Hansen raised his hand and waved it as if swatting a fly.
In the next moment, the participants who had decided to quit the event disappeared from their positions. The Sage flashed a subtle grin before commenting.
"Excellent. Those who remain are the true players in the event. It's time for me to announce the rules of this competition…"
Hansen was about to continue his speech. But then he stopped and turned to his right towards the audience zone. It seemed that someone influential had appeared there.
"Oh? How rare is it for you to make public appearances, young Altair?"
Hansen was willing to halt his speech for the newcomer in the audience booth. This was enough of a reason to convey to onlookers that the man in question was a big shot in his own right.
He effortlessly breached the barrier of safety that all of the participants were under. And all of them suddenly felt like they had been subjected to an unknown heat wave. It was as if they had been turned mortal and left to fend for themselves in the middle of the desert under the heat of the scorching sun.
How far would one have to progress in their elemental attainments for the world to start accommodating their presence by altering the existing laws? How much of a difference the Grandmaster rankers could have within their ranks just because they decided to pursue their own path?
Embers of crimson fire could be seen appearing near the Sage before a man stepped out of them. He was seen bowing to Hansen before straightening his posture.
This man was wearing a hooded cloak that hid some of his facial features. But the audience could see that he was a very handsome man nonetheless. He had a sharp jawline and a gaze that could penetrate a thick block of steel.
The man was wearing fusion armor that was made from part metal and part leather. He was taller than Hansen and managed to look even more intimidating than a Sage for some reason despite being a Grandmaster ranker.
Crimson Ghost– Altair Argas.
Altair Argas made a wave within the crowd by appearing in the audience zone. And he made the audience quiet by expressing his elemental attainments.
Still, people soon recovered from their shock and started calling Altair by his title. The man was nothing short of a celebrity.
"Hehe. I'm just following your steps, Sage Hansen. Your public appearances are even rarer than mine, after all."
Altair spoke in a dignified yet respectable voice. Even the sound waves he produced through his vocal cords felt like they had heat signatures of their own.
Rufus and other rankers on the panel also showed their respect for Altair when he appeared onstage. After all, the man was closer to the fabled Sage rank than them.
"Please forgive me for interrupting your speech like this. I wanted to meet up with a certain brat before you sent him inside the Sansara array."
Hansen raised his eyebrows when he heard Altair speak. It seemed that the bona fide title holder of the kingdom wanted to meet with a certain participant present in the Edinnica Arena.
The news would have blown up quickly and attracted a lot of attention in the city of Edin had it spread beforehand. Not that it wouldn't spread after the meeting.
Hansen shrugged his shoulders and let the man do what he wanted. For Hansen to be so accommodating, it appeared Altair had acquired the respect of a Sage ranker.
Altair turned around and took off his hood for the first time in a long while. He looked to be a man in his early 40s. His golden hair cascaded down his face.
The Crimson Ghost started looking around. And the participants felt like they were being scanned under heat radiation that could give them sunburns.
"Found you."
Altair mumbled to himself before disappearing from the stage. In the next moment, he was seen appearing in front of a young ranker.
'This… this is bad.'
Eren thought to himself as he found himself in front of the Crimson Ghost. He thought that the meeting with Demonmir was going to be an intense one in the city of Edin. He totally forgot about Altair Argas who was supposed to be Altashia's great-grandfather.
"Eren Idril?"
Altair asked and the butcher nodded.
By this point, he was used to acting like a pufferfish in front of the big rankers. A skill he was consistently improving. And yet. He found out that it was still trying to catch up with his needs due to incremental overload.
"Since when are you two together?"
"Hm? Who are you talking about?"
"You and Altashia."
"It's been a while. Where is she?"
"She is catching up. You… you are not… let's say… exclusive with her, are you?"
"No."
"Can I know the reason behind it?"
"Sure. It's simple really. It's because all my ladies deserve me and I deserve them all."
"Do you know how ridiculous you sound by saying things like these?"
"Ridiculous they may be. But did I stutter when I claimed them to be mine? I accept the good and the bad that they bring to me. I could have never reached here if I cared about petty things like that."
"Do you think you can just continue to act so profanely and I'll allow it?"
"Not this again. Give me a break here. Another old man with his big old ego."
Eren and Altair argued back and forth until they both reached a stalemate. They looked into each other's eyes and found them to be menacing. Throughout this verbal argument, their auras clashed against each other and made everyone around them take a few steps back.
If Altair was a crimson heat wave that just kept spreading everywhere and scorching everything, Eren was a cluster of lightning that stayed concentrated in its place and created a domain of red and purple lightning storms.
