NTR Rogue in the Apocalypse-Chapter 232: A Friendly Duel

John chuckled as he caressed Mika’s head, "I appreciate the gesture, but I have to go."

Mika’s expression turned ugly as John stood up, "but I never see you these days...."

John smiled, "I know. We’ll do something about that, soon."

"You promise?" She walked closer to him and her hands fidgeted on his chest.

"I promise," John said and planted a kiss on her forehead before leaving. He needed to meet with Lydia and prepare for Nova’s arrival with her leaders.

He stepped out of the bedroom and walked down the stairs. He passed the lounge, extending his greetings to his fellow survivors with a wave and a smile.

"Omg, he looked at me!"

"No, he was looking at me."

John chuckled as he overheard the teenage girls’ conversation. Of course, he was not that much older than them, but with all of John’s responsibilities, he now saw the world through a new set of lenses.

John stood outside Lydia’s office and knocked twice before entering.

Lydia’s head lolled to the side as she dozed in her desk chair. The sound of the door creaking open jolted her awake, causing her to jump and send her chair tumbling backwards with a loud thud. She blinked groggily and brushed a strand of her brown hair out of her face as she scrambled to stand up again.

A smile played on the corner of John’s lips as he spoke, "you okay, Lydia?"

"Y-yes, I’m fine. What do you need, John?" She stammered as she hurriedly adjusted her clothing and straightened her posture.

"I found Nova," he said.

Lydia’s eyes widened, "really? And?"

"It seems they are reluctant to work with us. Although Nova might be more inclined to do so, it looked like her leaders wouldn’t be so receptive. But I managed to secure a meeting, they will be coming here sometime today."

Lydia’s eyes narrowed as she rested her chin on her hands and leaned forward.

"Why are they so reluctant? Do they think we’re weak?"

John quirked an eyebrow, impressed by her deduction, "Yes, that’s exactly why."

"I see. Don’t worry about that, I’ll handle it," she said, her eyes were brimming with confidence.

John smirked, "Perfect. We should prepare for their arrival."

"We will," Lydia said. Her expression determined, but John could see the exhaustion on her face.

"Tell someone what to do and get some rest. I’ll need you at your best," John said.

Lydia sighed, "You’re right. I will."

"Good. I’ll leave you to it," John turned around and left.

He stepped out into the courtyard, his eyes scanning the entire area as he looked for Octavia. Behind a large group that were circling a friendly sparring session, he spotted her cleaning her swords by herself.

"Hey," John greeted.

"John," Octavia spoke, her tone was neutral and devoid of emotion.

"Did you manage to figure out the Luminar’s identity?"

"Unfortunately, no. We were going to interrogate him, but he woke up startled and began chanting something strange and his body went into a coma."

John’s eyes narrow, "Maybe it’s some kind of measure against interrogation?"

"That’s what Edward said, although he said he had never seen something like that before."

"I found Nova."

"Really!? What happened?"

John explained everything and Octavia frowned.

"They think we’re weak? Should I go there and kick their asses?"

John chuckled, "they’ll come here today. We’ll have to prove to Nova’s leaders that it’s beneficial to them to ally themselves with us."

Octavia clicked her tongue and took out her eyepatch, revealing a perfectly normal green eye.

"What’s up with that?" John asked, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

"Oh, this?" Octavia pointed at her eye, "our healers fixed it some time ago."

"Then why do you wear it?"

"August gave it to me," she said, her voice tinged with melancholy.

John simply observed and stayed silent before Octavia continued.

"I don’t even know if he was still August when he gave this to me or if it was just the Luminar trying to blend in. Pathetic, isn’t it?"

"No, it’s not. You just want something to remember your brother. It’s perfectly normal."

Octavia sighed, "I guess you’re right. When you put it like that, it sounds reasonable."

"That’s because it is."

"Thank you, John."

John smiled, "It’s nothing. That’s what friends are for, right?"

Octavia flashed a genuine smile for the first time in months. John didn’t know how long it had been since Octavia found herself in this state, but he was glad to see some semblance of positive energy coming from her.

"That group you’ve been training with. Are they strong?" John asked.

Octavia’s brows furrowed, "Yes, they are."

"How about showing the Luminars what we’re made of, then?" John flashed a cheeky grin.

A smirk crept up Octavia’s lips, "Leave it to me."

"Perfect. I’ll leave you to... whatever it is you’re doing. I need to prepare for their arrival."

Octavia nodded and John left to make the rounds on the base and make sure everything was perfect. A few hours later, his system comms started buzzing.

"John?" The voice on the comms said.

"Nova."

"John. If you can send me your location, we’ll be right there."

"Go to the coordinates I will send you."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

"Roger," Lydia replied and the call ended.

John called his most trusted group and they, along with Lydia and Octavia and her group, took a few cars and trucks towards the city centre.

As they arrived, he spotted Nova’s white hair next to another man with the same hair colour. Behind the man and Nova was a large group of Luminars, all geared to the teeth.

"Wait here," John said and everyone nodded.

He strode towards Nova and the Luminars with confidence and extended his hand.

"John, this is Commander Arthuro," Nova introduced the man.

"Commander," John nodded.

Arthuro narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

"This is John, sir," Nova explained.

"Hmm," Arthuro huffed and remained silent.

"Sir," Nova said, but he only responded with a dismissive wave.

John was unfazed. "You think we’re weak, don’t you?"

John’s voice echoed through the empty streets, and the silence was deafening.

"I do," Arthuro responded.

"Then, let me show you what we can do."

"Very well," Arthuro said, and they followed John’s group towards an old basketball court.

The place was huge, and Octavia’s people had already gathered there.

John smiled and turned to Arthuro. "A group of my own people against a group of your own in a friendly duel. What do you say?"