"Hey look, it's Alexander Gray!"
A strong and loud voice resounded through the plain. Even with the explosions, attacks and screams going on, the voice was heard loud and clear. All those who wished to test their mantel against Alex turned around to look. They soon spotted him, and the courageous ones began closing in on him, temporarily forgetting the others. Of course, not everyone was eager to take him on.
Some only cared about being among the remaining 5000. Abigail observed from a distance, making sure to remain as far away from Alex and the crowded areas as possible. But she did not stop eliminating anyone she could get her arrows into.
"…"
'Will he be able to survive the numbers?' She wasn't entirely sure. The chaos made it difficult to make any accurate judgement even when Alex's strength was above everyone else. There was a reason numbers mostly won wars and although not always the case, it was still a large part of it.
"Whoever takes him out would be in hot waters afterwards."
"What do you mean?" A student asked, making sure the distance between him and the others was wide enough to dodge any stray abilities, arrows, knives, etc from taking him out without him realizing.
"I bet his points are numerous. Taking him out would give the person a huge number of points. At the same time, it will make them a target; weaker, but still a target."
"That's if they can actually eliminate him… Look at how fast he's moving around. And in case you've forgotten, he's still stronger than all of us." Another chipped in. His words were indeed true. All those who had managed to get close to him had been eliminated already.
"Yeah… But the numbers surrounding him are going to keep increasing. Sooner or later, he's going to be overwhelmed."
"…"
The students paused, mulling over his words. They also considered joining in on the fun, but the wise ones decided otherwise. You could still qualify without having to go against Alex. But as one student already mentioned, the points would make you the next target.
"Good luck to those who want to be eliminated." One person said and dashed away, leading in the opposite direction where he could still amass some points. The others watched as the person disappeared as they thought things through realizing it was not worth the risk. Soon, they all dissipated with some attacking each other.
.....
CLANG! CLANG!
BOOOOOOM!
Alex was slowly being surrounded and even though he was moving around, there were just too many students running around. Additionally, the abilities and weapons flying around didn't make it easy.
'I'd have to take out a majority of them at once like I did before. That could be the only way out. But…' His gaze swiftly scanned the area around him.
His mind returned to Abigail who was running around somewhere. He wasn't sure where exactly she was right now as everything was a mess. If he went ahead and did as planned, the chances of her being eliminated were high.
'Then again, if I fail, then what's the point? I'd miss the main competition and who knows how the instructors would penalize me for it.'
Whether he liked it or not, Alex was not like other students. His situation was unique, as such, he could not afford to be eliminated. What's the point of being in the highest class if your level doesn't reflect it? He more than anyone had to prove himself.
"!"
Alex quickly came out of his thoughts when several students were coming from above and on the ground, all with their abilities lit up and aimed at him.
"Come out from this, Alexander!"
'Do I do that…?' He momentarily paused to consider his options. He had a trick up his sleeve he was saving for the main competition and if he used it now, it would be difficult to play that card again. He was not sure if the main event would have similar limitations as this one.
'Let's save it. But…'
He decided to eliminate as many as he could right now. The stage was almost set and he needed a breather or he would be too exhausted to continue. Even with the abilities raining down from above and around him, Alex was unusually calm and composed, although slightly out of breath.
Of course, that was not to say he could come out of it unscathed, but the encirclement was not very tight. He spotted a large gap in their formation from his right and dashed forward, attaching his spear to his back.
The student, a one-horned female did not expect Alex to suddenly move towards her. Her lightning strike was heading towards Alex, but he was able to evade the lightning tendrils with minimal movements and closed the distance by explosively increasing his speed.
"Sorry about this."
Alex muttered when his face came directly before the shocked girl, his right hand moving towards her head in an act to grab it.
BOOOOOOM!
Alex heard the explosion from behind him as the abilities had already made impact on the ground. Due to the number of abilities raining down, the explosion was powerful enough to create a huge dust cloud that temporarily blinded everyone. The shockwaves pushed him back several metres, but he took no damage as he had a shield facing the direction of the explosion.
Of course, the girl was helpless as she couldn't overpower Alex and escape his hold, taking the brunt of the damage. And before the explosion even subsided, Alex eliminated the girl and disappeared from the site. With a good cover provided, he could deliver one of his powerful attacks.
Once the dust started to clear, providing a view of the degree of destruction, the students who unleashed the attack did not get the number increase they had expected.
"Did anyone get him?"
"I don't know… But I think I saw him move before the attacks landed."
"Are you sure?"
"…"
The student could not answer as he wasn't sure if what he saw was correct.
"If he's not eliminated, then where is he?" Once the question was posed, they all started looking around.
"Oh shit!" One student exclaimed and made a run for it, not bothering to warn the others. After all, they were not allies. The others who saw this noticed where he was looking when he cussed and ran away.
They began looking up and that's when they saw…