Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 143: Misunderstandings?

Chapter 143: Misunderstandings?

One hundred and five competitors lined up along the waterway, yet the nearly 200,000-square-meter competition area still felt spacious.

To the audience, the waterway stretched like a long ribbon, making the competitors seem tiny.

They could barely see the action with the naked eye; special electronic glasses were necessary for a closer view.

The walls of the waterway towered nearly ten meters high, resembling a grand canyon.

As the countdown lit up, a green light flashed, and all the competitors shot forward like arrows.

Water sparkled in the sunlight, but amid the frenzy, Lyra stood still.

The host zoomed by, surprised, "Why isn’t NMA’s Lyra moving? Is her hoverboard broken?"

Indeed, her board had issues—requiring more psychokinesis than the others made it heavy. But for Lyra, this was an advantage; she struggled to control her psychokinesis.

With a sly grin, she propelled herself forward, sending a dazzling spray behind her.

The wind whipped her hair back, revealing her fierce determination.

Cohen sat at his desk, glued to the screen, watching as the initially lagging Lyra smoothly passed competitor after competitor, skillfully maneuvering through tight spaces.

The moment her board hit the water, she shot off like a lightning bolt, riding the waves and wind as sunlight seemed to shine just for her.

Soon, she spotted Robin in the lead. He caught a glimpse of her reflection in the water and prepared to speed up, but a sudden gust whipped past him—she had overtaken him.

’She’s a monster,’ he thought.

The staff member who provided her hoverboard was in shock. "How could this happen?" He recalled modifying her board.

Suddenly, a furious voice crackled in his earpiece. "What’s going on? That board doesn’t seem faulty!"

The staff member tried to explain, "But I followed your instructions!"

"Following my orders? That board needs 7,000 psychokinesis just to start! Show me how fast she can fly!"

"What if her psychokinesis is just that strong?" he thought, but the call ended abruptly. He turned to Erin, who shot him a fierce glare. "That was a mistake, but I promise you, she won’t pass the next round."

"Make sure of that," Erin replied coldly.

Suddenly, cheers erupted from the arena; the results were in.

Lyra crossed the finish line, standing tall and gliding gracefully through the water.

Lyra brushed back her damp hair, looking sharp and polished. Cameras zoomed in on her, sending the audience into a frenzy.

Live comments flooded the screens: "She’s so fierce! I’m going crazy!" and "How can she be so stunning and strong? Is there such a perfect person?"

Competitors flew in one after another on their hoverboards, with NMA’s score proudly displayed at the top.

While others lined up to return their boards, Lyra gestured for Andre, who quickly joined her.

Under the watchful eye of the staff, they whispered. Andre frowned, then took the hoverboard to the organizers.

A few moments later, the staff member was escorted away, but the small commotion went unnoticed.

Andre wasn’t fooled; he called Anton over and whispered some instructions.

Anton smirked and vanished, soon reappearing in the preparation room, where he spotted someone tampering with their mecha. He recorded the evidence and sent it straight to Andre.

With the video in hand, Andre confronted the organizers, demanding answers.

The main supervisor, startled, stammered, "This could be a misunderstanding."

Andre grabbed his collar, insisting, "If we don’t clear this up today, I’ll expose this video to everyone!"

Security rushed in, but Andre swiftly pushed them back.

The supervisor, now panicking, pleaded, "Rear Admiral Andre, let’s talk this through. I’ll investigate!"

He was just a businessman, providing service for events planning. Now he regretted getting involved with such dangerous people from the military.

He dashed to the preparation room, catching the culprit red-handed.

Andre interrogated the suspect, quickly uncovering the mastermind—the deputy minister of technology.

When the supervision committee barged in, the deputy was caught off guard. "What’s going on? Why am I being arrested?" he protested.

"You still have the nerve to complain? Just wait!" Andre threatened.

The supervisor wiped sweat from his brow, glaring at the deputy. In this military territory, incompetence wouldn’t be tolerated.

After assuring Andre it wouldn’t happen again, the supervisor turned to his guards, ordering, "Go, interrogate that fool and find out who offered him bribes to sabotage me!"

No matter how hard they pressed, the deputy minister remained silent, his defiance raising alarms for the supervisor.

Glancing toward the control room, he waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it, just get him out of here."

Afterward, he tightened security measures, hoping to shield himself from scrutiny as a businessman just trying to profit.

The following competitions proceeded smoothly, without further disruptions.

The top three schools battled fiercely for victory. Then the team event started, and since it had the highest stakes, Lyra returned to the field for the second time.

...

The team competition featured intense one-on-one matches, three rounds of arena battles, and culminated in a five-person team event, which was the highlight with the highest stakes.

By the afternoon of the second day, fifty-two small platforms rose in the arena. Each military school found its designated spot, except for those on standby, preparing as per the competition rules.

Meanwhile, the audience picked their favorite matches and donned glasses to watch.

"Which military school is that? Never heard of it," Milo said arrogantly, leaning back in his seat.

Andre shot him a sharp look. "Did I ever say to underestimate anyone?"

Milo sheepishly lowered his legs, muttering, "They do seem pretty weak."

Webber chimed in, "Weak is relative. Students at military schools are still more skilled than regular Peculiars; they might just lack in psychokinesis or theory."

"Isn’t that still weak?" Milo shot back, just as he was called to compete in the singles match by Andre.

"Very right choice, sir!" he exclaimed, excited for his chance at glory.

The opposing team sent out their team leader first—one with water superpower.

Hydrokinesis usually had weaker attack strength. Though they were of the same level, Milo dismissed him and transformed into his beast form, charging ahead in a special outfit designed to withstand the change.

However, he quickly found himself trapped in the opponent’s water prison.

The opponent clearly had honed their skills; no matter how hard Milo struck, he couldn’t break through the flowing water.

Eventually, he ran out of oxygen and collapsed.

The host announced, "What a surprise! NMA’s Milo loses in the singles match!"

Hearing his name, Milo, already gasping for air, rolled his eyes and fainted.

Embarrassed, his coach hesitated to retrieve him, but team captain Elsie coldly went to drag him back.

The opposing team shook their heads; it was rare for one person to be so disliked by their teammates.

Their victory boosted the other team’s confidence.

During the arena battles, the first opponent made a throat-slashing gesture at Kolan.

However, soon enough, Kolan summoned a vine, wrapping around his opponent and tossed him off the platform easily.

In that moment, the opponent finally remembered that every NMA competitor was at least level five, yet they only had their team leader at level five.

The organizers intentionally placed the top-ranking teams in later rounds, making the first two rounds devoid of suspense.

It wasn’t until the third round that NMA finally faced a worthy opponent—the tenth-ranked Rocky Military Academy.

Yet even then, the outcome felt certain, given the significant level difference.

Lyra yawned, watching Milo walk off, still brimming with misplaced confidence.

Seeing this, Anton plopped down beside Lyra, teasing, "Aren’t you mad about not being in the game?" The host had mentioned her absence several times, while Andre focused on arranging other competitors.

Most students would complain, but Lyra simply yawned. "If I just jump in, it loses its appeal," she replied, watching the matches unfold with little interest. "Besides, with my popularity, competing so easily feels like a waste."

"Oh, confident, are we?" Anton found their banter entertaining. "I can’t believe you’re not bothered at all."

Lyra smiled knowingly. "If I wanted to compete, your team wouldn’t let me; you’d want the upperclassmen to shine instead."

Andre believed it was better for all his students to benefit. If a first-year stole the spotlight, it would reflect poorly on the older students.

Under her sharp gaze, Anton cleared his throat. "Wow, you really are tough to deal with." He turned to Webber, who rolled his eyes. "Why provoke her?"

Anton clapped him on the shoulder. "You’ve got it tough."

Webber shrugged. "It’s fine." He accepted that sometimes students outshone their instructors.

As Lyra had said, a trump card was essential for crucial moments, and when they faced RMA in the semifinals, she’d need to step in.

Daire had just lost to Lucien from the opposing team, and their captain, Aurelius, was already showing signs of fatigue after taking on two opponents.

Andre furrowed his brow, scanning the competitors, and finally called out, "Lyra."

Nicholas, who expected to compete, looked shocked.

The host shouted with excitement, "Finally, NMA is sending Lyra into the arena! Seems like His Highness is feeling the pressure!"

Lyra stood and walked to the platform, a defensive shield rising around her.

Aurelius, brooding and handsome as ever, captured the gaze of many young women.

Yet Lyra’s focus was on his lips. "Is your injury healed?"

Aurelius’s expression darkened.

On the island that day, he had been bested by Prince Lucien in front of her. Despite his strength, he couldn’t openly retaliate, feeling humiliated each time Lucien drew attention.

That why, when Lyra merely glanced and walked away that day, it oddly comforted him, as if she had respected his privacy.

"I thought you were different. Why humiliate me?" he said, summoning shimmering blue tendrils of energy behind him, capable of paralyzing anyone they struck.