Gasps echoed across the entire camp. Heartbeats pounded like war drums.
The pride, the adrenaline, the momentary sense of victory that the humans had been feeling was instantly snuffed out.
Especially when, despite how much they searched through the swarm of screens, they couldn't find him.
They couldn't feel his presence, the overwhelming sense of dominance and reassurance he gave.
They couldn't find their Apex.
Just where the hell was he?
But none of them were given the answer.
In the next instant, as if they had all agreed in unison, the Apexes jumped.
Their bodies plummeted through the sky like falling stars, the sheer force of their descent creating sonic booms that shattered the fragile silence.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
They landed at multiple locations around the base of the mountain, each impact sending dust and rock shooting skyward, forming clouds of chaos around their landing zones.
The dust cleared, hearts pounded, and the gazes of the onlookers widened.
They were gone.
A blur. A distortion. Speed beyond anything many of the youths had ever witnessed before. The Apexes ascended the mountain like missiles, breaking the sound barrier and leaving behind rings of condensed air that rippled outward like shattered glass.
Trees appeared in their path.
Irrelevant.
Other division leaders appeared in their path.
Useless.
They tore through everything, rock and debris vaporizing in their wake, the sheer force of their movement disregarding the very laws of nature.
Onlookers gawked, their eyes unable to track the flashes of motion weaving through the battlefield.
The head start that each of the division leaders had gained was made obsolete. And as the mountain path narrowed, the inevitable happened.
BOOM.
They reappeared, high above, their impassive gazes locking onto each other. The world slowed. The breaths of the onlookers froze.
Then, they slammed into each other with a force that made the mountain shudder.
A shockwave rippled outward, throwing entire warbands off the mountainside like leaves caught in a storm. The division leaders struggled to stay upright, the ground beneath them trembling with intense force. Many were sent sprawling, tumbling, crashing down the slopes.
Kael and Zoey's gazes flickered in unison. They were on different sides of the mountain, in different locations, and yet, at this moment, it didn't matter.
They had just defeated their opponents and were about to start ascending. But…
They felt it. The tremors, the intense force detonating through the mountain.
Their gazes narrowed in unison as they came to the same conclusion.
'Apex…'
The Apexes had joined the battle.
The mountain shook. The screens flickered.
Cameras struggled to keep up. The world blurred.
Their battles felt like an airstrike. Each clash a detonation. They moved faster than thought, their forms vanishing and reappearing in different spots mid-exchange.
To the Apexes, it was as though they were in their own world. As though the other division leaders were nothing, inconsequential ants.
They only clashed with each other, the shockwaves sending many division leaders sprawling down the mountain.
Every battle occurring between the division leaders had stopped. Every single eye was now focused on the battles between the Apexes.
As the Apexes fought, many members of their respective races strained their eyes, trying to locate their own Apex. And as they did, they erupted into cheers, chanting their names at the top of their lungs.
But the humans…
The humans had turned silent.
However, they weren't the only ones.
Some of the Apexes had died during the Nexus Event, and out of the initial sixteen, only nine remained.
The races of the fallen Apexes remained silent, surprisingly along with the Dimensari youth watching.
Their Apex was still alive and well and had even joined the competition.
They had seen him fall.
But among the elites battling each other, he was nowhere to be found.
The only thing showing on the screens at this point was the intense battles of the Apexes.
High on a random slope of the mountain, a group of youths had gathered, numbering in the hundreds.
It was an odd gathering, considering the fact that there was an ongoing competition that was extremely time-sensitive.
Yet, this group of people didn't seem to be in a hurry.
They all bore the distinct features of the Dimensari, standing calmly as though waiting for something.
Unfortunately, the Dimensari's ability to manipulate dimensions depended on the space molecules in the air. And with the mana in the area completely negated, forming a connection with them was practically impossible.
This made this area their bane.
Regardless, even with their abilities crippled, the Dimensari had always had a keen sense for finding things. It was like an innate gift, one that allowed them to locate things based on instinct.
That very gift had led them to this specific spot on the mountain.
Now, they gathered together for reasons unknown.
Seconds ticked by. The tremors reached them.
Their gazes flickered.
Then, as if synchronized, they all turned toward the same direction, toward a streak of black approaching them.
"He's coming."
One of the Dimensari youths spoke, and they quickly straightened, their bodies tensing as the black streak reached them.
"Apex Carius!"
Their greetings came, filled with fervor as they bowed in absolute reverence.
Although they had all watched Carius lose to Atticus in the Nexus, Azrakan had done a great job in dampening the backlash.
He had spread rumors, twisting the narrative, painting Atticus in a bad light, even going so far as to claim he had cheated.
The Dimensari were eager to believe it.
And the respect for Carius only grew.
Despite their reverence and greetings, Carius's expression could freeze an ocean.
In the past year, he hadn't changed much in appearance.
Only his aura had become more pronounced. More powerful.
But still… not enough.
His voice came like a blade? simple, but deadly.
"Go after her."
He hadn't stopped. Hadn't even acknowledged their presence.
As quickly as he had spoken, he turned into a streak of light and continued ascending the mountain.
The Dimensari youths wasted no time.
They shot through the forest, heading toward a certain direction, their gazes cold.