The sudden surge of energy from the mutant—there was no way Frederick couldn't recognize what it meant.
The mutant was on the verge of breaking through to the next level.
A chill ran down his spine as the realization sank in.
He turned toward Kyoji. Their eyes met, exchanging a knowing look. They both understood the gravity of the situation.
Since Frederick had already figured it out, there was no need for Kyoji to pretend to be clueless anymore.
"This is bad," Frederick muttered, the bravado and nonchalance in his tone disappearing instantly as he came to terms with the severity of the situation.
"We need to do something, we need to in—"
"Nope, that won't do," Kyoji interrupted before Frederick could finish, already knowing what he was about to suggest.
"Look around you. Do any of them seem capable of handling this situation?" Kyoji's voice was firm, emotionless.
Frederick clenched his jaw. "Then what do you expect we do? Sit around and wait for it to break through and kill us?"
Kyoji didn't respond immediately. Instead, he gazed ahead, pretending to be deep in thought. Meanwhile, Frederick's eyes kept darting between Kyoji and the mutant.
Fear gripped him.
A noble-born young man who had trained all his life, who had been taught how to remain calm no matter the situation—was panicking.
And why wouldn't he?
Even the most battle-hardened warrior would feel the weight of this situation. But what unsettled him the most was how Kyoji remained unnervingly calm.
Was he even human?
Frederick stared at Kyoji's face, searching for even a hint of panic, but there was none—only pure focus.
It was unsettling.
But at the same time, it was a relief.
Swallowing his pride, Frederick asked the question his ego normally wouldn't allow.
"So, what do we do? Do you have a plan?" His eyes stayed fixed on Kyoji, waiting for his response.
Under normal circumstances, Frederick wouldn't even dream of letting someone else take charge. He liked being in control.
It wasn't just a habit but an instinct ingrained in him from his noble upbringing and the special treatment he had received as the most talented youth of the Gilles family.
But in a life-threatening situation like this, even the deepest instincts didn't matter.
Survival came first.
For now, the battlefield hadn't descended into complete chaos. Major Gareth and Miss Anna were holding the situation together.
Of course, with Major Gareth's strength, he could have handled everything more easily, but right now, power wasn't the issue—control was.
If he went all out, or if the powerful mutants unleashed their full strength, most of the students wouldn't survive the aftermath. His main role was to contain the mutant, holding it at bay while waiting for reinforcements to arrive.
Miss Anna played an equally critical role. She ensured that no beast too strong for the students to handle reached them, keeping casualties at a minimum—but at the cost of exhausting herself.
For now, the setup was working.
But Frederick knew very well how fragile it was.
A single hole in their formation, and everything would collapse.
And now, with an unexpected Calamity Mutant in the equation, disaster was nearly inevitable.
Frederick could already see countless ways this could go wrong.
His mind raced for solutions, but he forced himself to remember his master's advice.
"When it comes to making decisions—especially big ones—always let the least emotional and most composed person in the group take the lead. Even the choices of a fool who stays calm can be more effective than those made by someone blinded by emotion."
This was one of the greatest lessons his master had ever taught him.
Even if it meant setting aside his pride, he had to admit—Kyoji, with his unnerving calmness, was the better choice to make decisions right now.
Because in the end, bad decisions kill faster than a blade.
Kyoji glanced up at Frederick, his expression unchanged. He hadn't expected the young man to concede so quickly.
He had already started formulating a plan on how to slowly work his way into Frederick's head and convince him, but now the young man was already asking for his plan, which made things much easier.
Kyoji's face turned grave as he deliberately put on a serious expression to appear more convincing. An emotionless face wouldn't help in this situation.
After a brief pause, he spoke in a firm voice. "We have to stop it from breaking through."
Frederick's eyes widened the moment he heard those words.
"What?" he said, barely managing to keep his voice low.
Wasn't Kyoji supposed to be the most composed one? He had seemed calmer than him, which was why Frederick had let him take charge. So why was he now sounding like a madman?
No, he was mad. There was no way anyone in their right mind would suggest this.
Two kids who had just been newly Blessed going up against a Dominator Mutant? The thought alone was insane.
The mutant was at least six whole ranks above them in power. One... two... three... four... five... six...
Yes, six entire levels.
There was absolutely no way Kyoji was sane at this moment. He was crazy.
Frederick's mind raced, his thoughts spiraling into chaos.
Kyoji, however, remained indifferent as he observed the young man's face. He could tell exactly what Frederick was thinking, but he didn't react.
The boy had already placed a sliver of hope in him. Now all that remained was to twist it, slip into his mind, and steer him toward the plan—it wouldn't take much effort.
---
Moments later, two teenagers crouched behind a massive piece of debris from the collapsed temple. One had dark raven hair and silver eyes vibrating with fear. The other had white hair and blue eyes, as lifeless as a dead star.
Both of their gazes were locked on their target—a frog-like mutant lurking in the distance.
"This is a bad idea. Remind me again why I even agreed to this?" Frederick muttered, his tone betraying a slight tremor of fear.
"Don't be a crybaby," Kyoji replied flatly.
"Easy for you to say. You're not the one being used as bait!" Frederick snapped, frustration and fear lacing his voice.
After some persuasion, Kyoji had managed to get Frederick on board with the plan.
The strategy was simple: once the breakthrough process began, the mutant would be immobilised, forced to focus entirely on evolving. It wouldn't be able to exert its full strength in combat. That was when Frederick would go in, drawing as much of the mutant's remaining attention as possible while Kyoji worked from the shadows to land a decisive strike.
Of course, the goal wasn't to kill the mutant. Kyoji wasn't about to overestimate himself. The main objective was to interrupt the breakthrough.
A breakthrough was an extremely delicate process for both Chosen and mutants alike. It required absolute concentration, that's why the mutant had to remain immobilized during its breakthrough to maintain focus.
Kyoji's aim was simple: break its focus with an attack. If he could achieve that, the results would be devastating. Forcefully disrupting a breakthrough could cause severe internal injuries—even death—since the process involved handling condensed energy within the body. If that energy was disrupted, it could go wild, tearing apart the one trying to evolve from the inside out.
The worst-case scenario for the mutant was death, but Kyoji wasn't expecting that much.
If he could at least seriously injure it, that would be enough.
"Why do I have to be the bait, though? This is your plan. Shouldn't you be the one doing it?" Frederick complained again, frustration rising in his voice.
The closer the moment got, the more he thought about backing out. In fact, he still wasn't sure how Kyoji had managed to talk him into this in the first place. He was seriously starting to regret his decision.
"Stop whining. We both know you have better footwork than me, which makes you the best choice to distract it," Kyoji said calmly. "Besides, even if I were the bait, you wouldn't be able to land a proper attack. So man up."
Frederick sighed in frustration, reluctantly accepting his fate.
Then, a smug grin slowly crept onto his face. "So, you're admitting I have better skills than you? Are you finally acknowledging my prowess?" he asked, his competitive spirit flaring up.
"Shut up," Kyoji shot back immediately.
Before Frederick could come up with a smug reply, the air suddenly shifted.
It was about to begin.