BXBX NOVEL Chapter 256 The Decisive Battle (2)
Inside the waterfall cave, the base of Class A15, all the remaining members who were able to stand had gathered. They sat cross-legged in the center of the cave, forming a circle. In the first ring of the circle, the A15 classmates whose names were recognized by everyone sat facing each other.
Artur, Sigurd, Anggi, Rini, and the others were ready to begin their meeting. Awni and Kira, along with their classmates, did not join the meeting; they observed from a distance. Awni didn\'t want to lead or interfere in the A15 class meeting to preserve the sovereignty of Class A15 and respect Robert as their class leader.
Artur was grateful for Awni and Kira\'s understanding. This way, whatever they decided, at least they wouldn\'t be seen as lackeys of other A-class students.
"...to give us time to retreat, Robert used the Gaht family\'s Secret Spell, Light Incantation. Using the [Light Sword] spell, Robert confronted Milton and the others. We managed to retreat, and then Awni and Kira, along with their classmates, followed." Anggi lowered her head, feeling ashamed.
"You retreated and left Robert to fight alone!! What kind of friends are you?! How could you let our leader get captured by the enemy? If you really wanted to do something, why didn\'t you get captured instead and let Robert escape with Awni and Kira!" Anton exploded, pounding the ground in front of him.
Anggi and the other members of Robert\'s group could only hang their heads in defeat, unable to answer. Although they kept replaying it in their minds, their actions were those of cowards. For the progress of Class A15, Robert\'s presence was far more important than their own safety.
"Anton, perhaps you shouldn\'t blame them too harshly. After all, this was Robert\'s decision. Following his orders is their duty as members of the group and Class A15," Sigurd tried to defend Anggi and the others.
"Sigurd, are you so foolish and naive? Robert is the leader of Class A15 and the strongest person in our class! Without him, we have no chance of defeating Milton with his Spark Incantation and Yin with his Insect Incantation!" Anton insisted.
"Anton, Sigurd has a point. If Anggi and the others were captured, they could have been killed by the coalition of Milton and Yin. But if it\'s Robert who\'s captured, they wouldn\'t dare to go too far with him." Lila argued.
"Go too far? Even doing something ordinary would tarnish Robert\'s name! They\'re all better off dead than letting that happen!" Tony snorted, his eyes filled with anger toward Anggi and the others.
"Hey... hey... Tony, you can\'t say that to Anggi and the others. After all, they\'ve been trying their best!" Dony tried to calm the situation.
"Shut the fuck up, Dony! You have no right to speak here!" Anton burst with fire.
"Anton! You\'re going too far. Dony is also a member of our class, and he has the right to speak in this meeting!" Sigurd stood up from his seat and glared at Anton with anger.
"Oh yeah? Maybe if he was useful and a little stronger, he could have been chosen to join Robert\'s group and help him! But the reality is, your bespectacled friend only knows how to lick and hide behind your back when the battle begins!" Anton also stood up and stared at Sigurd with a challenging smile.
"YOU!!" Sigurd exploded, his hand starting to glow, mana gathering as he prepared to chant a spell.
"STOP IT, ALL OF YOU! WE\'RE DISCUSSING SOMETHING IMPORTANT!" Lila stood up too, trying to mediate.
"Shut up, Lila! Can\'t you see men are talking?" Tony grabbed Lila\'s arm, pulling her away so she wouldn\'t interfere.
"Fuck you, Tony!" Lila swung her hand to free herself from Tony\'s grip.
Tony, furious, stood up with anger in his eyes. The situation escalated, and mana started to gather within their bodies. But before anyone could cast a spell, a deafening thunderous explosion echoed, shaking the cave.
*BOOM!!
Like a tsunami crashing against rocks, they were all thrown backward, landing back in their seats. With a calm voice, Artur said, "We have guests, don\'t tarnish the reputation of Class A15 in front of them."
Anton, Tony, Sigurd, and Lila turned to Artur, then glanced at Awni and Kira, who sat silently without any expression. They all realized they were not alone; there were other A-class students watching them closely. If they appeared divided at this moment, their allies could turn into enemies and attack them while they were vulnerable.
Who would want to be friends with a group of people who constantly fought amongst themselves?
They all sat back in their respective places, suppressing their anger within their hearts. At least for now, they would speak more calmly.
Artur, observing the calmer atmosphere, began speaking, "Blaming each other won\'t solve our problems. For now, we need to figure out what we should do. Sigurd, did your group manage to retrieve our class flag?"
"We have it," Sigurd produced the Class A15 flag and placed it in front of Artur.
"Good, that way our midterm exam points will be safe. Anggi, you mentioned that Zilya Valya also helped you escape. Where is she now?"
Anggi, still bowed down in shame and guilt, lifted her head in surprise when Artur suddenly asked her, "I don\'t know. It was a chaotic situation back then, but I haven\'t seen her since we reunited with Awni and Kira," Anggi replied.
"Awni, what do you think?" Artur turned to his side.
"I have no idea what that girl is thinking, but you shouldn\'t rely too much on her. No one knows what the House of Valya is really thinking," Awni answered with a bitter smile.
Artur didn\'t dwell on that matter and asked again, "Anggi, how many classes have formed a coalition with Milton and Yin?"
"Besides Milton and Yin\'s class, I saw the Sharad Badakar class, Riley Spencer\'s class, Xia Wuhan\'s class, Class B7, and Class C8," Anggi replied.
"Plus Higo\'s class, there are eight classes in total that have joined the coalition," Artur fell silent for a moment before asking again, "My friends, I am just a dirt poor commoner, so I don\'t quite understand the games played by the nobles. Can you tell me why Milton and the others had to form this coalition just to attack Class A15?"
All the Class A15 students fell silent and glanced at each other. None of them dared to answer the question because they were all wondering the same thing. Although Robert was incredibly strong, the reality was that he was just one person. The other Class A15 students, while formidable, couldn\'t be compared to Milton and Yin. Forming a coalition of eight Class A classes just to defeat Robert and Class A15 seemed excessive.
"May I answer that question?" Dony raised his hand hesitantly. After being warned by Anton, he had become afraid to speak up again.
"Please, go ahead, Dony," Artur said, but he didn\'t pay attention to it, and Anton didn\'t dare to dismiss Artur\'s words.
Aside from being the person closest to Robert, Artur also possessed a power that was acknowledged by the other Class A15 students. The duel between Artur and Higo had been recounted by members of his group, and they were forced to admit that they wouldn\'t be able to achieve the same feat as Artur if they were to duel Higo.
"I believe the main reason behind the formation of this coalition is fear."
"Fear?" Artur didn\'t understand.
"Yes, fear. Do you all know that the name Class A15 is already highly renowned among our generation? Our success in achieving the highest points in every weekly exam has earned Class A15 respect from the other Class A students. The success of Class A15 is Robert\'s success, and the glory we\'ve attained is Robert\'s glory.
"In a few years, the Demon\'s Slayer generation will be sent to the battlefield. The military academy and the human alliance won\'t allow talented mages like us to simply sit back and read books in a safe place. They need fresh blood to be sacrificed on the battlefield! When that happens, who do you think will be chosen as the commander for the entire Demon\'s Slayer force?"
"Robert?" Lila understood the purpose of Dony\'s explanation.
"Yes, you\'re right. The success of Class A15 during our time in the military academy will make the other Class A students envy us. They\'ll feel that our success is due to Robert\'s leadership. Therefore, they\'ll also want a leader like him when they are deployed into battle. Besides, when it comes to matters of life and death, who else can be trusted to lead them but someone who can turn a class of ordinary students like us into the most outstanding class in the military academy?
"The problem is, when Robert Gaht becomes the leader of the entire Demon\'s Slayer force, it also means that all these noble families are entrusting their children\'s lives to the Gaht family. That\'s why the Gaht family\'s position will continue to rise along with Robert\'s success in future battles, and these noble families will owe him even more gratitude.
"This is what Milton and Yin fear. They are afraid that the Gaht family will attain a higher position within the human alliance, surpassing what they currently have. That\'s why they have formed a coalition to destroy Robert and Class A15 before that happens."
Artur turned pale. He never imagined that the games they played among the students at the military academy could create such a significant impact on the political landscape of the human alliance.