It was just a single palm. To an outside observer, it looked every bit like the palm of a white teenager, flawless and a little feminine.
But to the one whose entire vision was currently obscured by the same palm, it was as though the palm carried along with it the weight of the world.
However, this was far from an illusion because as it suddenly flexed and closed in on his head, Sonorous felt pressure the likes of which he had never experienced before in his life.
Atticus's palm gripped Sonorous's head with such force that the hard skull bone underneath each of his fingers caved in considerably.
Since his childhood, Sonorous had always had a knack for going after things he found interesting. It could be anything —a person, thing, or artifact.
This had been the exact reason he had become friends with Gerald despite both of them being from the Resonara and Stellaris families.
A member of the Stellaris family was actually chilled and not a psycho? He had to find out why.
This ultimately led to him meeting Atticus and thus, finally, battling with him. If things had been different, if he hadn't been friends with Gerald, Sonorous would have taken a different approach and probably tried to befriend Atticus. But unfortunately, fate had another thing in store for him.
He was always so careful and observant, how had he made such a stupid mistake!?
Fate had done him dirty. It had made him face off against a boy who was nothing more than a monster in human skin. There was just no way, no way a 16 year old could be so powerful and cruel.
In all his life, even when training with his father and other instructors, Sonorous had never once lost his composure. But unfortunately, that pointless streak would end today.
Sonorous screamed.
It was piercing and deafening at the same time, guttural and primal, as though it came from the depths of his soul. It traveled far and wide, and those who heard it felt an ice cold shiver down their spines.
The pain was immense.
Sonorous struggled, his composure nowhere to be found as his hands gripped the arm holding him, pulling with all his might, his legs flailing about.
And yet, at that moment, Atticus's arm was the personification of firmness, not budging an inch.
Sonorous's artifact lit up, his hair flailing above his head as a multitude of sound waves shot towards Atticus's figure. Simultaneously, Sonorous's screams suddenly shifted in intensity and amplitude, crossing above 300 decibels in an instant.
It was obvious to the outside observer that every single one of these attacks was desperate, as though he were on his last ropes, but despite that, their lethality was true.
Sonorous's whole body expected Atticus to react to any of the attacks or at the very least flinch —anything!
But it was as though his whole heart shattered into millions of pieces as the next event ensued. It wasn't literal, but it might as well have been.
Atticus didn't move an inch, his gaze with a hint of crimson fixed directly on Sonorous. The immediate space around Atticus would suddenly take shape as any sound wave reached him, as though there was a powerful invisible force surrounding and protecting him.
Sonorous's head turned completely blank. He had never felt so helpless before. All of them, including him, still had some of their powers restricted. They had been able to unlock a significant portion, but this was far from their full power. But only a fool would use that as an excuse for the thorough thrashing Atticus had given them.
Sonorous had also awakened his perception, considering he had also been in the expert- rank before all the restrictions. Although it wasn't his strongest suit, it was still something.
Atticus was still in the Intermediate+ rank!
It was a fact that would shock every single person watching. 'Did we even ever have a chance?'
The speed at which he and Atticus had just exchanged blows had been incredibly fast, so fast that it was only after Sonorous had given up hope that the rest of the Resonara youths were brought back to reality.
Each of their gazes turned to see the sorry scene of Atticus gripping Sonorous's head tightly, a scene that shocked each one of them to the core. But no one was as shocked as his brother, Harmonic Resonara.
He knew how much of a monster Atticus was and made sure to steer clear of him during their classes.
The only reason he was here battling against him was because of his brother, Sonorous. For him to be here facing Atticus despite knowing full well how brutal he was showed just how much trust he had in Sonorous.
However, now the same brother was in such a pathetic state? He just couldn't believe his eyes.
But before any one of them could even comprehend the situation, Atticus's left hand with a sword suddenly moved.
Each of them, despite being at different power levels, only saw one movement: a downward swing.
Apart from that, none of them saw Atticus's figure move an inch from his position, and yet, each of the Resonara youths felt the connection to their limbs deadening one after the other.
The glowing lights in their headsets dimmed as a multitude of arms and legs plummeted from the skies followed by the figures of their owners.
But unlike Zezazeus, golden lights suddenly ignited, illuminating the area and encompassing each one of the group, their figures disappearing.
During this brief moment, Atticus' gaze never once left Sonorous's. He gazed at him with a neutral expression, but to Sonorous, it was far from neutral.
It was as if he knew, as if he knew that his torment was far from over.
The sword in Atticus's left hand suddenly disappeared, his hand pulled backward.
Sonorous's gaze widened, but before he could even utter a word, Atticus's fists rained forward, each pounding leaving a noticeable dent on Sonorous's body.