The whole class was entirely silent However, the silence wasn't perceived for long. A laughter rang out through the classroom waking up the students from their daze.
"Hahaha! Look at this pup! Just because he can instill fear towards his peers, he thinks could do the same to us, upperclassmen. Ridiculous!"
"Know your place underclassman!"
"A dog barking at a pack of tigers. Shameless!"
"This guy's funny! I can't wait to see his expression in despair."
Harsh criticisms and ridicules poured down on Basil from some of the students. There were four of them, and all of them were talented enough to treat him as such. Basil didn't even blink at their harsh words.
"Empty drum produces a loud sound."
Surely, he didn't mean to stay silent. He had his own way to counter them. Just like he had expected, they reacted violently.
"What did you say?!"
"We? Empty?! Hah!"
"You can't even measure our depth. What do you know?!"
"Ahaha! At least we are drums, unlike you, a bottle!"
They seemed ready to claw at each other's throats. Blake sighed in exasperation. He looked at the teacher in duty and shook his head in the next moment. The teacher didn't even try to stop them.
Competitiveness was encouraged at Stardust Academy. Any dispute caused by that would be settled in the Battle Ground. However, when things were getting out of hands, teachers were needed to diffuse it.
However, this teacher didn't seem trying to diffuse the situation. He was encouraging it instead. It was normal considering this teacher was one of the Teacher Council members Basil had bashed that time.
Blake couldn't scold him though. The scuffle hadn't started yet. Therefore, he had nothing to complain toward the teacher.
Clap!
The teacher clapped his hands abruptly. The sound it produced rang throughout the classroom as it was amplified by Magic. The rowdy bunch turned silent as their attention was focused on the teacher.
"Now, now. Rather than fighting in the class, you should do it in the Battle Ground."
Basil quirked an eyebrow and leered at the teacher from the corner of his eyes, "I have told that to your students earlier. Just like you, they didn't get that instantly."
"This brat! You... Huuh..."
The teacher was saved by his sigh. He was just about to explode like his students. Luckily, he managed to hold himself back. He had been humiliated by Basil with words only at that fateful day. He couldn't repeat the same thing twice.
"Mr. Corvet, let us head to the Battle Ground. We decided to take the challenge of this insolent underclassman."
One of the four aggressive people stepped forward and represented the other three. All of them had a cold glint in their eyes as they looked at Basil. The teacher nodded and threw his head at Blake for confirmation. Blake just nodded helplessly.
You will further dip yourself into the pit.
The teacher seemed to misunderstood the gaze Blake gave him as he was still ecstatic for some reason. The foolish teacher thought everything would be going his way. Reality would tell him in the hard way.
...
A deja vu inducing scene could be seen in the Battle Ground. Every fourth years, regardless of their classes were in the audience seat. They were waiting for what about to happen.
News travel quicker than heroes coming to the crime scene.
All of them were expectant. They wanted to see a good fight between the rising prodigy and his whole class. Although they didn't expect that much for the former to win, they did expect a good fight.
"Only these many? What is wrong with you people?"
"Can't help it. They tremble in the eyes of rumour. Shameful!"
The 4 pillars of the class shook their heads in disappointment looking at their classmates. Out of the 30 students, only 16 dared to take upon the challenge. Therefore, including the 4 pillars, there would be 20 people joining the Battle.
"Who would go first?"
"Let the weakest of us starts first."
Everyone's eyes turned their heads to someone at the back. It was an average young man with an equally average build. His appearance screamed average. Being called the weakest, he wasn't offended. He merely nodded his head and stepped forward.
The young man entered the Battle Ground. Basil was already standing in the middle of the Battle Ground while looking at the crowd calmly. When he noticed the young man, he frowned his forehead slightly.
"What is this? Only one person?"
The arena turned silent. Everyone wondered whether they had heard it wrong. Basil's gaze was unwavering. He looked at the nineteen people waiting at the queue valiantly.
"Why are you behaving like an imbecile? I thought I had said I challenged you all. Why are you coming one by one? Come, I will take you all on at once."
He was tired of this scene. He knew what the outcome would be. Therefore, he would finish it with the least time possible. Attending the class was no more than a formality to him. He could only grow himself outside the academy.
Therefore, he needed to show the academy he didn't need their guidance. Although he could just act as he pleased because of Blake's permission, many would question Blake's favoritism toward him. He didn't want that.
"Hah! Unbelievable! His arrogance is unbearable."
"I can't stand this guy anymore. Let's do as he says!"
"Let's show him how one should take account of his own words!"
"Let's show him the despair!"
As expected the reaction the people gave Basil was violent. Everyone's eyes shone in a fierce light upon his outrageous words. The people who had been somewhat scared to fight Basil one on one had now gained some courage.
The nineteen people moved inside the field with the four pillars in lead. The average student who had arrived first wisely retreated to the back, letting the four pillars to stand in the front.
"Huuh.. this kid. He's the definition of what being young means!"
"Well... At least, we will have to see a good show?"
"And... How the heck did all of you know something was about to happen here?"
"News travels faster than heroes, Master Blake."
Blake shook his head at Chester who had magically appeared beside him. He was helpless with the chaos about to happen.
Not only the fourth years, but the whole academy was flooding the Battle Ground. Blake couldn't say a thing as the crowd was curious to see the unprecedented Battle Royal.
Blake spread his hand and his Grimoire was let out for the world to see. A quick exposure of Mana Wave to the crowd was enough to make him became the center of attention.
Blake paid them no mind. He chanted a spell from his Grimoire and raised his hand upward. The Grimoire shone before six Magic Circles that covered the entire field appeared on the ground where the twenty people and Basil were standing.
All of them were a Major Circle except for one. The first Magic Circle, the foundation of Blake's prowess, was a Grand Circle. Then, majestic spell could be heard by everyone's ears.
[Irgalom a szegény léleknek!]
Mercy on the poor soul!
[Elimination Cage]!
The six Magic Circles on the ground shone briefly before expanding and replaced with a net like structure. The net like structure became a barrier between the audience seat and the field.
"Duel between individuals are encouraged in my Academy. However, Battle Royal has never occurred in my Academy before. Therefore, I am going to set the rule for this one."
With the help of Magic, Blake were speaking to the whole crowd on the highest place of the audience seat. All eyes and ears were on him. No one wanted to miss what he was about to say.
"The rule is simple. Each of you will be expelled from the field when the Spell I had casted upon this Battle Ground judges you can no longer continue the fight."
Gasp of admiration and understanding rang throughout the Battle Ground. However, Blake wasn't done yet.
"In the other words, you will only be expelled if you're unconscious or critically injured that often leads to death. Therefore, I suggest you to back down if you lack the courage to face that."
Silence. Silence greeted him. The previously rowdy and enthusiastic people became silent. They had thought the Spell Blake had casted was meant as an extra protection for them. When it was revealed to not be the case, doubt was budding in their hearts.
"We take that condition. It's one against many. The one who should be concerned is our challenger."
The representative of the four pillars once again spoke to represent the other three. As if showing their agreement toward him, the three people nodded their heads at his words.
The other people who heard it looked at each other before nodding their heads. They were determined to join the Battle. At least, almost everyone. One person, the average student, chose to back down on it.
"Hey, Brinley! What are you doing?!"
"Excluding myself from the Battle?"
"Yes, that's what I am exactly asking about!"
"What do you mean?"
The friend of the average student, who was revealed to be Brinley, was about to shout at him when the representative of the four pillars stopped him.
"You—!"
"Let him be."
"But!"
"Cowards will always be a coward."
Eventually, Brinley's friend nodded his head in acceptance. However, the look of disappointment and a hint of disdain couldn't be hidden from his face. Brinley took it casually like a stride.
"Alright! I will become the referee of this Battle. However, may you know what about to happen from now on will not be my responsibility. Only the spell could save you."
"Understood!"
The nineteen people thought it was aimed at Basil. Therefore, they nodded enthusiastically while having a manic glint in their eyes. Basil looked at them in faint amusement and motioned at Blake to start the Battle.
No one noticed this gesture as Basil did it very discreetly. Blake nodded faintly and brought his hand upward. "Begin!" He brought it down and the waited word was said.
Everyone's hearts were palpitating. All of their eyes were glued onto the Battle that was about to ensue. Shirley and Julia were also in the audience seat. They were clasping their hands in front of their chest.
They didn't worry about Basil. They were worried about the outcome. They knew and were absolutely sure, the same tragedy would happen once again. The Blood Tyrant would descend upon the world once again.
"Formation!"
The representative of the four pillars shouted out of a sudden. No one knew the meaning of it aside from the other pillars. They moved accordingly and made a diamond shaped formation.
"Circles!"
Magic Circles appeared on the ground surrounding the four people. The frontmost person, the representative, had three Magic Circles, and the others only had two. However, all of them had one Major Circle as their Foundation Circle.
Basil was slightly impressed by them. It was rare to find such a talent in this small Woster County.
"Are you just here to watch?"
The representative of the pillars exclaimed at the other gaping students in ridicule. They were instantly awaken from their daze and prepared themselves. Magic Circles floated behind their backs.
All of them, without exception, had two Magic Circles behind them. It was the minimum requirement to advance to the fourth year.
Boom!
Suddenly, explosion rang throughout the field. Everyone was taken aback as they hadn't noticed someone would launch an attack. They looked at the source of the explosion, and found there was a hole on the ground beside Basil.
Everyone instinctively knew it was an attack aimed at Basil, however they didn't understand what really happened.
"Did he miss?"
"No.. no he didn't miss..."
"That Basil guy slapped the attack to the side."
It was enough to silence the entire crowd. Although most of them hadn't paid any attention toward the happening, some of them had seen it. Therefore, explanation was quickly given.
They threw their heads back at Basil and wondered what he would do next. Basil shifted his body slightly —
Swish!
— and disappeared from their view.
Everyone wondered where he disappeared to. However, they didn't have to wait for long to know where he disappeared to.
Bam!
"Kuhuk!"
Someone was thrown away and quickly lost conscious before getting expelled from the field. The person who had been expelled was none other than Basil's previous assailant.
In the place where previously belonged to him, stood another person with his hand half extended. It was none other than Basil.
"What the...?"
"Did you see that?!"
"What was it? [Teleport]?!"
"He moved so fast he became a blur..."
All eyes were on Basil. The people who had been absent on the day Basil destroyed Harold and his lackeys were baffled and awed by the display. In the other hand however, the people who had watched him on that day were washed with a sense of deja vu.
"May the slaughter begin."
Basil muttered under his breath and released his pressure.
Boom!
Two Ultimate Circles who no one had ever seen were revealed to the world to see. Along with it, a terror inducing pressure was let out. Basil's eyes shone in a golden light for a very brief moment.
Gulp.
Everyone gulped when they received Basil's incomprehensible gaze.. Everyone, without any exception, were assaulted with a bad premonition.