Not far away from the place, Jones panted heavily as he sets George down. Just this simple act caused his entire body to tremble from the effort. He steadied himself by leaning against a large tree, recalling their fight while waiting for the staff to extract his captive.

It had not been as easy for him as it looked.

.....

The guys rushed towards Kairos who was still on the ground.

"Captain are you okay?"

"Help him up!"

"Bwahahaha Boss you got your arse kicked" Jim laughed.

*Smack*

Edward knocked Jim on the head with his knuckles and rolled his eyes. In a proper army, to joke about his commanding officer would be a serious offence, but Kairos simply laughed about it.

"Hahaha yeah I did, he was a total monster."

"You still think of him as your brother?"

"Yes," a swift answer.

Seeing their camaraderie from a distance, Calculus gave them a disgusted snort, “Just a pack of dogs that can’t do anything without each other.”

He immediately shouted a command and his men started charging towards them with a roar.

"To arms!" Alan responded at once.

"Formation!" Tommy yelled just a fraction of a second after.

Forcefully pushing himself off the ground, Kairos readied for combat without complaints. After all, the best opportune moment for their foes is at their weakest moment.

The Snowdrifts and the newly joined defenders gathered into the Bagua formation to defend the base, just in time as Calculus' group charge into them.

"Luciette what should we do?"

"Damn this glory seeker!" Luciette says with a deep frown on her brows, "Form up the ranks! We will assist them. If they break through the camp, we will be able to win!"

She sighed. The victory flag has been on her person all along, but she had not intended to pursue victory at this moment because defeat always closely accompanies opportunities. They are really not in the condition to overextend their forces. They might have the chance to win, but at the same time, they also stand to lose everything if they make a mistake. However, Calculus left her with little choice.

"Forward!"

With a shout, Luciette brought another forty students into the fray, instantly making the battle much more chaotic.

.....

Though she is the commander of the Blue Team, she has no idea that Calculus has murderous intentions.

After ambushing Kairos had failed, Calculus had retreated to blue camp with a woven report. Playing the victim, he told her that their Orc suppression group had run into Kairos and despite there are magical beasts rampantly about, they were forced to engage because of Kairos' ambition to win.

It was a blatant lie of course, but without access to the training grounds' recordings, there was no way for Luciette to tell the truth.

He continued to claim that after his team had risked their lives to defend against Kairos’ relentless assault, they had all sustained terrible wounds. Under the threat of the marauding Orcs, they were forced to retreat. Alucard’s team had valiantly covered their backs, but in the chaos, they lost contact. However, it was also because of them that allowed the rest to retreat without fatalities.

Of course, in his report, Calculus has not said anything about their attempt to murder their fellow students in the red team nor did he mention that the Dracula team was purposefully lured away and promptly discarded by him.

Because Alucard did not participate in combat with Kairos, he was unable to refute anything even if he felt that what Calculus said cannot be trusted; especially, since he knows how much Kairos valued life and was also saved by them.

In the end, it was Alucard’s words against Calculus, and the latter had more supporters to his statement. It is little wonder that Luciette did not realise that even now, the group following Calculus each kept a small uncoated dagger hidden on themselves.

They plan to murder Kairos in the heat of battle, so that the disorder may cover their intention even in the most detailed investigations.

The only clink in his plan is the instructors looking at everything through their Viewing Crystal. However, as the heir of a high ranking house among the Hundred Noble Families, it is an easy thing for him to manipulate a mere military academy.

And, if it comes down to being found out, Calculus have already prepared evidence to make one of his slave guards as the scapegoat.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

.....

Meanwhile, the sixty elites with George that were knocked out by Jones were stirred by the loud cries of battle. Fortunately, they were not targeted because of the time constraint; no one else but their commander was expelled, and they suffered only minor wounds.

They quickly headed over to the north ramparts and joined in the battle, causing the melee to become more disarrayed than before, with four groups each with their own motives.

Instead of fighting like a trained army, the cadets looked far more suited to be fighting in a bar.

Among them, the only leader that still seemed to hold any command over his men is Kairos. In the middle of the savage battles, he calmly directed the Snowdrifts, “Bagua formation Second Variation.”

Almost at once, his team sprang into action.

He did not doubt that Calculus’ target is himself, hence, despite having so many onlookers, he finally chose to reveal one of his trump cards. The secret of the Bagua, Yin-Yang Array!

Augmented with everyone’s Ki, their array shimmered, and a beautiful and mystical-looking black and white runic symbol hovered above them. A spiral within a spiral, it was the same emblem carved on Kairos’ old tome of the Origin.

http%3a%2f%2fi.imgur.com%2fUKlv9nc.png [http://i.imgur.com/UKlv9nc.png]

A powerful wave of energy burst forth from the Yin-Yang array. It was a shockwave that spiralled outwards, knocking back all who are around the group, then with equal force, it reversed upon itself and became a suction force that pulled everyone back.

It is as if someone poured a large bucket of water into a sink, causing the water to splash outwards then spiral down the drain.

Like a powerful black hole trapping everything that comes close, those nearby were all affected, and along with the suction force, the energy within their bodies was forcefully pulled out.

Unlike the usual Bagua formation which only appropriates in response to outside forces, the Second Variation is a dominative form that normalises all external forces, forcing them to yield to it.

No matter willingly, or unwillingly, those that were powering the Yin-Yang array found their internal energies dropping rapidly. Not even a minute later, everyone is already critically low on energy.

Their power was gathered in the centre of the Runic Symbol, concentrated at a single point above the heart of the formation where Kairos is at.

He quickly pin-pointed Calculus and directed it over. The suction inhibited his target from escaping. Just like how Calculus was aiming for him, Kairos, likewise, had been planning to take the noble out in return.

The large symbol of black and white that are above them spiralled into a single ball of light. Then they watched with horrified expressions as it travelled dangerously across the group, only stopping above his target.

With a broad grin on his face, Kairos dropped his hand, as though passing an execution judgement on his foe. And with it unleashed the full, unrestrained, tyrannical power right on top of Calculus.

Abruptly, powerfully, and along with a loud boom, a beautiful pillar of white light and a dreadful black lightning that reaches the heavens exploded simultaneously.

The tremble that followed forced everyone to hold on to the ground to steady themselves. Both teams saw in the corner of their eyes the figure of someone flying across the moat, announced by a single, devastated wail.

*AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!*

The person, Calculus, flew through the crowd and knocked away those in his way till he reached the other side. His tattered and charred clothes made him hardly recognisable. Not only that, his face is smeared with black soot and a small round patch of hair at the middle of the top of his head had burnt off to reveal a shiny bald scalp as he lies down unconscious where he landed.

Now, the only small circle of hair around his head are left.

"Boss!!"

Except for the four emotionless slave guards, his underlings cried out dramatically. Even now they remember to suck up to the Devilheart family.

"Kairos!! You will regret this soon enough!" Someone yelled aggressively, but he quickly scoots away when Kairos grinned at him. The rest who saw Calculus’ new hairdo, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Luciette watched with disbelief as a group fled, taking Calculus with them, and abandoning the others that are in battle.

“Wasn’t their leader me?”

"RETREAT!" Luciette called out fumingly. With a quarter of her team gone, they no longer had a chance.

“Don’t think that this is over! When we return, I will have all who acted without orders punished. Including that irksome nest egg baldy!”

http%3a%2f%2fi.imgur.com%2fgtrMUuw.jpg [http://i.imgur.com/gtrMUuw.jpg]

As their opponents retreated, there wasn’t as much as a single cheer from the defenders. Even though they had taken back their hill base, everyone assumed a grim, and painful expression. Their camp is now in ruins and commander had been taken out; it couldn’t be helped that everyone felt an abrupt loss of directions.

It was a tremendous loss for them, and fear crept into their hearts.

“Against someone like Luciette, do we really have a chance?”

No one knows who first started, but as one of them look towards Kairos, one by one the rest followed.

They needed someone who could become their hope, and in this darkness, there was still one who shone like the sun.

Without a single word passed from their mouths, he became their de facto leader by reason of merit, and they all turned to him for his command.

"Snowdrifts, do what is needed! Everyone else, follow me please," Kairos said with a frown.

He did not think himself as a suitable replacement for George, but he knows that they cannot do without a leader.

The Snowdrifts that had become a sizeable group started cleaning up the battlefield. Led by the sub-leader, Alan, they looked out for anyone unconscious on the battlefield, and also began repairs on the camp.

They quickly found Silvers and Sasha who had been knocked out by Jones and hidden by Tommy. Facing such a strong foe, it was all he could do at that time. Besides that, they also retrieved twelve blue team members that had left behind.

This means that the result of this battle, left their opponents with a hundred and one members, while they were standing at a hundred and ten strong. But, despite their advantage in numbers, overall, they suffered more significant losses. George’s absence had made this exchange, once again, Luciette’s win.

Meanwhile, the rest of their team were with Kairos. The large orange War Tent easily accommodated the eighty-nine students.

The atmosphere was pregnant with anticipation. The students were filled with unease, but at the same time, whenever they looked at Kairos, there was a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

At the frontmost, four students represented the rest.

And with a glance, Kairos had identified them, "Are you part of George's team?"

"Hello, Kairos. This is the first time we conversed.

You're right that we are part of his team and each of us come from a strategist clan.

My name is Snow; please remember that," a girl who looks somewhat mature for her age said.

Her long, black hair is entirely in contrast to Luciette's beautiful silvery hair, yet not any less attractive. With her sharp nose, fierce glare and thin lips, even Kairos felt less confident when talking to her. After all, Kairos is still rather new as a leader, and privately, although he had covered it up quite well, he often had stage-fright.

"I am Leaf, from the same clan as Snow, the Autumn Blossoms Clan," a girl by her side introduced herself in a mellow and sweet voice.

Unlike Snow, her features are rather rounded and soft. Her eyes do not have that sharp and fierce glint like Snow, but nevertheless, a sharp intelligence shone in her doe brown eyes that warn she is not to be underestimated.

"I am Small. Small Kitty and this here is my brother, Smaller Kitty. As you probably have guessed from our family name, we are of the same clan as George; the Mountain Cat Clan.

Pleased to make your acquaintance" the two boys in the group each gave Kairos a respectful bow.

These two brothers looked entirely the same, so even before they spoke people could guess that they are twins. Their emerald-green eyes and tanned skin are common traits among those of the Mountain Cat clan.

To differentiate themselves in front of other people, they wore their hair differently.

Small tied the long strands of his fringe back into a ponytail behind him while Smaller always let his fringe flow loosely down. The ribbons they used had their names sewed on as if to help others identify them.

By their elegant poise, it’s easy to tell that the four of them are of noble birth. Kairos stiffly tried to return their bows, but only managed to do so crudely. However, his clumsiness was compensated by the almost remarkable way he carried himself.

Just by being near him, the others could feel something otherworldly in his bearing; as if a Titan had been sealed in his small body.

After his selfless-cultivation, Kairos has gained a great amount of energy from the sixteen different elements. After some time of cultivation, each attribute alters the look of a practitioner differently. Those who have fire affinity tends to look rough, uncouth, and strong. Those with powerful ice affinity hardly smile, and their skin often snowy white. It is the elements that are infused in them that caused these changes, and the refinement Kairos received from all the elements are turning his feature even more ethereal each day.

There are sometimes when the men caught a glimpse of Kairos and suddenly felt as if they are looking at a mystical being; one that radiates power and a strange absoluteness. Yet, when they rubbed their eyes and looked more carefully, they saw him as a normal boy like any other albeit one with more of an air of poverty about him.

He is not beautiful and dashing like Edward with his almost luminous blonde hair and sharp elven-like features, nor is he rugged and heavy-set like Tommy, but a good mix between his two brothers.

Concerning his features, perhaps he looks closer to Alan but more brooding and with fewer smiles.

Jim, on the other hand, has always been the group's ugly duckling and he has often been mercilessly teased for that, however, as he grew older each year he has been developing his own charm.

There is one thing similar amongst them: their features are slowly being refined as their rank increases. No doubt, an effect from the Origin Cultivation Method they are practising.

"Before we make it official that you will lead our group from now on, we have a question to ask you Kairos," Small says with a friendly smile.

With a nod of acknowledgement from Kairos he continues, "If you have that ability to take out Calculus instantly, why didn’t you use it on Jones instead and save our commander?

I'll be frank with you. The four of us believes that your motive is to take over George's position. So, convince us otherwise."