The aftermath was both bloody and gruesome. It is the violence, not the deaths that had struck fear in these warriors.

There were many casualties, and each as difficult to accept as the last.

Over five thousand were killed and nearly twenty thousand wounded.

The heaviest blow to the army come in two forms, the army’s pummelling morale, and the loss of some of their best fighters and leaders.

Three, Esley privately considers, because Kairos who was the pillar of hope for their army is now being doubted.

They still acknowledge his prowess and title as the Rakshasa, and his overwhelming intellect that created the guild Snowdrifts, but now they have a new title for him, youngling.

Young and naïve. That’s the veteran’s judgement of Kairos’ performance on the battlefield.

It all adds up, after he had led his group right in the middle of the enemy’s army, went up against their warlords and now the series of blunders he had made. Most importantly, they are angered that he had closed his eyes after Martial General Gu sacrificed himself to save him.

“Keep your mumbles down. He is the young master of the Astroire house.”

“Yeah, shush. You never know when those nobles will snap.”

“Especially the self-made ones. They always have something to prove.”

They gave him a wide berth, but unless they are part of the Snowdrifts, they no longer showed him the same respect as before.

Kairos didn’t care.

Esley, on the other hand, had a huge headache.

This man, Kairos, owed them nothing. And, he did resolve all the issues.

What right do the others have in faulting him?

All the higher ranked cultivators think so as well. They see things differently, because they could catch the details that lower rankers missed.

They felt the thick collection of elemental energies around and they knew that whatever that vanished rune was, it wasn’t useless. They are just incapable to appraise its use.

Just the amount of power in the air demanded them to give Kairos their respect.

It was at the level of a mage to pull that much natural energies together and form a rune. And, one of the highest orders to boot.

They also noticed, twice, the martial trances that Kairos had went into, a state of being where one uses their moment of epiphany to breakthrough an impasse, and Kairos spent it on them to save their sorry behinds.

Granted, some exceedingly talented individuals are more likely to enter such inspired trances when facing obstacles, these are still considered once-a-century occurrences that only those that had great wisdom may receive.

The common practitioners on the other hand, wouldn’t recognise what is a trance if it slapped them on the face.

The clean-up took the better half of the day before the soldiers could recover their dead. It took longer because of the brutality they faced left victims in pieces.

Esley called for the army to gather as soon as they are ready to march on.

Allowing his war mount to prance down the rank and files, the supreme commander of the frontline army – and now an expedition army, monitored the subtle changes to his men’s mindset.

Different from the frontlines, these soldiers are now under the pressure of defeating the invulnerable stronghold, Ku Kang Camp.

Without Kairos’ reputation of doing the impossible, they wouldn’t have picked up such courage and confidence, but they would still fight as trained men would.

But when they lost their confidence in Kairos, their courage fell hard.

If Esley do not do anything now, it might’ve been better if the army did not view Kairos as their hope in the first place.

He shouted, with his voice carried by a resonance fae stone, “Brave warriors, you stand here today with your enemies before you and your families behind you.

You stand here today on pools of blood shed by your fallen friends and your enemies!

You stand here today as men risen against an invasion!

As long as the Ku Kang Camp remains a stronghold, the Frosthral Feudal State will not cease their advancements. You are hope, you are our spear! Never falter!”

*NEVER FALTER!*

*NEVER FALTER!*

*NEVER FALTER!*

The warriors roared as if their blood had been set aflame. Their passionate cries shook the heavens as their goals were reaffirmed. They had forgotten that this is a defensive war even though they are the ones in enemy land.

If they failed, the families behind them will suffer the flames of war.

However, though they have rekindled their fighting spirit, the unhappiness within them had not changed and Esley knows that.

He quieted the crowd then continued in a booming voice, “Today’s battle is proof that the Frosthral Feudal State fear us. They threw their suicide squad at us because they dare not face us in fair combat. They hid behind tall walls because they are afraid!”

Esley’s mount suddenly halted in mid-prance as the commander turned his gaze across the soldiers until he stopped on Kairos’ figure, “Our enemies are frightened. If we do not act, we will only bolster their morale! Every soldier that does not pick up his arms will strengthen our foes! Those that hesitate only allow them to cut us down! Those that are frightened should return home! In our army, we only welcome warriors!”

He finished his speech with full criticism on Kairos’ actions, earning murmurs of agreement from the ranks.

“That’s right! Children should play at home and not clutter the battlefield!”

“My general had fallen because someone’s inaction!”

“My captain is dead as well, my captain who saved my life is dead!”

At this time, Diao Ling quickly stepped in, and reasoned with Esley. He came over and took a knee while cupping his hands, “Lord Commander, we cannot deny that Tommy, Alan, and Kairos are heroes in our last battle. Tommy blocked off our rear and prevented the worst from happening. Alan and Kairos, they did take a gamble but it managed to resolve our crisis, and even if they failed we won’t be worse off.”

As Diao Ling was speaking, his voice was carried over clearly to Esley’s resonance fae stone and then amplified for all the rest to hear. As long as the stone is activated with Ki, it will continue to work, and clearly Esley had not turned it off yet.

The army turned quiet. A few disagreed with what Diao Ling said, but most were convinced, and they fidgeted restlessly.

Esley seemed to fall into deep thought too.

As a man who listens to his generals, he took their advice with care, then then after a few breathes the commander muttered a disgruntled agreement, “I see logic in your words. In a war, the strongest of us are limited. Only by trusting our backs to each other and working together can we move mountains and fill the seas. Kairos has done much for our army, perhaps it is us who had been relying on him too much. We are men of arms, not babes in arms. My soldiers, raise up and earn your wages! This fight is a wakeup call for all of us that even heroes are human!”

Those that are dissatisfied turn quiet, but Kairos’ supporters were about to revolt.

Kairos and the few leaders looked perplexed. They could tell that this split in cohesion between the Snowdrifts and Esley’s group is a recipe for disaster, but there wasn’t a simple way for them to rein in the hotheads.

At this time, someone in the middle of the group said loudly, “Our leaders had the same heart as any of us. No. They are even more passionate and care for our lives than the average commanders. I trust my life in their hands, but the other soldiers hadn’t the chance we had to know our leaders. If we lash out our anger now, we will instead besmirch their names. If we really want to prove a point, then let us do so with our action!”

As if on cue, a second voice spoke up in agreement, “A gem will always shine. Let them say what they want. In the end they will only be slapping their own faces.”

Few noticed that both the owners of these two voices were hooded, and fewer cared. The dressing of their group are quite assorted and there are people with capes around as well as those wearing tights – so long they don’t freeze in this weather, anything else is up to their own choice.

The Snowdrifts are without thick headed members and through the two of them, the revolt that was simmering died down.

The leaders of Snowdrifts were however curious about the vanished rune that Kairos carved on thin air.

They are all willing to bet their lives on it that it wasn’t a failed and ineffectual rune. They had this much trust in Kairos’ brilliance at least, and that’s why many heir apparent and clan successors willingly follow after him.

Bombarded by their curiosity of what exactly transpired, Kairos explained to them the reverse cause and effect rune as well as everything else while they were on the way.

The army marched quickly. The rift between the two groups had grown, but not at to the level where there are open distrust.