Compared to how nervous Edward is, the other Snowdrifts stood almost nonchalantly and completely defiant against Calculus' teams without any hint of fear.
In fact, Tommy and Jim are the types that become rearing to go while facing challenges. Out of their group, those two are the ones that enjoy combating the most, while Alan and Kairos are more level-headed and Edward is a pacifist.
This does not mean that the archer is a coward. More than so, he is a quiet but resolute soul. But even such a person has people important to him. And when facing things that threaten them, he couldn’t help feeling the pressure, especially, since he is fighting with unfamiliar techniques and couldn’t let the formation break from his side.
As powerful as a formation is, if one side is unable to match the speed with the rest of his team, the effects of the array would be disintegrated and possibly make things worse than fighting individually.
Imagine fighting in a group, surrounded by teammates who keep on blocking your movements. Even if you could dodge an attack, you might be shoved back and cut down. At that time, even if you want to complain, you can only do so in the underworld.
But when a formation is used correctly, it is exceptional in a group fight.
Fortunately, their team had reformed their ranks quickly enough, switching from the Gammadion Cross formation into the Bagua formation. The Berserker’s Pill took effect far more rapid than anyone expects, and the young nobles roared with uncontrollable battle lust near them. If not because Kairos has made the Bagua formation into their core formation, and also the array they practised the most, they would not have the time to take position properly.
The Bagua formation is barely ready when some of Calculus' men already charged forth and mercilessly attacked.
At the outer most circle of their Bagua Formation, it is their eight strongest members that stood at the front, each facing in different directions, holding back their enemies.
Whenever they receive an impact, the formation acts like a rubber ball and absorbs the attack, then bounce back with greater force. The only criteria to do this is that those at the fore front must be strong enough to take the attack from the enemy.
The eight bore the brunt of the attacks, and soon cuts appeared all over their bodies, but because of the formation, they managed to endure. Instead, their foes had a harder time than them. Because of how compactly they fought their enemies attacked each other by mistake more often than them.
Under the influence of the Berserker’s pill, it’s hard to maintain one’s thoughts. In addition, it also endangers the consumer. In exchange for an ungodly power, one will burn with an uncontrollable rage.
Even with a thin arm, strikes will become deadly because of the unbounded energy from the pill seeking to be unleashed. However, if they are unable to vent the induced anger with battle completely, their blood will reverse, and their Ki will rush into their hearts. And when too much power is accumulated, their hearts will burst, their veins will rupture, and their meridian channels will disintegrate until they die from an explosion.
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If the battle ends before the wrath has calmed, even if the person had somehow survived, the leftover madness will burn away his potential, and in his lifetime, he will never reach the cultivation level of God's Way. Additionally, the longer they are under this influence, the more damage it will be on their bodies, cutting away greater the amounts of their future potential.
This anger seeps into their Ki a bloodthirsty blade, causing every attack to be enveloped by the powerful Ki from the user. When those Ki-infused attacks hit something, powerful energy will burst forth not unlike minor explosions.
To forcefully bring out a person’s energy this way will push anyone past their limits. The only way to stop the drug's effects is to fight in battle until all of it is used up or somehow removing the overbearing energy inside of them.
After taking this devilish drug, it is no wonder that the nobles charged in without sequence or tactics. Now, all they desire is to destroy their enemies.
The Red Team struggled to hold back their foes. The force from the attacks they received is channelled through the Bagua Formation from one end to another, allowing the impact to be carried across and strike the enemies on the other side.
"Ho! A ball!" San Du Hou said, as he unconsciously rubs his large round stomach.
The other instructors who heard and saw this couldn't help but want to laugh. With his short and round stature, the Head of Logistics Instructor indeed looks a little like a ball. But since he is a high ranking instructor, they have no choice but to force their mirth back into themselves. Out of sheer will, they succeeded, but now tears came out into their eyes making them wanting to cry and laugh at the same time.
Even though every instructor can guess that he is referring to Kairos' Bagua Formation, but right now, his body shape is just a little too distracting!
They suddenly had the thought that maybe, just perhaps, the Head of logistics is actually referring to his tummy. After all, anyone with eyes can observe how the Bagua formation is working, and there is no need to mention it out.
When each of them looked at the bulgingly round tummy to verify if that is the subject of his words, they realised that the other instructors are also looking at the same spot.
“Wu u u hng…” An odd sound, a cross between a muffled laugh and a whizzing balloon escaped one of them.
"Which ball are you referring to old chap? Your tummy or Kairos' Bagua Formation?" Yi De said out everyone's thoughts with a serious tone and a stoic look, as he indifferently smoothed his long beard with his fingers.
The stimulant of hearing what they were thinking brought up so seriously by the Disciplinarian Head Instructor made the other instructors struggle to keep their laughter in, "Somebody, please kill me… ha ha.. ow.. ."
Suddenly a roaring laughter burst forth from the hulking Head of student affairs, Er Tian, his thick muscles shaking with his laughter. With him leading, the rest of them no longer could hold back, and they all burst into laughter.
"E… Everyone could see that the Bagua formation behaves similarly to a ball so I had thought you are referring to how your tummy looks instead!" Er Tian said between fits of laughter. And again the other instructors chortled and choked; many already started openly weeping from failing to stop.
The short and round San Du Hou finally realised he had unknowingly become the subject of everyone’s laughter, and he looks down sadly.
"I'm just a little round."
"Quiet!" a sharp female voice cut across the room.
Immediately everyone stiffened and returned to observing the crystal ball.
The female voice belonged to the same bespectacled lady instructor that had given the exercise instructions at the beginning of this training. Although she is of the same rank as the three Head Instructors, she is the Head of Events Instructor, and her post caused the other instructors to keep silence in deference to her authority in this venue. And also because she belongs to a very high ranking noble family.
However, this did not deter the big muscular Head of student affairs Instructor who wiped off the tears in his eyes and silently poked at the waist of the Disciplinarian Head Instructor for his attention and then gave him a thumbs' up.
In return, the older instructor returns him a wink.
Although Yi De’s expression never changed throughout, he had rather enjoyed teasing the short, round one.
As their rubber-ball-like formation took attacks from all sides, Kairos' five teams started accumulating more and more wounds. The attacks of explosive Ki from the Berserker's pills struck the eight vanguards in the front for countless times, until their clothes are tattered, and blood flowed freely out of numerous scratches. This is just the start of the battle, but oftentime, they would find themselves surviving only by a hair's breadth away from a sharp blade.
The Ki attacks and impacts they received were less of a problem. The eight redirected those forces into their formation, dispersing the damage evenly amongst the rest of their team. With Kairos at the formation’s heart, he was the one to redirect those energies, enduring all the impacts.
This is not a job that many could do. If he was slow or careless at any point, the multiple blows are taking will overlap and destroy him who is in the centre.