Since he was announced as the winner of this match, Cedric see no point in staying here.
While his batchmates were celebrating his win, Cedric calmly made his way out of the Arena, but before he could do so, a sigh escaped his lips...
"Like hell I will accept sothing like that!!"
Alastor fud. He threw all caution to the wind, consequences be damned, he refuse to accept this result. How could a freshman dare to disrespect him, a sophomore, like this? Alastor sees this as a defiance of the Academy's tradition, but more than that, he just can't accept that he lost to a freshly minted student.
Cedric's talent and potential caused deep-seated envy to sprout within Alastor's heart...maybe not just him, too. He worked so hard to reach his current position, and the year before this, he too was a freshman and experienced this welcoming party.
His batch lost miserably, Alastor himself was too weak to even co up the stage. Even so, he etched that humiliation to his heart and worked hard to erase the feeling of helplessness back then. But even after working so hard, he couldn't surpass the people who humiliated them.
Alastor was on the verge of succumbing to the unfairness of life. He attended this party to let out so steam and hope that maybe after this, he could feel good about himself.
He initially did, but that obviously changed the mont he went up against Cedric. The freshman subverted the norms, broke the tradition, and defeated him, fair and square. But he didn't care about that damn fairness...
At the very end, this has turned into a personal matter. What Cedric did to him...wasn't that the very sa thing he's been trying to do ever since they were humiliated by the older students?
'Why? Why him? Why are there people like him? Why isn't it ? Have I not worked hard enough? Am I not worthy of those blessings?
That's unfair!'
Ultimately, it's these questions that make him mad and force him to do what he's about to do.
Raw power billowed from his entire being. His expression turned twisted and his killing intent flared. Alastor wasn't holding anything back.
He turned deaf at the warnings and shouts of his fellow students. His entire focus was to hurt Cedric and make him feel the consequences of disrespecting him and his hard work. If he killed him well...that's a problem he's leaving for his future self. Right now, he just really...really, wants to hurt Cedric badly.
He disappeared from his spot and appeared right before Cedric. The sheer force and speed of his movent caused the entire arena to shake.
"Die, you fucking brat!" Alastor swore as he threw a punch.
But oh, too bad for him really...
Because of his crazed state, he completely missed the way how Cedric looked at him — with a bored expression as if he had seen this outco coming from a mile away.
"...disappointing."
It's debatable whether Alastor heard this or not but it doesn't matter. What matters is what happened next.
Boom!
Without any fanfare whatsoever, Cedric rely stretched his hand out and caught Alastor's full-powered punch like he just caught a baseball.
"...how is this possible?" Alastor uttered in sheer despair and hopelessness.
The way Cedric received his full-powered strike effortlessly was more than enough to sober him up. For heaven's sake, the freshman doesn't even look remotely hurt or bothered by what he did.
In front of Alastor's eyes, Cedric's visage was replaced by a tall, tall mountain — one whose peak pierces the very sky itself. Alastor blanched at this realization.
The guy in front of him was sothing that cannot be asured with common sense. This was the only explanation he could accept.
"I guess being accepted in a prestigious institution doesn't guarantee that one would be wiser." Cedric stated in a flat tone.
The next thing Alastor knew was pain. He didn't know what hit him or how it even happened. All he would rember later was crashing into multiple things, and then losing consciousness afterwards.
It wasn't just him who didn't see what Cedric did. At least 95% of the audience didn't see it coming either. Cedric moved way too fast for them to see, he didn't even show any signs of attacking at all.
And just like before this whole fiasco, Cedric rely sighed and continued walking out of the arena as if he hadn't done sothing so ridiculous. Before leaving, he said:
"I'm not paying for that guy's hospital fees. He ca at with the intent to kill and even broke the rules you people set. He asked for it and I gave it to him. Plain and simple."
"If that's all, then I'll be excusing myself. I'm rather tired of this...event."
He didn't even look at any of them while saying this. Instead, he just continued making his way out of the venue altogether while Erica and Chrissy followed behind him.
Before leaving though, the girls glared at the Older Students - who got the ssage loud and clear even without words exchanged. They could only smile wryly at this but in reality, even if they wanted to, they couldn't just ignore the underlying threat that the girls gave to them.
They are too weak to face those two so they could only lower their heads.
"Fucking Alastor...I knew it was a bad idea to send him. He's too volatile!"
"What a fucking ss."
"Who's idea was it to send him?"
"Don't look at , I voted against it!"
"Stop arguing, help the poor bloke instead. We can't just leave him like that, he's gonna die!"
"Good riddance, I say. It's not like soone would miss his presence."
"That's...a bit morbid, why are you like this?"
"I don't know, ask my parents. They made ."
Whilst the majority of the older students discussed amongst themselves, the host of this event went towards the frightened freshn who were at a loss on what to do.
"You may return to your dorms." He said, "Let us, older students, handle the aftermath, it's our responsibility anyway."
"..."
"Oh and if you can pass on the ssage to that kid, tell him that he could expect the AP rewards as early as tomorrow. That's the agreent anyway."
"...thank you, Senior." Soone replied, representing the freshn as a whole.
"It's nothing." The host said, "We're the ones who wanted you here in the first place. But I do hope you don't resent us too much. I know it's a bit difficult to do that but I'd appreciate it if you could. After all, we too are just following traditions here. If you guys survive your first year, you'll have your turn too."
"..."
"The whole purpose of this...party, is to broaden your horizons. To let you see just how far and treacherous the path ahead is. Maybe it hasn't sunk into you yet, or maybe it already did, who knows? Either way, the academy does this to dampen the impact of that realization. Trust , in the future, you'll appreciate this."
"Work hard and use every ans necessary to increase your strength. Your first year here is the most precious since you're still adjusting, but once you are promoted to a Sophomore, you'll see just how challenging this place could be."
"If you don't want to be left behind, you have to fight. Cling to every advantage you can get and accumulate for your future. If want to last in this place, that's the best advice I could give you."
"..."
"Alright, back to your dorms now! Go! Party's over." The host smiled kindly at them before turning around.
The freshn bowed in the direction of the older students and made their way back to their dorms. Looking back, the older students were still taking care of the ss left behind but they still acknowledged their retreat.
This event was really an eye-opener for them. Like that Senior said, they saw just sheer disparity between them and the older students. It's a little hard to believe that most of them are just Sophomores.
It's like they're telling them that, a year ago, these people were in the sa state as they now are, but within just a year, they achieved that level of strength.
In hindsight, this is the Starlight Royal Academy, they have all the necessary resources to reach unimaginable heights of power, but still, that's a little hard to believe. Or more accurately saying: that concept hasn't sunk in just yet.
Still, this batch of freshn received this easier compared to the previous ones. Most likely because of Cedric's victory. The previous batches always lose to the older students but that streak was broken today.
Whether this was for the better or for worse, only ti would tell. Needless to say, the freshn went back to their dorms with a broadened perspective and more determination to do well in their studies and training.
However, one of the freshn felt different from the rest. It was none other than Isabella who saw everything transpired and entertained different thoughts among the rest.
At the confines of her room, she sat by the bed and recalled how Cedric easily trumped over his foe and she couldn't help but wonder...
'How did he beco so strong?'
'Just who...what is he?'
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