What he had done sounded simple, but it depended on several important factors. It had all started with a simple thought: the world had to ask him permission before its rules could take effect on him. This meant his will was equal to or greater than the creator's.
If that were true, then for others whose wills were lower, the rules would probably impose themselves upon them.
But what if there was someone with a higher will who could block the world's will from acting on those people? For this to work, Atticus's will had to be stronger than the creator's.
He also discovered that he couldn't do this for himself, as he had already accepted the rules willingly. However, Draktharion had not, which made it possible.
This was a flaw the Dimensari were aware of, but one that Carion hadn't bothered to address. After all, who would think an apex would help another?
Atticus turned toward Draktharion, who was still confused. "You owe me," he said.
Before Draktharion could react, Atticus's gaze flashed, and his will suddenly solidified. The crimson glow surrounding both him and Draktharion flared brightly, and in the next moment, Draktharion vanished from the scene.
Outside, in the middle of the coliseum, the battered figure of Draktharion suddenly appeared, every eye immediately turning toward him.
The paragons fixed their gazes on him, utter shock etched on their faces.
He had escaped?
How?
They all asked themselves the same question. But soon their eyes brightened—if Draktharion had escaped, then there was still hope! Just as the paragons of the various races were about to act, a figure swooped down from the skies, scooping up Draktharion and disappearing to one of the balconies.
All eyes turned to Valkarion, whose aura had expanded to encompass the entire balcony. Draktharion laid in his arms.
Valkarion's gaze was firm as he met the stare of every other race's paragon. No one was going to touch Draktharion.
The mid and lower races, who had been the most desperate, initially wanted to challenge Valkarion but quickly abandoned the idea. Instead, they remembered something critical.
Who had won against the dragon race apex, the most superior of the mid races?
Many had been focused on their own apex matches, but when they turned to the screen, what they saw shocked them to their cores.
At the very least, they had expected a superior race apex to be declared the winner over the dragon apex. But what they got wasn't even close.
[Winner: Atticus Ravenstein]
A human.
A human had defeated the apex of the dragon race...
The moment the screen flashed with the words "Winner: Atticus Ravenstein," the entire human domain seemed to hold its breath for a single heartbeat.
And then—chaos.
The eruption of cheers that followed could only be described as earth shattering. Entire cities trembled under the sheer force of the collective roar. Buildings shook, windows rattled, and the very air seemed to vibrate with the overwhelming sound of jubilation.
Flags bearing the Ravenstein crest were suddenly unfurled from rooftops and balconies, fluttering wildly in the wind as people poured out into the streets.
Every plaza, every home, every corner of the human domain was filled with shouts, chants, and unrestrained celebration.
The streets were flooded with people, their voices rising in unison, chanting Atticus's name over and over again.
"ATTICUS! ATTICUS! ATTICUS!"
At the academy, the White Omen Division exploded with excitement. Nate, and the others screamed at the top of their lungs, jumping up and down as if they had won the battle themselves.
Aurora, standing at the front, couldn't suppress her grin, her fiery red eyes blazing.
Fireworks exploded in the skies above the Ravenstein estate, brightening the night in dazzling displays of color, lighting up the faces of the people below, their cheers growing louder with each burst.
The fireworks could be seen all across the sector, a symbol of the monumental victory.
The human race had actually won a battle.
The air in the entire domain was electric with excitement. Even if Atticus lost the next match, they had defeated the dragon race! That alone was cause for celebration.
Since Draktharion had emerged from the dimension, Eletrantron's gaze had been fixed on Atticus. He hadn't witnessed the battle, but he understood what had transpired and the strength of will Atticus had to possess to achieve it.
'His will is stronger than Carion,' Eletrantron thought, astonished.
A human with such a strong will was inconceivable—something never seen before.
As the attention returned to the screens, the battles of the other apexes began to conclude. The roaring crowd in the coliseum made the paragons shift their focus back to their respective apexes' battles, and many of their expressions turned grim.
The final results were settling.
A total of 16 apexes had entered the fray, and now only 8 remained. Their names flashed across the screen for all to see:
- Carion Valarius of the Dimensari race
- Lirae Bloodveil of the Vampyros race
- Karn Voss of the Nullites race
- Maera Nihilus of the Obliteri race
- Kynara Flux of the Evolari race
- Torren Vialis of the Regenerari race
- Ae'ark Eternis of the Aeonians
- Atticus Ravenstein of the Human race
The crowd erupted into cheers, but they soon noticed something strange. Of all the apexes listed, only Atticus's opponent had appeared in the coliseum.
The other matches had all ended in bloodshed, with some apexes piercing their opponents' hearts, others obliterating their very beings, and some even beheading their adversaries. Each battle had a different, brutal ending.
Surprisingly, none of the crowds reacted with shock to these scenes. To them, it all seemed like part of the show. The idea that those great geniuses had actually died didn't seem possible to them.
But this perception quickly changed.
Suddenly, the auras of the paragons whose apexes had died exploded, blanketing the entire coliseum.
"How will the Dimensari take responsibility for this?" bellowed the paragon of the Transmutari race, a shockwave reverberating across the coliseum.
The crowd felt their brains rattle in their skulls, their bodies trembling. Without the safety measures in place, many would have perished on the spot.
The superior races that had lost their apexes took the lead. The Transmutari, Lucendi, and Requiem races—all fixed their killing intent on Eletrantron and Azrakan.
"The Dimensari signed a mana contract to ensure fairness in this competition, there was no betrayal here," Azrakan spoke up. "You all sat comfortably on your thrones when this happened. Why blame only the Dimensari?"
"It was your responsibility, and your failure cost us our greatest geniuses!"
The air grew oppressive as the Dimensari paragons unleashed their auras in response, refusing to back down.
"Let him finish his work and get them out first, then you can rampage," one of the superior race paragons whose apex was still inside interjected.
They understood the anger but also knew that the second round was about to begin. Wasting more time would only lead to more deaths.
The crowd wondered what the hell was happening. Despite feeling the vibrations from the auras, they couldn't hear the paragons speak.
…
Atticus stared at the new notification that appeared before him.
[Violet Flag Acquired.]
[Are you ready to progress to the next level?]