Chapter 74: The Contest Begins.
After William finished speaking, a few moments passed as the atmosphere inside the massive stadium grew heavier. Thousands of eyes were locked onto the balcony where he sat.
Then William once again stood up, his powerful presence spreading across the area as his voice echoed in the loudest, clearest tone everyone had ever heard.
"All the teams of each department will enter the stadium now."
His voice rolled across the entire arena like thunder, making the audience fall silent. After saying that, he sat back down in his seat, calmly folding his hands as everyone now waited in suspense for the teams of each department to come out.
The anticipation inside the stadium only grew stronger, as every parent, student, and professor was curious to see the top students of each department—especially Aiden.
All of the students had told their family members about Aiden and how strong he was. Even though it felt bizarre to the people who heard this, they still wanted to see this kid, whom their children said was really strong.
A man wearing a formal black suit slowly floated into the air above the stadium. His presence alone drew the crowd's attention. Then he spoke in a loud, commanding voice.
"Fire Department's team may enter."
The moment these words left his mouth, the thick metal tunnel doors in the fighting area slowly opened with a deep rumbling sound. Three students walked out, their steps firm as they entered the center of the arena.
The first one was a red-haired boy with sharp red eyes and a strong, muscular build. It was Ian Pavlov, the top student of the Fire Department, before Aiden appeared.
Beside him walked two students who were nearly the same height as him. One had yellow hair and brown eyes—Brian Alastor. The third boy had auburn hair and brown eyes—Paul Ainsworth.
All three were the top students in the Fire Department. Of course, they were all behind Aiden, but no one in the crowd knew which team Aiden was on yet. It created even more curiosity among the crowd.
After they reached their spot, the man in the suit announced clearly, "The Fire Department's team members are Ian Pavlov, Paul Ainsworth, and Brian Alastor."
The entire Fire Department section erupted in applause as their proud students entered. Logan was also standing there as he was feeling proud of his students.
Then the man continued, "Wind Department's team may enter."
Another trio walked out of the tunnel. Leading them was Jack Kensington, the top student of the Wind Department, walking confidently with his long strides. Beside him were two skinny boys with sharp features.
One had black hair and dark brown eyes—Ronald Ashdown. The other was smaller in height, with light brown hair and eyes—Eric Bowman. They all walked calmly as their names were announced and entered their position.
Next came the Parasitic Department. Their tunnel opened as three figures walked out. They were led by Olivia, who was now slightly taller than before. Her blue eyes were calm and composed, much more mature compared to a year ago.
Behind her was a girl with green hair, shorter than Olivia but with a firm, determined expression—Maria Burnell. Beside her was a tall boy with black hair, black eyes, and black skin.
His body was strong and muscular. His name was Nathan Belial. All three were the top students in the Parasitic Department.
After them, the Lightning Department's team arrived. They were led by Joshua, who had an arrogant look on his face, chin slightly raised. He was followed by a boy with the same hair color—his cousin, Christian Draconia.
Beside Christian was Liam Devlin, the same boy whom Aiden had beaten alongside Joshua. As they walked into the stadium, many cheers were heard from the crowd, especially from Lightning Department students.
After that, the Healing Department's team entered. They were led by Angela Fray, the young miss of the Fray Family and the top student of the Healing Department.
Beside her walked a fair-skinned boy with golden hair and golden eyes—Peter Crux, Angela's personal guard, sent by her family to protect her. The third one was a petite girl with pink hair and pink eyes—Hannah Hansley. Their entrance was met with gentle yet proud applause.
Then the Earth Department's tunnel opened. Their team entered, led by Henry Gorgon, the best student of the Earth Department and a commoner who relied purely on hard work.
Following him was a bald kid with brown eyes who was far bigger than a normal student but still smaller than Henry—Keith Faust. Beside him was Victoria, the second-best student of the Earth Department and selected to join the team. But in reality, she had yet to show her true strength.
Next, the Light Department's team walked out. They were led by Noah Huxley, the son of the priest and the number one Light Department student. Following him was a girl with chocolate-brown hair and brown eyes—Janice Macabre.
Beside them was Aaron, now standing with confidence after a year of training with Aiden. He had grown stronger, calmer, and was now one of the top students of his department.
After them, the Puppeteer Department's team entered. They were led by Kyle Hawthorne, tall, skinny, with black hair and eyes. His expression was cold, almost eerie.
Following him was a boy with turquoise hair and black eyes—Alan Ossuary. Beside them was a girl with violet hair and violet eyes—Kayla Parnell. Their steps were silent as they moved into the arena.
Then the Illusion Department's tunnel opened. Their team walked out, led by Jeremy Jaegar, whose expression kept changing every few seconds. Behind him were two boys with their faces covered.
They were twins. The one on the left was Isaac Rosier, and the one on the right was Mason Rosier. Their entrance caused whispers among the audience.
Finally, the announcer took a deep breath and declared,
"The Water Department's team will now enter."
Immediately, the entire stadium fell silent.
Everyone had been waiting for this moment.
Because Aiden— Julian Cross, the boy who had defeated almost every strong student, had been chosen to fight from the Water Department. This was determined by everyone because he was not on any other department's team.
And the main reason for this was simple. Ashley, their top student besides Aiden, had developed a severe phobia after fighting him. Whenever confronted by Aiden, she would tremble uncontrollably and lose all composure.
So Sophia had talked with Logan to put Aiden and Ashley on the same team so that Ashley could still participate in the contest.
After intense discussions, Logan had given up on taking Aiden for himself.
A quiet wind blew across the field.
Then three figures slowly walked out of the tunnel.
Everyone watched as they emerged.
Leading them was Aiden.
His eyes were dark like endless seas, his expression still emotionless, like a dead person. His black hair drifted slightly with the breeze.
His body had grown more sturdy and tall, his presence alone causing shivers to run down many people's spines. Even students who had never seen him before felt their breath shorten.
Behind him was Ashley, looking down as she walked. Her blue hair swayed softly, her face pale but determined. Beside her walked a boy with light blue hair and eyes—Bryan Elsher.
All three of them walked to the middle of the arena and stopped, lifting their heads to look at the balcony where William sat.
William slowly stood up.
Then in a loud, resonant voice, he said,
"All of you have been selected by your department to compete in this final year competition. This means all of you are the top students of your departments. So I have high expectations from all of you."
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in.
Then he continued explaining the competition and its rules clearly:
"All ten teams will be sent to the forest in front of you. There will be many mana beasts in there, and all of you have to hunt them down."
"The stronger the monster you hunt, the more points you will get. After hunting the monster, you must cut its ears and take them with you."
"All of you can also fight each other to slow other teams down from gaining points."
"But be careful not to inflict any life-threatening injuries. If a team loses to another team during battle, they will be disqualified immediately."
"The team with the highest points will win this tournament. All of you have three hours, so prepare yourselves."
The instant he finished speaking, all the teams bent their knees slightly and took their stance. They were ready to sprint toward the forest.
The giant metal door in front of them suddenly opened with a loud rumble.
William raised his arm and shouted in a voice filled with authority,
"Begin!"
The moment he said this, all the teams activated their spells and rushed toward the forest at full speed.
Only Aiden and his team remained still.
Aiden calmly placed his hand on Ashley's and Bryan's shoulders.
And suddenly, all three of them vanished.
The contest had now begun.
Who will be the winner?
Author's Note: This chapter marks the beginning of a tragic contest that will put many lives in danger. Stay tuned for the next chapters.