A golden light abruptly ignited in the middle of the platform where the contestants were, followed by the screens each student had been watching the events on suddenly vanishing.
All eyes turned towards the center of the platform, where a smaller platform had just jutted out, moving upwards a few meters off the ground. Their baffled gazes landed on the figure that had just appeared.
Simultaneously, another enormous screen appeared in the middle of the coliseum, showcasing the figure who just so happened to have the golden light dimming around him at that moment.
In the next second, and in full view, the clear form of Atticus appeared.
The whole coliseum went silent for a moment, as though each person was trying to grapple with the moment.
And then,
“HE’S HERE!!!!!”
A voice rocked the whole coliseum as Gon screamed at the top of his lungs. He had somehow gotten back his mic from only the stars know where.
“THE MAN OF THE HOUR!!!!”
Gon’s words were followed by the loud, reverberating, intense, and thunderous cheers of the millions of students in the coliseum, the earth trembling.
The whole competition had been a whirlwind of excitement and anticipation, with many hearts racing at each turn.
To the higher years, this was undoubtedly the best leaders’ summit they had ever watched, incomparable to the ones they had witnessed during their lower years.
And this had all been because of one boy.
The platform kept ascending, raising Atticus’s figure higher and higher, the chanting of his name resonating across the coliseum.
Atticus’s full figure was shown on display on the large screen. Despite all the intense battles he had undergone, there was not a single sign of dirt nor sweat on him.
The injury he got from Mortrex stopping his sword had already healed. Except for his change of clothes, he was as flawless as when he entered.
Atticus gazed calmly at the chanting crowd. Most would have been overwhelmed at the sight of millions of youths chanting their name or, at the very least, excited, but Atticus’s mind was focused on another aspect of all of this.
‘They saw everything.’ Atticus was 90% sure that they hadn’t seen or heard his talk with Mortrex; he felt it was far too sensitive, and Mortrex wasn’t stupid enough to make that mistake.
Instead, what Atticus was thinking about was every other thing that had happened.
They had seen him use his space element and exactly how he fought. Atticus had done quite a number of things during the competition, things he would rather not show to millions of different youths.
‘There’s no helping it. What’s done is done,’ Atticus concluded.
The cheers went on for a long while, with Gon eventually calming down and announcing Atticus as the winner of the summit, an announcement that earned him another round of deafening cheers.
He was the first ever first year to win the leaders’ summit!
The announcement was followed by an eruption of light from below, which shot up to the sky, exploding in a fountain of brilliant lights in the next second.
A beautiful “98TH” was formed in the skies, the students cheering as Gon continued,
“This marks the end of the 98th leaders’ summit Everyone, I hope you all had a good time!”
The cheers seemed to increase in intensity as those words rang out, the chanting of Atticus’s name becoming even more rampant and deafening.
Their meaning was clear: they all had one of the best times of their lives! And it was truly because of one boy.
Atticus couldn’t help but notice how much they were showcasing him as some kind of celebrity.
‘Maybe this is the real reason they were trying so hard to win it—popularity,’ Atticus noted. If the winner of the leaders’ summit was shown this way to everyone, it would undoubtedly bring great fame to their family, especially if they were a tier one.
‘I hope he’ll be satisfied,’ Atticus suddenly remembered Magnus’s request before he had left for the academy: ‘Make the Ravensteins number one.’ He had lost the first rank at the entrance exam, but at least now he had taken first overall in all three years.
After the rounds of deafening applause and cheers, Gon went ahead and handed a space ring to Atticus on top of the platform.
This was the first time Gon would be so close to Atticus. His heart couldn’t help but quicken as he handed over the rewards. He felt like a fan meeting a very famous celebrity.
“T-the rest of your rewards are already in your artifact,” Gon instructed, trying hard not to stammer.
One couldn’t blame him much; he had been watching Atticus’s feats through a screen all this while, and it was weird finally meeting him—the source of his riches! He felt like giving Atticus a big hug and, at the same time, was a bit scared as he met his piercing blue eyes.
‘What a little demon,’ Gon thought as he cleared his throat awkwardly, turned, and immediately left.
Much to Atticus’s surprise, the rewards weren’t announced, making him glad that the academy at least still had some common sense.
As Gon left, the platform descended downwards, slowly reaching the same height as the platform the contestants were on.
His gaze instantly landed on his companions, each of them staring at him.
Ember simply gazed at him quietly with a small smile, mouthing a barely perceptible congratulations.
Kael gave him an intense stare with a grin, his battle intent not dimming down despite the battle being over already.
Orion brooded slightly on the side, both hands folded on his chest, while mouthing a silent, “show off.”
As Atticus was about to turn to the next person, a figure suddenly enveloped him in a tight hug.
He didn’t need to turn to see who it was. Atticus smiled slightly and patted Aurora’s head. ‘You have to train harder and get stronger,’ he suddenly whispered, making her body flinch.
