I am a former Flame Chasers

Eden, Griseo, and Su still hadn't arrived, so why was the "Thirteen Heroes" even mentioned? And why was Elysia so fixated on the number 'thirteen'?

No wonder Ryan was confused. Elysia's idea seemed too coincidental, and there was no way to ignore the number. Could it be related to the thirteen Herrschers?

Ryan frowned, trying to understand, but something was bothering him. His mind raced, but there was an extra word in the title: 'team.' He looked closer and his expression became even more perplexed.

Elysia wasn't the type to act whimsically. She wasn't someone to come up with some 'genius' ideas out of nowhere. After thinking it over carefully, Ryan realized that there were some solid truths behind her plan.

In fact, her idea aligned perfectly with Ryan's own: to concentrate humanity's high-end combat power into a mobile force to face various threats.

Her plan proposed dividing Fire Moth's high-end combat power into thirteen teams, each with at least one upper-level fusion warrior, and then adding regular fusion warriors to form a strategic mobile force.

"It's a bit like combining the Cocoon and the Sword of Punishment," Ryan thought.

This was a shift from the Fire Moth's usual tactics, where they used 'branches' as the basic tactical unit, each with a fixed upper-level fusion warrior and a Punishment Sword team. In emergencies, they'd call for support from other branches, but the units didn't have a structured hierarchy.

The advantage was that each branch could take care of its assigned direction. The downside, however, was that during situations like the one the AustraRyan branch faced against the Seventh Herrscher, even the upper-level fusion warriors couldn't hold their ground long enough for reinforcements to arrive. By the time backup came, it was too late, and the team had already suffered heavy losses.

Ryan knew the fallen warrior personally. The man was no weaker than Ying, but he was up against a mutated, enhanced version of the Herrscher of Flame.

That's why Mei was already in the process of reforming things. The first step was to concentrate their forces, consolidate their troops, and rebuild the mobile force.

"If we gather all the high-end combat power together, it will certainly weaken local defenses, but we don't have to keep them all in the headquarters. For example, we can station two teams in key areas, ready to mobilize the whole force in case of an emergency."

The team-based structure had its benefits. First, each team could develop a sense of synergy. Depending on the captain's abilities, they could devise the most effective tactics. Secondly, it was easy to mobilize the teams as one cohesive unit.

Ryan suddenly recalled an abandoned draft in the central database. The plan was similar to Elysia's, but it had been scrapped for one simple reason:

The biggest flaw with this approach was the "small hill." If a team betrayed the Fire Moth, humanity would lose one thirteenth of its combat strength. And if three teams joined forces, the Fire Council would be on high alert.

But, to be honest, this flaw didn't matter to Ryan. He could easily suppress any internal betrayal with his strength. The true danger came from external threats, and those would be dealt with swiftly.

The idea of thirteen teams kept reminding him of another work. What was it? Ah, the Thirteenth Guardian Squadron.

And with that, the conventional army would essentially become a different system—an Astartes Warband, maybe?

"What a genius idea, I can't believe you came up with it," Ryan said, his voice filled with admiration.

Elysia smirked. "Hehe, if you're complimenting me, you can take back the second half of that sentence." She puffed out her chest proudly. "See? I'm not just some carefree girl. When I'm serious, I'm serious."

"I hope you'll always be this serious. But why this obsession with the number '13'?" Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't get it," Elysia said, frowning. "Why don't you just change it to 12 or 14?"

Seeing her puzzled expression, Ryan guessed that the number was purely coincidental, so he closed the notebook she was holding.

"The specific team compositions will depend on the list, but I'll accept the idea for now. We'll discuss it with Mei, but this isn't something that can be decided on a whim."

"Okay! Then how about I design the team uniforms and the team motto?" Elysia said excitedly, grabbing Ryan's hand and swinging it back and forth. The soft touch was hard to resist.

Ryan quickly pulled his hand back, not wanting the Fire Moths to end up as a circus. He was a no-nonsense person, and all the flashy decorations were too much for him.

"Let's talk about it later. Besides, Mei handles those things. Don't bother me with that stuff." Ryan tried to shift the conversation. "You've helped a lot today, though. As a reward, this villa will be yours to manage. You can set the rules. How about it?"

Ryan may have sounded like he was rewarding her, but in reality, he was passing the responsibility to her. In terms of "family" leadership, Elysia was by far the most suitable.

She was selfless, enthusiastic about everyone's well-being, and considerate in a way even Ryan couldn't manage.

"Okay, but no need for rules at home. Everyone can do whatever they want," Elysia said, clapping her hands. Then, she suddenly hit her head. "Oh, I forgot something important!"

"What's the matter?" Ryan, who was about to head to dinner, turned around.

"Do you remember what I promised you when Aponia had her surgery?"

Ryan's memory was sharp. Even though he had been distracted at the time, he still remembered. "You mean if the results were good, you'd fulfill one of my requests?"

"Yes, and now there's nothing better than this. You've won a great victory, and I've gained a lot too." Elysia walked toward him, her hands behind her back, smiling brightly.

She felt she had gained more than Ryan—this was like fulfilling a childhood dream: building a big house, living with friends, and enjoying peaceful, happy moments, which she would later write into fairy tales.

"I keep my promises. I can fulfill any request you have."

Ryan was momentarily dazed. He hadn't considered this at all, and only subconsciously glanced at her.

Elysia stood there, her beautiful face framed by her blue eyes, her figure plump and graceful in her blue-and-white dress. The soft fabric of her skirt fluttered, and her long white legs stood gracefully. The sunlit warmth of her presence made Ryan's heart flutter, but he didn't think too much about it.

Instinctively, he said, "How about a hug and a word?"

"Those are two requests," Elysia said playfully. "Okay, I promise you."

Elysia hesitated for a moment. Before Ryan could prepare himself, she rushed forward.

Ryan's eyes widened, and before he could react, a soft body like water and heat rushed into his arms. A pair of delicate hands wrapped around his neck.

He couldn't describe the sensation—this wasn't just a simple hug. The feeling of holding her in his arms made everything else pale in comparison. Her scent, something more exquisite than any perfume, filled his senses.

His breath caught in his chest, and the visual impact was overwhelming.

With his height, Ryan had to lower his head slightly to see her face, which was only a few inches away. There was a faint blush on her fair cheeks, a surprising contrast to the force of her sudden embrace.

"This is my first time hugging a boy. If I didn't act decisively, you might change your request. So, I had to sneak attack you ♪" Elysia teased softly, her face turning even redder.

"It's my honor," Ryan said with a gentlemanly smile. He slowly raised his hand to hug her back. As he looked into her pure eyes, his instincts finally calmed.

Elysia's charm and purity were so overwhelming that Ryan couldn't bring himself to do anything improper. He held her gently, savoring the moment.

The back of her dress was hollowed out. As Ryan's hand touched it, Elysia tensed for a moment but didn't resist. Slowly, she relaxed.

She lowered her head and avoided looking at Ryan, and the two of them stood there, frozen in a brief moment of stillness. It was as if they were getting familiar with this unfamiliar feeling, imprinting it deep into their minds.

The memories rushed in—Changkong City, their first meeting in the street garden; Canghai City, the fatal blow, the pink fairy falling from the sky; Britain, the oolong after the concert...

It suddenly hit Ryan: he had known Elysia for a long time. The connection felt effortless, like it had always been there.

He had changed the world beyond recognition to earn this hug. How could he not cherish it?

After a long silence, Elysia twisted in his arms and whispered, "It's time for dinner, Ryan. If you have something to say, it's not good to keep Sakura and the others waiting."

Right. He had something to ask.

Ryan snapped out of his daze and remembered that he still had things to do. He had been so caught up in the moment that he didn't know what to say.

"Do you want to live? Life and death aren't controlled by Elysia."

"Will you fall in love with me? What if you're just a nice guy?"

Just then, the dinner bell rang, and footsteps echoed on the stairs. There was no time to think about it.

"Eliie, I hope that one day, I can surpass the concept of 'human beings.'"

"Huh? Ryan, are you saying you want to stop being human?"

Elysia blinked, confused. Before she could ask more, Ryan had let go of her and took a step back. Just then, a gray-blue-haired figure appeared at the door.

"Eliie, brother, what are you two doing?"

Hua raised an eyebrow, noticing the two standing face to face. Elysia's cheeks were still slightly flushed, and her heart sank without realizing it..

The two of them... no, no way!

That was a close call. Why was he so worried about being caught?

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt a bit strange. Had he just... confessed?

He didn't have time to think about it. He turned around and put on his usual indifferent expression.

"Is dinner ready?"

"Yes, Sister Sakura asked me to come up and call you."

"Okay, I'll be right there. Elysia's suggestion was very useful. Let's talk more while we eat."

So it was just a suggestion. With Elysia's skin, what kind of 'shameless' suggestion could make her blush like that?

Hua nodded blankly and went downstairs.

This girl is really easy to fool.

Ryan smiled a little, about to follow, but then Elysia pulled on his sleeve. He froze for a moment and turned around.

Her face was still bright, with a hint of cunning and pride, but the girlish shyness from before had completely vanished.

"Ryan, did you confess to me just now? And in front of Hua? You're really fickle, huh? You're a little excited, aren't you?"

Ryan's mouth twitched, caught in an awkward spot. He didn't know how to respond. Elysia had given him the "Good Guy Card" after all.

Shaking his head, he realized it seemed unmanly to deny it, but nodding would just make him feel embarrassed to be given such a card.

Before he could answer, Elysia's expression turned serious.

"Actually, Ryan, you're a good person, but—"

Here it comes, the first Good Guy Card of his life!

Ryan felt his usual thick skin falter. His face heated up slightly, but he kept his cool.

"But, since this is an agreement, I'll give you a chance. Anyway, this feeling isn't unpleasant."

Her voice trailed off, and she passed by him like a butterfly. Her pink hair fluttered, her face still tinged with a hint of red, before she disappeared into the room like an elf.

Ryan stood there, fully prepared for any critical strikes. When she vanished, he blinked.

Wait, what did she just say??