Victoria's gaze lingered on Isaac for a few short seconds before going towards Michael.
'...He won?' She was internally shocked. Even if he was in a rough state, Michael had managed to beat someone from the Expert realm!
"Michael!" A moment after Victoria arrived, Ava showed herself and ran toward him to check his condition.
"Your lip is busted, and your fists are bleeding. We must get you treatment!" She said, her voice lanced with concern.
Seeing her unexpected display of worry, he chuckled. He reached out to pat her head out of instinct but stopped midway.
'I don't want to dirty her with my blood.' He thought inwardly.
Ava pouted, sensing his thoughts. She gripped his hand before putting it over her head. "From now on I am never leaving your side, you hear?!"
She was so serious that the corners of her eyes had become moist.
'What the hell is happening?!' Isaac screamed inwardly. Things had gone from bad to worse. The last thing he suspected was for Victoria to intervene, not to mention that there was a Peak Adept next to the cadet.
Isaac won't be able to kill him now.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Victoria's voice grew more furious. She had obviously seen the injured soldiers that had collapsed near the entrance of the arena.
'They must have beaten up my soldiers with the pretext that they were testing them.' She thought inwardly. Not paying attention for a few moments was all it took for things to turn this bad. A great weight of shame and regret washed over her heart.
"We made Oliver show us the extent of your troops—" Isaac began but was cut off.
"Forcing my men to participate in your tests without my permission, without my presence, and against a person that is more than a realm above them. Not to mention the lack of doctors present should something dire happen."
Her eyes narrowed like a fearless lioness. "To display such a breach of trust as soon as you arrive will stain the relationship between the Immortal Legion and the Golden Vanguard."
Chloe, who had been silent until now, stood up. "Little girls like you should stop pretending to play politics and just keep your head down and obey."
Victoria kept her cool. "Using the authority that Golden Vanguard has given me, you are to leave the base in a timely manner. Failure to do so would mark it as a threat against a member of the Golden Vanguard and the start of a war."
"Come on, Lady Victoria." Isaac faked a smile. "We wouldn't want to complicate our relationship more, right? Not to mention that if we leave, where would you find other reinforcements for the incoming alien invasion?"
Victoria remained unfazed.
"I will not repeat myself."
With a click of his tongue, Isaac turned around. Followed by Chloe and Austin.
"You will regret this, little girl." The Grandmaster spoke coldly.
"Wait."
However, he stopped a second hearing Victoria's words, hoping that she had changed her mind.
Silently she approached Michael, who was still being inspected by Ava. Then she took a glance at Oliver, who was still lying on the ground.
'No! No! NO!' Oliver, who had regained consciousness a few seconds ago, was furious beyond belief. Being reduced to such a pathetic state in front of the woman that was meant to be his was humiliating.
'Thank goodness I finally have a legitimate reason to get rid of him.' Victoria thought coldly before picking up Oliver by his hair.
"Even if you are part of the Immortal Legion, your highest priority was to answer to me. Going against my back in order to go with the whip of your faction speaks volumes about your character. I don't want pathetic cowards like you to serve under me. As such, from today I relieve you of your rank and your duty. You are to go with your faction. Otherwise, your presence will be treated as treason."
She threw him towards Isaac like trash.
'PATHETIC?!' Oliver would have shouted in rage if his jaw wasn't broken. 'After everything I did for you. You dare treat me like trash? A bitch that should have just kept quiet and bent over dares speak to me like this?!'
"Let's go." Isaac calmly picked up Oliver's body and left, unwilling to lose even more face.
'This is not over!' Oliver screamed inwardly. 'I swear I will make you crawl in submission before me! Once I get my hands on you, I will break you!'
"See? I said that all of this was a waste of time." Austin shook his head in displeasure. If they had listened to him, nothing of the sort would have happened.
"Chloe." Ignoring the short man, the Grandmaster turned to the beautiful woman. "Spare no resources. I want to know everything about that cadet. Leave no stone unturned."
"Roger." She nodded. "What should we do when we find his family?"
A shiver passed down Isaac's spine when he heard the question. Remembering the killing aura he had felt for a few seconds during the duel.
"Nothing, just observe them. Don't engage no matter what."
Once the Immortal Legion left, Michael bowed to the two women. "Thank you for your help, truly."
An awkward smile appeared on Ava's face before disappearing a second later. "I still owe you my life, so it's only natural!"
However, Victoria didn't accept the thanks and bowed instead. "No, this all happened because of me and my own incompetence. Please forgive me, Cadet Michael. If there is anything that I can do to atone for my mistake and reward you for winning against an Expert, don't hesitate to say."
A déjà vu hit Michael's mind recalling his sword's words. Specifically the 'reward me with your body' part.
After shaking his head, his eyes regain their usual warmness.
"Please raise your head… and you can simply call me Michael." He stated.
"That won't do. I have made a mistake, and I must atone." She shook her head stubbornly. She wasn't willing to stand down.
"Then…" He scratched the back of his head before looking at his own beaten-up body.
"Would you perhaps assist me with my recovery?"
She looked at his naked torso to inspect his perfectly sculpted body.
With a nod, she said. "Please follow me. I will personally treat your injuries."
"...Eh?" Michael was surprised. When he said he wanted assistance, he meant finding a suitable doctor. Not for her to treat his wounds personally!