"Cadets!" the instructor a seasoned, but clearly unprepared, veteran barked, his voice harsh but strained. "Stay here! I'll check the situation and create an evacuation route!" Without waiting for orders or confirmation, he sprinted desperately toward the towering plumes of smoke and the direction of the initial destruction.

The training ground, where moments ago Class S and Class A cadets had been finishing their exhilarating ogre-raid exercise, was now a fractured, terrifying staging ground for fear and imminent death.

Kael exhaled sharply, grounding himself, and then raised his voice, cutting through the general panic with a sudden, forceful clarity.

"Eric Vales! Damon Reid!" he called out, his tone ringing with unshakeable authority."

The two turned immediately, startled out of their shock.

"We've been attacked by hostile forces! Our instructor is gone! If we hesitate, more lives will be lost in the panic!" Kael's tone was steady, commanding the instant, undeniable sound of a leader taking charge of a crisis.

"…Okay." Damon Reid, a naturally aggressive fighter, gritted his teeth, the combat instinct overriding his fear. He clenched his fists and nodded sharply.

Eric Vales hesitated for only a second, his brows furrowed in confusion, but Kael's firm, unyielding gaze offered no room for refusal or debate. He nodded too.

"Silva. Clara Winslet. Selene Whitmore." Kael's eyes swept toward them, gathering the core fighting force. "Lend me your strength. We move now."

"You can count on me," Silva said immediately, the shadow-user stepping forward with a warrior's grim, ready stance.

"Sure," Selene replied, her initial surprise fading into a faint but resolute smile, her hand already moving toward her hidden daggers.

"Of course," Clara said firmly, her voice shaking slightly but her grip on her healing staff rock-solid. "We need to protect the others

Kael allowed himself the smallest internal smirk. One piece at a time, he thought, adjusting the balance of his heavy shield. The emergency demands a team, and the team needs a leader.

"Now… for the final, most crucial puzzle pieces."

His gaze shifted, settling on the two most potent, and most volatile, students present.

"Lucian Crowe. Julie Wartin."

Julie's eyes narrowed instantly, suspicion replacing her fear. "What do you want, Vi-rel?"

Lucian tilted his head, his usual calm, somewhat aloof expression now completely unreadable in the face of the attack. "…?"

Kael did something no one least of all Julie and Lucian expected. He bowed his head, a slight, deeply respectful inclination of his imposing figure.

"Please," he said quietly, his tone dropping from command to heavy sincerity, laced with a genuine plea. "I need your help. The entire academy needs your unique strength. Help us protect it."

The small cluster of remaining students around him froze, staring in astonishment. Kael Vi-rel the man known for his arrogance, who never once yielded to anyonewas bowing?

But he had his iron-clad reasons.

Lucian Crowe's dangerous, almost uncontrollable double-casting skill was invaluable, a nuclear weapon that could instantly turn the tide of any desperate battle. And this was the perfect, organic opportunity to draw him closer, to make him fight for a common cause all without raising any suspicion about Kael's future knowledge.

Kael knew: if Lucian agreed, Julie Wartin would follow, unwilling to let her dangerous, immensely powerful ally operate alone without her watchful eye.

Lucian's lips curled faintly, a flash of dark amusement in his eyes. He seemed to recognize the audacity of the maneuver. "…Fine. But I move separately. I'll clear my own path."

Julie's calculating eyes flicked to him, then back to Kael, a subtle flicker of resentment and calculation crossing her face. "…Me too. I trust your plan, not your company."

Kael slowly raised his head, immediately concealing the triumphant smirk that threatened to spread across his face.

(Got you, suckers.)

His expression, however, remained composed and flawlessly serious—like a merchant who had just tricked his most powerful rivals into signing a profoundly profitable long-term deal.

"Good. Then, first of all, please listen." His voice grew sharper, authoritative and clinical once again.

"The academy has been sealed off by the explosion. There won't be any reinforcements from the outside for a long time."

"What?! Is that true?!" Damon Reid asked, his fists clenching in impotent fury.

"Yes," Kael replied firmly, leaving no room for hope. "Escape is impossible. Communication is cut. We are isolated and on our own."

Murmurs of renewed panic rippled across the group, but Kael cut through them instantly like a knife slicing taut wire.

"That's why I've already formulated a plan. Everyone look at your smartwatches. Now."

Beep!

A detailed, meticulously crafted digital map immediately appeared on their screens, transmitted directly and wirelessly from Kael's device.

"…!"

The map wasn't just a rough outline of the academy. It was incredibly precise, with dotted areas marking danger zones, critical choke points, and locations where enemy terrorists or unleashed monsters were most likely to appear. Paths of retreat and secure safe zones were clearly labeled, like a combat guide crafted by a strategist who had prepared for this very day, or who had fought the battle once before.

"These markers… and the instructions are arranged perfectly to funnel the enemy…" Elric muttered, his eyes wide in astonishment. "How in the world do you know all this?"

Kael's gaze hardened, pushing down the surge of panic.

"No questions," he said flatly, his tone like a seller refusing to give a refund on a finalized, non-negotiable contract.

The students fell silent, the shock of the attack superseded by the urgency of the moment and the sheer weight of his certainty. His words left no room for argument or doubt.

Kael straightened, his eyes burning with quiet, focused determination.

"From this moment onward, we fight back. Not as scattered, frightened students but as one unified, tactical force. If we act quickly, and if we follow the plan exactly, we can minimize the casualties and secure this area."

The echoes of subsequent explosions still thundered in the distance, mingling with the terrifying, guttural roars of the unleashed monsters. The prestigious academy had turned into an instant, brutal battlefield.

But standing at its center, Kael Vi-rel looked not fearful or surprised, but strangely calmas if he had been merely waiting for this all along.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.