Several northern cadets stood around the bastion core, all of them now staring at him coldly. Malach must have stationed them here permanently after his previous attempt.
'Of fucking course he did.'
Kaiden could feel his entire body trembling from the repeated impacts. The fortress walls were anything but light, and smashing through several of them had left every bone in his body screaming. Still, covered in dust and breathing heavily, Kaiden straightened to his full height and glared at the cadets before him.
"I'm getting to that bastion core. So either get the fuck out of my way, or I'm going through you too."
The northern cadets blinked. Then, almost at once, they burst into laughter.
"Pfft—did you hear that? He's going through us too!" one of them said, clutching his stomach.
"Oh no! Please, mighty southerner, have mercy! I'm too young to die!"
That only made the others laugh harder.
