How do you kidnap a girl under the eyes of a hundred thousand people, which included a few level 8s and quite a few level 7s?
When they were presented with this problem, the Cosa brotherhood were stumped.
But how did they end up here in the first place?
It all started when presented with the opportunity to be the ones to kidnap Betty two months—thirteen weeks ago, they grabbed it with both hands and vowed to never let go.
It's not like kidnapping was a new thing to them. They were, in fact, very experienced in the art.
If there was a rating in proficiency, they'd rank first in Valos. No questions asked.
That's why, they got to kidnap her. Not Viper gang. Or any other gang which were their equivalents in overall strength.
But the question of 'How do we kidnap a girl who has three level 7 bodyguards, which includes a Space Awakener?' slapped them in the face.
They spent two weeks were spent in countless propositions, alpha testing, beta testing and final evaluations.
96.5% of the planning team unequivocally believed that had this been a business, they'd have already gotten a million kp in investment—enough to buy a luxurious villa in high end districts.
Alas, life is a bitch and kidnapping plans were bitchier.
Thankfully, through countless mental trials, they eliminated every other possibility and narrowed the kidnapping opportunity down to one event.
Inter-academy competition.
Betty always had her bodyguards with her, so kidnapping her any other time was impossible!
That's how they ended up with the original question: How do you kidnap a girl under the eyes of a hundred thousand people, which included a few level 8s and quite a few level 7s?
Thankfully, two more weeks of hair pulling, drug abuse and alcohol burping gave them the solution.
There were still ten weeks and they invested a lot of money, manpower and time on the solution. And in a few seconds, it was going to come to fruition.
"Honor Academy's B team is eliminated." The announcer's voiced reverberated across the stadium.
Above a small hill within the dome, a teenage boy and two girls kneeled on the hard rock, clutching their injuries.
The boy's hand was roasted to black-red as blood gushed out like fountain.
The girls both clutched their stomachs as the sharp cut across their stomach threatened to spill their innards.
"Tch. Trash." The spiky haired young man standing in front of them spat in disgust.
The two boys behind him followed him and sneered at the injured before they turned around and followed their team leader down the hill.
The dome flashed blue and a man in black waved a metallic badge and entered in.
His face was expressionless like other referees. But his eyes…his eyes were dead. There was no light in them. Only deep, cold darkness.
The referee quickly made his way through the area and reached the injured. He fed them a light potion and carried them out.
Even though the boy he was carrying resembled his own son, the referee's heart was numb.
After sending them off the treatment ward, he walked up and stood below the stage, occupying his position: Left corner.
The huge square stage had eight referees in total—four at each corners, and four for each sides.
They were the only ones allowed to enter inside the dome. But a referee could only enter if it's in their designated area.
For instance, the referee standing at the right side shouldn't go if the trouble arose on the left corner.
After huge deliberations, Cosa brotherhood finally chose to invest in a weak willed referee. And lure him to their side.
But like all referees, he's a patriot and a loyal person.
So, what did they do?
They murdered his family and using their connections, blamed it on a rising army officer.
The Grant family helped them forge the evidence and the referee had to object the reality that his wife, parents, and children were killed in a murder by the rising army officer in rage due to a potion malfunctioning.
The senior military officers didn't punish the officer who they deemed as more valuable.
In the end, he was off the hook with a small penalty.
The referee tried
Then they contacted him. The man was already broken. So, they just revealed him the 'truth'.
The potion didn't malfunction. It was the officer's fault and the army covered it up.
The evidence, once again, forged by the expert Grant family did the deed.
They asked him to join them and serve their mission. They'd give him revenge.
The man was already broken by that point. He couldn't think deeply. He couldn't differentiate between truth and lies.
His heart was numb and his mind was blank.
He accepted their offer. Revenge.
The referee shifted his eyes and glanced at the stands. In one of the VIP seats, a handsome man was seated, watching the battle royal with relish.
'Just you wait,' the referee clenched his fists. 'You'll be dead soon. You'll pay.'
"Justice Academy A-1 eliminated."
The announcement snapped the referee out of his thoughts and he looked up.
His eyes which were calm until now violently fluctuated. His heart throbbed and thrashed against his ribcage.
'This is it! This is the moment!'
In his 'zone', there was a small lake. By the side of the lake were two teams. The eliminated Justice A-1 team consisting of the spiky guy and his two followers.
And the ones that eliminated them—the Miracle A-1 team: Betty, Liluh and Vinar.
The referee's eyes met with Liluh and they both understood the situation. Without any extra moment, the referee flashed his metallic badge and entered the dome.
The audience shifted their gaze to ongoing fights, but still a significant part of them were paying attention to this side.
Not only that, there were also high awakeners of level 7 and level 8 that were paying attention to the whole stage.
The referee reached the eliminated team and bent down.
A few meters away from him was Betty and beside her were Liluh and Vinar, in bloodstained clothes.
'Now!'