End Of Ceremony.

And just like that, Ethan was made an official Tyrant which caused him to receive another round of intense glares filled with a variety of emotions which he didn't care about.

Ethan, with his new crest and position had to sit with the Tyrants, just below the high table. He sat down next to Pywernia who was all excited and asked him questions till the end of the ceremony where the final results were announced.

"1st Year Final Results!"

"Ethan Smith Junior= 1st"

"Clara Verna= 2nd"

"Emily Daniels= 3rd"

"Trevor Barnes= 4th"

"Roe Deli= 5th"

...

"Congratulations on being a Tyrant." Clara said shyly to Ethan.

"Uh... thanks. I wish you could be a Tyrant too." Ethan replied.

"Honey boo! You are so awesome. I'm really proud of you." Harley shouted with glee as she jumped on Ethan in front of everyone causing their mouths to twitch in annoyance, especially Clara.

Ethan sighed helplessly. He could clearly feel the hostility and rivalry between Clara and Harley but he wasn't crazy enough to get involved in it even if it was related to him. Those girls were clearly crazy yanderes who could do anything to get him as a reward. One was shy, quiet and gentle but possessive and the other was possessively possessive. He wasn't a mad man to intervene in their silent war lest he gets dragged into it.

The ceremony was over and all parents had already taken their leaves, leaving their kids to socialize. Ethan walked with Trevor, Lamair, Clara, Emily and the black sheep, Harley around the academy. They visited food stands, karaoke and bought ice creams and in all, Ethan was forced to taste the consumables of the two rivals. Not all; they also caught attention everywhere they went. Three beautiful girls, three handsome boys, with two being Tyrants, the highest power and authority in the academy after the staff. Even the first five had a bit of authority surpassing the staff and only second to the Academy Board of Directors who were second-in-command to the main boss, the principal. 

"Yo Ethan. Let's have a friendly duel with bets. You in?" Lamair suddenly asked when he saw the guy squished in between two mad ladies who wanted to satisfy Ethan with everything. For a moment there, he thanked his stars that he was still single and free from this addictive love. 

"What are the stakes?" Trevor was instantly interested. He was making no progress with Emily and it was already getting awkward talking to her as she was cold towards him.

"Winner treats us all to hot pot and loser treats us to hot pot for a week after the start of school next semester. Good right?" Lamair said after thinking for a while.

"Good."

"Let's do it!" And with that, they headed towards the simulation rooms. They paid for a private room and entered. Ethan and Lamair were the fighters and so they accessed the AI and registered their traits. A green light covered them, scanning them. A battle between two Tyrants was about take place. One was a newly initiated Tyrant and the other was ranked 7th on the Tyrant rankings. Lamair chose a barren land setting and entered a pod. Ethan followed suit and entered a different pod. They were simulation pods which worked by using the registered data of the users through their brains to give them access to their bodily while in the simulation, they were known as VR Capsules.

...

Ethan found himself on a barren stretch of land with no end to it. Everything was just barren and dead with the only living things being his opponent and him. He also saw that he was wearing a blue energy suit instead of his ceremonial uniform while Lamair wore a red one. 

They got into battle stances as the countdown reached 0.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

They vanished from their positions and clashed in the middle with a loud bang. Ethan was thrown 15 meters back upon collision while Lamair only moved by 4 meters. It was clear who was stronger and resilient here but not all first impressions are correct and the start of a battle does not determine the end. 

Like two probing assassins, they attacked each other with nothing but their fists and legs. They were fighting using only martial arts which caused the rest who were watching them to open their mouths in shock. It was as clear as day to them that Ethan had gotten stronger and with just the few exchanges, he seemed to be adapting and learning from his opponent. Lamair was the same which made them wonder if they'd ever known him. That big smile on his face sent chills running down their spines. He was clearly a battle maniac and he was taking delight in this fight even though it was just a simulation.

BANG!

Once again, they were separated by a hard clash. Lamair's eyes glowed with a purplish pink color as six purplish pink strings appeared behind him like tentacles. A black doll in the shape of a child dropped from his storage ring in front of him. Two of the strings entered the doll as Lamair run towards Ethan who was surrounded by a bright blue energy. Rocks flew and dead trees hovered around as he also run towards Lamair with glee on his face.

SWISH! BANG!

Lamair attacked alongside his puppet, turning it into a two against one battle. That was not all as the four remaining strings coiled together to form one big and thick string which attacked along with Lamair and the black puppet. But Ethan wasn't to be trifled with either. The rocks rolled in the air while the trees span and flew alongside him. 

Ethan controlled his army of rocks and dead trees with his mind and hands to attack Lamair but Lamair managed to dodge everyone of them while throwing some back at him which he also dodged with his fast reflexes.

The battle had moved from pure martial arts to control and use of affinities. Lamair's puppet was fast and agile, acting as an assassin attacking Ethan's blind spots while Lamair attacked him head on with the strings. Ethan got hit a few times while Lamair dodged every attack of his. It was obvious who was stronger and more skilled. But Ethan was like a cockroach who wouldn't die no matter how much he was hit. The battle reached its climax as Ethan managed to kick the little puppet kid out of his way and blocked a sneak attack from Lamair resulting in the creation of a crater with the two duelist at the center. The battle had reached a stalemate and one had to break it.

A bright pink light suddenly burst out Lamair. A black spider-like rune with pink details appeared on his forehead and eight spider legs appeared behind. His eyes glowed with an eerie pink color as he vanished from his position and the battle ended.

...

"YOU LOSE!" Was all Ethan saw before his capsule opened.

"The hell! What the fuck was that!" Trevor exclaimed in surprise. The last attack of Lamair came as a surprise to all of them. They felt his being and essence changing and then it all stopped. Ethan was lucky because that attack could have killed him in real life. Even just experiencing it in the simulation battle sent him vibrating with fear and it was the first time he was feeling this. Even the beasts in the Beast Plane didn't have this kind of aura.

"Hehe... I will just give a clue. It's related to my path."

"Fuck! You already have a path?"

"Mm. I've had it for sometime now. Cool right?"

"It's more than cool."

And with that, they left the simulation room and continued their celebration where Ethan was once again bombarded with affection from the two hardcore rivals, Harley and Clara.