Reborn: Apocalypse Ready. War Goddess by My Side novel Chapter 235

Steven’s biggest problem right now was time.

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Given enough of it, he could climb fast enough to make a real difference, and that kind of power was the only insurance policy that actually mattered out here.

But the fire crackled between them, and nobody said a word.

If they walked away from the mission now, Caleb’s death meant nothing.

That thought sat heavy on every face around that fire. Steven broke the silence first. “I’m one for pulling out. This mission has been running against us from the start, and that doesn’t happen by accident. Someone set this up deliberately.”

Olivia spoke next. “I agree. We should abort.”

Hearing both of them voice it seemed to open something.

Darlene followed quietly. “Same. I’m in agreement.”

One by one, the rest of the squad gave small, steady nods.

Alan let the quiet stretch for a moment, then spoke. “Alright. We abort.”

He turned to Olivia. “Contact the military. Notify them that the team is withdrawing from this mission. We move out tomorrow.”

Olivia nodded without hesitation.

Alan swept his gaze across the whole group.

“Big Spoon’s death will not be for nothing. Whoever orchestrated this from the shadows, we will find them, and we will make them answer for it.”

Every member of the squad nodded.

Louie’s eyes were still red at the edges, raw with grief that hadn’t gone anywhere

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His voice came out rough and worn. “Captain, are those people enemies you’ve had for a long time?”

Alan’s eyes shifted briefly with something unreadable.

He nodded.

Then he began to speak, laying it out slowly and without embellishment.

“They belong to a faction within the God Eaters called the Godslayer Order. It’s essentially a collection of the most gifted warriors the God Eaters have ever produced, gathered into a single organization.

“Their numbers don’t come close to matching Draconia’s pool of talent.

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But they have the ability to tame and control beasts, and direct them as weapons.”

A ripple of unease moved through the group at that.

Steven didn’t react with the same shock as the others. He already knew pieces of this.

The Godslayer Order had been operating for a long time.

Their mission was exactly what the name suggested–hunting down Draconia’s brightest and most capable.

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It was the young generation’s war, fought in the shadows while the older powers kept their attention elsewhere.

Alan continued. “They maintain a ranked target list. Every name on it belongs to a Draconian prodigy they’ve marked for elimination.

“I don’t know exactly how the rankings are structured.

“But I’d wager with confidence that Bianca is already on it.”

Alan’s gaze moved to Steven as he said it.

Steven received the information without surprise. SSS–rank practically guaranteed a spot on that list.

Steven picked up the thread. “That list runs on four tiers, ranked A through D from highest priority to lowest.

“Within Grade–A specifically, there are three sub–tiers–Tier–1, Tier–2, and Tier–3.

“They line up almost directly with the three S–rank levels.”

The squad looked at him with a new kind of attention.

Peter frowned with open curiosity. “How do you know that?”

Steven gave a small, tired smile. “Just things I’ve picked up.”

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Alan studied Steven for a long moment before continuing. “This deployment of the Godslayer Order was directed at Rowenville specifically. If I’m being fully direct, the primary target was almost certainly me.

“They’ve been trying to kill me for a while now.”

A heavy silence settled over the group.

Darlene folded the pieces together. “So the picture is clear. This entire mission was designed to trap the captain, and to eliminate our team alongside him.

“Are you serious right now?”

Steven rolled his eyes with considerable feeling.

“What did you think the gold light was?”

Peter’s expression cycled through approximately seven different emotions in the span of three seconds.

“Oh my. Oh my goodness.”

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Peter needed a surprisingly long time to bring his inner world back down to a manageable state.

SSS–rank. Steven. SSS–rank.

His mind simply refused to settle on that combination as real.

Then he scooted over with the biggest, most shameless grin on his face and made himself very comfortable next to Steven.

“Oh damn, I can’t believe you’re an SSS–rank. You’re the biggest backer I can hope for.”

Steven shoved him sideways without ceremony. “Go latch onto the captain if you need something to hold

onto.”

The whole squad burst out laughing, and the suffocating weight of grief thinned just slightly, letting a little

air back in.

Peter’s grin went absolutely incorrigible. “Think about what this means. Team Ashen now has S–rank, SS- rank, and SSS–rank all under one banner. We’re already terrifying.

“Future Divine Saint, future Marshal, all in the same squad,

“And once we bring Bianca in, the team is going to land on the Awakened Squad Rankings so high it’ll make people’s heads spin.”

Steven didn’t dignify that with a response.

He turned and looked at the rest of the squad.

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