Chapter 228: No Longer a Problem
Just one exchange was enough to tell Kai that Pollos was different.
Stronger and more dangerous than the students he had dealt with in the last fifteen minutes.
Most students had their morale pummelled down with each passing minute, becoming fearful of Kai as more and more students fell. Even now, the bodies that were lying on the ground in pain still struck fear into those who were still standing.
But that’s not the case for Pollos.
He viewed the other students as ants, born-prey, and it didn’t matter how many of them fell.
Not to mention, he also found Kai’s weakness almost instantly.
For the entire duration of the battle, the students were solely using their weapons to attack. It wasn’t because they were incapable of using other parts of their bodies—but because they had no room to do so.
Kai unconsciously adapted to that and focused solely on their weapons.
It was a loophole that Pollos noticed.
And thus, he attacked with his leg to put Kai off balance and almost landed a vital strike.
Kai wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice; that much was certain. But it did not matter. Pollus had meant to finish him with that first strike, and now that it had failed, there was no reason for him to attempt it again.
At least not in this battle.
On the other hand, Pollus was also mildly surprised.
He looked down at his bloodied claws and frowned, ’Why does this Lesser Angel feel heavy?’
Pollus had punched Awakened Monsters or even Star Beasts before—and only a few could take an attack from him without being launched away, and all of them were bigger than him. As for those that aren’t that much bigger than him, they would be launched away.
And yet Kai, who was smaller than him, was only lifted a few feet off the ground.
He didn’t even get out of bounds.
Kai’s pupils narrowed into pinpricks of battle focus. The sting of blood on his chin was a cold reminder that Pollos was not the same as the others. He was dangerous in his own right, and underestimation would mean death.
He cannot take this fight lightly.
Decisively, like a predator that has decided to fight for a share of prey, Kai
Kai marched a few dominant steps forward and then charged.
In an instant, the two met in a storm of limbs. A punch to the face—Pollos swayed. A vertical claw-swipe—Kai blocked; his forearm absorbed the impact. A kick to the thigh—parried hard with a slap of Kai’s palm.
Attack and defense blurred into a single, seamless rhythm.
A whirlwind of exchanges where neither could land a solid blow.
First met forearm. Claw met empty air. The sound of their exchange was a rapid, percussive beat, and nothing got through. The students who were watching the battle could not really believe what they were seeing.
Just earlier, some of them thought they had pushed Kai close to going full power.
But now, seeing how fast his movements were and how lethal his attacks were, they realized that Kai hadn’t gotten even remotely close to using his full strength. The fight earlier was nothing but a kid fight for him.
And this was the real deal.
Kai’s mind raced.
I need to break this pattern. I can’t get to him while he’s turtling like this.
He needed to disorient Pollos.
Create an opening since one wouldn’t appear even if this dragged on.
Kai ducked under a claw-swipe, felt the wind of it pass over his hair, and swung his arm in a vicious backhand aimed at Pollos’ face. The Perfect Slash Ending Fragment guided the motion as his hand cut through the air with unnatural seamlessness, arcing toward a vital spot.
One that his intuition was telling him to strike.
It missed.
But Kai had expected it to miss—Pollos would get hit by something so sloppy.
He used the pulling momentum, the weight of his own swing, to pivot his body and hip and raise his left leg in a roundhouse kick that screamed toward Pollos’ skull. The kick carried all he had.
If it was blocked, he would power through.
The Ending Fragment of Stone steadied his balance, anchored his supporting leg, making the strike harder than muscle alone could achieve. His intention was to rattle Pollos’ brain for only a second to land a decisive hit.
But to his surprise, Pollos didn’t block the kick.
Instead, he dropped and slid under the kick with a speed that belied his bulk.
And at the same time, his claws caught Kai’s standing leg out from under him.
Kai hit the ground back-first with a grunt, and as he blinked, he saw a foot was already coming toward his chest. A stomp meant to crater bone. He rolled in time and heard the stomp strike the ground ad cracked it.
Pain lanced up his leg as he tried to stand; the claws had raked his shin open.
Now, blood slicked wetted his pants.
Kai forced himself upright, ignoring the fire in his leg, and parried a straight heavy punch.
It was the first time Pollos used his body to strike, and this was an opportunity.
His fist retaliated, driving deep into Pollos’ stomach. The impact staggered the larger student backward. That punch had landed heavier than Pollos expected—but he quickly recovered as Kai already moved again.
Knowing that he was fighting an experienced fighter, Kai lifted his right leg.
Pollos read another roundhouse kick to the face and braced for it.
But it was a fluke.
The kick shifted mid-swing sharply—a feint that collapsed into a brutal stomp that slammed into the side of Pollos’ knee. The joint buckled. Pollos dropped to one knee, surprise splintering across his face as his guard was shattered.
He was open to any attack.
Kai’s other fist was already there.
A savage hook smashed into Pollos’ jaw with the full rotation of his hip behind it.
And the impact echoed across the area like a hammer striking an anvil.
It was a clean hit, but Kai felt his knuckles break from punching Pollos’ face.
Pollos toppled backward, but his palm slapped the ground before his body could fully fall—pushing off into a tight somersault that landed him in a crouch. His fingers brushed his cheek, still burning from the graze of knuckles.
His eyes widened.
As a Supernal of a Nemean Lion, his skin was toughened.
Nobody in the Awakened Supernal rank could break it; even the seniors couldn’t.
Kai’s punch hadn’t broken the skin, but it had come terrifyingly close. The burning welt across his cheek stretched to the point of tearing was a testament to that. And then something shifted behind Pollos’s eyes as he stared at Kai.
His intent had changed.
Instead of attacking again, Pollos rose and flicked his hand dismissively.
Under the weight of their stares, he simply turned aside and walked away, resuming whatever he’d been doing before being interrupted. The crowd of students watched in stunned silence, unable to comprehend the ease of his departure.
One student, the one who had talked to him earlier, chased after him.
"What the fuck, Pollos?! Why are you walking away?"
"Ten legal mana ores aren’t worth it to fight against that guy."
"Aren’t worth it? What about our academy’s honour?!"
"Not interested in that shit."
He cast one last look at Kai over his shoulder, and then continued.
’I need at least a hundred legal mana ores to fight that guy. He did not use anything—and yet he is already that dangerous.’
Pollos already noticed that Kai hadn’t used his Legacy Skill or Imprints, while he had already used one, which turned his fingernails into claws. It was clear that Kai was not prey, and that sheer acknowledgment dissuaded him from continuing the fight.
It’s not worth it.
Everyone watched Pollos’ back swallowed by the darkness of the night and disappear.
And then, the realization dawned upon the entire area.
Nobody could contend with Kai anymore.
"Anyone still up to challenge Lesser Angel Kai?" the grey-masked Angel’s voice echoed.
He wasn’t shouting, but the dead silence carried his voice further, reaching everyone present in the area. Reaching even those being helped back to the dormitory for treatment. He let the words hang in the air, settling into the quiet like stones dropped into still water.
"Nobody?"
He swept his gaze, searching for another challenger.
This was the Aurelian Academy. Their symbol was the Griffin. Strength, courage, and royalty should be their driving force. Essences that needed to be embodied by each student. It was the first thing taught when the year started.
But no one spoke. Every head remained bowed. Every gaze fixed on the ground.
Nobody dared to raise their gaze.
"Since there are no more challengers, then I declare Lesser Angel Kai to be the victor."
Even as the words escaped his lips, the grey-masked Angel couldn’t believe it.
Kai is strong; his gut told him that, but he was expecting a struggle.
More of a fight than this.
Dozens of students ganged up on Kai—and yet he remained on his feet. None of the students even managed to land a hit on him. Only Pollus did, while the rest were dominated one-sidedly without mercy.
None of them were a match for Kai.
Kai turned toward Layra.
She was also as shocked as the grey-masked Angel was.
Even as Kai took his blazer that was hung on her arm, she was still out of it.
Kai slung his blazer over his shoulder and approached the grey-masked Angel, ignoring the stunned silence that had seized the moment. He reached out his hand demandingly, "Give it to me."
"Ah," the grey-masked Angel snapped out of his daze. "Here."
He handed a small vial filled with grey liquid.
It was the solution to heal Layra’s impaired eye, returning it to normal.
"Remember the deal," the grey-masked Angel grabbed Kai’s forearm before he could turn.
"Yes," Kai nodded and freed his arm. "I know what I must do."
He walked back to Layra and placed the solution in her hand—turning her palm upward and pressing the vial into it. The cold surface of the vial against her skin snapped her back. Layra blinked, then looked down at what she now held.
"W-What is this?"
"For your eye."
"What about the students? I don’t think they’ll be happy if I heal my eye."
"The academy punished you because the freshmen thought you were an embarrassment for losing to me, a Lesser Angel." Kai glanced over his shoulder, drinking in the sight of the silent, humbled crowd. A smirk tugged his lips. "But now... All of them lost to me.
"I don’t think they have a say in this matter anymore. So, don’t worry about that. They are no longer a problem."