Efeistio's moves were finally beginning to make sense in Helial's eyes. The boy was beginning to decipher them one by one. And yet, just at that moment, the three recruits moved together with Zeno: they were going to help the General.

They could not allow that young man to win. They had to get him out of the way.

Those cowards needed to attack together to subdue Helial.

However strong a man may be, he will never be able to tame a bull.

It was Efeistio's terrified expression that suggested Zeno to enter the fray. The situation seemed so desperate that he had to ask for help from new recruits. The trained motioned for Soter, Theodete and Tarasio to come forward. Their enemy had to be distracted at all costs in order to stop him from attacking Efeistio.

In front of Helial's overwhelming power, they were midges. However, the four warriors, who had been trained from an early age, knew that even a midge could distract an elephant. If they played their cards well, the young man would have been distracted and they could wound or at least stun him temporarily.

If only Alexander was there, he would take that boy's life in an instant.

Theodete could not help thinking that yes, that recruit was truly arrogant, but it seemed that his terrifying abilities were supported by his insolent personality. He was not even able to complete those thoughts, that a bundle of Mana hit him strongly.

Not even Efeistio, who was at the top of the army's food chain, was able to take the lead.

The most incredible thing about the fight was the adaptability of Helial, that monster. With each blow from the General, he seemed to have a better grasp of his enemy's pattern, and then responded more and more accurately.

At first, the clash had seemed balanced and neither could to take the lead. But the more time passed, the more Helial seemed to penetrate Efeistio's blows.

As powerful as Alexander's General was, he was unable to compete with the physical overwhelming power of Body of the Qilin.

Efeistio's knees began to shake. More and more sweat was falling down his forehead and his footwork had become unstable. There were increasingly evident deviations in the trajectory of his blows.

On the contrary, Helial seemed invigorated by his opponent's difficult situation.

The clash began to attract the attention of the bigwigs in Alexander's army. After a few minutes, Crater and two others entered the arena from the stands.

As soon as they arrived, they noticed their friend covered in wounds from head to toe. Efeistio's always-clean hair was now sticky and dirty with blood; this gave him the appearance of a lunatic. His eyes were bloodshot and moved left and right, full of despair.

But as soon as the General saw Crater, Lisima and Tipatro, his gaze became bright.

With disappointment, Efeistio noticed that the three were interested in something else.

A servant had warned them that a clash was taking place in the training camp between one of the recruits and Efeistio, adding that the General was in danger and Zeno and the other recruits had intervened.

Why, then, the centre of the training field there were only the skinny young man and Efeistio? Of the others, only four heaps of ash remained on the ground...

Crater took a deep breath. Could that young man have reduced the three to ashes while cornering the greatest general in Alexander's army?

In Crater, Lisima and Tipatro's eyes, Helial was but a child. In the kingdom of Madonia, even if military value was a precept inculcated in children from an early age, one could at best aspire to be a squire at his age. How many of Alexander's great generals would have had what it takes to challenge Philip's generals when they were 15?

No one.

Nobody had such potential. At least, nobody except Alexander.

And now a boy, a recruit out of nowhere, seemed to have the same potential as Alexander.

Flames and fire consumed different parts of the arena. The flames were pearl white, but inside they contained terrifying black sparks. That recruit didn't look like a kid, but a Devil come down to earth.

Crater's expression darkened. At first, he had thought that Helial didn't look very promising, but he didn't know that the only reason the boy hadn't been able to give his maximum on the battlefield was because he had to keep his Stamina in check. The first impression had been that his talent was out of the ordinary, but he never realized how terrifying it was.

In a one-on-one fight, there was probably no one in the entire camp capable of subjugating Helial, except Alexander himself. Helial wouldn't be able to sustain long battles, but considering his explosive power, thanks to his knowledge of the Mana Path that connected him to Life and Destruction, not many people could face that tyrannical strength.

If one day he acquired more Stamina, he probably would become a real monster.

Crater thought about what to do. Judging by the situation, if he and the other two generals didn't intervene, Efeistio would lose his life.

Knowing him, Crater imagined that Efeistio had provoked the boy and tried to humiliate him. His inferiority complexes towards the King led Efeistio to exaggerate, sometimes, in order to prove he was the strongest on the battlefield: since the military campaign had started, he had tried to prove his worth in every way, but despite his absurd talent, his personality was not as remarkable.

Crater seemed torn.

Was it really fitting for generals of their stature to get involved in such a conflict?

Unlike Efeistio, who was a hothead, arrogant and childish, Crater was cold, measured and cared for his honour.

If, at first sight, Helial's gesture looked like insubordination, the truth was different: an attendant approached Crater and explained to him how things really had gone. Helial was not in the wrong at all, but ended up becoming it thanks to his continue attacks against Efeistio, one of the most powerful generals in Alexander's army.

“Efeistio, boy: stop the fight. We can certainly find a solution that will benefit everyone.” Crater's words were calm and measured, but at the same time permeated by a slightly threatening tone. “Efeistio: with the talent he has, the boy will certainly be helpful against the enemies in the mountains. In the future, he may also become a general. But if you don't stop fighting now, I can't help but intervene."

The General had practically ordered Helial to stop fighting; otherwise, he would enter the arena too. Together with Crater there were also Lisima and Tipatro, so he doubted that the boy was ready to face all four of them at the same time; thanks to this advantage, he hoped to end the fight.

According to Crater, this threat should frighten Helial and force him to stand down.

A gust of cold air hit Crater and the other two generals, while Helial, totally covered in blood, shifted his scarlet gaze on them: “Before listening to your complaints, this bitch must pay the price for humiliating me. Should I let him go as if nothing had happened after he tried to make me kneel in front of him? Should I let him go without punishment after he threatened to whip me just because I rebelled against the humiliations I was receiving? If you really want to be tyrants, let's see if you have the necessary skills."

Helial's words hit Crater in the heart. The General was an earnest person and had never disrespected anyone. He hated and found the subterfuge of politics repugnant; he was a frugal man, loyal to his King.

Seeing Helial rebel against humiliation and make the greatest General in the army shut up had caused nothing but great admiration on his part.

Suddenly, the outer capillaries in Helial's skin exploded and healed once, twice, three times and more, in a process of transformation. The young man was progressing on his Mana Path!

The clash at the edge between life and death had led him to receive some Enlightenments and gain Experience for his Skills. In front of them, Helial's Aura became increasingly tyrannical. At this rate, Crater had no idea what the young man's true potential could be.

“At first I thought the Madoni were people worthy of respect and deserving the greatest honour, but apparently you are not different from sewer rats. That fag with long hair and slutty eyes tried to chew a bite too large for his sissy mouth. I could spare him, but not before he kneels before me, if he wants to save his life."

Crater's expression became solemn. The General realized that Helial had no intention of backing down. Efeistio was arrogant and proud, and would never accept to kneel.

In the worst case, Crater would have to intervene and help Efeistio, albeit unwillingly.

Helial's words had left no other way of escape for the brown-haired general. Crater ran his hand over his short, bristly beard, while his deep eyes examined the young man in front of him.

"Brat, do you want me to kneel?! Keep on dreaming!" Efeistio knew he had the support of the other generals. Helial was at the end of his run; he had consumed too much Stamina. The combined action of Crater, Lisima and Tipatro would kill the brat in a split second.

Crater looked at Helial for another second and stepped forward into the sand of the arena. He could do nothing but choose a side.