Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 703: Pyrokinetic army.

The kids on Ariel’s side started to clap, impressed by the show, but they stopped instantly when Ariel shot them a look that could melt stone.

Ariel wasn’t impressed at all. In his mind, being a part of the squad wasn’t about showing off; it was about respect. If Emmet wanted to join, he should have asked politely, not walked in like he owned the place.

"I am physically strong," Emmet said, standing tall. "I am mentally sound. And above all, I am a superhuman. That makes me qualify."

Estella piped up. "Mrs. Quinn told us we could join anytime we wanted. She said the squad was for everyone."

Ariel felt a sting of betrayal in his chest. His mother hadn’t told him anything about this. He felt his face get hot. "Well, my mother hasn’t informed me. If you want to join, you’ll have to write a formal application and send it to my office." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Emmet let out a short, dry laugh. "I see."

Ariel was already starting to turn away, but he stopped. "See what?"

"I see that you’re the boss’s son," Emmet said, his voice smooth but mocking. "That’s the only reason you have the leadership title. It’s a family business, right?"

Ariel clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. "That’s not true! I earned this!"

"Ariel is the smartest kid here!" Carola shouted, trying to defend her leader.

Emmet just smiled. "Maybe he was. But not anymore. Because I’m here now."

The tension in the room was so thick you could have tripped over it. It was at that moment that Hades decided he had seen enough of the playground politics. He stepped out of the shadows, his heavy boots thudding against the floor. The kids all went silent. Hades looked like a mountain compared to them.

"Emmet," Hades rumbled. "A word. Now."

Emmet didn’t look scared. He looked at Ariel and smirked. "What’s the matter, Ariel? Did you have to call ’Daddy’ for backup because you couldn’t handle the new kid?"

Ariel scoffed, his eyes blazing with fury. "I didn’t call anyone! And I’m never letting you near my squad, you hear me? Never!"

Someone threw a small round ball at Estella’s face and the lambs and wolves, who were always ready and eager for a fight attacked.

"Break it up." Hades bellowed. But the kids were unwilling to listen. This was between them, no adults invited.

While the children were busy fighting over who was qualified to join their squad, a much darker fire was burning at the borders of Crosstown.

The territory had been completely surrounded. A massive army of pyrokinetics—men and women who could conjure flames with a flick of their wrists_ stood in a perfect circle around the perimeter. The air was shimmering with heat, and the smell of smoke was everywhere.

What bothered Peter the most wasn’t the fire. It was the silence. The army’s leader hadn’t made a single demand. They just stood there, waiting. Peter had sent three of his best men out to talk to them, and none of them had come back.

"Say something!" Peter barked at Moon. He was pacing back and forth in his office, looking like a caged animal. He wasn’t just terrified; he was insulted. What kind of enemy had he made for his to happen? "They’re just standing there! Why aren’t they saying anything?"

Moon remained silent.

Peter turned to her, his eyes wide with desperation. "Can you see anything? Use your gift! What is this army? Who are they? Will Cross town fall? This is the time for you to show your advantages."

Moon had already felt the tables turn_ she had the power now. She turned slowly and looked out the window at the flickering orange glow on the horizon; it was so bright that Crosstown had light in plenty once again. It would be good news if they were not worried about being incinerated. She looked much calmer than Peter, which only made him angrier.

"There is no need to panic, Peter," Moon said softly. "The leader of that army is a man named Garrison Holt. He wants one thing and one thing only: the Crosstown territory. He’s not here to talk; he’s here to take. That is what he does."

Moon remembered Garrison from her past life. In the old world, he had ruled over Babel and expanded to take all the neighboring territories. He was a brilliant strategist and a ruthless fighter. His pyrokinetic army was legendary. Fighting them was like trying to punch a volcano. The only victim would be the fool that attempted it.

"It would be stupid to fight him," Moon advised, her voice flat. "In this situation, you need diplomacy. If you try to use force, he will burn this entire city to ash and move to the next."

"Diplomacy?" Peter growled. "With the person that has kidnapped my men. For all I know, they could be dead."

"I will go and talk to him," Moon said.

Peter stopped pacing and narrowed his eyes at her. "No. I don’t trust you. You’ll probably cut a deal for yourself and leave me to burn." For all he knew, he was there for her because he wanted the bounty. He was not risking sending her out there. She was his golden ticket.

Moon laughed, a cold, melodic sound. "Well, if you don’t trust me, feel free to go out there yourself. I’m sure they’d love to meet the man in charge."

Peter’s face went pale. He looked at the window, then back at Moon. He knew he couldn’t go. He was a lot of things, but foolishly brave wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t like he was fireproof!

"Fine," Peter growled, pointing a finger at her. "Go. But you’re not going alone. You take Tigan with you. If you try anything funny, he’ll make sure you regret it."

Moon just smiled. "I will get him to work for us Peter, we need his army if we are going to take fortress four. This is a blessing in disguise."

"And him?" Peter asked, "What about this Garrison Holt?"

"Kill the shepherd." Moon said, "and take the sheep."

Peter nodded and smiled; this was the best plan that they had come up with so far to take fortress four.