The moment their eyes met, they launched their attacks.

The two Alphas from the First Military Academy unleashed their spiritual power, sending it hurtling toward Miles Sherman.

They didn’t recognize Miles Sherman. Seeing only one Alpha and one Omega on the opposing team, they immediately sensed an opportunity.

Two against one. No matter how you looked at it, the odds were in their favor.

The two from the First Military Academy weren’t the least bit surprised that Miles Sherman’s team only had two members. Some teams had already lost teammates who were picked off and eliminated in the first round.

Their plan was simple: take this chance to eliminate a team from another school and secure the glory for their own academy.

But the two Alphas quickly realized something was wrong. As their spiritual power neared Miles Sherman, it vanished as if sinking into the ocean, having no effect whatsoever.

The true target of Miles Sherman’s spiritual power was never Xenobeasts.

It was other human Alphas.

The more people capable of using spiritual power surrounded him and attacked him with it, the greater his advantage became.

Sometimes, the hierarchy of spiritual power was just that cruel.

With his S-Class spiritual power pitted against their obvious A-level, Miles Sherman was simply overwhelming.

He moved with blinding speed, grabbing one of the Alphas’ arms and expertly dislocating it. Then, with a spin, he dodged the other’s attack, twisting down and forcing a cry of alarm from the one with the dislocated arm.

Birds and beasts scattered from the surrounding jungle.

Zoe Pierce, however, wasn’t watching Miles Sherman. She trusted him. As team captain, his Body Techniques and combat skills were top-tier, even without using his spiritual power. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

He had undergone rigorous training since childhood.

Without missing a single day.

Zoe Pierce casually strolled over to face the Omega on the opposing team. Perhaps because she was an Omega, neither of the two Alphas reacted, even though they clearly noticed her approach.

Even the enemy Omega showed no signs of being on guard.

They seemed certain she wouldn’t do a thing.

Zoe Pierce’s eyes flashed. This was the first time during the joint examination that she had faced an enemy Omega one-on-one.

Zoe was nearly stunned when the other Omega asked, "Hey, what’s your name?" She stared back, her expression complex.

’How can she be so casual, like we’re just making small talk?’

’It’s as if we’re at a party, not a battlefield.’

Zoe Pierce didn’t answer. Instead, she said earnestly, "Sorry about this, classmate."

Before the other Omega could even process what Zoe meant, Zoe had already twisted her arms behind her back. With a flash, Zoe seized control of the Intelligent Brain on her wrist, and a second later, the light signaling elimination flared to life.

It all happened so fast she was completely caught off guard. She felt a sharp pain in her arms, and before she could even cry out, Zoe Pierce released her.

Only the flashing light on her wrist bore witness to what had just happened.

Her mouth fell open, her eyes widening in sheer astonishment.

For some reason, Zoe Pierce felt as if she had just bullied a little kid. She unconsciously rubbed the tip of her nose.

"Wait... Why did you eliminate me? If your Alphas won, I would’ve eliminated myself anyway."

But right now, even if it looked like they were at a disadvantage, they hadn’t actually lost yet.

And yet, in the brief moment it took to meet this Omega from the Federal Military Academy, she had been eliminated.

"Isn’t that the unspoken rule?" The other girl was clearly so shocked that her voice was laced with disbelief.

Zoe Pierce didn’t smile. She just glanced back at her. "Whose unspoken rule? Is it in the academy regulations?"

"The rules of the joint examination never say that Omegas can’t eliminate each other."

Zoe Pierce didn’t know about others, but she herself had read through the joint examination rulebook dozens, if not hundreds, of times.

The other Omega looked like she was about to lose her mind, her words coming out in a rushed, frantic tumble. "But it’s been this way for years!"

An Omega’s stamina can’t compare to an Alpha’s. If the Alphas get eliminated, an Omega can’t face Xenobeasts on their own, so they usually choose to be eliminated along with their team’s Alphas.

"Just because it’s been that way for years, does that make it right?" Zoe Pierce paused. "This is a battlefield, isn’t it?"

"My job is to do everything I can to help my teammate achieve victory."

"Even if he ultimately loses, your team will no longer have an Omega."

Without an Omega to soothe their spirit seas, how can the remaining Alphas possibly continue?

Zoe Pierce’s words left the Omega from the First Military Academy utterly speechless.

Because every single word the girl in front of her had said was correct.

An Alpha team without an Omega was like a sheet of loose sand—the first gust of wind would scatter it.

Even if they won this battle, facing the elimination of their Omega meant they were doomed to fail in the long run.

She just couldn’t accept it. She hadn’t been eliminated by an Alpha, but by another Omega.

She was given no time to process this. The moment Zoe Pierce finished speaking, the fight on Miles Sherman’s side also concluded. The two Alphas collapsed to the ground, both eliminated.

Miles Sherman popped the arm he’d dislocated back into its socket.

The Alpha grimaced in pain for a few seconds, but after realizing his arm was fine, he accepted his defeat gracefully.

He sighed. He was just about to turn and tell his team’s Omega to go ahead and press her elimination button when he saw it had already been activated.

Meanwhile, his team’s Omega seemed to be in a standoff with the opposing Omega.

His brow furrowed, but he saw Miles Sherman was already walking over.

"What’s wrong?" Miles Sherman’s voice drifted over before he even reached them.

Zoe Pierce walked to his side. "It’s nothing."

"I eliminated her, and she’s having a little trouble accepting it." She offered a rare explanation as she noticed the defeated Alphas, who had followed Miles over, shooting her suspicious looks.

She hadn’t planned on explaining.

The two Alphas behind them were both taken aback.

Only Miles Sherman understood instantly. He praised her, "Excellent work."

He subconsciously raised a hand to pat the back of Zoe Pierce’s head, but halfway through the motion, he seemed to realize something and abruptly pulled it back.

The half-finished gesture was impossible to miss.

Zoe Pierce’s eyes narrowed. "Miles Sherman," she said, "that’s a very obvious habit you have."

Miles Sherman looked at her, puzzled.

"You praise your team members a lot, don’t you?"

They had only been working together for a short time, yet he had already praised and affirmed her actions several times.

’Only someone with children at home would act like that.’

’Because only children need constant affirmation, and he clearly understood that principle inside and out.’

Whenever she performed well, he was never stingy with his praise.

Coming from someone with such a stern, proper face, his affirmations felt all the more earnest and sincere.

Miles Sherman let out a short laugh.

He’d never noticed that about himself.

But he couldn’t say Zoe Pierce was wrong, either. He nodded. "Hm, I suppose so."

Over on the other side, the Omega had clearly explained the situation to her two Alpha teammates. Though her retelling lacked the force of Zoe Pierce’s original words, the message got across.

Miles Sherman, standing to the side, affirmed her once more. "Zoe Pierce, you were right."

’That Omega’s way of thinking was what was wrong.’

Zoe Pierce broke into a smile, the curve of her lips obvious this time. She no longer shied away from the mechanical eye as she replied, "I know."