In any competition, it was always the first move that dictated the flow of the game. This was true in mental games like Chess and equally true in physical games like soccer, football, and cricket.
They had the advantage over him in numbers. Knowing this, the Valkyries secretly communicated to each other to utilize that. However, before they could move and surround him, James made his move.
Ten seconds later and the trio were at a total loss of what to do.
James wasted no time with this opportunity and started his attack by targeting Alexis first. He already created three profiles for his opponents and according to him, Alexis was the biggest threat. He attacked with a fist to the chest that knocked the wind out of her. She gasped but he gave her no time to recover. He quickly grabbed her by the shoulders, placed his foot into her chest and rolled back. Doing so made it easy for him to throw her away and give him time to focus on the other two.
'Now for the loud one,' he thought and, as if on queue Blake yelled and charged with a right fist aimed at James' head. James took two steps back and avoided the attack. Then, he took a step to Blake as he stumbled forward attacking only empty space. James aimed a low kick to the back of Blake's left leg and the attack caused him to crumple down. Blake had just enough time to look up and see James standing over him. His expression was blank yet terrifying. Then, James' left fist crashed into Blake's face, the metal arm augmenting the power behind the attack and sent Blake crashing to the ground.
To the group of Whitney, Byron, Damian, Lakshmi, and Ingrid, this was simply unimaginable. To them, the Valkyries represented the peak of human evolution. The holy union of flesh and machine that produced a being capable of toppling the almighty Omega once and for all.
And yet, here was humanity's supposed greatest getting clobbered by a one-armed man.
Alec knew full well from the stories and from his recent match with Saint Louis that James was a strong opponent. But it was only here and now, he saw just how strong the leader of the Azur Sky was.
Curious, Alec wondered how the other side reacted to this display. He was surprised and confused to see that the girls didn't seem all that surprised by what they saw. To them, it seemed like this was par for the course when dealing with James.
James now watched as the trio came together and slowly rose to their feet. He simply remained in one place and focused all his attention on them. He didn't seem interested in how the others were reacting. He remembered the teachings of his tutor, ignored any external distractions, and focused all his senses on the trio before him.
"What the… what the hell damn it?" exclaimed Blake, not wanting to look away from James even for a second "how did he… there's no way that guy's a human."
"Whatever he is isn't the problem," said Alexis, trying to catch her breath and ignore the fear shooting up and down her back "we have to find a way to stop him."
"Stop him?" asked Marie, who for the first time was expressing herself rather than being demure and quiet "its taking everything I have to keep from running away."
Seemingly content with letting them talk amongst themselves, James now ran towards them with all the speed of a bullet fired out of their gun. The fact that he could move that fast without his greaves to augment his speed was a terrifying sight to behold. Even more so when he was coming towards you.
To James, his attack followed a pattern based on the roles his opponents took. Once again, he targeted Alexis first with a flurry of fists aimed at her head and chest. She held her arms up to block the attacks to her face, but left her stomach open to attack. James did not waste this opening and landed five blows there, which made her stagger back, struggling for air.
Then, surprisingly, James also took a step back rather than attack. This was done to avoid the incoming counterattack from Blake, who acted just as James predicted. For someone who kept telling everyone he lost his arm during the Border Wars in an honorable way, the idea of attacking someone's blind spot was going against character.
Then again, James didn't care too much for that as he avoided the straight right. He turned to Blake and before the man could change his stance, James punched him in the face. Mind you, this was not a punch meant to damage, but instead meant to disorient. The speed of the attack caused Blake to blink for a few seconds. That left him open to the second punch and the third.
With the set up created, James raised both his fists up like a boxer and began swinging wildly at Blake landing blows all over his body. Finally, he performed a low kick that knocked the man off balance. Before he could hit the ground though, James grabbed his foot and flung him away.
This attack while it looked like it was meant to get some distance and let James focus on Alexis, had a second purpose. It was aimed at Marie who was about to fire a few long-range attacks at James. This did not happen though as Blake crashed into her.
Out of everyone in the Resistance, Alec was the one most shocked by what he was seeing. Granted, he heard the stories and saw James face Saint Louis in combat for ninety seconds, but this was something else. The speed, ferocity and focus behind those attacks made him swallow a little.
Only now did Alec understand why Omega hated James so much and why the man managed to defeat so many high-ranking Sirens. In fact, Alec was terrified to imagine how much stronger James if he had the same kind of power as the girls in the fleet did.
"Do something," whispered a voice and Alec's eyes turned in the direction the voice came from. He saw Damian standing a little bit away from him, with a look of desperation on his face.
"Do what exactly?" asked Alec.
"Something, anything that will turn the course of this match," he said, struggling to keep his voice lowered "at the rate this is going, our forces will be wiped out before he even breaks a sweat."
It was that last part that concerned Alec. He turned around and saw that indeed, James was not sweating. In fact, he looked like he was barely even exerting himself.
Meanwhile, James waited while the trio regrouped. He took a moment to check his left arm, opened and closed his hand and even cracked the knuckles in his thumb. That this arm had knuckles in them was a testament to the attention to detail the Iron Blood had.
He then looked up at the others and said with a blank expression "very disappointing."
"What?" asked Alexis, in between breaths.
"Since you rejoined the Resistance three weeks ago, I thought that you three would work together and train yourselves. Maybe even get a better understanding of your powers. But, that is not the case. It actually looks like you've forgotten the few things I taught you and are only relying on teamwork."
"Let me tell you right now," said James, lowering his body and assuming an attack position "you working together as a team won't even get me to break a sweat."
It did not come as a surprise to him that Blake yelled out and charged wildly at him. James took steps back, all the while dodging the man's flailing fists. Then, he spotted an opening in the wild barrage and took a step forward. This move caught Blake off guard which only prompted James to press the advantage.
Using both his hands, he pushed Blake's hands away then followed that with an uppercut that landed perfectly on the jaw. He saw Blake stagger back and immediately grabbed his opponent by the collar. James did this as he saw Alexis now charging into the fray.
He waited till she was close enough then flung Blake at her. The move caught Alexis off guard and force her to stop her attack, albeit momentarily. She shoved him aside, but it was too late. James charged towards her with ungodly speed and punched her in the chest before ramming his palm into her stomach and sending her flying back.
"How much time is left?" asked James, looking to Belfast.
"You're at the halfway point master," she replied "just another five minutes and you'll win."
Alec tensed when he heard those words. He was running out of time and fast. He had to think of a way to turn things around. There's no telling what will happen to Alexis, Blake and Marie if they lose this fight.
Marie took to the sky and formed guns over her hands. She started firing at James but her target managed to evade the barrage. When she saw he was headed towards Black and Alexis to use them as a shield, she had no choice but to stop. Annoyed, she had no choice but to descend and join her teammates.
"You can call it quits anytime," said James in an almost patronizing way.
"There has to be a weakness or a flaw to him," said Alexis "no one's that perfect."
"That is true," said James, nodding "I have plenty of flaws. It's just that you three are too inexperienced to see them."
Alexis could hear Blake practically growling and shook him a little. He was trying to taunt them and was doing a damn good job at it.
As the trio once again attacked him and tried to turn the momentum, Alec watched the fight go on with analyzing eyes. He scanned James from top to bottom, searching for an opening or a weakness and found none. He told himself that it was impossible, that there had to be something that James overlooked.
If there was, then Alec was not seeing it or he was too in experienced to see it. He watched the three try to use their number only to have James separate them and take them out one by one. It was deflating to see them getting beaten, seeing Alexis continually try and fail against her opponent.
Then, in the midst of this despair and desperation, Alec had a thought. It seemed almost impossible and downright insane of him to have such a thought. In all honesty, this was not something he'd ever consider. It was only when he switched his perspective did this suggestion pop into his mind.
He watched them get beaten back and realized it was possible. It seemed impossible and had more chance of failing than succeeding, but Alec pushed those thoughts away. All he did was focus on the slight chance that it could happen and that propelled his next action.
James saw them slowly spready out, once again intending to use their numbers against him. The problem was that as long as they stayed within his line of sight, he'd be able to counter them.
The trio of Alexis, Blake and Marie all shot forward at the same time and converged on him from the front, left and right. Unfortunately for them though, with the rear completely empty, James leapt back and escaped the range of their attack.
Then he went on the offensive by lunging forward then grabbed Marie and Blake by their collars. He quickly moved back again, this move catching them off guard, leading them to stumble a little and that's what James wanted. Without missing a beat, he threw them both into a ground with enough force that it knocked the wind out of them.
He now focused his attention on Alexis and rose. Just was he was about to strike though, he felt something behind him. For a moment, James wondered why he felt this strange tingle in the back of his mind. He looked at Alexis and saw the shock and surprise on her face. Without turning his head, he moved his eyes and looked at the Resistance Leaders who were equally shocked.
It was then that the voice of his master, his teacher echoed in his mind and chastised him.
"The battlefield is fifty percent what you see and fifty percent what you didn't see," the words echoed in his brain and James cursed himself internally.
"As I recall," he said, finally speaking "this match was meant to be between me and the Valkyries. There was to be no outside interference."
"True," said the voice behind him "but no one ever said that the Valkyries consisted only of Alexis, Blake and Marie."
"Hmm, that is a valid point," said James, "now I have to ask, are you sure you want to do this?"
The one behind him was silent.
"A stupid question, of course you are. You wouldn't have made this move if you weren't sure."
"Do you give up?" asked the one behind James.
"Indeed I do," said James, who now casually held up both hands "I lose the match. You win, Alec."
The spectators on both sides had not yet come to grips with that they'd seen. In fact, even Alexis, Blake and Marie didn't fully understand. It seemed that during their fight with James, Alec slipped into James' blind spot and managed to catch him off guard. How he did that and why he did that were things that baffled the trio to no end.
However, their questions would have to wait as Byron now broke the silence with a loud and emphatic cheer. This was followed by the rest of the leaders clapping in support. Soon enough, the faction leaders from the Azur Sky were also clapping, albeit begrudgingly.
"Well, looks like you'll be having your match after all," said James to Alec, as the latter went over to the Valkyries "that said, don't expect anyone from the fleet to help with the construction work."
On hearing this, the cheers from the Human Resistance cut off almost immediately.
"Wait, what?" asked Damian.
"Why are you so surprised?" asked James, walking back to his side "if this is a celebration to appreciate the work that the Azur Sky did, why should any of them have to work?"
"But there's so much to do and so much to build," said Byron.
"Then I believe you should get started quickly," countered James, with his back towards them.
As he walked past the rest of his group, they followed him. Soon enough, they left and let the Resistance leaders, the Valkyries and Alec bask in the glow of that victory.
"Did you see how quickly he ran with his tail between his legs?" asked Damian, unable to contain his smile "all that talk about being a leader and yet the moment he loses, he throws a temper tantrum."
"It shows how pathetic he is as a leader," said Byron, puffing out his chest.
"That's right," nodded Damian.
"Oy, Damian," said Alec "have you been spending a lot of time with Byron?"
"No, not particularly," he replied.
"Because you're sounding as stupid as he is," said Alec and everyone was shocked to hear him say that.
"How dare y-"
"The only reason we won is because I exploited a weakness and a technicality in the match," said Alec "let's be real here, I wasn't part of the Valkyries, you know it, I know and James knows it too. He could have argued the fact and nullified my move. But he didn't and what does that tell you?"
When his response was utter silence, Alec could only sigh in defeat.
"Forget it," said Alec, "how about the five of you head back to base and bask in the victory? Now that I've cast my lot, it's time to start the work."
Ingrid looked like she was about to object when she saw the seriousness in Alec's eyes. That made her and the rest of the group leave. With them gone, Alec now focused on the Valkyries, who were still on the ground, their heads lowered.
"How did it feel facing him?"
At first, there was silence. But then, Blake spoke up
"Is he a human? I mean we joke about it a lot but… Is James a human? Because no human should be able to move like that."
"If you think that's bad just remember one vital point: James is the weakest member of the fleet," said Alec.
In an instant, all three of them could feel a terrible chill rush down their spine.
"Right now, you're at a crossroads. You can either run away and choose to ignore the facts. Then, on the day of the event, James crushes us without breaking a sweat."
"Or," he added and this got their attention.
"You can start training, working your ass off from sunrise to sunset and maybe, just maybe, we pull off a win."
"So, which path are you going to take?"
Looking at their expressions, Alec knew the answer.
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Back in the fleet's meeting room, the girls were busy arguing over the results. However, there was once voice that remained silent.
"Are you sure that Alec is on our side to begin with?" asked Queen Elizabeth.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Rossiya.
"I'm just saying that he could have acted like our friend to gain our trust and get closer to James," said Queen Elizabeth "then, when we least expects it, he shows his true colors."
"Queen Elizabeth," said Richelieu "Alec has constantly displayed bravery and tenacity in the time that we've known him. He has continually put his life on the line for us. Please withdraw the insinuation that Alec has been a double agent."
"Until I am presented with evidence to the contrary, I will not," said Queen Elizabeth.
"She does make a point," added Yorktown "I believe the human's call it, 'playing the long game.' Alec could have been doing that with us."
"Absolutely not," shouted Rossiya, banging her hands on the table "as Richelieu said, Alec is our friend and he has done more than enough to prove it."
"If that is the case," said Tirpitz, staring daggers at Rossiya, "why did he use such an underhanded tactic to get the win over James?"
AT this, Rossiya grew silent. The whole room grew silent as they all wondered what prompted the act.
"He was in love," said James, which came as a surprise to everyone.
"Damn it how did I not see this before?" he asked, slapping his forehead in dismay "I mean, it all makes sense."
"James," said Akagi, who echoed everyone's sentiment "what are you talking about?"
"Rossiya," said James, turning to her "how much time did Alec spend with Alexis on a regular day?"
"Um… It is difficult to tell," she replied.
"All I need is an estimate," he said, urging her.
"I would say at least four or five hours every day. More than that when she was in a coma."
"Okay, that explains a lot," said James, resting back on the chair.
"James," said Akagi, her tone a little louder than before "what is that supposed to do with this?"
"Everything," he replied "consider the facts: the Valkyries were fine training and being part of the Azur Sky till the last mission, correct?"
They all nodded.
Then, they suddenly change their minds and head back to the Resistance, the same Resistance they left in the first place. That tells me that this wasn't a choice they made, rather it was them being manipulated."
"You think so?" asked Yat Sen.
"I know so," he replied, almost sounding arrogant "Alec, who is head over heels in love with Alexis, knows something is going on but doesn't know exactly what that is. So, he goes there in order to prevent anything bad from happening to them. And if that means tricking me into a loss, then that's fine."
"So the Resistance are planning something and it involves the Valkyries?" asked Akagi
"Yep and I can hazard a guess as to what," he replied "they want to use the Valkyries as the face of the Resistance, make their side look better and earn the praise. The reason being is that they're fed up with the Azur Sky hogging all the glory."
"But that makes no sense," said Saint Louis "why does being in the limelight matter during a war of all times?"
"They're politicians Saint Louis," said James "they have to be in the limelight or else they start throwing a tantrum."
"Rest assured that the only reason they're putting on this event is to make the Valkyries the winners and us look like losers."
"That's not possible," said Tirpitz "our high-ranking members will wipe the floor with them. A single member of the PR class could end them in ten seconds."
"They're going to make sure to stack the decks against us like that," said James "I guarantee they're going to do everything they can to make sure that we're against the wall."
"And what do we do about that?" asked Akagi.
"We're not going to anything," clarified James, which surprised everyone "I want all of you to focus on the only problem that matters, Omega. Leave this to me."
"And do you have a plan for beating Alec, son?" asked Friedrich "not to be rude, but he now holds one victory over your head."
"Alec had only one card to play and he's played it. Don't worry, I have no intention of losing to him."
With that said, the two sides began thinking their moves. However, what they didn't know, what none of them knew was that they were moving steadily along to their doom.
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Four minutes to midnight.