"THE LAST PARTICIPANT IS HERE! THE ONE YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR, ATTICUS RAVENSTEIN!!"
WOAHHHHHHHH!!
The screams were deafening, the air rumbling as millions of students all screamed at the top of their lungs.
The whole area shook, each student hitting their legs and arms on the floor and chairs in unison, creating a unified chorus that echoed throughout the entire coliseum.
It didn't take time, it was instantaneous even, as each of the academy students saw the tall and imposing handsome figure of Atticus appear on the large screen, it started with an echo.
"Atticus,"
That name traveled far and wide across the entirety of the crowd.
"Atticus!"
It echoed once more but this time with more fervor.
After a few seconds, and as though a switch was flipped, the millions of students gathered in the crowd all started chanting the name, Atticus, the air thrumming with excitement, the earth trembling.
'Damn,' the man who had announced Atticus's arrival thought in his head with a hint of disbelief.
Usually, the hosts of the leader's summit had always been a Stellaris. They were loud and hyper, their aura always radiating excitement, those were exactly the qualities of a good host.
But this time around, if one should take a closer look, it was none other than Gon, the instructor who had made quite the fortune over the past year because of this same particular white-haired boy.
'I mean, I know his entrance would be loud, but isn't this too much?'
Gon's gaze swept throughout the crowd, taking in the cheering masses. After which he cleared his thoughts in the next instant.
'It doesn't matter, it's time for another win,' Gon gazed at the position where the operators of the academy were gathered.
This time around, it wasn't just the first-year operators that were involved in the bet, it was the operators of all the years! Gon was thoroughly giddy!
A crowd of millions of people cheering at the top of their lungs, no matter how brave one claimed to be, would at the very least make many hearts skip. And seeing how Aurora clenched her fist, it only goes to prove the point.
But Atticus remained completely undaunted. There was not a single change in expression or even the slightest change in body movement. It was as though Atticus was standing in the midst of loud rustling leaves.
From the very beginning, Atticus hadn't focused his gaze on the crowd. His gaze had been fixed on the figures on top of an elevated platform in the middle of the colossal coliseum.
The competition involved the top 10 ranked students of every year in the academy, and gazing at the elevated platform, Atticus could see that everyone was present; he had been the last one to arrive.
The intensity and loudness at which the crowd was chanting Atticus's name was staggering; it was impossible for the students who were supposed to be his opponents to not get overwhelmed.
But the gazes of the third years, especially the likes of Zezazeus, Gerald, and Sonorous, simply turned and gave Atticus a glance for just a single second before removing their gazes and facing their fronts as though he were an inconsequential ant.
Atticus chuckled inwardly, the situation so baffling that he broke into a smile despite the current circumstances.
Atticus ignored everyone, from the millions of youths chanting his name to the third-year fools 'subtly' looking at him with disdain and took a step forward.
To many of the onlookers, it had been a normal step, just the kind you see every day. But there was something about it, perhaps because of the one who took the step, that compelled each and every one of the millions of youths chanting in the coliseum to abruptly shut up.
No one knew why or how it had happened, but the whole coliseum suddenly descended into silence as Atticus and Aurora walked side by side towards the elevated platform.
…
A loud and uproarious laughter rocked the inside of a spacious booth as a certain orange-haired man laughed in a tone that many would deem annoying.
Most of the individuals inside the booth snapped their gazes towards the direction of the noise, their eyes landing on the form of Jared, who kept on laughing while watching Atticus walk towards the platform.
Jared noticed the looks he was getting, but he didn't care.
He currently had a staggering amount of food in a cart just beside him, and he had every intention of finishing them during this competition.
Today, he was going to thoroughly enjoy the show, and nothing would stop him.
Basically, Jared and every other instructor in the academy were present inside the booth, and of course, the vice principal, Harrison, who sat down just behind the group of instructors in a position of higher elevation than the others.
Harrison was as usual, silent as he watched the unfolding events silently.
While Isabella, who was seated at the front row of all the instructors, wore a more contemplative expression, her thoughts racing as she watched the scene below.
The meeting they had a day before had spiraled completely out of control, and eventually, they had settled on something completely different from what she had expected.
The whole theme of the leader's summit had eventually been changed, and they had chosen something she didn't think they would use anytime soon.
From the very beginning, Isabella had always wanted to create challenging situations for Atticus, and although the higher year instructors had suggested it had been up to no good, Isabella had still accepted it. Atticus could use a dose of challenge.
'This will be your first real challenge in the academy. I hope you handle it well,'
Atticus and Aurora, who had pulled herself together, reached the elevated platform after a few seconds.
Each of the participants was arranged according to their rank and year, with the former in rows and the latter in columns. Their subordinates stood directly beside each of them.
In total, there were 6 columns and 10 rows.
Atticus immediately figured it out and started walking towards the empty space just behind a beautiful purple-haired girl.
But he hadn't even taken a single step forward when the sound of something wet hitting the ground filled the air.