"Damn…"
One person among the multitude of people watching the live stream muttered under their breath. However, it was truly what every single person in the room was feeling.
"These youths are truly monstrous at their very core."
"They're all dangerous to the order and must be eliminated immediately," a man dressed in a simple black robe said, his silver eyes fixed on the screen.
Despite knowing full well that Blackgate was speaking to him, Whisker von Pounce, the sovereign of the beast race, offered no response.
With his chin resting on both hands, his eyes never left the screen as a crazed smile found its way onto his face.
'Amazing…'
The blood in his veins was boiling. This world had been far too boring, far too predictable. He had initially thought Atticus to be a variable in this predictable world, but he had been completely wrong.
There were 16 such variables, each as unique as the last. And to top it all, he was currently watching them fight! Could the world love him any more?
"Heh heh."
A chuckle unknowingly escaped Whisker's lips as he continued watching, earning an irritable stare from Blackgate.
"Useless," Blackgate muttered, before turning toward one of the branch heads in the room.
"Send word to the others and call for a meeting. We can't wait for them to grow."
Alvis, who had already healed, nodded and quickly left the room.
'If only it were a death match,' Blackgate pondered.
They had also seen the rules of the battle.
Even after the competition, each of these monsters that had just destroyed a planet would still be alive.
If they could achieve this level of power before they even turned 20, Blackgate couldn't fathom how powerful they would become in the future. From what he'd seen, if they continued growing at this rate, it was possible that just one of them could erase the order from the face of the planet.
'They must be taken care of.'
…
"Hmm?"
Eletrantron Valarius furrowed his aged brows, his expression instantly turning serious.
The coliseum was filled with paragons. Although they were of varying power levels, it didn't change the fact that something as distinct as this would immediately be noticed.
Every single paragon from the different races narrowed their eyes in unison, their gazes fixed on Eletrantron.
The old man had just sent their best warriors into a pocket dimension, and after their devastating clash, his expression had grown serious? From their years of experience, it could only mean bad news.
"Father… what happened?" Azrakan Valarius, the father of the Dimensari Apex, who had been sitting high up on one of the thrones, appeared in front of Eletrantron, his gaze filled with questions.
Eletrantron gathered his thoughts before saying three words that made the gazes of the Dimensari paragons listening in tremble:
"I've lost control."
To the others, while they could somewhat understand what Eletrantron meant, only the Dimensari paragons could fully grasp its significance. And it was far from good.
"How is that possible?"
"Lost control? Master Eletrantron? Who could do that?"
The Dimensari paragons instantly broke into hushed conversations among themselves. Eletrantron was one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, in their race.
One of the Dimensari's abilities—especially among those at the peak of their power—was the creation of pocket dimensions that operated under their chosen rules.
Inside this dimension, the laws of physics, time, space, and even reality itself could be bent, manipulated, or rewritten entirely to suit the will of the Dimensari.
The fact that someone had been able to take control over a pocket dimension created by him was not only alarming—it was inconceivable.
Azrakan's gaze darkened. His father, losing control?
At this point, Magnus and the paragons of the other races were already standing, listening intently to the conversation. They chose to speak in the dimensari language, however language wasn't a barrier for paragons.
Eletrantron's eyes flickered as his thoughts raced at incomprehensible speed.
'My past assumptions were right. His primordial resonance is purer than any ever achieved in our race.'
The old man knew exactly what had happened and who had done it, but he also knew the implications of revealing this information.
It would cause a chain reaction that even he couldn't stop. He decided to shift the focus.
"Yes, I've lost control, and I don't know how. I should be able to regain control, but it will take time. I'm still linked to the second world they've each been transported to. I should be able to see its new rules."
Despite the brevity of his statement, his words carried immense weight, especially to the paragons listening.
He had lost control of the dimension, and though he could regain it, it would take time.
Each of the apexes had picked a flag and been transported to the second dimension—the next stage of the nexus.
And the individual who had taken control over the dimension had changed the rules.
The paragons comprehended all of this in a matter of seconds and knew what the best course of action was.
The mid and lower races remained quiet; speaking or making a fuss would only waste more time, time they didn't have.
The superior races chose to do the same. The Dimensari couldn't betray them. For each of them to agree to Eletrantron thrusting their apexes into a modified dimension in the first place only served to show that a mana contract was in play.
However, one thing was clear: only a Dimensari could do such a thing. Once this was over, they would answer for their negligence. Someone had to take responsibility.
At this point, it was best to let Eletrantron work on regaining control of the dimension. Meanwhile, Eletrantron soon discovered what the new rules were:
**Stage 2: The Labyrinth of Battles**
- After all 16 flags are claimed, each apex will be transported into a labyrinth, randomly placed in different arenas.
- Apexes will be paired in one-on-one battles. The winner of each battle will advance to the next round. The process continues until only one apex remains—the true apex.
- **Note:** You cannot give up or surrender. Any loss automatically means death. (NEW!)
- Only your main weapon will work in this world—no storage or external artifacts will function here.
…
The gazes of each paragon darkened. Should any of their apexes lose, it would mean their automatic death.
This wasn't a competition to show dominance anymore—it was a death match, one that could cost them their most talented youths.