Battle Of Planets

Chapter 90 Prank
Albert’s office was eerily quiet. The only sound was Justin’s rhythmic pacing, his frustration evident in every step. Meanwhile, Albert stood by the window, gazing out at the sprawling city below.”Chakra, huh?” Albert finally broke the silence. ”We’ve never seen a weapon like that before—not even Max or Julian.”

”You’re worried about the weapon?” Justin scoffed. ”He’s controlling it with his fingers, Father. He doesn’t even need to move—it’s like telekinesis!”

Albert remained thoughtful. ”I doubt it’s telekinesis. Have you seen him control anything besides his own weapon? Did he even attempt to control Mark’s sword?”

Justin hesitated before shaking his head. ”No, he didn’t. It was just his chakra.”

”Exactly.” Albert turned to face his son.

Justin exhaled sharply, trying to mask his unease. ”So there are limits to that freak?”

Albert smiled. ”Of course. No one is invincible, no matter how strong they are. And that’s why I’ve allowed him to get closer to Steve.”

Justin’s smirk returned. ”So you kept Steve alive just to use him as leverage in the future? That’s brilliant, Dad.”

Albert leaned against his desk, his expression sharp. ”Remember, son—mind always surpasses strength.”

Justin nodded, absorbing the lesson.

”For now, focus on your task—Nancy. She’s the most valuable piece on the board. We need her under our control.”

”I’ll get her,” Justin grinned. ”She belongs to me, after all.”

Albert nodded in approval. ”We can’t interfere with Ryuk’s enhancement process while Mark oversees it. They might take him away from Babylon altogether if we push too hard.”

Justin clenched his fists, understanding the weight of the situation. Letting Ryuk go had once seemed like a viable solution—sending him to another city and making him their problem. But Babylon wasn’t the endgame. Albert wanted complete dominance, especially with Julian’s deteriorating health. Once he passed, Babylon would be the second most powerful city. That wasn’t enough.

If Ryuk were allowed to grow freely elsewhere, he’d become unstoppable. Albert wouldn’t take that risk. One Max was already a problem. Strengthening Max’s side even further? That would be a disaster.

”You leave tonight,” Albert ordered. ”Everything is arranged. Be careful. Don’t reveal your identity unless absolutely necessary.”

Justin’s lips curled into a confident grin. ”I’ll get her.”

----

Elria -

”You are always busy,” Nancy complained, crossing her arms. ”I know you have duties, but you could reply to my messages at least.”

Tyson sat beside her on the garden bench, the cool night air carrying the scent of fresh flowers. Stars twinkled above, but he remained silent, lost in thought.

Annoyed, Nancy leaned in—and bit his shoulder.

”Ow!” Tyson yelped, rubbing the spot as she pulled away, pouting.

”You don’t love me anymore,” she accused dramatically.

”I do,” he tried, but she slapped his hand away.

”If you did, you wouldn’t have ignored my messages all day,” she huffed. ”Not a single reply, Tyson.”

”I’m sorry,” he said, exhaling. ”I got caught up in the simulation drills—learning all those new strategies for defending the castle and preparing for the tournament.”

Her expression softened. ”Was it hard?” She hesitated, then sighed. ”Maybe I’m overreacting. I just missed you.”

Tyson chuckled, pulling her close. ”I missed you too—maybe two times.”

She narrowed her eyes. ”Just two times?” And with that, she started playfully hitting his shoulder. ”I hate you.”

”Okay, okay! I was kidding,” he laughed. ”I missed you the whole day.”

She blushed and quickly turned away so he wouldn’t see. They sat together in comfortable silence for a few minutes before she spoke again.

”I’ll be busy this weekend,” she murmured, intertwining her fingers with his.”Schoolwork and all.”

”Then after this weekend, I will try to get out of training early,” Tyson said, squeezing her hand. ”So we can spend time together.”

She nodded, and he noticed the pendant resting against her chest. His gaze lingered a second too long.

Nancy smirked. ”Where are you looking, mister?”

”Oh, I just—” He fumbled for words, flustered, but she leaned in and stole a quick kiss before he could finish.

”You don’t have to be so dense, Tyson,” she whispered, drawing closer. ”I’m yours, and you’re mine. If you have something on your mind, ask, okay?”

He smirked. ”Oh really? Then how about spending the night here with me?”

She immediately pushed him away, laughing. ”Nice try. But no thanks, I have school tomorrow.”

”Hey, that’s not fair,” he groaned. ”You said—”

”I never said I’d agree,” she teased, linking arms with him as they walked toward the parking lot. ”Besides, you look exhausted. You need rest.”

”At least let me drive you home,” Tyson offered, opening the door of Alex’s car.

They got in, and just as he started the engine, a message popped up on the car’s dashboard screen:

Tyson, stop going on dates with girls in my car. If you do that again, I’ll tell Nancy.

Tyson froze. His heart sank.

Nancy’s eyes locked onto the screen, unblinking.

”This is not true, I swear,” he blurted. ”I barely even use this shitty car, let alone—”

Nancy’s silent, piercing glare made him shut up. ”Let’s go home, Tyson,” she said evenly, her voice unreadable. ”I’m tired. Just drive.”

Tyson gulped and pressed the gas pedal, sweat forming on his forehead. He had a very bad feeling about this.

Nancy, on the other hand, enjoyed his misery. She had finally gained something to argue with him about; otherwise, everything would be too peaceful and boring. She smiled as she looked out of the car, trying to hold back her laughter.

Alex watched his sports car, which Tyson often used without permission to drive Nancy home. But tonight, he wanted Tyson to do it, and he did so.

Alex stood by the mansion window, smirking as he bit into an apple. Perfect. Revenge was sweet. ”No one can mess with me and get away with it, Tyson. I repeat, no one.”

Just as he was basking in his victory, his phone buzzed. He glanced down and felt his stomach drop.

”Good night, my love” Seraphina’s text came in his phone. ”Oh wait... you didn’t text me first today. Interesting.”

Alex’s smirk vanished. His face paled. ”Shit.”

He had been so caught up in pranking Tyson that he completely forgot to text his future wife goodnight. Fumbling, he quickly typed a response. ”No, no, no, wait! I was just about to text you! My phone lagged!”

”Oh?” She replied the text.

He stared at the screen, waiting—praying—for a reply. Instead, three little dots appeared... then disappeared.

Alex started sweating.

Tyson was not the only one in trouble tonight; he was, too. He shoved his phone into his pocket and ran inside, cursing at himself.

----

The next day,

The dimly lit corridor buzzed with hushed conversations. A handful of rogues huddled together; some were familiar while others were new—the recently chosen meta-bot owners.

Darius stood among them, nervous. He wasn’t sure why he had followed his friends here into something as dangerous as rogue business. But the pay... it was hard to ignore.

They offered more than a Cadet’s monthly salary for just one job. Was that even possible? He had only just been selected for training, yet opportunities to earn easy money were already everywhere. The rogues promised quick cash with no long-term commitment, unlike the Rangers. All he had to do was a few odd jobs and pocket more than he ever could as a cadet.

Across the corridor, a man sat atop a rusted barrel. A deep scar ran across his hand, a mark of experience—or survival.

”Listen up, boys,” he called out, his voice echoing off the stone walls. ”Business has been slow, and we’re short on hands. That’s why I sent my people looking for fresh talent. If you’re here, that means you’re interested.”

Darius flinched. He knew why the rogues were understaffed—most had been imprisoned or killed. And yet, they were, growing again, recruiting from the shadows.

He clenched his fist. His goal was still to be a ranger, but curiosity got the better of him. He thought that just one job would allow him to become a decent man and the future hope of Elria. Nobody has to know unless something unexpected happens.

”Don’t worry,” a guy from his class said slowly, ”We will do this once and get back to being Rangers. We both need money, right?”

Derius nodded, ”Just this once; I still have a long way to go.”

The guy smiled, ”Yes, I know. Just keep quiet and follow everyone; we will get money, and we will be on our way.”

A young guy walked in with a wicked grin on his face. Two more people followed him, probably Rogues as well. ”Is this all you managed to get your hands on? Truly, Elria is weak.”

A few rogues glared at the mysterious young man, while the guy who gave a speech earlier stepped forward with a smile. ”There you are, our precious client. And these two would be your guards, right? From your city?”

”It’s none of your business” one of the guys said, who was standing behind Justin. ’ We pay you to work, not to run your mouth.”

”Calm down, friend,” Jusin smiled, taking a step forward. ”There’s no need to fight; we are in this together, as one, right, Drew?”

Drew tensed up but then sighed. ”Whatever, I don’t care about your background; just let me tell you we won’t do anything risky.”

Justine chuckled, ”Of course, all you have to do is kidnap a girl; that’s it.”