The verdict of the golden-shirted instructor rang out, one that ought to be fear-inducing, but all of the instructors kept their cool faces.
It was as if they couldn't give any more of a damn about it. But of course, why would they?
Ryuk was still nothing but a human boy at the end of it all. An outsider, allowed to play in the fields of their geniuses.
The only value to him was the fact that he was recommended by the Half-Fallen One herself.
If not for that, he wouldn't even be worth the attention at all.
For that reason, whether he lives or dies doesn't matter.
Thousands of people die per day, and right now, as they all sat down on the skyscraper, there were some parts of the world where people were being blown to bits.
If a single human boy dies, what difference does it make?
"But what of the worst-case scenario..." An instructor with dark hair and dark eyes, and with spectacles on his face, suddenly asked.
He was the instructor that Ryuk would have immediately recognized as Sir Kieran, their class instructor.
"Oh, worst-case scenario."
"You mean Ignatius losing the fight to the human?" the golden-shirted man asked as he chuckled lightly before his eyes became steely cold.
"If Ignatius loses, he loses not just a spot to the academy. He loses a spot to the heart of all the Fallens in existence!
"A budding genius of the Lost Ignatius Family daring to lose to a puny human a full stage of cultivation below him!"
"Such a thing has never happened before in the history of the Fallens."
"He would disappoint all of the elders who have specifically chosen to appear here just for him, and that disappointment wouldn't be easily erased."
"He would have disappointed his own family, and he would immediately be disowned or even chased away by them."
"No one values strength and honour more than the Ignatius Family themselves! Their pride would never allow them to accept him again."
"Right now, Ignatous is a budding talent, one whose ascension to the highest heaven in a single step is close to guaranteed.
"But if he dares to fail, he plummets straight to hell and becomes an outcast!"
"A cruel fate, is it not?" Sir Kieran asked as he closed the book he was reading and stepped forward toward the edge of the skyscraper.
"If the human loses, he essentially loses his life for daring to lose face for the Devilish Half-Fallen One. His loss will be atoned for by death!"
"If Ignatius loses, he loses the recognition of the Fallens and becomes an outcast!"
"For a genius at such a young age, with budding arrogance and pride, that will no doubt kill his genius heart. In the end, it would be as if he had died too."
"Though not literal like the human boy, his chances of ever becoming someone respected in the future plummet to zero."
"A cruel fate, is it not?" Sir Kieran ended as the instructors remained silent, but the golden-shirted man only found it more interesting judging from his wide smirk.
"So it is safe to say, this is no longer just a simple battle to determine who will earn the spot to the Acesnsion Academy."
"This is a life-and-death battle that will determine their fates," the golden-shirted man called out aloud with his usual smirk of evil.
"A fight holding anything but mercy. It will be a true Fallen battle!"
"Interesting. Oh, how interesting..."
ALL GENIUSES IN THE ARISEN HALL ARE TO HEAD TO THE BATTLE COLISEUM OF THE ARISEN HALL IN THE NEXT 3 HOURS!
FAILURE WILL BE HARSHLY PUNISHED!
The loud announcement rang out through the entire base, ensuring none of the geniuses present would ever miss it.
When Ryuk stepped out of the room, he found a figure in bandages standing right before him, with a small smile on his face.
"Qu... Quinn!!!" Ryuk said in surprise as he looked at the bandaged figure, who scratched teh back of his head helplessly.
"Hey, Ryuk. I didn't ask you..." he was saying but stopped when he felt Ryuk wrap his bandaged arm around his neck and help him.
"All of the geniuses are to come to the Arisen Hall, meaning every genius still in the area, right?"
"Then let's hurry," Ryuk called out as Quinn smiled, and both boys helped themselves to the venue.
The Battle Coliseum Hall wasn't just any type of hall.
It was an actual coliseum that looked like a football field, with a wide-open battle arena at the center, forged of hard, dark gem-like flooring that seemed sturdier than any glass in the world.
There were various seats around the area, but at the highest place of the arena were special sturdy seats seemingly encased in glass, and right now, the various geniuses could see new faces.
There were all old faces or adult faces, and as Ryuk and Quinn helped themselves to the genius seats, Quinn began explaining everything to Ryuk.
"Those in that seat are the Fallen Clan elders. They are all a total of 12, representing the 12 Lost Families."
"Right now, those 12 people are one of the foremost top powers of the Fallens."
"In fact, alone, they can bring absolute ruin to some of the remaining Ten Families in this region."
"Their power alone is enough for that."
"And it seems they've all come to watch this battle."
"This means they must be taking this battle more seriously than anything, as the elders gathering together for an event hasn't happened in close to a decade now..." Quinn whispered as Ryuk's eyebrows furrowed deep in thought.
"Also, I have been able to figure out some things, Ryuk..." Quinn said, as Ryuk took his attention away from the elders and turned to look at him.
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