F-Rank Soul Eater-Chapter 176: Party Gauntlet
Thinking this far, many things began to fall into place for Soren.
For example—
Aegon was not the one who placed the bounty on his head.
Of course it had to be a noble family. Only nobles had the wealth to casually throw around a reward of one hundred thousand points.
But not Aegon.
Aegon had simply taken advantage of the situation.
Using Sophia and her brothers.
Using the other second-year students who were desperate for points.
He had turned them into hunting dogs.
Soren’s gaze slowly shifted toward the three leaders standing nearby.
Kiva.
Li.
Buttermint.
He shook his head faintly.
It couldn’t be them.
They were openly trying to recruit him.
If they wanted him dead, they wouldn’t be offering twenty thousand points a month.
Which meant the culprit had to be someone else.
Someone he had offended.
Someone who would benefit from him disappearing.
Soren’s mind returned once again to the Ivory family.
If it was them...
Then who was carrying out the move inside the academy?
As far as he knew, Instructor Ivory V. was the only Ivory family member currently stationed here.
Soren’s thoughts drifted briefly to the history of the Almace Empire.
It was called an empire for a reason.
Not simply because it was humanity’s only empire.
But because it was the only empire that ruled the entire world.
All seven human continents were under its banner.
And this academy...
Only accepted those who possessed the right to rule—future heads of noble families.
That was why the nobles here came from so many different lands and bloodlines.
Still...
Soren couldn’t help but wonder if the Ivory family had used another noble house to carry out the bounty.
A subordinate.
Or an ally.
Just then—
A furious shout shattered his thoughts.
"How dare you?!"
It came from Aegon.
He was trembling with rage now.
Veins bulged across his forehead.
At this point, Soren had expected him to realize the situation.
To understand he had been completely outmatched.
And simply walk away.
But instead—
Aegon looked even more ready to fight.
Three against one.
Soren wondered if the man had completely lost his mind.
Then something caught his eye.
His phone.
The screen had lit up.
And instantly, Soren understood.
Sponsors were watching.
Of course.
The artificial Glass wasn’t just a training ground.
It was also a stage.
Sponsors needed a way to observe the cadets they invested in.
Right now, countless eyes were watching this confrontation unfold.
The comment feed scrolled rapidly across the screen.
[Pan pan: The aegon kid is so useless.]
[Water slaps fish: I can’t even look at this. Such a disgraceful child. Is he really heir?]
[Sauce For ladies: I am really ashamed of this bro, bro. What the hell bro. Grow some balls bro.]
[Swaddle clothes: I really hate men like this. I see the aegon noble family teach their children rubbish. Absolute bullshit. My daughter won’t be visiting anymore.]
The comments kept pouring in.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Many sponsors Soren had never even seen before.
Each one mocking.
Each one judging.
Each one adding fuel to the fire.
Soren glanced at Aegon again.
And he could tell immediately.
Aegon knew.
He could see the comments too.
If he backed down now...
Whatever little support he still had would disappear.
His sponsors would abandon him.
His Mohawk Party would crumble.
He couldn’t retreat.
Not anymore.
Aegon’s fist tightened slowly.
A memory flashed through his mind.
Three years ago.
When he had first completed the Orientation Garden trial.
He had emerged proud and excited.
Even boasting to those around him.
Two full days inside.
That had been impressive.
Or so he thought.
Until he saw the rankings.
He remembered it clearly.
Buttermint had finished on the first day.
Kiva had finished on the first day.
Li had finished on the first day.
There were even rumors that Buttermint had completed the trial while sitting at a table eating food the entire time.
How that was possible—
Aegon never understood.
But it haunted him.
From that moment forward, he worked himself to exhaustion.
Training harder.
Studying harder.
Pushing himself past his limits.
Senior students invited him to join their parties.
He rejected them all.
Because he wanted to carve his own path.
Just like Li.
Just like Buttermint.
Just like Kiva.
But no matter how hard he tried—
He could never reach them.
No matter how many sleepless nights he endured.
No matter how many battles he fought.
And so...
He had intentionally failed the promotional exams.
There was an old saying.
Better to be a king in hell... than a servant in heaven.
"I worked so hard..." Aegon muttered quietly.
Then he lifted his head. His eyes were burning now. He had made his decision.
"The Mohawk Party..."
His voice rose.
"...challenges the Lion Heart Party to a Gauntlet War!"
The forest went silent.
Everyone froze.
Even Li—
Who had barely paid attention to him until now—
Slowly turned his head to look at Aegon. Soren leaned slightly toward Bloodshine.
His voice was low.
"...What exactly is a Party Gauntlet?"
Bloodshine glanced at him briefly, then nodded.
She whispered back quickly.
A Party Gauntlet wasn’t the same as a normal Gauntlet.
Her eyes moved between the two groups preparing for battle.
And continued. Explaining that
... when individuals fought, it was simple.
One person against another. If someone surrenders, the fight ends.
Deaths only happen in extreme cases.
But s Party Gauntlet was different. It’s a battle between two entire parties. And the rule was simple.
One party must be dissolved.
Soren’s eyes widened slightly.
So that was the price.
This wasn’t just about pride.
It was about erasing an entire faction from the academy.
His gaze shifted toward the Mohawk Party.
Many of them looked pale.
Some clenched their fists.
Others avoided looking at Li’s group entirely.
One member—skinnier than the rest—hesitantly stepped forward.
He leaned close to Aegon and whispered nervously.
"Boss Aegon... I don’t think we should—"
Before he could finish—
Aegon turned his head.
His glowing eyes locked onto him.
The cadet froze.
Stone crawled across his body instantly.
Within seconds, he had turned into a rigid statue.
Aegon slowly turned back toward the rest of his party.
"This," he said coldly, "is my Mohawk Party."
His voice carried absolute authority.
"My words are final."
Then he looked directly at Li.
"Today we find out who is stronger."
His voice rose.
"Your Lion Heart Party..."
"...or my Mohawk Party."
Nearby, Kiva leaned forward slightly from her branch.
Her yellow eyes gleamed with interest.
She bit lightly on one of her fingers like an excited predator watching prey fight.
"Now this is getting interesting..." she muttered.
Aegon suddenly raised his hand.
"Mohawk Party!"
His voice rang sharply.
"Iron Crest Formation!"
Instantly, his members reacted.
Despite their earlier fear, training took over.
Three cadets stepped forward to form a defensive front.
Two more spread to the flanks.
Several others moved behind them, raising weapons as soul energy began gathering around their bodies.
The formation resembled a jagged iron crown.
A battle formation meant for aggressive breakthrough attacks.
Li watched the arrangement calmly.
Then a faint smirk appeared on his face.
"An overgrown rabbit," Li said softly, "thinking its teeth are sharper than the will of a lion’s heart."
His eyes turned cold.
"I’ll crush you completely."
He raised one hand casually.
"Bambi."
That was all he said.
But Bambi immediately stepped forward.
Her voice cut through the forest like a blade.
"Lion Heart Party!"
She pointed toward the Mohawk formation.
"Golden Fang Formation!"
Instantly, Li’s members moved.
Two stepped forward beside Bambi.
Four more formed a staggered triangle behind them.
Others spread outward into flanking positions.
Their movements were smooth.
Disciplined.
Perfectly practiced.
Within seconds, the Lion Heart Party had formed a tight and deadly battle formation.
Soren glanced once more at the sponsor chat streaming across his phone screen.
The feed was blazing with activity.
Comments scrolled so quickly they blurred together.
Gifts of points were already pouring in.
One after another.
The sponsors loved chaos.
Loved spectacle.
Loved watching young elites fight like beasts in a pit.
Meanwhile, Soren slowly stepped backward.
Cynthia and Bloodshine followed him without question. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
None of them had any intention of standing between two full parties preparing for war.
They retreated several dozen meters away, putting thick fauna between themselves and the battlefield.
And then—
It began.
Aegon’s voice cut through the air.
"ATTACK!"
The Mohawk Party moved instantly.
For the first time, Soren witnessed a true large-scale battle between Soulbound warriors.
His eyes sharpened.
He watched every movement carefully.
Two members of the Mohawk Party surged forward first.
One of them suddenly roared as soul energy flooded his body.
His skin began changing.
Hardening.
Darkening.
His flesh twisted and thickened until it resembled rough tree bark.
His arms lengthened.
Fingers stiffened like sharpened branches.
Within seconds, he looked less like a human and more like a living wooden weapon.
The second Mohawk member didn’t hesitate.
He grabbed the transformed cadet by the legs—
And with a roar of his own—
Hurled him forward like a spear.
The wooden cadet shot through the air straight toward the Lion Heart formation.
But halfway through the flight—
His body began to change again.
Branches exploded outward from his arms.
His torso split into thick wooden limbs...
