As the ball of Pulsing Gale closed in on him, Adam met it with his own ball of swirling wind. He knew what property her wind had, but still chose to meet it head-on. That fight with Ryner had revealed something about his unique skill.
Experience was the best way to learn.
The two air balls met with a devastating ring, the high-pitched ring exploding outward like a sound wave. Several applicants groaned as the ringing sound washed over them. Adam received the biggest dose of the ring, rattling his senses like crazy.
His vision blurred and fragmented, his ears ringing loudly. He saw three Rileys and could not tell which one was the real one. Adam shook his head to clear his senses, but the ringing persisted.
A fist crushed into his face like a battering ram, pushing him a step back. Then a kick to the side of his head veered him to the side. He could barely register the prompt at the periphery of his vision.
Finally, a spartan kick pushed him to the ground.
Adam groaned as he rolled onto his stomach, supporting his upper body with his arms. His vision was clearing, the ringing in his ears dying out. He looked to the side to see Riley looking down on him with contempt, her broken hand sticking to her chest for support.
"You’re good, Adam. I’ll give you that." Riley said in a prideful tone, maintaining a careful distance from him. "But as I mentioned earlier, strength isn’t everything. Your arrogance made you ignore what my powers could do to you."
Adam did not reply, silently watching as she gathered another Pulsing Gale in her hand. A light smirk graced her features as she prepared to finish him. Right as she pulled her hand back, Adam made his move.
Wind currents abruptly swirled around him as he seamlessly transitioned from the elbow press into a breakdance leg sweep, the move so fast and so well executed that Riley barely followed it.
The generated wind force swept her off her feet. A yelp of surprise tore out of her throat as she fell face-first. Before she even fell halfway, Adam’s left hand shot forward like a whip, clutching around the girl’s neck in a death grip.
Riley’s face turned pale in an instant, her eyes trembling in their sockets.
Adam did not waste time on words and spun halfway before slamming her into the ground. The Ashford girl gasped as the air got knocked out of her. Her shock and agony had barely subsided when Adam lifted her yet again.
People like her only learned through humiliation. And there would be no mercy for the sake of her gender.
The girl’s disoriented gaze widened in horror as Adam released his hold, his right hand raised for a slap. Faster than she could react, the slap descended with devastating force.
Like a resounding thunderclap, the slap rippled across the plain like a death sentence, sending a chill down everyone’s spine. The poor girl crashed headfirst into the ground with terrifying force, the overwhelming strike driving her into the embrace of darkness.
The fight came to an abrupt end at that point. Adam stood over Riley’s bleeding body as he breathed out, his anger slightly abated.
He frowned as he looked at the girl’s bleeding figure. He felt a bit conflicted, as this was the first time he had fought with the intent to really harm. He had broken the girl’s hand and then humiliated her.
Then again, no one had ever pushed him to such a state before. He had gotten angry before, but nothing like what he currently felt. Shifting his gaze from Riley, he looked around to see the looks everyone directed at him.
Many had frowns on their faces, keeping a sizable distance from where he stood. Even April, hidden in the crowd, looked on in horror. Adam understood their thoughts, though.
What he had done to the three elites should have been a challenging task, one that would test his background against theirs. But he had made it look so easy that it felt surreal.
It was like they were looking at a monster.
And true to his thoughts, that was how they saw him. Everyone watching looked at him differently, but the caution was evident. In the grand auditorium where the parents and guardians watched, silence settled over the place.
These people knew geniuses when they saw them. In most cases, they came from backgrounds with a long history dating back to at least a century. Even if a genius rose among the masses, they were not to the level Adam had just displayed.
They had seen their fair share of monsters, but Adam made them look like children. Many had questions about the boy’s true identity and awakened abilities. And some were already considering snatching him for their forces or families.
Plans were being set into motion, calculations down under an indifferent facade. Whether Adam liked it or not, his actions had caught the attention of all who mattered in the Federation in one way or another.
He was marked.
Jonathan sat among them, his expression gloomy. He had told the boy to hold back, but circumstances had forced his son’s hand. He noticed a few gazes directed his way, but pretended otherwise.
How could he not understand the thoughts of his son? He knew the boy enough to deduce what was going through his mind when he humiliated those three.
Adam’s first encounter with those two boys had been alright, as he had simply knocked them out. But that girl’s actions had driven him over the edge. Simply defeating them would have been serious enough, but with how he went about doing it made the entire situation all the more serious.
’This is going to be troublesome,’ Jon thought solemnly, noticing the expressions around. ’These people will not just sit back and allow their children to be humiliated without retaliating.’
But was Jonathan worried for his son? Definitely. His time within the walls of the academy was going to be difficult, and that was putting it mildly. The kids Adam had humiliated had older siblings around and relatives who themselves served as instructors.
What he didn’t know, however, was that Adam had caught the attention of someone who saw him as pure gold.
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