"I won't say."

The little girl turned tsundere, huffing as she turned her head away and fell silent.

"Alena... please tell your sister? How did you suddenly... become like this? I remember you used to be such a good kid..."

"It's exactly because of that! That's why I was treated that way!" Alena cut Cleyna off, her voice trembling with agitation.

"Stop—"

Lixin made a pause gesture, halting the spiraling chaos.

"I know you've suffered deeply, but can we talk calmly? Your constant shouting is really troublesome."

She pointed to Cleyna behind her. "Look—at least before this, your sister never wronged you. See how you've beaten her up? Yelling at her now is a bit much, don't you think?"

"............"

Alena sensed the impatience in Lixin's tone. After weighing her options, she finally spilled her story.

Simply put: she saw the world's ugliness, her worldview shattered, and she vowed revenge.

Five years ago, war swept Europe—Britain included. Local conflicts flared worldwide. Cleyna and Alena's home was destroyed. Cleyna, already conscripted as an Ability User after awakening her power, rushed back by plane. Too late. Only rubble remained. Alena was gone. Rescue teams found no survivors. Cleyna searched endlessly, thinking Alena was outside—unaware she'd been rescued. That was Cleyna's view. Alena's: sudden attack at home. Buried under debris for nearly ten hours. People she knew passed by. Cold indifference. Orphans left to die. Furious, she awakened "Giant Strength" like her sister, bursting free—only to face fearful stares. Overexerting her new power, she fainted.

She woke rescued, wounds bandaged. The man was a Lapthesis high-up. Remembering unfair treatment, the fear after revealing her ability, and Lapthesis's purpose, she joined them. She trained fiercely to "take revenge on society."

"You people..." Lixin sighed in exasperation at Lapthesis and Alena alike. "What are you thinking? We're all Earth humans. Instead of fighting the green-skinned orcs starting wars, you waste time killing each other. Ever heard 'Why boil beans with beanstalks?'"

"What do you know? How little discrimination have we faced? In wars, we superhumans risk our lives. Why should ordinary people look down on us?!" Alena shouted with the tone of a world-weary elder.

"But they're just ordinary people. At least when I go home on break, everyone's kind."

Qin Fan, silent until now, spoke. His words left Alena speechless.

Cleyna suddenly hugged Alena one-armed. The tomboyish woman burst into tears, choked with guilt. "Alena, I'm sorry. It's my fault. I failed to protect you, to give you warmth... The world is still beautiful. I always hoped to survive the war, return home, and care for you... But because of that..." She couldn't continue, just sobbing into Alena's shoulder.

Alena seemed moved. Her expression softened slowly.

"Sister..."

...............................................................

Inside a massive fortress on North America's Labrador Peninsula.

"Commander, the operation against 'Capability Combat Academy' failed. All engaged units were wiped out."

In a hall with a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the fortress, a busty, red-haired woman in revealing clothes addressed a man with his back turned. He radiated bone-chilling cold; without years of familiarity, she might not have dared speak.

"No word on them two either?"

His voice was low. Icy.

"...Yes."

"Then set that aside. Keep the underwater base forces on standby."

The man didn't turn, still gazing at the distant coastline.

"Now, the priority is pushing back the Preyas fleet at sea."

There, a war brewed between two enemies of the world government.

...............................................................

"What?! A base under the sea below us?!" Elwin stared anxiously at his laptop. "Such a huge target—why wasn't it scanned?!"

"Of course not. The base has signal jammers. We destroyed your defense systems below long ago. Finding it would be strange." Alena said proudly.

How did they learn of the underwater fortress? From Alena. At fifteen, she'd joined Lapthesis as a child, clueless. Trained until fourteen to become a Combatant. Lapthesis had indoctrination courses, but Alena joined to revenge those who wronged her and Cleyna—her hatred just spread to the world.

But after the Principal's guidance and Cleyna's words, she realized her rashness. She'd hurt her loving sister. Guilt filled her heart.

Yet Lapthesis and that man raised her. Betraying them now was impossible. She could only reveal the base under the academy—troops on standby—because they might harm Cleyna.

This news was urgent.

Lixin returned to the infirmary to sleep. Elwin reported the emergency. Cleyna and Qin Fan stayed: Cleyna with Alena, Qin Fan guarding her.

Well, Qin Fan couldn't use his ability now—he was just for intimidation...

Lixin skipped reporting partly out of laziness, partly because... trust her, if true, the Principal wouldn't miss this chance to train her combat and control skills.

This threat endangered the academy, rebuilding with government support. Enemies striking while weak could cause disaster. Most fighters were injured. Sending troops to destroy the fortress was impossible.

But... reconnaissance was doable.

What Lixin didn't expect: the Principal instantly decided the scout team upon hearing the news.