Chapter 85: EX 85. Ticking Time Bomb
The reason for the combatants’ stunned silence was rooted in the impossible message they had just received, an encrypted priority alert sent directly from the Federation’s military headquarters, marked with the signature seal of the Silver Marshal herself.
The message read:
"Effective immediately, Cadet Leon Kael has been promoted to the rank of Combatant. He is to take command of the unassigned cadets Adrian Peer, Eleanor Clarke, and Eden Feran as his personal squad under Unit 01. All combatants are to stand down and acknowledge his rank and authority. His orders come with direct approval from Vanguard Rebecca and are not to be questioned. This is a standing military directive."
Combatant Michael Vance’s mouth slowly dropped open as his gaze returned to Leon, who stood there completely unaware of the chaos his name had just stirred.
"This... this can’t be real," Michael muttered under his breath.
"Promotion... to Combatant... on the day of deployment?"
The other combatants whispered among themselves, some wide-eyed, others furrowing their brows in disbelief. For them, this was unprecedented. Even the most gifted prodigies, those hailed as future generals, took months, sometimes a year, to rise to the rank of Combatant after proving themselves in the field.
The path to promotion in the Federation’s military was like ascending a mountain made of steel and fire, a climb that ground down the weak and tested the spirit of the strong. It wasn’t just a matter of strength; it demanded leadership, grit, honor, and battlefield experience. The ten ranks of the military, Cadet, Combatant, and all the way to the Supreme Warden, were designed to weed out the unworthy.
For someone like Leon to skip the first step entirely was almost as difficult as achiving "Enlightenment." It was practically heresy to military tradition.
And yet... the message was real.
Their thoughts were interrupted by the very source of their disbelief.