Hearing Atticus's question, the youth who had initially been frantically nodding his head as though ready to agree to everything and anything this white-haired monster asked suddenly froze.
His eyes immediately welled up with even more tears.
The youth turned his gaze around the hall, hoping that any one of the students would come to his aid, but all he got were gazes being averted as none of the students had any intention of stepping up.
"P-please, y-you have t-to u-understand. I-I c-can't-" before the youth could continue speaking, Atticus suddenly averted his gaze away from the youth, standing up straight from his bent position.
Before he could understand what was going on, he suddenly felt something warm enveloping his whole body.
And then, in the next instant, another mind-numbing scream rocked the whole hall as the youth felt searing hot flames ravaging his whole body, inflicting unimaginable pain and suffering upon him.
The youth's form jerked, rapidly rolling from one place to another on the floor trying to extinguish the flames but to no avail.
Because of the shock and intensity of the pain racking the youth's body, he had completely forgotten that he was an advanced+ rank individual.
But at the moment, and in pure desperation, he suddenly remembered and immediately tried to use mana to extinguish the flames.
If it were normal flames, simply deploying mana was enough to completely extinguish them, but unfortunately for the youth, the flame currently ravaging his body was far from normal.
The youth kept rolling rapidly on the floor, his deafening screams piercing through the ears of all the students watching the scene.
It was a completely brutal scene. Not many could witness someone literally burning alive in front of them. Many would have left the scene already, unable to stomach the sight.
But the youths currently watching the scene weren't normal individuals.
Despite the fact that all the tiered were in the academy were all children, at the very least, 90% of them had already personally ended a life before.
The last thing the tiered families needed were soft family members who would shy away from doing what was necessary when it was necessary.
It was exactly because of this that they always made sure each of their family members, especially the heirs, weren't newbies when it came to taking lives.
Although one could see some of the onlookers subtly trembling while looking at the burning figure of the youth, they were in the minority.
But this didn't mean the rest didn't regard Atticus's actions as borderline brutal.
The one who was the cause of all this brutality didn't even seem to look as though he was doing anything.
His expression hadn't once changed from when he had first addressed the assailants.
As Atticus stood up, he turned his gaze around and saw the other assailants all trying their best to crawl and get far away from him, every single one of them trembling.
The scene of Atticus burning the youth had woken all of them up, bringing them back to reality. Even though they were all currently crippled, they weren't out of the woods yet.
Once again, all of the gathered students watched as Atticus moved.
Approaching a completely pathetic looking figure of a youth who was trying to crawl and get away.
Atticus's footsteps were slow and deliberate, each rhythmic cadence sounding like the reaper's call to the youth, each step making the youth cry and pray that he be spared.
But reality had always been a big bitch.
Atticus finally reached the youth and immediately controlled the air to wrap around the youth's form.
Atticus lifted the youth, turning him to face his direction.
He suddenly bent down and yanked the mask covering the youth's face, and as though the youth had been waiting for that opportunity, his eyes suddenly emitted a bright crimson glow, and instantaneously, two laser beams shot out from the youth's eyes.
Their forms cut through the air with great force, instantly appearing inches away from Atticus's face.
The onlookers didn't even have time to be shocked; it was plenty obvious that if that attack should land, it would create two large holes through Atticus's head.
But Atticus's gaze never once wavered.
"Arcane barrier," Atticus suddenly invoked.
And immediately, a golden transparent barrier appeared between Atticus and the laser beams.
Anyone viewing such a scene wouldn't have expected at the very least for there to be a huge impact, but the result was anything but so.
The beams hit the barrier, and as though a jet of water was hitting the expansive sea, the barrier seamlessly absorbed the attack, sending only slight ripples through its surface.
Atticus's right hand suddenly grabbed the head of the youth, the youth's two completely crimson eyes immediately trembling in fear, clearly regretting his actions.
"I'm sorr-"
Before the youth could speak, Atticus's hands suddenly set ablaze in a scorching inferno.
Just like earlier, the youth's scream was mind numbing and deafening. His form immediately shook as he tried to get out of Atticus's hold but to no avail.
After a few seconds of excruciating pain, the youth's scalding burnt face appeared in view.
Atticus didn't bother repeating his speech again. He had made sure his voice had been loud enough earlier for all of the assailants to hear him. So he didn't need to repeat his speech.
Atticus's piercing blue eyes locked onto the youth's eyes. The latter didn't even dare try to pull his earlier stunt again.
He knew now that nothing was going to work against this monster in front of him.
"Who sent you?" Atticus's cold words sounded once more, his voice although low, carried enough weight to be heard across the hall.
"P-pwease," tears streamed out of the youth's eyes as he begged.
But the youth couldn't help but tremble hard as he saw Atticus suddenly averting his gaze away from him and stood up straight.
"No no no pleas-" the youth's pleas were cut short as his form suddenly erupted in a blaze.