"Who died and made you the boss?" Farrow laughed with his deep beast voice.
Aeiz and Ethia hesitated, but Sheenah, Marcus, and Adriana were bent up in the fighting. Their 11 enemies were also thirsty for a fight. Disregarding the warning of Aethur, they charged at each other, and seeing their allies charge, Aeiz and Ethia followed through.
Aethur was still as composed as before as if expecting the outcome of his command. He lifted his cane from the ground and slammed it back right before the parties met. "I said, enough," he said in a low tone, but it reverberated throughout the area. It was coupled with an immense Arcane descending to everyone near Aethur. Without exception, all 16 participants fell to the ground, face flat, due to the surprise attack.
Bewilderment, amazement, and fear were painted on the faces of everyone. Even Hethor who was quietly watching the events transpire could not help but raise an eyebrow at the scene.
"This ends here," Aethur declared before releasing his aura and walking inside the academy.
After Aethur's interruption, the flame of the fight burnt out, causing them to merely sneer at each other before entering as well. All of this happened under the gust made by Hethor. A statement on the level gap between these 17 candidates and the rest of the competition.
"So, these are Weaponmasters, huh? They all possess amazing auras and I can sense deep power from them. However, that Aethur is a completely different beast. He can probably contend among the other students of The Paragon Classes, ridiculous. It seems like The Paragon Academy will once again change," Hethor murmured.
An hour later, everyone stopped trying. They all lost hope. Among the previously seemingly endless creatures, only several thousand remained. The gate then closed signaling the failure of those outside and the triumph of those inside.
"It is now time to move on to the trial. The purpose of this is to separate diamonds from gold. Those who pass this trial will be allowed to participate in the battle for a spot in The Paragon Class, and those who will fail will still undergo other trials to see if you can enter The Paragon Academy. Now, follow me," Hethor said before blitzing through the fields.
The candidates spared no effort and ran as fast as they can to catch up to Hethor. Just as everybody else was seemingly struggling to catch up, Aeiz was chatting nicely with Ethia.
"Hello, Ethia, is it?" Aeiz asked.
"Yes, and you are Aeiz?"
"Yes. Are you aiming for The Paragon Class as well?"
"Without question. Now that the way is paved, I must traverse it as brilliantly as I can," Ethia said with hopeful eyes.
"I could not agree more. It was the blood of our kin that made this path, we must cherish it," Aeiz added with resolved eyes.
Meanwhile, Marcus and Sheenah were also having a nice chat.
"Why do you use a cleaver?" Sheenah asked.
"It is easier to cut through bones this way. It has a nice weight to it, so killing is much easier," Marcus answered with an innocent smile.
"That is handy, indeed. If I did not hate the thought of blood touching my skin, I would have gone for a melee weapon as well," Sheena added.
Aethur and Adriana remained indifferent, but the latter was staring at the former with eyes of fascination. After all, she was brought down by the man in moments of time.
Hethor finally stopped before a wide pure white stage. Its size was massive, making the individuals already standing there look small.
"Everyone, this is the trial. On the left, you will see specially admitted students. They are here to compete for a spot in The Paragon Class. Meanwhile, on the right are Prime Students of The Paragon Academy. They are the closest in power to the students in The Paragon Classes. Your job is to defeat them. If you do, you are qualified to be a student of The Paragon Class. If there will come a time when more than 20 students pass, the latest to pass will have to challenge someone who had already secured their spot. If they win, they get the spot. If by chance, fewer than 20 individuals pass, it will be filled by Prime Students selected from internal competition. If anyone wishes to challenge for the spot, just come up on the stage," Hethor said.
Merely 40 people climbed up the stage. Most of the candidates only aim to be part of The Paragon Academy, after all. They knew full well that The Paragon Class is beyond their reach. Unsurprisingly, more than half of the 40 are humans, indicating the lack of knowledge about the strength of The Paragon Class or the sheer courageousness of humans.
"What a bunch of idiots! Do they think they have a shot at The Paragon Class? Tsk! Bite me!" someone from the crowd sneered.
What greeted the forty climbers were six individuals waiting for the fight. An elf, a dwarf, a vampire, a giant, a dragon, and a human. They all carried immense pressures within them. They merely glanced at everyone who climbed up, except for Aethur who they locked their eyes on.
"Since everyone is here, who would like to start?" Hethor asked.
"I will," the giant said as he stepped forward. He was only 2m tall, but everyone knows he is from the giant race because of the rings he was wearing. Instead of his fingers, they were worn by his muscular biceps, arms, hips, legs, and neck. They were a special product of the giant race to allow them to become smaller. He stood there, imposingly as his red hair was blown by the wind and his piercing brown eyes stared at the opposition.
"Have one Prime Student step forward," Hethor commanded.
An elf wearing the uniform of Prime Students which was a blue polo with the emblem of The Prime Academy stepped forward as well.
"Begin!"