Chapter 1287 (1/2)

Sydney looked methodically down at the collapsed city blocks to the wreckage of the stadium at the end of the chaotic destruction. Smoke was still drifting up from the sundered grounds in some places. Streets folded in on themselves, buildings were leveled, stone and steel scorched and melted.

The remnants of the Nemesai’s escape held her attention for a long time. She pressed her lips together. Ice and electricity ran up and down her arms but could find no outlet for their potent power. She had been too late to participate in the football game and had been blocked out by the barrier like everyone else on that fateful day. The memory of her sense of powerlessness still filled Sydney with irritation.

Still, she had believed that the barrier couldn’t be invulnerable. Nothing truly was.

So she had set up a formation that would allow her to mix her two elements freely and unleash her most powerful attack. The process took time, but the final result would have been a burst of power which was infused with the image she had been developing. She was only a few moments away from launching the attack when she looked up… and that was exactly the moment when Randidly Ghosthound arrived and had destroyed the barrier.

Of course, she quickly stopped her formation, but the process had left her exhausted. She had moved to assist in the battle against the Nemesai, but the action had proceeded too quickly for her to catch up in her winded state. And it just so happened that the Nemesai had broken out the exact opposite side of the stadium where Sydney had been preparing.

Plus, the soldiers of Zone 1 who were kept out by the barrier had largely clogged up the streets and obscured her Perception. By the time she had noticed the Nemesai leaving the stadium, it was too late. The city was collapsing and the Nemesai had fled.

Sydney was now standing on top of a partially destroyed building at the edge of the devastation. It had already been for days since the attack, and only now was the cleanup beginning in earnest. As she considered the familiar sights, footsteps in the stairwell echoed up to the top floor where she was standing. But Sydney didn’t move. She simply looked out at the wreckage.

Always coming up just a little short…

A security guard pushed open the door to the roof and sighed when he saw Sydney. “Ma’am, I don’t know how many times I have already told you this, but this area is off-limits. I promise that next time, I will have no choice but to arrest you for trespassing.”

Sydney glanced at the man and he shrugged helplessly at her cold expression. “This is for your own good; what if you came up here and hurt yourself?”

Some part of Sydney wanted to demonstrate to this infuriating man that there was actually very little chance of her injuring herself due to her high Stats, but another part knew that it wasn’t worth it. Instead, she offered him a chilly smile. “Don’t worry, this is the last time you will see me.”

And with that, Sydney utilized her Thunder Steps Skill and crossed the sky in a blur. She left a sizzling spot of concrete and a jumping security guard in her wake. Her expression was tense and twisted.

Even if I miss this them this time, I won’t give up. I’ll find out who is responsible for Drake’s pain… and make them pay.

*****

“Madam President!” “Madam President, here please!” “President Greyman!”

The press of reporters jostled against each other as they raised their hands to be selected to ask the first question of the press conference. Theodora Greyman tried to keep her expression sufficiently mournful while also keeping her mourning from seeming too emotional. She pointed to a reporter and the woman straightened her jacket before speaking.

“Madam President, considering the final death toll released by investigators… do you truly believe that your administration did everything in its power to ensure the safety of the people who attended the game?”

Mostly, this press conference was an exercise is what you could not say. In a way, it was a game that the reporters were complicit in: how could you best demonstrate you heard the reporter’s question while not addressing the dangerous topics that the reporter wanted to drag out of you.

You cannot say that you had tried your best, because that means that the Greyman Administration was insufficient to run Zone 1 in the face of such threats. You cannot say that you didn’t try your best because that means that the Greyman Administration had, through laziness or ineptitude, allowed this tragedy to happen.

You could not call it a tragedy, because then people would point out that she, as President, was at fault. You could not refuse to speak about what happened at the stadium. Because it was the greatest loss of life in the history of Earth after the System.

Theodora Greyman was also very aware that she could not blame the obvious scapegoat, the Order Valorem; her administration and the Order Valorem had no choice but to rely on each other right now. As long as both were able to take a share of the blame, neither would be destroyed by shouldering the entirety of this incident. And working with each other was the best chance to try and build their reputations back up to acceptable levels.

President Greyman shook her head sadly. “This was a battle of information that we needed to approach differently; we had no idea that the Nemesai and their allies would be able to create such a barrier that could keep our thousand strong rapid response squads outside of the stadium. In addition, we had no idea the extent of the teleportation ability the Winged Serpent possessed.”

Then she clenched a fist dramatically. For just a moment, she allowed her very real fury to show through. “But I promise you this. We won’t be taken by surprise again.”

“But Madam President-”

“President Greyman!” “If you please, Madam President-” “Excuse me, President Greyman!”

Before the reporter could ask an incisive follow-up question, her voice was drowned by those around her. President Greyman surveyed the scene and pointed to a man that her administration had something of an understanding with.