Running his fingers over the padded walls, Ashe could not help muttering a self-deprecating remark. "Has visiting every country's prison become a regular part of our travel itinerary? If reality were a game, we would definitely unlock the Prison Experience Specialist achievement."

Meanwhile, Iger was lying sprawled across the padding. He replied lazily, "You would have also unlocked achievements like Defeated in One Second, First Place in Getting Beaten Up, and Losing by a Little Counts as Winning while you're at it."

"That's right. I was only this close to turning things around," Ashe said, biting his fingernail. "I simply had not had enough time to master Eternal Flame of Calamity. On top of that, she somehow managed to combine the power of four Grand Laws while ambushing a newcomer from another country. If those Calamity Flame fanatics had not given me false intelligence, if I had more time to train, and if she had not tricked me with that harmless, non-combat appearance,...