Ace clears his throat. "Now that we got that squared away. Something's been buggin' me since you told us all that stuff about Neige. Rook, did you vote for Royal Sword because you knew about all the work he'd put in behind the scenes?"
"Certainly not." Rook shakes his head. "The explanation I gave you at SDC was the complete truth. I voted for them because I thought their performance was more magnifique than our own."
Ace quirks an eye. "Are you suuure? You're like this die-hard Neige fanboy and number-two member of his fan club. I can't see how you could be objective."
"I beg to differ." Vil steps forward. "If anything, Rook was the only person on our team who voted impartially. You knew, didn't you, Rook? You knew our performance was abysmally sloppy compared to our rehearsals."
Rook rubs the back of his neck. "Well..."
"Be honest."
Rook sighs. "Oui. I did. My position was in the back, on the left. It was the perfect spot to observe our progress. Your sweat. Your tears. Your smiles! I could see your performance growing more beautiful with every run-through! I was captivated every time we practiced. You all made my heart soar! So I knew immediately that we weren't shining as bright upon that fateful stage. It was terribly frustrating. Yet try as I might to compensate for our shortcomings, my body refused to cooperate. I've no doubt it was the same for all of you. We were performing under tremendous strain. Hence, I was forced to concede-"
"No way, I ain't buyin' it, Rook!" Epel interrupts. "You were praisin' us up an' down when we finished! What was it ya said when we came offa the stage? 'That was yer best performance yet?' Were you just jerkin' us around?"
Rook shakes his head. "No, Epel..."
"Yes, he did say it was a fine performance." Vil adds. "But he didn't say anything about it being our most beautiful."
Epel's eyes soften. "Oh."
"He'd been watching us from the start, so he knew we hadn't done our absolute best." Vil continues. "Which is why he gave us the most generous praise he could, for doing our best under the circumstances. Nevertheless, he couldn't lie to himself and vote for the NRC Tribe in good conscience. Isn't that so, Rook?"
Rook chuckles. "Your powers of perception are unparalleled, Roi du Poison."
Vil folds his arms. "It's not really perception. You've always been terribly candid. Do you remember what you said when we met? We'd never spoken before, yet the first words out of your mouth were: Hi there! I caught your show the other day. I've seen you perform-"
A loud bang echos from outside and the ground rumbles, catching everyone off guard.
"Is it an earthquake?" Epel asks.
Rook narrows his eyes. "No, it isn't. Everyone, look out the window."
You and the boys rush to the window. Outside, you see a group of imposing figures. They're clad in dark gray and electric blue armor from head to toe. A long sash draped across their shoulders. They stand on a long, metal device that hovers in the air. They all hold some kind of mechanical spear.
"What in the world?" Kalim exclaims. "There's a bunch of guys flying through the air! Are they on hoverboards?"
Vil shakes his head. "That's not possible. This school has a magical barrier to keep out intruders. It's always up when we don't have any special events going on."
"Maybe that sound was the barrier getting breached!" Jamil's eyes widen.
"But how?" Vil asks.
"They're coming this way!" Rook shouts. "Everyone, get down!"
Someone grabs a hold of your waist and holds you close as they dive to the floor. They hold your head close to their chest as they shield you. A loud crash and the sound of breaking glass fills the room. Dust clouds your vision and causes you to cough.
Glancing up, you realize Deuce was the one holding you. He helps you stand, worry flashes through his eyes. "Y/N, are you okay?"
You nod shakily. "Yeah."
You see the people in armor have blasted a large, gaping hole where you once stood. Almost the entire wall is gone as well as most of the ceiling. The people in armor float towards your group. You back into Deuce and he holds onto you protectively as you watch them approach.
Jamil drags Kalim behind him. "Kalim, get back! I've never seen that kind of gear before." He glares at the intruders. "Who ARE you people?"
Upon a closer look, the intruders look similar to Ortho but a lot more menacing. They wear helmets that look like a skull with glowing blue eyes.
"Hepta Team, reporting in. We've got visual on Subjects D and E. Moving in for capture."
Vil narrows his eyes. "I haven't the faintest idea who these people are, but crashing through windows shows an appalling lack of manners. I hereby declare this an emergency! By my authority as Pomefiore housewarden, I authorize the use of magic on the intruders!"
Rook nods, pulling out his pen. "Oui."
"I do the same for Scarabia!" Kalim takes out his own magical pen. "Prepare for battle!"
"Freshmen, stay back!" Vil shouts. "Do not get involved. Heartslabyul students, call your housewarden!"
Ace and Deuce both nod. "Yes, sir!"
Deuce leads you away from the fight and Ace and Epel follow.
"Subjects D and E exhibiting hostility. Requesting permission to engage."
"Permission granted. Execute capture plan C."