​Chapter 21: Squad Outcast Claims Victory

Travis, Lionel, and the rest of Class A finally broke through the smoking perimeter, arriving just in time to see Phoenix casually prying an S-rank mana core the size of a bowling ball from the Wyvern’s shattered chest.

Beside her, Killian—formerly Class A's top solo vanguard and undisputed heavy hitter—was actively stripping off his ruined silver paladin pauldrons, unbuckling the dented chest plate, and tossing them onto the trash heap like worthless scrap metal.

"Killian?!" Travis shrieked, his voice cracking so violently it sounded like a dying bird. "What the absolute fuck are you doing?! You’re my cousin! You’re supposed to lead our front line, not hang out with the garbage!"

Killian slowly turned around, pulling off his cracked leather gauntlets. He didn't look like a defeated man; he looked like someone who had just woken up from a ten-year coma and realized he’d been hanging out with absolute idiots. He took a heavy step toward Phoenix, resting a large, scarred hand casually on her bare shoulder.

The visual was completely absurd: a towering, six-foot-two S-rank heavy tank class leaning into a sleeveless F-rank Guide as if she were his personal deity and sole tactical commander.

"I’m under new management, Travis," Killian grunted, his gaze turning ice-cold as he stared down his sniveling cousin. "Your idea of leadership consists of hiding behind barrier guards, barking orders like a pampered pet, and getting your ass handed to you by a woman in a tank top. I came down into Sector Zero to fight real monsters, not babysit a bunch of rich toddlers. I’m joining Squad Outcast."

"You traitorous, backstabbing bastard!" Lionel yelled, clutching his busted ribs while leaning heavily against a ruined pillar. "She’s an F-rank defect! She doesn't even have a registered class power! You’re throwing away your entire military career for a criminal!"

Phoenix didn't even look up from her core cleaning. She casually wiped off a thick glob of black monster blood with a rag, then reached up without warning, hooked her fingers into the collar of Killian’s tactical vest, and yanked the heavy silver paladin down until his face was barely three inches from hers.

Killian gasped, his body going rigid.

A deep, dark flush instantly crept up his neck, spreading all the way to the tips of his silver-haired ears. His glowing blue eyes widened in sudden, breathless panic. Up close, he could smell the sharp scent of ozone, gunpowder, and dragon-blood radiating off her skin. He could see the dark crimson flecks burning in her brown eyes, alive with lethal, intoxicating energy.

"Listen here, silver boy," Phoenix purred, her husky voice dropping into a low, dangerous register that made Killian’s spine turn to liquid fire. "You might be an S-rank tank on paper, but in my squad, you listen to me. I say jump, you ask whose neck we're landing on. I say hit, you smash it into powder. You think you can handle playing second fiddle to a woman who breaks rules for a living?"

Killian swallowed hard, his throat dry, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped war drum. He had spent his entire life around polished, fake academy nobles, but this woman was a hurricane wrapped in star-iron and raw violence. It was terrifying, deeply intoxicating, and completely hypnotic.

"I can handle it, Boss," Killian rasped, his gravelly voice dropping an octave as his eyes flicked down to her lips before snapping back to her eyes.

"Good boy," Phoenix smirked. She reached up and ran her thumb casually across his sharp jawline, brushing away a streak of black monster grime before slapping his cheek lightly and letting him go.

Killian staggered back half a step, completely dazed, looking like he’d just been hit by a freight train loaded with red roses and high explosives. He touched his jaw where her thumb had been, his brain temporarily short-circuiting.

Toby, who was busy loading the thousand-pound S-rank core onto his modified, smoking handcart, nudged Killian's thigh with his elbow. "First time getting dominated by the Boss? Don't worry, man, the shock wears off after a few hours, but the lingering emotional dynamic stays forever."

"Shut up, nerd," Killian muttered, though his blue eyes never left the back of Phoenix's head as she tossed her star-iron spear over her shoulder like a casual umbrella.

[FINAL SCOREBOARD: SQUAD OUTCAST – 15,800 POINTS] [SQUAD CLASS A – 1,800 POINTS] [VICTORY: SQUAD OUTCAST]

A massive, glowing golden portal ripped open in the center of the subterranean city square, humming with pure spatial energy and signaling the official conclusion of the Class S Grand Trials.

"Alright, boys!" Phoenix shouted, her voice echoing joyfully over the roaring portal wind. She slung one arm around Toby’s shoulders, pulling the cheering engineer into a half-headlock, and used her other hand to slap Killian hard on his broad, unarmored back. "Trials are officially over! We’re absurdly rich, we have an S-rank tank to carry our heavy bags, and Vice-Headmaster Sterling is probably throwing up blood into a trash can right now!"

Killian let out a low, gravelly chuckle, kicking his broken broadsword into the rubble and falling into step right beside her, his massive frame naturally shielding her side.

"Lead the way, Boss," Killian smiled, his glowing blue eyes fixed squarely on her profile. "I'm right behind you."