Loud was an understatement for what occurred next.
As soon as the winner was announced, the world seemed to pause for a split second, a brief moment that felt eternal, and then a cheer erupted, shaking the entire domain.
It was intense, deafening, and mind numbing.
People screamed at the top of their lungs, jumping and hugging random strangers out of sheer joy. Strangers in the street kissed one another as if today was the best day in the world.
The youths of the White Omen's division screamed, the entire academy watching the screen in a frenzy of cheers. Even the divisions who hated Atticus to the core couldn't help but feel their blood boil with excitement. It was a win for the human domain!
Jared, who had been laughing inside the room where the instructors were gathered, now had an intense grin spread across his face as he stared at Atticus through the screen, looking like he wanted nothing more than to hug him to death.
Isabella wore a wide smile as she turned toward Harrison beside her with a look that screamed, "I told you so!"
But Harrison didn't even pay attention to her; an unusual smile had already appeared on his face.
Many of the instructors in the room were happy, but most of the second year instructors couldn't help but show slight regret. If only Atticus had attended the second year, at the very least, they would have been able to brag that they taught him!
But unfortunately for them, he didn't.
The tears in Anastasia's eyes had stopped, and her grip on Avalon's hand loosened, but she was still worried. He might have defeated Carius, but the competition wasn't over.
However, she was the only one feeling this way. Avalon's aura was scorching, a wide grin plastered on his face, his pride palpable, and the other Ravenstein family members shared his sentiment.
Seeing a member of their family, their brethren, achieve something so great sent waves of pride running through their bodies.
He had raised the Ravenstein name to its peak!
The entire human domain was elated; they were thrilled, excited beyond belief!
Atticus Ravenstein, their apex, had defeated the apex of the Dimensari race!
Magnus, who had rarely shown any emotion since the battle began, clenched his fist so hard that those beside him felt his excitement.
He was so proud of his boy, but there was no time to savor the victory as an overwhelming killing intent suddenly blanketed the entire arena.
"You were holding back?!"
A voice boomed, resounding across the space. This time, the measures in place struggled to contain the collective power of the paragons, and the people in the arena felt an intense pressure pressing down on them.
Many eyes turned toward the Lucendi paragon who had just spoken, but it was useless. The Lucendi paragon wasn't the only one whose aura was pressing down on the entire area.
Every single paragon, except for the humans whose apex had participated in the Nexus, stared down at the Dimensari, an intense killing intent filling the air.
"The Dimensari are the hosts of this event and are thus responsible for the lives of its participants. Your negligence caused this situation, and yet, instead of doing everything in your power to correct it, you knowingly held back, allowing the other participants to die and only stepped up when your apex was in danger.
"This is unacceptable behavior— disgusting. And it led to the deaths of some of our brightest. The Dimensari will pay for this."
The Vampyros paragon spoke calmly and slowly, but her killing intent was more intense than the rest of the other paragons. Hers was cold and piercing. It wasn't one of dominance, but a clear warning. She was ready to kill.
However, every single one of them paused as Eletrantron turned to face them. Their gazes narrowed as a realization suddenly dawned on them.
He was bound by a mana contract, which made it impossible for him to hold back in the first place. He hadn't been holding back.
What Eletrantron had just done was risk his life to break through. The domain of the Dimensari race was the pocket dimension that Eletrantron had created for the Nexus competition.
In essence, it was his domain that Carius had taken over and locked him out of, primarily because Eletrantron wasn't inside the domain at the time.
With enough time, he would have regained control, but due to the urgency, he had to resort to drastic methods.
Like with many others, a domain was an extension of an individual; it was everything that made up a person.
To pierce through it was akin to piercing a hole in one's being. It was a wound that might never recover until death and would significantly reduce an individual's power.
Eletrantron's face was pale, and despite being a paragon, his entire body was drenched in sweat.
He staggered forward but was quickly supported by his son, Azrakan.
"Take him to his chambers,"
Azrakan instructed one of the paragons. As soon as Eletrantron was taken away, he turned toward the other paragons and addressed them.
"As you can see, he wasn't holding back. He had to risk his life to regain control and save the apexes who are still alive. There is a traitor in our midst, but it is not the Dimensari. I hope you will withdraw your killing intent and focus on finding that person."
The other paragons hesitated, but the mention of the other apexes was enough for many of them to temporarily drop the issue and focus on their apexes.
Soon enough, only the paragons whose apexes had died in the first round remained, and they were greatly outnumbered.
"What a smart man,"
Seraphina muttered under her breath. With those words, Azrakan had not only absolved the Dimensari of blame but also shifted it toward an imaginary person.
Given what Eletrantron had just done, many were forced to believe him. And to add the final touch, he had shifted the attention of the angry paragons to the fact that many apexes were still alive.
At this point, it was all they cared about. Soon enough, a golden light flared in the middle of the arena, and all eyes turned toward it.
After a second, the light dimmed, revealing the almost beheaded figure of Carius. He lay on the floor, a pool of blackish blood forming around him as it gushed from his open neck. He was on the brink of death.
Azrakan reacted immediately. His gaze flickered, and he froze the space around Carius before lifting him up and handing him over to a woman with all the characteristics of a Dimensari.
After a brief inspection, the woman nodded seriously to Azrakan before taking Carius away. The other paragons paid the scene little attention and instead focused entirely on the live streams.
Many of them sighed in relief. None of the second round apexes had died yet; their fights were still ongoing and at their peak. However, with the rules of the world changed, their lives were no longer in danger.
Now, they could relax and watch the battles with calmer hearts. Nevertheless, the gazes of many paragons gravitated toward Atticus's screen.
A human had actually defeated a Dimensari?
Many thoughts started running through their heads.
Not everyone had the luxury of such excitement. Ae'zard's face was pale as he watched the brutality unfolding in front of him.
On the other screens, apexes of the superior races battled each other, and their clashes were cataclysmic and intense. But aside from Atticus, there was only one other mid race apex that had battled a superior race apex: Ae'ark, the Aeonian apex.
Ae'ark had battled Karn Voss, the apex of the Nullite race. Ae'ark had a deep connection with mana, allowing him to manipulate it intricately, while Karn Voss possessed the ability to nullify mana.
The battle—if one could call it that—was brutal, and Karn Voss showed no mercy. He didn't rush, nor did he end the battle in one strike.
His hammer repeatedly impacted Ae'ark's battered body, sending bluish blood splattering everywhere.
Karn Voss displayed no emotion, not a single expression on his face. His demeanor was neutral as he continued his brutal assault. To him, mana was the enemy, and he was simply purging it.
Ae'ark could barely move. Both his eyes were wide open as he gazed upward, his body jerking violently with each impact of the massive hammer. His life weapon was held tightly in his arm, but he couldn't move.
He felt his life flashing before his eyes. And as he met Karn Voss's gaze, he knew there was no mercy.
Just as Ae'ark closed his eyes, ready to let go, a golden light suddenly enveloped him, transporting him just as the massive hammer, enveloped in a brown aura, slammed down where he had been moments before, sending an intense shockwave spreading outward.
A text appeared for all to see in the next instant:
"Ae'ark Eternis is unable to participate and will be teleported out. Congratulations, the winner of this battle is Karn Voss."