I opened the letter carefully, and as I read the contents, shock and disbelief filled my face completely.

"This..." I began, unable to finish the sentence as the implications became clear.

Adrian's POV

'He's certainly going to have an interesting reaction to the letter I left him.'

I had made the decision to evacuate the area when I heard the approaching voices. The letter had been prepared in advance, anticipating that Kyle would eventually arrive to search for his missing team members.

In the letter, I had written a direct message to Kyle:

'If you want the rest of your team to remain in the examination, bring me fifteen Crest Marks within the next twenty minutes.'

I had also provided him with specific coordinates - directing him to the same shrine where I had claimed the Royal-rank secret art. The irony of the location wasn't lost on me. Using the site of my earlier victory as a negotiation point added a psychological element to the confrontation.

The terms were deliberately challenging but not impossible. Kyle's team had been operating for hours and likely possessed a reasonable number of Crest Marks. However, surrendering fifteen would represent a significant portion of their accumulated resources and severely damage their competitive position in the examination.

The time constraint was equally important. Twenty minutes wasn't enough time for Kyle to devise an elaborate counter-strategy or gather additional support. He would need to make a quick decision about whether his teammates' continued participation was worth the substantial cost I was demanding.

On my way to the shrine, I took out my communication crystal while carrying Emmet's still unconscious form over my shoulder.

"Marcus, I need you to bring a backup team immediately. We're going to confront Kyle's group soon, and we need superior numbers," I said into the crystal.

Marcus's voice came through. "Is that really a wise strategy? We should consider maintaining a low profile instead. Abandoning the camp entirely leaves our base completely undefended."

"Don't worry about tactical concerns right now," I replied firmly. "There's no time for extended planning. Bring everyone and abandon the camp temporarily, if anyone comes and takes hold we will simply remove them from this examination,"

After a moment's hesitation, Marcus accepted the orders. My entire class would be mobilized for this confrontation.

The reason I was bringing overwhelming numbers was straightforward tactical psychology. I needed a show of force significant enough to intimidate Kyle into compliance without actual combat.

With our complete class contingent facing whatever smaller group he had brought to the meeting, he would be forced to accept the exchange without attempting any retaliation. The numerical disadvantage would make resistance tactically inadvisable.

There was no strategic benefit to fighting Kyle directly at this moment. Fighting him would need me to showcase my full power, Kyle was no weakling after all. Combat would only expose my capabilities unnecessarily and reveal techniques that were better kept hidden. I already suspected there was someone from the academy that had surveillance on me, my enemies were operating closer to my position than I preferred.

A peaceful exchange backed by overwhelming force would accomplish the objective while preserving operational security and maintaining the element of surprise for future encounters.

The psychological pressure of facing superior numbers would do the work for me without requiring any actual violence.

I arrived at the shrine and entered the familiar structure where I had previously claimed the Royal-rank secret art.

Inside, I found my team maintaining watch over Seraphina's immobilized group. The captured students weren't in shackles or physical restraints, they had the strength to break free from such crude measures. Instead, for each captured team member, two of my people stood guard nearby, creating an effective deterrent through superior numbers.

There were six members in Seraphina's team, all looking resigned to their current predicament.

Immediately, one of my team members noticed Emmet's unconscious form draped over my shoulder and walked forward with obvious concern.

"Is he alright?" the team member asked anxiously.

I nodded reassuringly. "He just needs to drink a healing potion and wake up. Other than that, he's fine."

The team member nodded in relief, clearly satisfied that Emmet hadn't sustained any permanent damage during his prolonged duel.

Seraphina's team looked at me with obvious wariness. They recognized exactly who I was and understood the implications of my presence. Their expressions showed they had been calculating potential escape scenarios, but my arrival had effectively eliminated any realistic chances of breaking free.

The numerical advantage was now overwhelming, and my reputation meant they couldn't expect any oversights to exploit. The psychological impact was exactly what I had intended - complete demoralization of any resistance efforts.

Now I simply needed to wait for Kyle's arrival and see whether he would meet my demands or attempt some desperate alternative approach.

Marcus arrived with the rest of our class, and I could see the complete resignation in the eyes of the captured students. Any lingering hope they might have harboured for escape evaporated entirely when they witnessed the overwhelming numbers now surrounding them.

With so many people present, there was absolutely no chance they could even contemplate breaking free, whether during daylight or under cover of darkness when some might sleep. The situation had become hopeless from their perspective.

Emmet had regained consciousness by this point, but his mood was distinctly sour. He clearly understood that he had lost his duel with Seraphina and that I had intervened to save him from worse consequences.

"What happened to Seraphina?" he asked with obvious reluctance.

"She's been eliminated from the examination," I informed him matter-of-factly. "Her emergency crystal was activated, so the instructors removed her from the competition entirely."

Emmet's expression showed a mixture of disappointment and frustration. Despite losing the fight, he had clearly hoped for some kind of rematch or continued rivalry. Learning that his opponent was no longer even participating seemed to diminish whatever satisfaction he might have gained from the prolonged combat.

The assembled students waited in tense silence as we prepared for Kyle's arrival.

Now came the critical moment of seeing whether Kyle would arrive with the demanded Crest Marks or attempt some alternative approach to resolve the situation.

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