Chapter 589: Scarlet Soldier meets Eclipse 1

Angel fell into step beside Noah as he started walking back toward where the Eclipse transports were parked. Her soul form had completely deactivated now, leaving her looking remarkably normal considering she’d just been in a fight that had created several new craters across an already devastated landscape.

"Can I ask you something?" Angel’s voice carried a note that Noah recognized—the careful tone people used when they wanted information but didn’t want to seem like they were fishing for validation.

"Sure."

"How would you say I compare to other S-rank awakened you’ve fought? Like Lucas, for instance. Or any of the other alphas you might know."

Noah chose his words carefully, aware that this conversation could go sideways quickly. "I’ve only met a handful of opponents stronger than Lucas and myself. Actual fights, I mean. Not just training or sparring."

"And where would I fall in that ranking?"

"Honestly? I couldn’t say for sure if I’m even stronger than Lucas right now." Noah glanced at her, saw her expression shift to skepticism. "He spent months in a place ...a dimension. Whatever he went through there, whatever he had to do to survive, it changed him. Made him stronger in ways I don’t fully understand yet."

Angel laughed, the sound coming out awkward. "You’re just being humble. After what I just watched you do to me, there’s no way—"

"I’m not," Noah interrupted gently. "There are monsters out there. Kruel, for instance. Four-horn Harbingers that operate on levels that make our fight look like children playing. The Widow, who I killed on a couple of months back, nearly ended me despite having advantages she didn’t. Lucas is one of the strongest humans I know, and I genuinely don’t know how a fight between us would go."

He paused, then continued with something that felt important to say. "But you know what? I’m glad there are people as strong as you. That Lucas exists, that other S-ranks and alphas are out there fighting. Because when the real threat shows up—when Kruel comes back, when the next four-horn appears, when the Harbingers make their next major push—I can’t be everywhere at once."

Noah met her eyes directly. "I trust that when that day comes, you’ll have my back. Just like I’ll have yours. That’s what matters. Not rankings or who’s stronger than who, but knowing we’re not alone in this war effort."

Angel’s expression softened, something genuine replacing the competitive edge she’d been carrying. "That’s... actually really reassuring to hear."

"Good." Noah started walking again, heading toward where Marcus and Reyna were loading camera equipment. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I should get back to my people before they start making bets on whether I survived."

"Wait." Angel’s hand caught his arm, stopping him. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked away before speaking. "I know this might be out of bounds, but you just humiliated me in front of everyone. The whole eastern quadrant watched me get knocked out. I think I deserve some compensation, don’t you?"

Noah smiled nervously. "I didn’t mean to humiliate you. You wanted me to go all out."

"I’m not actually upset," Angel said, waving away his concern. Her eyes met his again, carrying that same intensity from earlier. "But you can apologize anyway. At dinner. Nine PM. I’ll send you the address if you don’t mind."

Noah felt his brain stutter slightly. "I... okayyyy?"

"Great." Angel’s smile widened, and she released his arm. "I’ll see you tonight then."

She walked away before Noah could process what had just happened, leaving him standing there trying to figure out if he’d just agreed to a date or if this was some kind of revenge plot.

’I’m in danger,’ Noah thought, watching her disappear into the Task Force crowd. ’Definite danger.’

---

The flight back to Eclipse headquarters was filled with Kelvin’s commentary.

"Once again!" Kelvin announced to the entire transport, his voice carrying over the engine noise. "The greatest of all time has done it! Another person’s butt thoroughly whooped! The Eclipse leader remains undefeated!"

"Kelvin, please shut up," Noah said without heat.

"I will not! This needs to be celebrated! Documented! Possibly made into a holiday!"

When they landed, the faction members who’d watched the live stream were waiting. The moment Noah stepped off the transport, Seraleth, Sophie, and Lila were there.

"That was quite the show," Seraleth said, her luminous eyes carrying amusement. "We were almost worried."

"Almost worried?" Noah repeated.

"Well, no," Sophie admitted, though her voice carried an edge. "We knew you could handle Angel. Though putting on such a dramatic display was probably unnecessary."

"Angel," Lila said, her tone making the name sound like an insult. "The red-headed blood manipulator who apparently needed to be put in her place."

Noah caught the spite immediately. Both Sophie and Lila were smiling, but their smiles had teeth. They’d clearly decided they didn’t like Angel, though Noah wasn’t entirely sure why.

"It was just a sparring match," Noah said carefully. "She wanted to see what SSS-rank actually meant."

"And you showed her," Sophie replied. "Thoroughly. Completely. In front of thousands of people."

"Are we upset about this?" Noah asked, looking between them.

"Not upset," Lila said. "Just... observant. Angel seems very interested in our boyfriend."

"She’s not—I mean, we just—it was sparring."

Seraleth’s smile widened. "Of course it was."

Noah decided escape was the better part of valor. "Kelvin, walk with me. Need to discuss something."

They found a quiet section of the headquarters, away from the crowds and the teasing and the growing feeling that Noah had stepped into something he didn’t fully understand.

"So," Kelvin said once they were alone. "What’s actually on your mind? Because you’ve got that look."

"Fighting Angel didn’t really tell me what I needed to know," Noah admitted. "I mean, it confirmed some things. My durability needs work—I took hits that would’ve done more damage if my vitality wasn’t so high. My defense is reactive rather than proactive, which means I’m always responding to threats instead of preventing them."

He pulled up his system interface mentally, reviewing the forging options even though Kelvin couldn’t see them. "The system’s offering me three choices for equipment I could forge. Oracle’s Veil—a mask focused on perception. Monarch’s Seal—a bracelet with utility focus. Reaper’s Grip—a gauntlet for combat enhancement."

"And you’re trying to decide which one addresses your actual needs versus which one just sounds cool?"

"Exactly. Oracle’s Veil would help with the defense issue—better perception means seeing attacks before they develop, giving me time to react properly. But Monarch’s Seal might offer utility I don’t even know I’m missing. And Reaper’s Grip could shore up my offensive capabilities in ways my current gear doesn’t."

Kelvin was quiet for several seconds, his prosthetic fingers tapping against his leg in that rhythm that meant he was thinking. "My advice? Don’t rush any decisions. You’re not in immediate danger, you’ve got time to evaluate properly. Besides, Lucas will be back from Raiju Prime soon. Maybe you could have another alpha-ranked clash, see how you perform against someone who actually knows your fighting style."

"You want me to fight Lucas?"

"I want you to be thorough in your evaluation. Lucas knows you better than Angel does, which means he’ll exploit weaknesses she couldn’t find. That’ll give you better data for making equipment decisions."

Noah nodded slowly. "That actually makes sense. And honestly, I’m looking forward to seeing how strong he’s gotten."

"Plus it’ll be less politically complicated than fighting the governor’s chief of security."

"About that..." Noah hesitated, then decided honesty was better. "I might have accidentally agreed to have dinner with Angel tonight."

Kelvin’s expression went completely blank. "You what."

"She said I humiliated her in front of everyone, so I owe her compensation. Dinner at nine. She’s sending me the address."

"Noah." Kelvin grabbed his shoulders, looked him dead in the eye. "My friend. My brother. You’re moving into dangerous territory."

"It’s just dinner."

"You already have a harem consisting of Sophie, Lila, and Seraleth. Three women who, on a good day, could individually end your existence if they decided you’d crossed a line. And now you want to add the Scarlet Soldier herself? Angel?"

"I didn’t do anything! She’s the one who asked me out!"

Kelvin pulled Noah closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Noah, I fear you’re taming more than just dragons at this point."

---

Later that evening, Noah stood in his quarters wearing clothes that Lila had personally approved after rejecting his first three outfit choices. Sophie had provided flowers—actual flowers, despite the fact that getting fresh flowers in the post-Kruel eastern quadrant was genuinely difficult.

"You look good," Sophie said, adjusting his collar one final time. "Presentable. Not too formal, not too casual."

"The flowers are a nice touch," Lila added, though her tone suggested she wasn’t entirely happy about this whole situation. "Shows you’re making an effort."

Seraleth just smiled, her luminous eyes carrying amusement. "Try not to get killed."

"She’s not going to kill me," Noah protested.

"We’re not talking about Angel," Sophie said sweetly.

Kelvin appeared in the doorway, shaking his head. "I still can’t believe you’ve survived this long. Three girlfriends, and you’re going on a date with a fourth woman. Your luck is going to run out eventually."

"It’s not a date," Noah said for the dozenth time that evening.

"Keep telling yourself that."

Noah left before anyone could offer more commentary on his life choices. He’d borrowed Sophie’s flying car—a sleek vehicle that she’d somehow maintained despite the chaos of the past month—and input the address Angel had sent to his phone.

The flight took twenty minutes, navigating through evening traffic that was still rebuilding to pre-attack levels. The address led him to a residential district that had survived Kruel’s assault largely intact, where buildings were actually maintained rather than just standing.

Noah landed the car in a designated spot and looked up at the structure. Not an apartment complex. A house. Actual standalone residence with a yard and everything, the kind of property that cost serious money in the eastern quadrant.

’She lives alone in a place this nice?’ Noah thought, walking toward the front door. ’Task Force commander salary must be better than I thought.’

He reached the door, flowers in hand, and pressed the doorbell. Waited maybe three seconds before hearing movement inside.

The door opened.

Angel stood in the doorway, and Noah’s brain temporarily forgot how to function.

She wore a red gown that stopped just above her knees, the fabric clinging to her curves in ways that made it very clear this wasn’t casual dinner attire. The neckline plunged deeper than Noah was prepared for, drawing his eyes before he could stop himself. Thin straps rested on her shoulders, leaving her arms bare, showing toned muscle that he’d just been fighting against hours ago but looked completely different in this context.

Her red hair was down, falling past her shoulders in soft waves that caught the light from inside her house. Light makeup enhanced features that didn’t need enhancement, making her eyes stand out even more than usual. She wasn’t wearing heels—just standing there in bare feet, which somehow made everything feel more intimate.

She was smiling, clearly very pleased by his reaction.

"Oh... wow," Noah managed, his brain struggling to form complete sentences.

Angel’s smile widened. "Come in, Noah. Dinner’s almost ready."