My Scumbag System Chapter 514: Kings, Queens, and Propaganda

The arena speakers crackled to life with a cheerful announcement that made Jaime’s entire face light up like someone had just told him Christmas came early.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special treat during our intermission! Please welcome the one, the only, STELLA NOVA!"

I had no idea who that was.

Jaime grabbed my shoulder hard enough to leave marks, his eyes practically glowing with fanboy enthusiasm.

"Satori! It’s her! It’s actually her! I can’t believe she’s here!"

"Who?"

He looked at me like I’d just confessed to eating babies.

"STELLA NOVA. The idol goddess. The queen of the stage. She’s got a voice like angels crying and a smile that could resurrect the dead!" He paused, his expression becoming almost reverent. "Also, her abs are a spiritual experience."

Of course they were.

The lights dimmed across the entire Crucible. A single spotlight hit the center stage that had risen from beneath the platform. Smoke machines kicked in, creating an atmosphere that was probably costing someone a fortune.

Then she appeared.

Stella Nova stepped out of the smoke wearing a white and silver combat suit that somehow managed to be both practical armor and a complete fashion statement. Her hair was platinum blonde, cut in a sharp bob that caught the stage lights. Blue and silver streaks ran through it, matching the holographic accents on her outfit. She moved like water, like someone who’d spent their entire life being watched and had learned to weaponize every second of attention.

Her opening note hit the crowd like a physical force.

Jaime nearly fainted. Marco caught him.

The song was upbeat, energetic, with a bass drop that I felt in my cracked ribs. Stella danced across the stage with backup dancers who looked like they’d been choreographed by someone who understood how to make combat look like art. Every move was sharp, powerful, controlled.

I had to admit, it was impressive.

"She’s singing about never giving up and believing in yourself," Emi translated helpfully, her antennae bobbing along with the beat. "It’s really inspiring!"

"It’s propaganda," Skylar muttered from my other side. "Corporate-sponsored feel-good nonsense designed to make kids buy merchandise and think Hunters are heroes instead of mercenaries."

"You’re such a cynic," Akari said, swaying slightly to the music. "Just enjoy the pretty lady singing."

Natalia said nothing, but her fingers were tapping against her thigh in rhythm. Even she couldn’t resist a good beat.

I took the opportunity to step back slightly, letting the noise and music wash over me as I retreated into my own head.

Her presence flickered to life with her usual attitude.

"Oh good, you remembered I exist. I was beginning to think you’d replaced me with all your new girlfriends."

The interface materialized in my vision, translucent and barely visible even to me. The quest parameters were laid out with that clinical precision the System loved.

NIKE’S CHALLENGE - PROGRESS UPDATE

Primary Objective: Win the Inter-Guild Tournament

Status: IN PROGRESS

Sub-Objectives:

[UNBEATEN] - Remain undefeated throughout all preliminary team matches.

Progress: 2/2 Matches Won

Status: ON TRACK

[DOMINANT] - Secure victory in at least 80% of all individual challenge events.

Progress: 0/0 (No individual events completed yet)

Status: PENDING

[VANGUARD] - Maintain first-place guild ranking throughout the entire tournament.

Current Standing: 1st Place (200 points)

Status: ON TRACK

[REGICIDE] - Personally defeat Julian Valerius in single combat during finals.

Status: NOT YET ATTEMPTED

"You’re doing adequately," Nel corrected with her typical snark. "Two matches isn’t exactly a pattern. And you still have the individual events, which could absolutely wreck you if you’re not careful."

"Five total. They’re designed to test different aspects of being a Hunter. Speed trials, strength tests, tactical puzzles, Aspect control demonstrations, and one wildcard event that changes every year. You need to place top three in at least four of them to hit your eighty percent threshold."

I did the math. Four out of five meant one failure was allowed.

One.

"Julian, Reyna, Kenjiro, Isabelle, and about six other S-Rank potentials who want your head on a pike. Should be fun."

The music swelled as Stella hit her high note. The crowd was eating it up, thousands of voices singing along. Jaime was crying actual tears.

I reached out mentally, feeling for that other presence. The one that had shown up in my room and offered me a quest that would either make me a legend or destroy everything I’d built.

The air beside me shimmered, just barely. Not enough for anyone else to notice, but I saw it. Felt it.

Her voice came through without sound, sliding into my consciousness like a knife between ribs.

"Of course I’m watching, Stray Dog. This is my investment. My show. You think I’d miss the opening act?"

"Oh, I am." Her tone carried genuine amusement. "That stunt with Kenjiro? Using your own body as a projectile? That was new. Creative. Suicidal, but creative. The Audience loved it."

"Careful. Some of them might take you up on that."

Stella’s song reached its climax, and she struck a final pose that had half the crowd on their feet screaming. The other half was already screaming. Everyone was just screaming at different volumes.

I refocused.

Nike’s presence shifted, becoming more serious. More focused.

"You’re worried about your queen."

"I didn’t ask if she could handle herself. I asked if you were worried."

I didn’t answer immediately. Down on the stage, Stella was bowing, soaking in the applause. The backup dancers were filing off. The lights were coming back up.

"Good. That means you’re not completely dead inside yet." Nike’s voice carried something that might’ve been approval. "But here’s the thing, Stray Dog. You can’t fight her battles for her. You can’t step between her and every threat. You want to build a kingdom? Then you need to trust that your queens can defend themselves when you’re not there to catch them."

"Exactly. Which means if Natalia wins, she proves herself. If she loses, you learn something about where you need to strengthen your court." Nike paused. "Either way, you stand back and let the chips fall. That’s what it means to lead."

I hated that she was right.

Hated it almost as much as I hated the knot forming in my stomach at the thought of Natalia getting hurt.

Nel chimed in, her voice softer than usual.

"She’s a Rank Ten Covenant, Satori. You’ve imbued her with abilities. Sovereign’s Mandate is actively buffing her stats right now just from proximity. She’s not the same girl who walked into that first Gate with you months ago."

I knew that. Intellectually, I knew that.

But knowing something and feeling okay about it were two completely different animals.

"Liar," Nike said, though she sounded amused rather than angry. "You’ll stay out of it until the exact moment you think she’s in real danger. Then you’ll do something monumentally stupid and probably heroic. That’s who you are."

"It’s not bad. It’s just predictable. And predictability, Stray Dog, is how people die."

The warning hung in my mind as Stella Nova finished her final bow. The crowd was still going wild, chanting her name. She blew kisses to the audience, her smile bright enough to power the entire arena.

Then her eyes found me.

Just for a second. Just long enough for her to wink.

What the hell?

She sashayed off stage with her backup dancers, and the lights shifted back to the arena proper. Maximus Hype’s voice boomed across the speakers again.

"What a performance! Let’s give it up one more time for Stella Nova, everyone!"

The crowd obliged with another wave of noise.

"Now then, folks, we’ve got ninety minutes before our semifinals begin! Grab some food, place your bets, and get ready for what promises to be the most intense matches of the day!"

The arena began to empty slightly as people headed for concessions or bathrooms. My team didn’t move.

"So," Akari said, breaking the silence. "That was a thing."

"She winked at Satori," Celeste observed, her tone carefully neutral.

"She winked at everyone," I said quickly. "That’s what performers do."

"She winked at you specifically," Natalia corrected, her temperature dropping about ten degrees. "I saw it."

"Your possessiveness is showing, Nat."

"Good. It should."

Emi fidgeted beside me, her hands twisting together. "Does anyone else think it’s weird that they scheduled a concert right in the middle of a tournament?"

"It’s a ratings thing," Juan said without opening his eyes. He was somehow sleeping standing up again. "Keep the audience engaged during downtime. Prevent channel switching."

"Also gives fighters time to recover," Isabelle added, appearing at my shoulder like a ghost. "Strategic rest period disguised as entertainment."

I glanced at the scoreboard. The semifinals bracket was displayed in massive holographic letters.

SEMIFINALS - TAG TEAM DUELS

Match 1: Nakano/Okoye (Onyx) vs. Valerius/Sanders (Argent)

Match 2: Kuzmina/Amane (Onyx) vs. Cabana/Tanaka (Phantom)

My jaw tightened.

Natalia saw it. "Don’t."

"Don’t what?"

"Whatever you’re thinking. Don’t."

"I’m just thinking that you’re about to fight someone who wants to electrocute you into next week."

"And you’re about to fight Julian, who wants to erase you from reality itself." She stepped closer, her voice dropping so only I could hear. "We both have our monsters to fight. That’s the job."

She was right. Again.

I pulled her in for a quick kiss, tasting mint and something cold that was just inherently Natalia. When we broke apart, the frost around her had receded slightly.

"Kick her ass," I said.

"Obviously."