"Aaaaah! Ace, you bastard! I swear I'll make you pay!" Frank said, his voice full of anger and frustration as he now stood in the waiting room designated for those eliminated from the competition.
With a long and deep sigh, Frank looked up onto the screen, his thoughts heavy with other concerns.
'I doubt he knows about me, but…' his eyes became even more focused. 'Better to be safe than sorry. I guess I'll just have to face that guy when all of this is over. After all, if I don't, I won't be able to continue my mission in peace. And that would be way too much of a pain. Guess I'll see ya around… Ace.'
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Throughout the muddy ground of the virtual space created by Hugo, Ace was continuously darting around the field, efficiently eliminating any and all contestants he came across in a matter of seconds.
Like a skilled hunter that never missed his prey, his lightning-fast strikes, similar to arrows that always hit the bull's eye, never missed even with all the rain that was coming down.
Like an assassin waiting for the right moment to eliminate his target, his breath, calm as ever, his eyes, sharp and aware, and all his senses that were in high alert, noticed any presence that surrounded him as he then relentlessly destroyed all the weak contestants that were against him.
Elegantly and ruthlessly, without a chance to fight back, his moves were like a dance dedicated to art of killing his opponents. And that didn't go unnoticed.
Back in the lounge, with the holographic screen hovering above their heads, streaming the various happenings that were occurring during the competition, Hugo and the VIPs were attracted to the screen that was displaying Ace and his performance in all its glory.
"Well, well, my dear Hugo. Doesn't it seem that you've hidden quite the interesting contestant from us?" said Leonardo, his attention more focused on the holographic screen that hovered above their heads.
"I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean by that, Your Majesty," replied Hugo, evading the question while the other elders stayed glued on Ace's actions with an almost hunger-filled gaze.
'So that's the kid that damn son of mine was talking about,' thought Greg, keenly attentive of Ace's moves. 'I can understand why he'd be intrigued by him. He doesn't move like a student at all. His maneuvers are similar to the Sentinels' assassination methods, but…'
In Greg's eyes, Ace's form overlapped with one where he held a sword.
'There's no denying he's a swordsman through and through. Not only that, but he hides it well. I don't know why he's using a knife though. Well, one thing's certain, if he had a sword in hand, this year's competition would end way faster. Though, considering that His Highness is also participating, we might not have to wait that long. Let's see how this all plays out.'
Coincidentally, Dorian, Claude, and Roselia, each had their own thoughts about Ace.
In Claude's case…
'I guess now I can understand why Hugo wanted him to be registered as a Realizer,' he thought, though several questions still gnawed at him.
'What I still can't understand is why Hugo would even go to the lengths of enrolling him into the academy. That kid clearly isn't normal. What he is is completely different from His Highness or any other talent I've seen in my long years on this earth. Not only that, but he doesn't possess an ounce of mana in him.'
He slightly glanced at Hugo with a gaze full of suspicion.
'Hugo has always been a mystery and that isn't going to change any time soon. And I'm pretty sure His Majesty is thinking the same.'
Contrary to Claude, Roselia was more focused on Ace's unique battle style.
'So fast!' she gawked in awe internally though her outward expression didn't show it. 'Between the moment he makes contact with his target and the moment he attacks, his spell stays active until the moment his attack connects. But how is someone so young so proficient?'
Her mind became heavy with facts as she analyzed what she observed.
'No matter what type they are, every Realizer has trouble with such fast and fine-tuned spell cast. If Mages have the advantage in terms of firepower, accuracy and range, then Gladiators have the advantage in terms of flexibility and speed. As vanguards who engage in direct combat, there is a limit to how precise and how much control Gladiators have over their magical output. In contrast, Mages have more control but they require more concentration and time in order to form and activate their spells. But now…'
Her eyes couldn't believe what she was seeing. Someone, and a student no less, was using a strategy that wasn't normal for combat.
'Formulating the materialization process of the spell, the time until its stabilization, taking into account the distance between him and the opponent, their reaction speed… How fast is his brain able to process all that information and act upon it in such a short amount of time? It shouldn't be humanly possible. His body should be unable to bear the burden from all of that. Even if he had an enormous amount of mana, his mind couldn't be able to handle the strain from such exhaustion. So how?'
In the meantime, Dorian only watched in silence, a single line of thought crossing his mind.
'Hunters should always be ready to be preyed upon. No matter how strong of a predator you are, there'll always be one stronger than you,' he let out a small chuckle. 'It would seem that my dear granddaughter found herself in den full of lions.'
If each and every elder was focused on Ace, Leonardo on the other hand, was eyeing Hugo with an amused smirk.
'Hugo, Hugo. It would seem everything is going according to your plan… whatever that is,' he thought, Hugo's eyes never leaving the streaming display that hovered above them, fully conscious of Leonardo's gaze which shifted back to the competition.
'All for the cause was it. Well, old friend…' Leonardo's eyes narrowed, his smirking expression almost giving off a knowledgeable air. 'Let the games begin.'