Chapter 257: Rigged Pairs
While the pairs were being decided and the arena continued to roar, some people found themselves sweating profusely.
Among them stood a golden-haired figure wrapped tightly in heavy bandages. Beneath the layers of cloth, criss-cross scars were faintly visible, running from his neck all the way down to his toes. The most prominent scar, however, cut diagonally across his face, ugly and unmistakable.
He was Nord Birel.
But unlike the arrogant, superior expression he once wore so proudly, his face now screamed fear. Especially after seeing the faces of the top 10 displayed on the massive board. Out of all of them, he personally knew the pink-haired girl.
He began to tremble from head to toe as his eyes locked onto her standing at the 4th position.
"F-ff-cuk... S-she is 4th...?" he muttered, terror seeping into every syllable. Never in his life had he imagined stumbling upon a 4th-ranked studentâmuch less stumbling so badly.
"How the fuck was I supposed to know that!" he snapped to himself, finally understanding why Lily hadnât issuing him a challenge.
Back then, he hadnât seen Leo or Leon in the territory either. If he had, he might have already started planning his escape from the academy.
Brok wasnât faring much better. His mouth hung wide openâif jaws could drop, his wouldâve shattered the floor.
"Boss is bigshot among bigshots..."
No wonder he didnât see his matches last days.
As for Instructor Shub, he was nowhere to be seen.
He had already been handed over to the punishers after a severely beaten student was discovered tied up in his chambers. Ford himself had taken charge of the punishment, his temper flaring violently upon seeing a fresher abused so brutally. As compensation, the boy was given a new phone, 100,000 AC, and a complete exemption from the competition.
Apparently, the authorities had already been monitoring the situation due to the studentâs absence from the competition. Even so, they werenât sparedâeach responsible official received a severe scolding and was slapped with heavy fines for negligence.
Meanwhile, Aina, Mira, and Sylva remained utterly silent.
After the revelation that Leo had originally been ranked 1st all alongâand then witnessing it with their own eyesâthey had gone completely quiet. Literally. As for Miho, she still couldnât comprehend what couldâve caused such a drastic shift.
As the names continued flipping, the final pairs were revealed.
1. Leo - Tavian Gridfall
2. Lyra Noctis - Aaron Stone
3. Lily - Dhalia Renner
4. Ronan Virex - Marco
5. Leon - Uraan Hurricane
The moment the pairs appeared, the crowd erupted, and the Hostâs voice followed suit.
"What a lucky matchup! For us, of course!" he shouted excitedly. "Not only will we witness our secretive star in action, but heâll be facing the undefeatable life-talent dark horse who shocked the entire empire in his very first matches! People!! We are not going to get bored at all!"
Back in the room housing the top 10 students, several of them shook their heads.
This matchmaking was obviously rigged.
There was no way Leo and Leon would be placed so far apart that theyâd only clash at the very end of the event.
As for the others, they glanced at their assigned opponents with smirksâsome eager to dominate, others already plotting their approach. Who would succeed, however, was something only time would decide.
Soon, Leo and Tavian were called forward. The remaining students were escorted to special chambers, designed to give them a clear view of the battle.
As the rings opened, the Hostâs voice thundered across the arena.
"There we have it! Our dark horse!" he announced as Tavian stepped out, his expression once again sharp and stoic. In his grasp was his Gridfall Array Staffâblack metal, Peak-Yellow-Tier, with a distinct âCâ shape at the top, its orange crystal faintly glowing.
"And finally!" the Host continued dramatically, "we have amidst usâour star! The original 1st-ranked student from the trial! And mind youânot just for Aurelius Beast Academy! His trial score stands as the highest among all academy students! Letâs give it up for himâLEO!!!"
This time, the crowd wasnât stingy. Thunderous cheers washed over the arena, and Leo felt a quiet satisfaction bloom within him.
But the Host wasnât done.
"Let me tell you a fact, my friends! Our star has already made waves even before the official term began! He played a key role in exposing and arresting a corrupted instructor who tormented freshers and abused his authority! Thatâs rightâthe famous video of an instructor assaulting a student was posted by none other than our star, Leo!"
This time, the cheers felt genuineâespecially from the freshers.
Among them, two figures stood out. Both had grey hair. One was a slightly older boy, the other a cheerful girl with striking features.
"So it was him... I owe him a thanks..." the boy murmured. He was the same student who had been beaten by Shub in the territory for refusing to reveal his sisterâs whereabouts.
The girl beside him jabbed him sharply in the ribs.
"You are a fool!" she scolded, hands planted firmly on her waist. "Getting beaten for nothing. They only needed my locationâyouâd have been free! Why did you let yourself get beaten like an idiot?"
The boy shook his head slowly, as if she simply didnât understand.
"Veronica, how can a big brother let his little sister fall into trouble because of his own stupidity?"
"Hmph!" she huffed. "Weâre twins! And Iâm obviously bigger than you!"
Back in the arena, Leo and Tavian locked gazes.
Before either could move, the Host decided to drop a bomb.
"But thereâs a rumour about our star!" he exclaimed. "Not only did he confront sophomores over minor disrespect, but people say his beasts donât even listen to him? Wow! Letâs see if thatâs really the case!"
Leo grimaced.
How the hell does this host have all the tea?
Tavian, however, curved his lips slightly.
"That host really is trying to boost my confidence, huh?" he muttered inwardly. "Letâs see how well I fare against this monster."
Their earlier confrontation had merely been a testâto see how Leo reacted to false accusations since such a thing will become more and more common in the future. And it was clear now: Leo didnât give a fuck about such baseless things.
As for Leoâs strength, Tavian was already aware. The trial results, the mountains of beast corpses Leo had sent back on day 1 aloneâit all spoke for itself.
Tavian raised his staff as a huge array started to cover the whole of the ring, the orange crystal giving off a bright light.
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A/N: Sorry for the late Chapters. Today was quite hectic.