"The overlord Pompey was not unaware, he just didn't expect Lucius would dare to do this."
"Furthermore, Pompey is getting old, having the will but not the strength."
"That's why he wanted to groom Lucius as the next leader of the Triumphant Ones, which is why he indulged Lucius so much."
"As for what Pulchra said, those should all be Lucius's own ideas; he has cooperated with the city's enterprises."
"But because of Pompey's indulgence, the situation has reached an unstoppable point."
Lucy stated her thoughts; the situation was now very clear.
Lucius cooperated with the city's enterprises. Although Pompey was still the overlord of the Motorcycle Clan under the Triumphant Ones, he had already been sidelined by Lucius.
And Pompey might not even know about this matter.
"Then what is his objective in doing this?"
Caesar was puzzled. Since he was already the designated next leader of the Triumphant Ones, why would he still do this? Wasn't this redundant?
"Moreover, he wants complete control over the Outer Ring. He is no longer satisfied with the power he currently holds."
"So he wants more power, but the strength of the Triumphant Ones is not enough for him to completely control the Outer Ring."
"That's why he chose to cooperate with the city's enterprises, with the goal of completely controlling the Outer Ring."
Hoshimi Aya explained. This was not a lie; this was exactly what he intended in the original plot.
He wanted to cooperate with people from the city and use that to completely control the Outer Ring.
As for the specifics of the cooperation, it was unknown. In any case, Lucius's stance in the cooperation should have been very low; he was practically acting like a dog for them.
It was likely that Lucius wanted to control the Outer Ring, sought cooperation from the city, but perhaps due to some mindset or habit of being a lackey, he wanted to switch masters to serve.
However, in the plot, the city enterprise that cooperated with Lucius was quite formidable. They managed to turn Lucius against his current master with just verbal promises.
They didn't provide any actual help; Lucius relied entirely on himself.
But this time seems different. This time, they clearly provided assistance, dispatching many more people.
"Wait, if that's really the case..."
"Then the Triumphant Ones suddenly having so many reinforcements clearly means they came from the city's enterprises."
"The goal is to help Lucius rule the Outer Ring, but why dispatch so many people?"
Ling pondered.
"The Triumphant Ones are almost completely under his control, and his biggest obstacle to controlling the Outer Ring is... us, the Sons of Calydon."
"He wants... to eliminate us, the Sons of Calydon?!"
Lucy showed a look of horror, shocked by the idea she had just guessed.
"???"
"No way, right?"
"Even if he has this idea, Lucius clearly knows about me."
"Even if he has such an idea, with just this small number of people, and with me here..."
"He wouldn't be unaware. How could those people possibly defeat me?"
"Isn't that too wishful thinking?"
Hoshimi Aya was confused.
When she previously went to the Triumphant Ones' camp, Lucius's gaze clearly indicated he recognized her.
"No, he is very smart."
"He probably knows you won't stay in the Outer Ring for long, so they won't make a move against us in Wildfire Town."
"... They plan to cause trouble during the Hellfire Ride!"
Lucy realized.
"Could it be they plan to ambush us inside The Hollow?"
Caesar was puzzled.
"That possibility can't be ruled out. In any case, let Aya go with us then."
"Let Aya go ahead and set up an ambush inside The Hollow. If any sudden situation arises, she can handle it."
Ling thought.
"I agree."
"I will prepare properly."
"I guarantee nothing will go wrong."
Hoshimi Aya nodded.
She would enter The Hollow early to make arrangements and take care of that Lucius.
If Lucius was dealt with, wouldn't all problems be solved?
If the one cooperating with the city enterprise was Lucius, and Lucius was gone, perhaps Pompey could regain control of the Triumphant Ones.
Wouldn't that solve everything?
"Hmm?"
"Aya, you need to prepare?"
Ling was confused. Shouldn't Aya just draw her sword and fight in this situation? Why would she need to prepare things in advance?
"I want to go back to the city and retrieve my bow."
"Although retrieving the arrows is a bit troublesome, its overall performance is still quite good."
Hoshimi Aya smiled.
Of course, there was one most important reason she didn't mention.
With the blessing of the Nine-Tails, the power of one arrow from that bow could even rival a sniper rifle—a must-have weapon for a sneak attack!
Lucius's skill level, which was as weak as a dog's, basically meant he couldn't dodge it. Even if he luckily dodged the first shot, wouldn't there be a second one?
Even if he luckily dodged them all, she still had her knife.
The arrows might be dodged, but the knife would almost certainly not be.
However, it was estimated that the bow and arrow would be enough to solve the problem.
"Hmm?"
"Aya, aren't you a knife user?"
"Why bring a bow?"
Lucy was confused.
In this situation, shouldn't she bring the weapon she was best at?
Why bring a bow and arrow?
"Don't worry about it, I have my own uses."
"You'll find out when the time comes."
Hoshimi Aya mused, though her primary thought was how to find the Triumphant Ones' route.
"Fine, Aya, just do as you see fit."
"We will prepare for the Hellfire Ride."
Ling considered.
The others nodded.
...
A few days later.
The day of the Hellfire Ride.
"Aya, are you ready?"
Ling asked.
"Wait, let me check."
Saying that, Hoshimi Aya checked the quiver at her waist and her bow.
She had already brought the bow over during these two days.
After checking for a while and confirming there were no issues, Hoshimi Aya nodded.
Caesar placed Eous at the front of the vehicle, and Hoshimi Aya sat in the back seat.
The two of them plus Bangboo set off toward The Hollow for the Hellfire Ride.
In a location unknown to the others, a person was observing them through binoculars.
"The plan is proceeding smoothly. That person really entered The Hollow ahead of schedule."
"It seems she truly believes we are going to make a move against the Sons of Calydon."
A person disguised as a resident said into a walkie-talkie.
"Very good. Now we just wait for the Hellfire Ride to begin."
Sarah's voice came through the walkie-talkie.
...
Inside The Hollow.
"Aya, you wait here."
"This route is the route for us, the Sons of Calydon."
Caesar explained.
"Mhm, that's right."
"If anything unexpected happens to us, we will notify you immediately."
Ling added in agreement.
"I know. I will wait here quietly."
"If anything happens, just use that communication device to tell me."
Hoshimi Aya said, pointing to her ear.
Caesar and Ling nodded upon seeing this, then drove away.
"I wonder what the Triumphant Ones' route is..."
Saying that, Hoshimi Aya climbed up to a hillside, trying to get a clearer view.
Once the Hellfire Ride started and the Triumphant Ones entered The Hollow, she would be able to spot them immediately.
------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the fanfiction has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 or more chapters in advance over on my patreon: patreon.com/FTLGenBen
Also every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone, Thanks.