บท 38: Chapter 38 - Moving?

As Wang Zi stepped out of the pyramid, the cool air hit his face, a stark contrast to the oppressive and chaotic atmosphere inside. He barely had time to take in his surroundings before Xian Mei and Bea came rushing toward him, their faces a mix of relief and worry.

"Wang Zi!" Bea shouted, her usual bubbly energy replaced with genuine concern.

"What happened in there? Are you okay? And Alicia, did you get her?"

Xian Mei didn't say anything but stared at him intently, her purple-blue hair swaying with the breeze. Her sharp eyes seemed to be trying to pry the truth out of him without needing to ask.

"Relax. The goo creatures just… retreated. Left me alone, and I had enough time to grab Alicia." Wang Zi, as nonchalant as ever, raised a hand to calm them.

Both girls immediately gave him the same deadpan look, clearly not buying his story.

"You think we're going to believe that? Just like that?" Bea crossed her arms, her green eyes narrowing.

"Not to mention," Xian Mei added, her voice calm but probing, "you were in there for a long time. Something doesn't add up."

Wang Zi sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Fine, fine. Believe what you want. But look-" He waved his hand, and the chameleon shimmered into view beside him, its massive body blending seamlessly into the background until now.

The sight of it startled Bea, who took a step back, but Xian Mei merely raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.

The chameleon opened its mouth, and a glowing orb emerged, floating gently into the air. Alicia's soul, now a radiant but faint light, shimmered before them.

Bea immediately took a step closer, her hands trembling.

"Alicia…" Bea whispered, her voice shaky. "Is it her?"

As the orb began to fade, Bea panicked, her hands reaching out to try and hold onto it.

"No, no, no! What's happening?"

Wang Zi placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Relax," he said calmly. "It's Alicia. She's disappearing because she's most likely returning to her body outside. It means she's safe."

Bea hesitated, her tear-filled eyes looking at Wang Zi for confirmation. When he nodded, she finally let out a breath, wiping her face.

"Thank you," she said softly, her voice filled with genuine gratitude.

Xian Mei, still observing the orb as it disappeared, looked thoughtful.

At that moment, outside the Dome, the gray mist that had engulfed it began to dissipate. The towering structure, once shrouded in an oppressive atmosphere, now seemed almost serene, as if nothing had happened.

The crowd outside, including the principals and awakener academy representatives, immediately sprang into action.

Principal Anton Wanderer was the first to step forward, his chubby figure moving with surprising urgency.

"Gather a team!" he barked, his voice booming. "We're going in to retrieve the students. No time to waste."

The awakener academies didn't descend into the Dome themselves but hovered high above it, surveying the entire structure. One of their representatives, a tall figure with a commanding presence, infused their voice with mana and shouted across the Dome, their words echoing like thunder.

"ALL STUDENTS, GATHER AT THE DESIGNATED POINT IMMEDIATELY, ITS BEEN SENT TO YOUR DISPLAY!"

The shout reverberated through the air, reaching every corner of the Dome. The remaining contestants, many battered and exhausted, began making their way toward the central gathering spot.

For those who couldn't walk, academy personnel, now inside the Dome were quick to assist, carrying them or using mana to ease their injuries.

Hearing the shout from outside, Wang Zi smirked.

"Looks like the big boys are here," he said, stretching his arms. He glanced at Xian Mei and Bea.

"Guess we should get moving."

Bea nodded quickly, still holding onto the hope that Alicia would be waiting for them outside. Xian Mei, however, lingered for a moment, her sharp gaze flicking back to the pyramid.

Wang Zi noticed but didn't comment. Instead, he gestured for them to follow him as he started walking.

As Wang Zi and the two girls walked away from the pyramid, he felt an odd prickle on the back of his neck.

His Rinnegan pulsed faintly, and though he didn't turn around, he knew the shadowy figures had returned, watching him.

Their presence emitting a palpable hatred directed at him. Wang Zi smirked but kept walking, refusing to give them the satisfaction of acknowledgment.

Behind him, the shadowy figures hovered cautiously, keeping their distance. Their whispering resumed, low and ominous, as if carried on an otherworldly wind.

"The Beacon must be activated," one hissed, its form flickering like smoke.

"To avenge our fallen," the other replied, its tone cold and resolute.

A wave of a dark, ethereal hand was all it took. The pyramid, its surface still slick from the battle, began to hum. The faint sound grew louder, like the beating of a massive heart. The structure pulsed gently at first, an eerie rhythm that gradually sped up until...

BOOM!

A ray of brilliant mana shot skyward, slicing through the virtual world's digital sky like a spear. Its radiance was so overwhelming that it momentarily blinded anyone looking directly at it.

The obelisk's light wasn't confined to the virtual world. In the real world, scientists studying the Dome were thrown into chaos as the same ray of mana erupted from the structure's real-world counterpart.

The explosion of light sent shockwaves through the gathered crowd. Principals, awakener academy representatives, and spectators all froze, their gazes locked onto the Dome.

Murmurs of confusion and concern rippled through the crowd.

"What's going on?" one of the awakener academy representatives demanded, their sharp voice cutting through the noise.

Principal Anton Wanderer stroked his beard nervously, his jovial demeanor replaced by an expression of grim concern.

"The Dome's never done this before," he muttered, his voice low. "What in the Consortium's name did those kids do?"

The principals quickly organized a final sweep of the Dome to ensure no one was left behind. Using mana-infused shouts, they called for every student to gather at a central point.

"All contestants, report immediately!" boomed a voice amplified by mana. "We're extracting you now!"

Slowly, groups of students began to trickle into the extraction point. Some were battered, their clothes torn and stained with the residue of frantic battles.

Others were pale and shaken, the horrors of the gray mist and its frenzied beasts etched into their faces.

When the students were transported back to the virtual plaza, a wave of relief swept through the audience. Cheers erupted, and many began calling out for their favorites, their voices echoing in the digital square.

"Lucius! You're still in it!"

"Lina and Nila made it back!"

"Fatty Zi survived! I knew he could do it!"

The announcer's holographic figure appeared above the plaza, his voice booming with its usual enthusiasm.

"Welcome back, contestants! You've done well to endure the Dome's trials!"

But beneath the excitement, a subtle tension lingered. Not everyone had returned. The observant members of the audience began to notice gaps where familiar faces should have been.

Whispers started spreading like wildfire.

"Where's Ji Min and Chen Kai? Weren't they with Kain?"

"I don't see Alicia Frost…"

"The team of five from Aetherion… only one of them is here. What happened?"

The principals exchanged uneasy glances. Though they couldn't confirm who was dead and who was disqualified, the growing list of missing students cast a shadow over the event.

Principal Anton, stroking his beard nervously, muttered, "Something isn't adding up."

Lucius stood tall, his armor as polished as ever despite the trials he'd faced. He exuded confidence, though his sharp eyes scanned the plaza, taking note of the absences.

The twins, Lina and Nila, were also present, their calm expressions hiding the exhaustion they felt.

Li Na leaned against a wall, catching her breath. Her sharp gaze flicked to Kain Arclight, who had just arrived. He looked battered, but alive, though his usual confident smirk was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a shadow of worry crossed his face as he scanned the plaza, clearly looking for his missing teammates, Ji Min and Chen Kai.

Bea and Xian Mei, standing near Wang Zi, exchanged a nervous glance.

"Alicia's still out there, right?" Bea whispered, her voice trembling.

Wang Zi, his usual grin intact, clapped a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"She's fine," he said.

Far above, the awakener academies hovered silently, their representatives watching the Dome's ray of mana with grim expressions. One of them, a tall figure cloaked in flowing silver robes, muttered,

"That looked like a signal flare… it's not good news."

The others nodded in agreement, their silence a testament to the gravity of the situation.

Lulu, one of the most commanding representatives of the awakener academies, stood at the edge of the observation deck above the virtual plaza, her sharp gaze fixed on the Dome.

"This situation is far from ideal," she began, her voice steady but filled with an edge of frustration.

"That beam is undoubtedly a beacon, and we've likely just broadcast our position to whoever,or whatever, is listening. But we can mitigate the damage."

The other representatives turned their attention to her, their expressions reflecting varying degrees of agreement.

Lulu gestured toward the Dome's projection in the plaza, a faint hologram of the real-world structure that continued to pulse ominously.

"This planet was already nearing the end of its utility. The terraforming here was completed over 50 years ago, and with the current level of extraction technology, we've stripped it of most of its resources. Mana-infused metals, rare plants, mutated wildlife, all cataloged, harvested, or depleted."

She paused, her calculating eyes scanning the group.

"Frankly, the Federation has little reason to keep this place operational. If we establish a mana barrier over the entire area, perhaps even encapsulating the Dome itself, we could neutralize its broadcast signal before anything finds us. By the time anyone, or anything, answers that beacon, this planet will be nothing but a lifeless husk."

A few representatives nodded thoughtfully, while others exchanged uneasy glances.

"But what if the Silent Ones come looking?" one representative asked cautiously.

"A mana barrier might mask the signal for a while, but if they've already tracked it here…"

Lulu turned her sharp gaze on the speaker, silencing them with a single look.

"Then we do what we've always done. Report to the Consortium and hope they see fit to send aid. That's the price of being a fledgling galactic civilization. Humans may have mana now, but let's not delude ourselves into thinking we're equals to the Consortium's ancient powers."

Her words were met with grim silence.

Lulu's frank assessment was difficult to argue with. The Consortium, an alliance of ancient and powerful civilizations, had given humanity access to mana and knowledge of the wider universe, but it had come with strings attached, strings that were often pulled in moments of crisis like this.

Lulu continued, her tone firm.

"The Federation has no choice but to evacuate the planet once the competition is over. Any value it had is gone. Our focus should be on getting those students out safely, reporting this incident to the Federation and Consortium, and ensuring that whatever the Dome truly is, it doesn't jeopardize our standing, or survival."

Her words hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of humanity's precarious position in the galaxy.

"Let's get the barrier experts here and in the outside world ready. Meanwhile we have to take a good look at the students. They're our future after all." Lulu said before vanishing.

The others looked at each other and seemingly agreeing, also vanished.

For now, the focus shifted back to the competition, but the pulsing Dome lingered in everyone's thoughts like a dark cloud.

The familiar tension hung heavy in the air as the holographic screen above the plaza lit up, revealing the rankings for the third and final stage of the Awakener Academy Freshman Competition.

The surviving contestants stood in the center, surrounded by the murmuring crowd of spectators watching from both the virtual and real worlds.

1. Lucius Jaeger

2. Nila Skymere

3. Lina Skymere

....

8. Xian Mei

...

12. Kain Arclight

...

18. Lila Valen (Healer from Aetherion Institute)

...

21. Wang Zi

22. Bea Might

...

The crowd immediately erupted into cheers, gasps, and heated conversations as the rankings were revealed.

"LUCIIIIUS!"

Feifei's audience exploded in a collective scream of adoration. Feifei herself clapped her hands gleefully, her holo-stream chat filling with heart emojis.

"The genius takes first place again! Ugh, isn't he just perfect? That calm, cold look - he's unstoppable!"

"But wait…" Feifei tilted her head, squinting at the rankings. "Fatty Zi is still here?!"

Her chat flooded with laughing emojis as she added, "I told you guys he wouldn't back down!"

Meanwhile, Alexander sat in his private room with a faint smile on his face, glad to see Wang Zi's name among the rankings.

He gestured toward his uncle, Ray Nedeir. With a flick of his holo-watch, Alexander displayed the message he had prepared for Wang Zi: a formal yet concise invitation for a private meeting after the competition.

Ray nodded in approval, though his expression remained stoic.

"That boy…" Ray muttered, leaning back in his chair. "He's a mystery, but his survival in this chaos proves he's not ordinary. If he accepts the meeting, don't waste the opportunity to learn what he's truly capable of."

Lucius stood silently in the center of the plaza, his usual cold demeanor unshaken by the overwhelming cheers of the crowd.

His points were far ahead of the others, a gap so wide it seemed insurmountable. Yet, he appeared unfazed, his arms crossed as if the competition had been nothing more than a mild distraction.

Nila and Lina Skymere exchanged nods of acknowledgment. The twins had expected to place highly, but they remained as poised as ever, their elegance shining even amidst the noise.

Xian Mei, ranked 6th, raised an eyebrow at her placement but said nothing. She cast a sidelong glance at Wang Zi, her expression unreadable. Meanwhile, Bea nudged Wang Zi with her elbow, grinning despite her own 22nd-place ranking.

"Look at us, surviving together, huh? Guess we're a team now."

"Team? You were screaming for Alicia half the time." Wang Zi gave a half-smirk, his voice calm.

"You know I care about my friends." Bea pouted, but her playful demeanor didn't waver.

As the reactions died down, the announcer floated into view. His voice echoed, silencing the remaining murmurs.

"Students, congratulations on completing the Awakener Academy Freshman Competition! This marks the end of your journey here."

A pause.

"However, before we proceed to the final evaluations and discussions with the academies, we must ask you to remain here momentarily. The colosseum will now be closed to all external views, both in the real and virtual worlds. This is for your safety and to address certain developments."

The holographic walls of the colosseum shimmered, blocking all outside visibility. The sudden change sent a wave of unease through the contestants and the crowd alike.

The announcer's voice softened, almost apologetic.

"Please, be patient. The next steps will be explained shortly."

The plaza fell into an uneasy silence, the tension palpable as the students awaited whatever was to come.