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ALL THE WHITE UNIFORMS stomped and chanted as they waited for what might happen next. Max was also looking around the stadium in anticipation before turning to the stage to find Viktor sitting on his throne, the rest of his members sitting behind him with unreadable expressions. Soon after, the lights became dim again and spotlights were directed at the entrance.

     "Gentlemen and ladies at heart, let us begin today's most awaited battle, starting with the pranksters, the jesters, the rank 6 brotherhood, our barons, Jokers!" Professor Coleman announced, and their underlings, the Jacks, immediately got up from their seats while the rest of the white uniforms cheered.

     The six members of Jokers made their extravagant entrance, wearing clown masks while shooting party poppers and blowing loud horns that made the students at the lower bleachers cover their ears thanks to the aggravating noise. But as the jesters walked to the middle of the stadium, Max couldn't help but smile with glee. It's been so long since he last seen his first-ever protectors. And even with their masks, he could already tell who is who.

     Jokers was the first brotherhood to ever believe in Max, which means they're the first brotherhood to bow and surrender to him, that's the reason why Max feels as though he owes these jesters more than the other brotherhoods he conquered, which is ironic since he hated them the most after what he went through because of them.

     In the past, Jacks practically ruled the school, using Joker's name and dragging it into the mud. Master Joker knew what his underlings were doing but he wasn't interested enough to care, which became the reason why Max was tormented. But when Max made Krist realize that his Jacks are the reason why the students aren't respecting his brotherhood despite being ranked 6, Krist finally took action. Now, his Jacks are slowly making a name for themselves with Ervin Walker leading as their Master Jack.

     Opposite to what Krist is showing, his love for his brotherhood will always be the reason why Max will forever adore and respect the jesters and their leader.

     "They really know how to make an entrance," Max says to himself as Jokers stop just a couple of meters away from him.

     "Next, let us welcome the fearsome counts, rank 5 brotherhood, Cigarettes!"

     The seven members of Cigarettes came in next, holding bats with spikes on them, and even a chainsaw that looked too heavy for Pablo Blanco to carry. Cigarettes always looked like a group of thugs, but their signature look was none other than their homeboy who was walking behind them with a dog collar that's connected to a chain their leader, CJ, was holding. If this was the old Max, he would be mad, but instead, he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.

     After conquering Jokers, Max had this belief that the white uniforms were always the victims. But after meeting up with CJ and getting to know his brotherhood better, his perspective changed. Max hated their brotherhood customs and even told CJ to stop making deals so the white uniforms wouldn't get hurt anymore. But as Max got to learn more about their school and the people in it, he soon realized that white uniforms aren't always the prey. Sometimes, they're even more ruthless than the black uniforms. The Tobacco Deal was designed with the concept of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," and Max no longer damn Cigarettes for it. 

     "Walk faster my little pet!" CJ exclaimed, tugging the chain as the poor white uniform, which was covered in dirt, walked behind the sadistic count. He then stopped beside Jokers, and like they always do, the two leaders got into an argument before laughing it off like idiots.

     "Coming up next, the ever-so-mysterious, the masked Dukes, J.S High's rank 3, Crazy 8!" Professor Coleman introduces next, and River Karlsson, better known for his alter ego, Siren, leads the seven members of Crazy 8 who were all wearing masks. Like what Siren announced before, the rest of Crazy 8 will continue to wear their infamous masks, while she, and the upcoming leaders of this brotherhood, must never wear one.

     Compared to Cigarettes and Jokers, Max got acquainted with the ex-marquis very differently, and that was because of Sky Hansen, a white uniform who became Omega Society's club advisor and was later revealed as a member of Crazy 8 who played the role of Siren during brotherhood battles. Max can admit that Crazy 8 was the most difficult brotherhood to conquer because he knew nothing about them. But when everything got revealed, and when Payton Wolfe got exposed, Max realized how scary secrets can be. It ruined friendships, and people's lives in general. Even now, secrets are the very thing that haunts them. Max is just glad that River's now on their side because it's very evident that he was able to learn Payton Wolfe's terrifying ability.

     "Glad to see you again, River," Max whispers under his breath as Crazy 8 stops beside Cigarettes. Max then looked at the group to check if Felix was among them, but based on everyone's height, his cute little friend was nowhere to be found.

    "And now, last but not the least, the ones who uphold grace, honor, and passion, the rank 2 brotherhood, our princes, Boys Next Door!"

     Finally, J.S High's new princes entered the stadium. And compared to the other three who got their first, the students just completely lost it. BND was a brotherhood that stood out not only because of their personalities but because they literally looked like pageant contestants. They weren't like PHD and Busters who were scary and intimidating. BND felt like real royalty, and instead of getting scared of them, you want to look up to them. That's the type of aura that this particular brotherhood has.

     BND was the second brotherhood to ever give Max their crown brooch. At first, Max thought it would be easy since Marcus was already a member, but he learned things the hard way when he was chosen as the representative of Mr. Brains & Brawns. BND became the group that they are today because they're not like the others. They don't abuse their power or create chaos. One may even argue that they're the epitome of what a brotherhood should be.

     Max learned three important traits from them: Grace, Honor, and Passion. But other than that, he learned about trust and comradery, and that sometimes, even if you're not the first choice, it doesn't mean you don't deserve what you have now. When you look at it, Max learned the most with this brotherhood, which could be why he sees all of them as his big brothers.

     "J.S High, give a warm of applause to our fearsome brotherhoods!" Mr. Coleman shouts, and the stadium practically shakes.

     Max couldn't hide his smile as he stared at his protectors waving at the crowd. But as he was looking, he also couldn't help but wonder where the other brotherhood was.

     "Revels...where on earth are they?"

     Revels, J.S High's supposed Marquis, was a brotherhood who won during the Annual Brotherhood Reranking. As a brotherhood who shot from the House of Pawns to the House of Kings, they should be over the moon for achieving something that only Crazy 8 has achieved, but everything was the complete opposite. They became the most hated brotherhood to the point that Viktor wanted to kill all of them himself. And when reality struck, the Revels knew that the only way they could survive this school was by surrendering themselves to the king.

     Viktor, as merciful as he was, took their offer and made them run errands for him as punishment. And if you know Viktor, running errands for him is never easy. Viktor also made sure that they never forgot the betrayal they committed, so besides the tiring tasks, the king ordered Tanis to damage Meirion March's eye like what happened to Kim Hee-joon as a permanent reminder.

     There are even rumors that Meirion's scream was heard throughout the campus, so some of the students couldn't help but pity them.

     Now, the Revels are still considered as J.S High's Marquis because Viktor didn't allow them to run away. But another catch was that they were never allowed to face the students, so other than Busters, no one else had seen them.

     "I must admit, even I'm excited for this battle. So as a special shoutout, let us thank the Elites for making this event possible," Mr. Coleman says while gesturing at the council who were standing just below the stage. The Elites happily waved and smiled while the white uniforms applauded them for being good sports.

     "Now, let's not waste any more time. Brotherhoods, along with Max Sinclaire, please step aside as we get our battle grounds ready," Mr. Coleman explains next, immediately making Max turn to his protectors who couldn't help but grin in excitement. Some of the members of Jokers and Cigarettes were even sticking their tongues out like kids, obviously trying to provoke Max but it only made the young heir laugh.

     "Are they expecting me to battle them?" Max asks himself as he walks to the left side of the stadium, the rest of the brotherhoods walking in the opposite direction.

     The members of Alpha Society made sure no one was in the middle of the stadium anymore. So when everything was clear, they gave the signal, and the grounds immediately opened up. 

     The white uniforms were excited to see what the brotherhoods prepared, but when the battle ground was finally lifted for the students to see, everyone in J.S High couldn't help but let their jaws drop when they saw a tall structure that reached the ceiling. The structure was made from large metal beams, and there were at least five levels or floors. To be able to get on the higher level, ladders were provided. Max also noticed that there were small flags scattered around the structure, and a banner of J.S High was found at the very top. If you look at it carefully, the structure looks like an unfinished building.

     "You got to be kidding me," Max says as he looks at the 'building' with disbelief.

     The members of Alpha Society ran to the battle grounds again and inspected the structure. While they were doing so, Max and the other brotherhoods were asked to step back inside.

     "For this battle, only the brotherhood leaders will be participating along with Max Sinclaire," Mr. Coleman explains, so Hans de Vries, Siren, Charles Justin Mills, and Master Joker walked to the side of the building, Max finally joining them.

     "What on earth is this?" Max asks as soon as he faces his protectors.

     "Nice to see you again, little toy," Krist answers with an excited grin behind his clown mask.

     "What? Don't you like our surprise gift?" CJ adds.

     "Believe me, this wasn't my idea," Siren then explains.

     While Max was trying his best not to give these leaders a tight hug, Hans approached Max this time with a much more serious expression on his face. Max doesn't know if it's because of their new title as Prince, but for some reason, Hans looked much more intimidating than he was before. He has this different aura around him that scared even Max.

     "You've been gone for quite some time, and as your protectors, we want to know if the white uniform who bears our crown brooches still has what it takes to hold such a prestigious title. So, Maximillian Leigh Sinclaire, win this battle against your four protectors and show us what you've got. Because if you fail..." Hans pauses, and in an instant, his demeanor changes as he moves even closer to Max, making the gaffer swallow the lump in his throat as Hans whispers in his ear, "None of us will take Kim Hee-joon as our underling."

     As soon as Max heard the condition, his eyes instantly widened in shock. At first, he thought that his brotherhoods were only messing with him so he tried playing along, but when he saw how serious they all looked, Max finally understood what this was all about. Marcus already mentioned that the brotherhoods, Hans especially, wasn't very happy about taking Joon as their underling. And if he remembers correctly, someone mentioned that Joon and Hans were close in the past, but something grave must have happened for Hans to despise him now. Max always asked his protectors for favors, but maybe this one was too personal.

     Max doesn't want to force the leaders to take Joon either, but he has no choice. Now, if he needs to battle them like this, then there's nothing much he can do. Max is going to try his best to win this battle no matter what and prove to his protectors that they can still trust him even when his ideas are as crazy as making Joon their underling.

    "Now you've done it, Duke. You ignited this sly little fox's fire. This was supposed to be an easy win," CJ teases while looking at Max with a smirk.

    "It's Prince," Hans corrected. "And that was the plan," he then adds.

     "Well, it looks like we're enemies for the time being. Best of luck, Sinclaire," Siren says before walking towards the flag with Crazy 8's logo on it. Krist does the same, while CJ quickly shows his middle finger to Max before running to his own spot.

     Hans was left standing in front of Max. Before taking his leave, Hans gives Max one final word. "Let's see how strong your resolve is, brotherhood tamer," the prince says, reaching out to adjust his brooch on Max's collar before finally heading to where his banner is.

   Max, who is now a lot more serious than he was earlier, looks at the structure in front of him and starts analyzing every nook and cranny, making sure he makes a mental map of the entire thing. It's been a while since the students saw that look on him so they couldn't help but talk amongst each other.

     "Looks like we're gonna have a great show," one of the white uniforms stated.

     "This is like Mr. Brains & Brawn again," another dweller adds.

     "Well then, since this isn't a regular brotherhood battle, there will be no bets. As per the Elites' request, there will be no weapons either, so everything is purely physical combat and strategy. Now, for Max's sake, I will explain the mechanics of the game," Mr. Coleman explains, making Max turn to the LED screens that showed different angles of the odd battle ground.

     "There are several red flags scattered around this battle ground. You must collect one flag from each floor before climbing to the very top and grabbing the J.S High's banner on the fifth level. Take note that most flags have an X mark. That flag won't count. Now the leaders have a different objective. Hans, Siren, CJ, and Master Joker don't have the same goal as you do, but what they are tasked to do is to make sure you don't make it to the top within twenty-five minutes. These are the rules of today's battle. May the best player win."

     The white uniforms began to cheer again as Max took a deep breath, looking at the structure for one last time before walking to the spot that had J.S High's banner on it. When he was finally standing there, he started removing his peak cap and coat, which led to some of his new fanboys screaming for him.

     "The battle will begin in 5...4...3...2..."

     Max closed his eyes, adjusting his focus and concentration to a hundred percent. The screams suddenly quiet down as he remembers everything he went through in the House of Bishops. An image of Klyde then appears, and Max tries to reach out to him before hearing the gunshot that instantly makes him open his eyes again.

     The stadium roared as Max's feet started running on their own. Without even thinking about it, Max was already inside the building, running towards the flag that he saw when he was observing it earlier. Max grabs the flag and scans it, only for it to have an X mark.

     "Shit. That's not it," he curses, throwing the flag away and searching the floor to look for another flag. 

     Inside each floor were large crates and barrels. It was useful if you needed to hide, but there's also a disadvantage because when Max made a quick turn, he was immediately welcomed by Cigarette leader, CJ.

     "Boo," CJ jokingly says. He then got ready to grab Max, but Max dodged him in time before kicking him on the leg, making CJ lean forward. Max then used him by stepping on his back and climbing on top of a large crate so the Count wouldn't be able to reach him anymore. Unfortunately, just when Max thought that he had gotten away, he saw Master Joker squatting on top of one of the crates, wearing his clown mask while he whistled a familiar tune.

    "I hope you're ready to play, little toy," Master Jokers taunts. Soon after, he stood straight and started running towards Max at full speed. Max, who was startled, took at least three solid seconds before turning around and making a run for it, hopping from one crate to another before jumping down, his boots hitting the ground, which alerted CJ who was close by.

    The white uniforms, who were watching everything from the screen thanks to the dozen cameras inside the structure, were shouting excitedly as CJ chased after Max on the ground while Krist was running on top of the barrels.

    Max continued running for his life while simultaneously looking for a red flag. When he thought he was never going to find one, Max ran passed a bunch of hollow blocks and instantly noticed a red flag sticking between them. Max sighed in relief and started running towards it. He ran fast to catch some time, but when the flag was only an arm-length away, a metal beam suddenly hit him on the stomach, knocking the air out of him, surprising not only Max but the white uniforms as well.

    "Looks like you didn't observe the structure enough," Siren says as she steps out from hiding behind a large crate, Max now on the ground holding his stomach while saliva oozes out of his mouth.

     Max wipes his lips with the back of his hand before turning to the graceful leader. "I d-didn't h-have...enough...time. Unlike...you g-guys," Max struggles to say while still holding his aching stomach.

     Siren towers over him while holding onto the metal beam like how she does when she's holding her cane. "Oh this is embarrassing," she says, her tone neutral to the point where you wouldn't even notice that she was mocking you. "This is the first time we're seeing this battle ground too," she then reveals. "The new marquis, the Revels, might be worthless, but they're not entirely useless. It seems like they have a particular way of building battle grounds. Impressive, if I may say so myself."

     "Are you boasting?"

     "Not really. Does it look like I am?"

     "Well, I guess you're right about that. Because if you were boasting..." Max paused and looked up before adding, "You would have noticed that sand gets poured down from the second floor every three minutes."

     Siren's eyes widened in shock, looking up to notice the ceiling opening up above her. Before she can even react, sand pours down on her just like what Max predicted. As soon as the leader got buried, Max got up and ran to the pile of hollow blocks, grabbing the flag and instantly smiling when he saw that there was no X mark on it.

    "Alright, twenty minutes left," Max says to himself as he runs his way to the nearest ladder. He climbed it with ease, but as soon as he got to the second level, Hans was already waiting for him there. Max was already expecting it, but he was in such a hurry that he didn't even think much of it.

     "Please don't tell me you thought it was going to be this easy," Hans says with a disappointed look on his face.

     "Well shit," Max can only curse as Hans mischievously grins and kicks him in the face, instantly making Max fall back from the second level to the first level, knocking him out in an instant.

     "And he's down!" The commentator shouted. "Max Sinclaire just lost consciousness. Is this the end of this battle? Looks like even Max did not expect his protectors to show no mercy."

    The white uniforms and the brotherhoods stared at the screen that showed Max lying on the ground, his eyes closed, showing no signs of life whatsoever. In an instant, the stadium became quiet. The timer was going by so fast that it was making everyone feel nervous. But just when they all thought that Max was going to lose just like that, Max opened his eyes back and gasped for air, making the stadium erupt again.

     "And he's awake folks!"

     Max took a deep breath, coughing a little as he got back up, his entire body aching after falling four meters above the ground. He might have sprained an ankle, maybe even broken a bone, but Max didn't care. He was angry. Actually, it wasn't even anger.

     Max was all fired up and much more eager to win. Others might not know this, but Max pushes himself even harder when faced with the unimaginable. So while trying to compose himself, Max looked at his armband and adjusted it before brushing his hair back with his fingers, his expression different from earlier.

     "That's it," he says while clenching his fist in determination. "You want to see how much I've learned in St. George Academy? Well then, let me fucking teach you."

- END -