The one who had just spoken stood at a height of 6.4 feet tall and boasted a bulky physique.
Impeccably dressed in yellow attire, he sported vibrant orange hair like Seraphin, with a gem embedded in his head emitting a radiant glow as the temperature in the area continued to rise to staggering levels.
"Brother Gerald," Seraphin suddenly spoke weakly while attempting to move, causing his body, lodged inside the wall, to fall.
Just as it seemed he would crash onto the hard ground, the same phenomenon that occurred earlier repeated itself as the air under Seraphin suddenly distorted, solidifying into a platform.
Seraphin's form landed softly on the invisible platform, and he was gently placed on the ground in the next instant.
"Damn, he really did a number on you," a male voice suddenly resonated across the hallway, causing Atticus to turn his gaze toward the figure of a boy emerging from the hallway leading to the elevator.
He stood at a height of 6.2 feet, had a slender physique, and was casually dressed in a long robe.
A touch of green hair adorned his head, and a large headset, currently glowing an intense shade of blue, covered a large set of ears.
'So it was him,' Atticus fixated his gaze on the new entrant. For a second there, he had thought that there was an individual with the space element present.
Although he hadn't felt it, it sure as hell looked as though it was distorted space he had used to stop his attack.
'He must have used sound,' Atticus deduced. He could perfectly recall that the Resonara family had a bloodline related to sound, which would give the actions he had just witnessed a sensible explanation.
And at the next instance, it suddenly dawned on Atticus: a Resonara and Stellaris were actually allies?
The fact that a person as reclusive as Atticus knew about the enmity between the Resonara and Stellaris family members was enough to tell you how well-known it was.
One could only imagine how much it came as a surprise to see them together.
"Now's not the time for games, Sonorous! Quickly give him a healing potion now!" Gerald growled at Sonorous, admonishing him.
But despite the fact that he was talking to him, Gerald didn't even turn to face him; his smoldering gaze was completely fixated on Atticus, looking at the latter as though he wanted to rip him apart piece by piece.
"Big brother Gerald, make him pay!" Despite Seraphin's pathetic state, he still mustered enough energy to speak. Seraphin gazed at Atticus, his eyes filled with anger.
Sonorous sighed, "Yeah, yeah, alright. Ugh, perfect doting brother," Sonorous responded to Gerald in a tone laced with sarcasm, rolling his eyes as he inched closer to Seraphin on the floor.
But at the next instance, his walking gait came to an abrupt stop as Atticus suddenly spoke, his ice cold tone sending chills to those who heard it,
"Who said this was over?" Before Gerald and Sonorous could comprehend what was going on, Atticus's form blurred, and in the next instance, Seraphin appeared in his right hand, held firmly by the neck, with Atticus appearing not to have moved.
Sonorous's gaze scarcely narrowed into pinpricks as he fixed his gaze where Seraphin had been moments ago.
He had just been a few meters away from him, and yet Sonorous hadn't seen Atticus grabbing him.
'No, not seeing his movements, although it's hard to believe, is still believable. But how the hell didn't I hear him until he had finished taking him already?'
Sonorous' gaze, which had been nonchalant since the beginning, took on a more serious look as he pondered.
He knew that Sight wasn't his forte, and in this situation, he could even discard it. But what Sonorous couldn't seem to comprehend was how he hadn't been able to hear Atticus's movements, especially when his artifact was active!
Sonorous' intense gaze immediately shot toward Atticus's form, who was still holding Seraphin by the neck.
As soon as Gerald saw Atticus's actions, his eyes blazed with fury as the gem embedded in his forehead exploded in a blinding radiance that immediately engulfed his form.
Gerald's figure lit up intensely bright, as though a mini-sun had manifested in the hallway.
"How dare you!" Gerald's voice boomed, its intensity so loud that it sent an intense gust spreading out in every direction.
It was clear he was using his Stellaris family genes to his full advantage.
But Atticus remained completely undaunted, his expression still maintaining its cold icy look.
And seeing this, both Gerald and Sonorous couldn't help but be astonished. Just what was giving this boy so much confidence?
"Are you comparing us to those weaklings you beat up? Is that what is giving you this much confidence?" Gerald seethed as he took a step towards Atticus.
The golden glow encompassing him made his body so intensely hot that it left flaming footprints indentations on the sturdy academy ground.
With how lit the gem on his head was, it was plenty obvious that Gerald still hadn't gone full power, and yet the temperature of the area had long since passed twice what Seraphin had personally been able to achieve.
Seeing Seraphin being held in such a manner was making Gerald feel so enraged he didn't know what to do with it.
He was seething. But despite how angry he was feeling, he couldn't attack Atticus because the latter was a first year, which was why he had been trying intimidation tactics against him since he got here.
But to his surprise, Atticus's gaze remained the same, tranquil even. It was plenty obvious to those watching that he wasn't at all worried about the current situation.
Atticus's cold gaze left Seraphin and focused on Gerald's seething form, his expression neutral as he spoke,
"There's only one way he gets out of this with his mind still intact."
Atticus tightened the grip on Seraphin's neck causing the latter struggle to get out of his hold.
Atticus continued,
"If he willingly signs a mana contract,"