? Not getting into your positions?”

At Coco’s annoyed gesture, the remaining first, second, and third-year cadets sluggishly entered the White Army’s formation.

Their expressions resembled those of defeated soldiers.

Thus concluded the team division.

Clap!

When Coco clapped her hands, infused with mana, the attention of both the White and Blue Armies shifted to her.

“Now that the teams are divided, I’ll explain the actual rules. This quest is called the Bingo (bingo) Conquest Battle. You’ve all played bingo as kids, right? The rules are somewhat similar

to what you already know. The winning condition of this quest is to make a line of bingo with five squares first. Simple, isn’t it?”

Many question marks appeared above their heads at her explanation.

The explanation was quite lacking.

‘A conquest battle… but bingo?’

‘What is she talking about?’

As confusion spread, Coco snapped her fingers, and a Black Sword Corps member pulled out a sheet of paper from his coat and unfolded it.

Drawn on it was a 5×5 square grid.

A large square formed by 25 smaller squares.

Coco tapped it lightly with her fingertip.

“Once I finish explaining, you’ll move to a special area. There, you’ll be fighting fiercely to take control of these 25 squares.”

As she finished speaking, a small leather pouch was handed to both armies.

“Inside are 25 hourglasses, each set for 30 minutes, which are essential for the conquest. I don’t think I need to explain what that means. If you don’t get it, ask the smart ones in your team. Oh, and if they break, we won’t replace them, so take good care of them.”

Coco winked with one eye.

Yuri chuckled slightly at this.

His mind began to work intensely.

‘The purpose of the 30-minute hourglass… It’s obvious that you need to hold a zone for 30 minutes for it to count as conquered.’

With his hands in his pockets, Yuri stared at the leather pouch containing the hourglasses.

‘I expected this wouldn’t be an ordinary conquest battle… but it seems even more troublesome than I thought.’

This quest combined elements of the bingo game from childhood with a typical conquest battle.

‘We need to distribute our 150 members strategically to take control of 25 small zones…’

Moreover, they couldn’t just capture any zone haphazardly.

They needed to conquer zones in a way that created a line of five squares.

This meant that not only were the battles at each individual zone crucial, but the overall strategic maneuvering across the entire board was equally important.

‘This is truly deserving of the title Union Quest, given how challenging it is.’

With cadets from all three generations participating, the difficulty level spiked dramatically.

And this meant…

‘The rewards will be substantial!’

With anticipation, Yuri looked at Coco.

And he wasn’t the only one brimming with anticipation.

To be exact, Yuri was the only one in the White Army eager for the reward.

Meanwhile, on the Blue Army side, those who were already confident of their victory stared at Coco with the same eager eyes as Yuri.

Coco noticed the bright eyes directed at her and smiled slightly.

It was a smile that seemed to say, “I know exactly what you want.”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“Oh, I didn’t tell you? The reward for this quest is…”

The room’s attention intensified to the extreme.

‘This is a Union Quest involving all three generations… the reward must be great.’

‘What kind of reward could it be?’

As the cadets’ expectations peaked, Coco grinned broadly.

“It’s a secret.”

“……?”

As soon as she finished, question marks popped up above the cadets’ heads.

This was the first time that the quest reward was kept secret, surprising even the 49th and 48th-generation cadets, not just the 50th.

However, before anyone could raise objections,

“I’m done here! Good luck with the quest, everyone!”

Whoosh!

Blowing out a puff of smoke, Coco waved her hand and turned away.

“…….”

All 300 pairs of eyes watched her walk away in bewilderment.

“We’re moving. White Army and Blue Army, follow your respective leaders promptly!”

At the square-jawed Black Sword Corps member’s command, the leaders guided the White and Blue Armies.

Thus, centered around the North Clock Tower, the White and Blue Armies split apart, each turning their backs on the other.

The White Army followed their leader, running for quite a while until they reached a black ship.

The black ship, carrying the White Army, started slicing through the water, flying a white flag.

Inside the black ship carrying the White Army.

A heavy silence filled the air.

Scattered across the black ship were 150 cadets of the White Army.

Most of them wore defeated expressions, despite the quest not even starting yet.

Perhaps due to the atmosphere, the white flag fluttering at the top of the mast looked as if it were signaling surrender.

Of course, not everyone felt that way.

“Hey, get away from me!”

A loud shout suddenly erupted inside the black ship.

The voice, echoing louder than usual due to the silence, drew the attention of the entire room.

Their expressions shifted as if saying, ‘Of course, it wouldn’t stay quiet.’

Interestingly, those expressions were directed at two different individuals.

First, the gaze of the 48th generation.

“Haha, where would I go, Owl? Even if I went somewhere, it’d still be on this black ship, right?”

As always, the source of the commotion was Goetz. The 48th generation looked at him with disinterest, as if they were used to it.

Then, the gaze of the 50th generation.

Their eyes were fixed on Yuri, who was glaring with clear irritation.

“Damn it… seriously…”

Seeing Yuri’s annoyed expression, the 50th generation wore faces that said, ‘What’s up with him now?’

So, as the two problem cadets from the 48th and 50th generations faced each other, the once-quiet black ship quickly grew noisy.

“In this vast black ship, out of all the spaces, why did you have to come here?”

“Well, of course, I’m here because this is where I’m supposed to be, Owl.”

Speaking softly, Goetz slightly bent his upper body behind Yuri.

“You’re as beautiful as ever today, Miss Theresia.”

One hand placed behind his back.

The other resting on his chest.

Theresia gripped her spear tightly, her eyes full of wariness at Goetz’s noble and graceful greeting.

Then, she subtly moved to hide behind Yuri.

Despite her reaction, Goetz paid no mind and turned his head slightly to the side.

“Ahh…”

Goetz appeared to be moved by something, showing a gentle smile that revealed his white teeth.

“It has been a while, Blue Rose… Your brilliance remains unchanged, so much so that I am almost blinded. Might I be granted the honor of hearing your name today?”

Receiving Goetz’s affectionate gaze, Arin shivered and, like Theresia, hid behind Yuri.

Because of this, Goetz’s gaze, which was following Arin, landed on Yuri, who was in between.

Swish-

Yuri drew his sword halfway.

“If you don’t get rid of those creepy eyes right now, you’ll be blinded, not by the brilliance of the Blue Rose, but by my blade.”

Whether the threat worked or not, Goetz’s gaze shifted slightly.

Yuri, annoyed, turned to the people hiding behind him.

“Damn it! Why do you keep hiding behind me?”

Theresia was the first to respond.

“A madman…”

Arin immediately picked up where she left off.

“…must be stopped by another madman!”

Unwillingly becoming a shield against lunatics, Yuri sighed, looked at Goetz, and waved his hand dismissively.

“Ha… Forget it. Go gather some people.”

“People? What people?”

“I want to hold a strategy meeting about this quest, so gather some of the 48th-generation members.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Why me?”

“Being called right after that guy Gunther means you’re second in rank among the 48th generation, doesn’t it?”

“Seems so.”

“Then you should have some influence among the 48th generation. I’ll handle the 50th and 49th generations with Tessa, so you bring a few from the 48th.”

Goetz’s face twisted strangely as soon as Yuri finished speaking.

“…Influence? Me?”

He looked as though he was hearing something for the first time in his life.

And it wasn’t just him.

The 48th-generation cadets observing the situation also showed uncomfortable expressions.

Goetz burst into a laugh, amused.

“Haha! Owl, it seems you don’t know me well yet. I’m not the kind of person who exerts that kind of influence over others…”

“Aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“What? I thought you were at least a supporting character among the 48th generation, but you’re just a random background extra?”

“…Still, I’m extra number one among the extras that go up to number 100!”

Some have said that the 48th generation was the most united among all generations.

But Goetz disagreed.

He nodded to his own expression.

“Extras up to number 100… There’s no better way to describe the situation of the 48th generation.”

The cadets of the 48th generation were just common extras, tirelessly moving on the stage solely for the main character, Gunther Ryder.

“Alright, go find some other influential extras and bring them here for the strategy meeting.”

“Hmm…”

As Yuri continued to urge him, Goetz scratched his cheek.

Seeing Yuri’s determined gaze, he put on a serious expression for the first time.

“Owl, you…”

“What?”

“Do you really think we can win this quest?”

Yuri responded, sounding incredulous.

“Why? Is that not allowed?”

“Are you sure you know what our situation is?”

“What about it?”

Goetz sighed lightly at the question.

As if to remind everyone of what the White Army already knew, he spoke loudly.

“We’re overwhelmingly disadvantaged. All the top-ranking second and third-year cadets are in the Blue Army, so the difference in individual capabilities is beyond words. And above all, they have him…”

At the mention of “him,” a heavy silence fell among the 48th generation.

Goetz, his expression briefly devoid of emotion, continued.

“Among the many children of the Sword Master, the one who has inherited his father’s talents the most… that Gunther Ryder.”

As if asking, ‘Do you still not get it?’ Goetz’s gaze met Yuri’s, who responded in a flat voice.

“So what?”

“……”

“Our side is at a disadvantage, and that guy Gunther is over there, so you’re saying we should just give up without even trying?”

Yuri’s eyes turned cold.

Naturally, his voice carried a chill as well.

“Sure, losing is a part of life. How can anyone win all the time? But declaring defeat without even trying?”

Yuri’s pointed remark caused the 48th-generation cadets’ expressions to stiffen.

Even knowing this, Yuri’s tone grew harsher.

“What the hell kind of loser mindset is that?”

He was ready to face defeat as many times as necessary.

But Yuri had engraved the principle of indomitability—never letting his spirit break because of it—deep into his heart.

He despised the attitude expressed by Goetz and the 48th-generation cadets who agreed with him.

It was evident in Yuri’s voice.

One of the 48th-generation cadets, filled with a faint murderous intent, spoke up.

“Watch your mouth. You’ve never even faced Gunther Ryder, so you don’t know what kind of monster he is.”

This person’s murderous intent was mixed with frustration and resentment.

But of course, Yuri wasn’t someone who would sympathize with such feelings.

“Yeah, I haven’t faced him, so I don’t know. That’s why I want to face him this time. What kind of guy is this Gunther that has made the entire 48th generation act like scared puppies?”

“You little bastard dares to insult his seniors…!”

Just as another cadet was about to flare up, Yuri’s powerful presence immediately overwhelmed everyone.

“And I!”

The intense force behind his voice grabbed everyone’s attention in an uncanny way.

Amid the gazes directed at him, Yuri smiled with his eyes as he continued speaking.

“I don’t particularly think we’re going to lose. What do you think, our strategist?”

Yuri’s gaze turned to a corner of the black ship.

Following his gaze, everyone else turned their heads as well.

And they saw her.

A white-haired girl with red eyes, blinking repeatedly.