“That…that is a fascinating approach. Never in my many years as a commentator have I had someone come out and basically call themselves a villain. It’s not only overly confident, borderline asinine but also a fairly ignorant thing to say, don’t you think?” Staring at Cynrik as if he were a lunatic, Roni cut in and spoke her mind.

“Call it what you will, Miss Roni, but you see, before you can judge me for the things I say, you need to understand what I have been through in my life, the things I have seen.”

“I have been to the darkest corners of society and seen some of the worst things imaginable. At the time, I was only six or seven years old. The kind of things I experienced in my developmental years had an effect of sorts. Can you guess what event I am talking about?” Crossing his arms over his chest, Cynrik sat back and sincerely asked his question.

Stunned at what the young man sitting across the table from her was saying, Roni fell silent and waited for him to finish speaking.

“Several years ago, there was a string of kidnappings and murders around my hometown of Lawton. At that time, thousands of children ranging from ages 4 to 10 were disappearing daily, only to be found weeks later, malnourished and deceased.”

At the drop of a hat, the Arena fell utterly silent as the majority of the glares aimed at Cynrik turned to looks of pity. Most of them could already tell where this was going; still, they waited for Roni to respond.

“Are…are you talking about the Haylon’s Shadow Incident…that means that you are one of….” Roni’s voice came out nearly a whisper as she shakily said one word after another with a pale face and wide eyes.

“Yes, Miss Roni, you are correct, not only me, but my brother, and two of my teammates, Gabriella and Benjamin; all four of us are survivors of the Haylon’s Shadow kidnappings.” Cynrik admitted while slowly nodding his head in confirmation.

“During the time we were held captive, the four of us saw the absolute worse humanity has to offer; however, it taught each of us a precious lesson. Strength is everything.” Uncrossing his arms, Cynrik looked around the Arena before his eyes settled on his team in the distance.

Following his gaze, several cameras flew in that direction, capturing the somber image of Brance, Gabby, and Benny.

“With the memories of that time living in my head rent-free, I swore never to find myself in such a hopeless state again. As such, the four of us set out on a mission to become as strong as possible in the shortest amount of time.”

“Now, some of you may be thinking, Cynrik, how is it possible to reach Tier-3 at the age of only 13? Was it dedication? Intense work ethic? As I already said, we weren’t given free handouts like many children from prominent families. My family and that of Gabriella and Benjamin weren’t poor by any means, but as two-child households, there were times when our parents struggled to make ends meet, especially in the early years.”

“The answer is simple: dedication, hard work, and work ethic play a large part in our success, but the most significant factor is our obsession with being the strongest. The obsession to never find ourselves struggling to survive because someone way out of our level of imagination used us as playthings. That is how and why we are as strong as we are, and those of you watching are in for a treat because my team…no, my Faction, MyrkLys, will show you what it means to reign supreme over those within our Tier.”

By this point, all eyes were back on Cynrik, and to everyone watching and those in attendance, it appeared as if the young man was radiating fierce and intense energy. Energy and charisma which made even the weakest Tier-0 want to see how far the VSFA Tier-3 team would make it.

“We won’t stop with winning our bracket; one step, one punch, one round at a time, we will climb to the top and become this year’s Champion. And there isn’t a single person competing that can prove me wrong. Not that girl from earlier, not that little punk-ass piece of **, Jason Opurn. Not that scumbag turd of a cousin of mine, Leelan Jetlensr, and certainly not my Paternal Grandfather, Lithlen Jetlensr.” Standing up and grabbing hold of the nearest camera Drone to bring it closer, Cynrik clicked out a hidden blade and stabbed it into the palm of his right hand.

“On this wound, I make a solemn vow; anyone who stands against me will be destroyed. No mercy, no sympathy, no questions asked.” Releasing the drone, Cynrik showed his bloody palm to the camera and grinned while the skin knotted itself back together and appeared fully healed within a second.

“Bring it on, and bring your best because my team and I sure as hell will.” With that said, Cynrik got to his feet, reached behind his back to grab his hood with one hand, and pulled it over his hair, hiding his face in darkness before walking away from the desk without saying another word.

While he walked, anyone in his way stepped aside. Some had looks of worship, others of anticipation, but no one was prepared for when suddenly all the members of MyrkLys appeared behind Cynrik and uniformly followed their leader in formation as he made his way toward the exit.

The abrupt leaving of Cynrik and MyrkLys left Roni and Cesar wholly stunned, as no one had ever just up and left. Usually, it was their jobs as commentators to end the interview and dismiss the team leader, but Cynrik had broken the usual pattern of their show entirely.

‘What is this? I’m feeling…’ Roni thought as she placed her hand over her rapidly beating heart.

‘There’s no way I have a crush on someone a third of my age…why does his back look so wide? WHAT THE FUCK AM I THINKING?’ Shaking her head and nipping the budding crush in her heart before it could grow, Roni cleared her throat and was about to speak when the audience completely lost their **.

She wasn’t sure who started it, but someone randomly began chanting “MyrkLys,” Like sheep, more people followed suit until a deafening chant took over the airwaves.

—

Through the Arena’s bowels and into the open air, the team in question made quick work of their escape into the open air of Valor City. Upon exiting the building, several groups of people would stop and snap pictures of MyrkLys or could be seen chatting about the interview that had just ended.

Yet not one of the rubberneckers spotted the thin Amethyst line of Mana connecting the group, adults included.

‘Hehe, well, I do believe that went exceedingly well if I do say so myself.’ Cynrik chirped as if he had done nothing wrong.

‘YOU IGNORANT FUCKING BRAT! DO YOU REALIZE THE SCALE OF THE BULLSHIT YOU JUST SPAT IN FRONT OF HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE?’ Geralt howled as he could be seen frantically typing away on his Watcet.

‘Are you **ing dumb? Did you take one too many hits to the head, Cynrik? What in the ** were you thinking?’ Brance scolded Cynrik while walking in formation.

‘Kid, you **ed up big time. Everything you said can be taken as a declaration of war against the other contestants and the organizations after you.’ Even Saylin had a thing or two to say.

‘I think you were hot as ** up there, Darling~.’ When Selene cut in and interrupted the flow of scolding, everyone stopped and turned to look at her with weirded-out expressions.

‘Nut cases, the two of you are **ing NUT CASES!’ Throwing up his hands in defeat, Geralt stormed off ahead of the group without looking back.

Chapter 0466- Team Leader Press Interview (4)

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