Nobody on the supreme list, no matter how they presented themselves, was absent of ambition.
Everybody wanted to be on top.
Competition was fierce as a higher ranking meant more resources, but at the same time to claim a higher ranking, one needed more resources.
If there were no rules and guidelines, roadblocks to keep movements in check, chaos would spiral amongst the most elite of the academy, a bloodbath which would stretch across the school erupting.
Any student could randomly challenge a supreme for their position, but the catch to this was that the supreme could send a proxy in their place so long as the challenger was not a supreme and in the case of failure, the challenger would die.
The choice of survival wasn't up to the challenged, if the supreme refused to execute his opponent the school would do it for him.
Amongst supremes, there were stricter rules guiding how they could challenge one another.
For example, it was well within a Supreme's right to deny a challenge which had been issued to him so long as the challenger was a supreme.
Hulio had rejected Kael's challenge and that should have been the end of their encounter.
Sure, his reputation would take a serious hit, gossip following his name, but he honestly had more important things to bother with.
Hulio thought shaming him had been Kael's goal of intercepting him, he had never expected that he would invoke a seat challenge.
To invoke a seat challenge, one needed to acquire a challenge token and the only way to get this was by completing A+ rank missions and converting the rewards to War Credits.
It wasn't that Hulio thought Kael couldn't gain a challenge token, but that it was common knowledge that he possessed a Peace Token.
Peace Tokens were harder to get than challenge tokens and their job was specifically to nullify the later.
With a Peace Token, Hulio could refuse a seat challenge and it wasn't until two months another person could issue him a challenge.
Above a Peace Token though was a Hero Token, this the red disk Kael had presented.
This token functioned the same as the Challenge Token except it could only be used on the one whose name had been printed on it, and the challenge could not be denied.
To get this Token, one didn't just need to gather War Credits, mind you the amount of War Credits being proportional to the rank they were seeking to challenge, they also had to get approval from the senate.
It wasn't a surprise to Hulio that the senate had interfered in the fall of his rank, he had his hands in several jars and by the same token, Kael's request for a Hero Token against him should not have gone through.
"How did you get that?"
Hulio could not help with this question, he had been totally caught off guard.
"Is it so hard for you to imagine the senate granting me a token?"
Hulio stayed quiet and turning to him Kael continued.
"I don't think it is your lack of imagination, you can't be that conceited.
Instead, your problem lies in the fact that you didn't know beforehand. Clearly, you're not as protected as you thought you were."
A Hero Token was the ultimate attack on a supreme, they were not meant to have any idea of its approach and had no defense except victory against it, at least on paper.
Kael was right on the mark with his words and Hulio twisted within at how true they were, but kept his expression neutral.
"If you must know though, your maid was very instrumental. Personally, I wouldn't blame her, we do what we need to do to survive."
The atmosphere between both men was tense, each keeping their deepest thoughts to themselves.
Kael's words raised questions, but Hulio was not going to beg for answers, there was no point to.
Kael was the enemy, words from him could not be taken at face value.
Escaping from the destruction of the carriage there was a new addition to Hulio's outfit, a large white scroll strapped to his back.
Reaching behind, his hand sank into the top of the scroll, disappearing for a second and then coming back out with a black rod in its grip, the rod extending for several inches and then ending with a blade and pointy end.
Hulio had pulled out was a spear and looking where he had taken it from, many were left confused, whispers bursting from the students.
"What is that, where did he pull that spear from."
"Is it maybe an illusion?"
Hulio did not care about the words of the crowd, swinging his spear to the left, a cutting sound ringing through the air, he rested it on his shoulder.
"I have better things to do right now."
Kael did not curse, he unsheathed his blade and began walking towards Hulio.
As long as it was on school grounds, with sufficient space and had adequate witnesses, a seat challenge between two Supremes could happen anywhere.
From Kael's left hand the Hero Token fell, sinking into the ground the moment it made contact and around the both of them, a red light in the shape of a pentagon came to life, expanding for more than 40 meters before coming to a stop tall red walls rising from the ground.
The battle arena had been designated, and till a winner was decided, no one could leave it.