Under the overcast sky, the surroundings lay eerily silent… except for the ground trembling!
Trrrrrr
A lone figure appeared at the edge, shrouded in a dark hoodie that concealed his features. As he began his descent towards the stadium, a palpable tension filled the air.
“Who is it?” everyone wondered, their voices hushed with a mix of curiosity and dread.
But then, their eyes widened in shock and fear when they saw a huge white snake following the hooded figure. Its scales glistened menacingly, reflecting the dim light in eerie patterns.
Its slithering movement caused the ground to tremble violently, demolishing nearby trees and plants with its long, powerful tail. The earth seemed to shudder under the weight of its presence as if nature itself was recoiling in fear.
‘Gulp’
Students gulped audibly when they saw the golden crystal embedded in its forehead, shimmering with an unsettling glow.
‘FUCK!!!’ they screamed inwardly, convinced they would be crushed by the monstrous tail. Panic set in as they stepped back in fear, while the leaders frowned, their minds racing to assess the situation.
“Hehe…” A giggling sound echoed in the stadium. It was none other than the Empress’s Maid, who was trying her best to control her laughter, her eyes sparkling with amusement at the unfolding scene.
“YOU BASTARD!!” Thalia shouted, her voice filled with rage and desperation, as she hurled a fireball towards the hooded figure. She was still seething over her loss, convinced that his sneaky attack had cost her the rank she had worked so hard to achieve.
Delphine was about to intervene, but the Principal shook her head, her eyes narrowing as she decided to let the hooded figure handle the situation.
BOOMM!!
The fireball exploded with a deafening roar, sending dust and debris into the air, obscuring everyone’s vision. But amidst the chaos…
Step, Step…
They heard footsteps. As the dust settled, the figure emerged, still walking with a calm, almost nonchalant air, his hoodie slowly burning away in the fire.
Yet,
Step, Step…
With each step he took, an invisible force seemed to ripple outward, the ground almost trembling in response to his presence.
Thalia gritted her teeth, her frustration mounting as she realized her attack hadn’t even scratched him.
sssshhhh
The hoodie began to disintegrate, burning away, revealing the figure beneath.
The dark hoodie gave way to an immaculate, black trench coat that billowed around him like the wings of a harbinger of doom. The coat’s fabric seemed to absorb the light, creating an aura of impenetrable darkness.
Every detail of his attire was meticulously crafted, from the sharp cut of his suit to the intricate patterns on his tie…. Every line was sharp and precise, exuding an aura of deadly elegance.
A single, brilliantly blue flower pinned to his lapel stood out, its delicate petals a stark contrast to his otherwise dark and imposing presence. It seemed to pulsate with an inner light, drawing the eye irresistibly.
The inner lining of his coat glowed with an eerie blue luminescence, flickering like ghostly blue mists with every movement. It was as if he carried the essence of the underworld within him.
As he walked further, the air around him shimmered with potent energy. A chilling aura was emitted, causing the temperature to drop sharply. The very atmosphere seemed to conspire to amplify his presence, casting a pall over the stadium that suffocated all joy and light. freeweɓnvel.com
His hands, casually tucked into his pockets, conveyed an effortless dominance, a silent promise of his overwhelming strength. His demeanour was one of absolute confidence as if he were a predator surveying his prey (Image).
His once-hidden face now came into view, framed by striking, icy white hair that seemed to glow faintly, casting an otherworldly light around him. His features were sharp and angular, a mask of cold beauty.
However… there was the mask that hid his upper face!
The mask was deep black, adorned with delicate, swirling patterns of gold that caught the light in mesmerizing ways. It extended to cover his cheekbones, tapering into elegant points that accentuated the aristocratic angles of his face.
The eye holes were particularly striking, outlined with fine golden filigree that enhanced the sharpness of his gaze. Within these openings, his eyes—or rather something—glowed with an intense, icy blue light. It looked like a whirlpool of the blue ocean that pulled you to the deep end (Image).
Step
As he stepped into the stadium, the lands that the Principal created suddenly disappeared, vanishing as it returned normal stadium.
Silence reigned as he came to a halt.
The air was thick with tension, and everyone started to feel the temperature lowering further, the cold seeping into their bones. The snake, now glaring at everyone with a predatory intensity, added to the suffocating fear that gripped the crowd.
The students stood their ground only because of the Principal; otherwise, they would have already fled in terror.
However, there was one reaction that captured the women’s hearts, ‘He is fucking cool!’ they screamed inwardly, their fear giving way to admiration and infatuation.
[+10 Affection]
[+10 Affection]
[+10 Affection]
[+10 Affection]
….
..
Aether’s lips curled into a sinister smile as he stepped forward.
Step
Ssssshhhhh
As soon as he stepped, the land suddenly turned to ice… pure ice! The ground beneath him crystallized into a smooth, reflective surface, mirroring his dark form.
But it didn’t end there. With each step, the ground trembled, ice spreading outwards, forming a path that seemed to herald his approach.
Those standing near the podium suddenly stepped back, feeling their legs might get frozen, the chill reaching up and biting at their skin.
There were no words, only the sound of his steps reverberating through the silent stadium.
Aether halted before the stepped podium. Though there were stairs, he smirked. With a single, decisive stomp on the ground, an ice staircase formed instantly, gleaming with an otherworldly light.
“OH!” The Empress and Principal were surprised by his rebellious and fine control of Arcane energy. Taylor, meanwhile, had a proud face, wanting to scream that those clothes were her choice!
Delphine was blushing even more when she looked at him. ‘H-He looks different!’… He was not the boy who teased but rather a man shrouded in mysteries!
Step
“!!!!!!!”
When he stepped on the first stair, those of lower levels suddenly kneeled as if immense pressure was weighing them down, their bodies buckling under the strain.
“What the?” Others frowned, their expressions filled with confusion and fear.
The Principal smirked upon seeing this, her eyes gleaming with intrigue.
Step
“!!!!!”
Step
“W-What….”
Step
With each step, students slowly kneeled, unable to withstand the crushing pressure. Upon reaching the podium, everyone kneeled except the team leaders, who were struggling to remain standing, their bodies shaking with effort.
Snowflake stood behind him!
“HIIIISSSSS~”
Aether’s lips curled up as he said, “Good.”
A shiver ran down their spines when they heard his icy, emotionless voice with a hint of arrogance.
This was his true voice when he was 28 years old, using a voice changer embedded in the mask…. So, basically, it was his voice with the old one.
Even the Professors frowned, feeling a sense of unease that they couldn’t quite place.
“Good? YOU BASTARD!!” Leon gritted his teeth as he withstood the pressure and glared at Aether. “I WILL KILL YOU!!” His manhood was deeply wounded, and there was no way he would let this slide, even with the Principal watching.
However, before he could move, Thalia moved first. She appeared before Aether, catching his neck in a vice-like grip, her eyes blazing with fury. “You are just a coward who plays dirty tricks!”
“Pfft… Hahahahahaha…” His laugh sent shivers down their spines, echoing through the stadium. “Coward.”
In an instant, Aether broke Thalia’s hand with a sickening snap and slammed her to the ground with such force that she couldn’t even react.
BAM!
Aether gripped her neck, his face a mere centimetre away from hers, “Heh…Hehehe… Hehehehehehehehe.”
An uncanny smile that made Kai flinch in fear as if he recognized this smile from a nightmare. He shook his thoughts, remembering seeing Aether lying in the infirmary, helpless and weak.
Everyone stepped back, sensing something deeply wrong about this man. The Empress watched with an amused expression, while Taylor looked on with a fangirl-like adoration.
“Hehehehe—-” Suddenly Aether stopped and looked into Thalia’s eyes, speaking in an eerie, bone-chilling tone,
“Hmm…. In love and war….. all’s fair, cutie pie~”
With a swift, brutal motion, he raised her and kicked her in the stomach, his clothes fluttering in a chilling dance.
PUFFF!!
BOOM!!!
Thalia was sent crashing into the wall, her insides feeling mangled and broken. She tried to stand up, but the Principal’s stern glance made her lower her head in submission.
Everyone gulped, their thoughts unified in a single, daunting realization, ‘He is strong!’ Their admiration was tinged with a deep sense of unease, knowing that such power was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Then, with a casual flick of his hand, Aether summoned ten different coloured flags, leaving the onlookers in utter shock once again.
“Name is….”
Aether announced as he swept his hand through the air. The flags merged, transforming into a single, pure white flag attached to a long pole.
With a dramatic flourish, he stabbed the flagpole into the podium, causing a ripple of ice to spread outward.
BAM!
sssssshhhh!!
The white flag fluttered in the air, even though there was no breeze to move it.
~Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~
The timer on the hologram finally reached its limit, indicating the end of the ten-hour period.
“Victor!”
Aether’s voice echoed through the silent arena as the hologram changed to display the results:
1. Victor: 7500 Points
‘Gasp’
Everyone gasped in unison, their shock palpable as they stared at the points displayed.
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 26.8%↑]
“VICTOR!!” Jack shouted in fury. With a wicked smile, he said, “Goodbye,” as black flames erupted from his hands and shot toward Victor.
The Principal’s lips twitched, ready to intervene and put an end to this pointless conflict when,
sssssshhhh…hhh…h…
The flames vanished before they could even touch Victor as if something had siphoned them away.
Jack’s eyes widened in disbelief, ‘A-Arcane energy?’
Not only Jack, but everyone else had a horrifying expression on their faces.
Even the Empress and the Principal were shocked, ‘He sucked the Arcane energy!’
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 31.8%↑]