The Extra's Rise

Some participants rushed forward to claim resource buoys scattered around the arena. These bright orange floats sat anchored to the basin floor, awarding additional points to whoever maintained proximity for a set period. Others tested the waters, sending smaller ships out in picket lines to scout. Talia Moor's Gravehold flotilla swiftly vanished behind a swirl of cloaking technology. Gareth Flynn's Serpentstone heavies rumbled out in a block formation, seemingly unstoppable. Starcrest's representatives advanced in pairs. Pillen's novices hung back, hoping to avoid an early exit. Meanwhile, Slatemark academy's kids boasted gold-liveried warships but hadn't all left the docking area yet, presumably perfecting last-minute calibrations.

Cecilia wasted no time. She directed her corvettes to snag a resource buoy near the eastern quadrant. That done, she guided the Radiant Sovereign and its immediate escorts in a northern sweep, scanning for potential easy kills. She wanted to build points quickly, ensuring she had a comfortable lead by the time she faced heavier opposition. With crisp efficiency, she hammered a small grouping from Pillen, forcing two corvettes to retreat in smoke. She gleaned some initial kills. On the scoreboard—hidden from her view, but shown to the audience—Cecilia's name soared. The watchers roared in excitement, seeing Slatemark's unstoppable star gather momentum.

Ian, on the southwestern side, advanced at a measured pace. His Draconis Spear formed the apex of a wedge with the destroyer and frigate at the center, and corvettes on each side. He captured one resource buoy unchallenged. Then he spied an opening: Talia Moor's stealth ships, believed dangerous, had ventured too close. In a swift engagement, he pinned them down, saturating the area with crossfire. Talia's stealth advantage wasn't enough to hide from multiple angles. The scoreboard displayed that two Gravehold vessels were crippled. Chatter in the stands soared—Ian had pulled ahead with kills.

All around, smaller fights erupted. Some novices from Pillen or Starcrest collided with each other in chaotic brawls. The watery surface soon littered with drifting metal, some vessels half-submerged, others fully scuttled. The crowd cheered or groaned each time a major participant scored a kill. The scoreboard, though not visible to the students, flickered constantly for watchers, awarding points for each success.

Midway through the event's allocated time, it became obvious that the two unstoppable presences from Mythos overshadowed the rest. The bigger question was if they'd meet directly. Talia Moor from Gravehold was limping after repeated hits. Gareth Flynn from Serpentstone had some success but was stuck in a drawn-out siege with a Slatemark group. Another cluster from Starcrest scuffled with novices near the center. Meanwhile, both Cecilia and Ian seemed unstoppable, each systematically carving out sections of the battlefield, taking resource buoys, and stacking hidden points.

Finally, it happened. Near the center-south area of the basin, two advanced warship groups spotted each other at about 600 meters apart. Onlookers realized instantly who they belonged to: the black-and-gold Radiant Sovereign plus five support craft on one side, and the black-and-crimson Draconis Spear plus five on the other. The roars from the stands became deafening, cameras swiveling to capture every angle. If there had been illusions or magic, this would be the moment for a dramatic swirl. But in this futuristic setting, all that existed was the cold steel of mechanical ships and the steadfast determination of two unstoppable captains.

Cecilia took the initiative. She fired a volley from her destroyer, shells whistling over the water. One near-miss soaked a corvette from Ian's side. Another shell hammered the side of a smaller support ship, forcing it to break formation. She followed up with a flanking run from her frigate, launching a barrage that battered Ian's corvette. The watchers hollered, seeing that unstoppable aggression in action. But Ian responded quickly, ordering the Draconis Spear to deliver a punishing broadside into one of Cecilia's corvettes. The corvette reeled from multiple blasts, half its compartments locked by flooding.

Thus began a swirling, chaotic engagement. Each side's corvettes darted around, searching for vantage points or angles to launch torpedoes. The heavier ships—Cecilia's destroyer, Ian's frigate, or vice versa—unleashed repeated shellfire that churned the water in frothy eruptions. Some novices in the area fled, not wishing to be collateral damage in the unstoppable pair's fight. Talia Moor, limping away from earlier losses, retreated entirely rather than face them. Gareth Flynn remained pinned by Slatemark's other group. And so the southwestern center zone became a private stage for a duel that overshadowed the entire competition.

Cecilia pivoted the Radiant Sovereign, main turrets rotating to aim at the Draconis Spear's port side. She hissed instructions into a comm, ensuring her destroyer hammered Ian's frigate while her corvettes harassed the Draconis Spear's starboard. But Ian saw an opening: his corvettes feigned a retreat, luring one of Cecilia's corvettes out of position. Then the Draconis Spear fired a potent salvo that slammed the overextended corvette's hull. Water flooded in. Metal twisted. The corvette sank within moments, awarding a huge chunk of points to Ian behind the scenes.

The watchers screamed in delight at the sight of a major hit. But the scoreboard was hidden from the two participants, so neither knew exactly who led. For her part, Cecilia pressed on with unwavering focus, ignoring the loss as a necessary trade. She hammered Ian's destroyer with combined shellfire from the Radiant Sovereign and her frigate. The destroyer soon belched smoke, forced to power down. Another kill for her, presumably. The water's surface around them littered with drifting debris.

Time ticked down. They'd both lost multiple ships, battered each other relentlessly, but neither flagship was sunk. The Radiant Sovereign's prow was badly dented, half a turret jammed. The Draconis Spear's starboard was shredded, deck fires raging. In the stands, the audience stood on their feet, some yanking at their hair or biting their nails as the unstoppable duo rained destruction on each other.

Finally, in a last furious exchange, both flagships soared dangerously close. Cecilia unleashed a savage point-blank volley that ripped into the Draconis Spear's engine compartments, sending sparks flying. The muzzle flash from her cannons lit the watery battlefield in harsh brilliance. Ian reeled at the blow but returned fire, letting off a final broadside that pummeled the Radiant Sovereign's mid-deck, smashing part of the superstructure. The watchers collectively sucked in breath, expecting one or both ships to sink. But the event timer beeped across the stadium, signifying the end.

A hush descended. All weapons ceased fire. Drifting in the battered southwestern center were two half-ruined warships, battered beyond recognition yet unbelievably afloat: the Radiant Sovereign and the Draconis Spear. A moment of stunned silence lingered before the stands erupted in cheers that threatened to tear the roof off. Fireworks shot into the sky, painting the daylight with bursts of color.

At last, the scoreboard was allowed to show final results. The giant screen overhead displayed:

1) Cecilia Slatemark

2) Ian Viserion

3) Talia Moor

4) Gareth Flynn

5) Naomi Shea

The crowd roared at the sight, some clapping in triumph, others lamenting that Ian came so close. Students across the stands chanted "Mythos" in deafening unison, proud that their top two overshadowed the entire field. On the southwestern water, the battered Radiant Sovereign signaled for assistance to tow it back, while the Draconis Spear did the same. Both teenage captains had proven unstoppable forces, and though Ian had lost by a narrow margin, he'd left a mark on Cecilia's unstoppable aura.

Even as paramedics and staff hurried to ensure the participants were safe, the scoreboard froze in that final arrangement. The day's victor: the golden-haired, crimson-eyed White-ranker from Mythos Academy, unstoppable in her pursuit of first place. The runner-up: the red-haired, golden-eyed boy who nearly tore her plan to shreds. Around them, the lesser participants quietly returned to the docks or signaled rescue craft. Talia Moor, satisfied with third, limped off with her stealth ships half ruined. Gareth Flynn from Serpentstone found a slight grin in being fourth, overshadowed by bigger fish. Naomi Shea from Starcrest took fifth with a half-smile. The rest—fifty-five names—were scattered across the lower ranks.

And so Phantom Fleet Command came to a close at Mythos Academy, ending with the scoreboard blazing that final outcome for all to see.