211 Chapter 211

From that point, Zavier's tone took a dive;

"But because of the staggering degree of psychological and verbal abuse I have had to endure from my fellow freshmen, I have decided to highlight the privilege and status of the Adam family. Yes, I have decided to honour my clan through this tournament."

He lifted up his forefinger and pointed it at Sabrina. Enunciating his words, and making it loud enough for everyone to hear, he made a very bold declaration.

"What's going to happen next is this; this girl will pretend to be caught up in my illusion, and then she will admit defeat purely of her own volition."

Sabrina cocked her head like a reptile trying to figure out what the heck was going on to it's meal. She was confounded, and not in the way that flattered Zavier. What the boy had just said made no sense to her at all. In what world would she ever pretend to be in an illusion? And for what reasons exactly? Was this some kind of mind game or something? Was he trying to bait her? If so, what was his end game here?

These were all legit questions that needed direct answers. But unfortunately, nothing was adding up. Either this was all just one big bluff, or the Zavier kid was legit going insane right before everyone's eyes. Whichever the option was, things weren't looking too good for him. There was no need trying to waste her mental energy on trying to decipher his cryptic message. All she had to do was wait it out.

With remarkable boldness, Zavier continued to tow this path with a prophetic-like tone;

"Because of how magnanimous the Adam family's offer is, Sabrina will not be able to refuse. Therefore, she will pretend to lose to me."

By Zavier's calculation, even if he made it clear to the public that this was the truth of what was going to happen, it still wouldn't change a thing. Sabrina had no choice in the matter, she was still going to end up doing what he wanted. But Zavier wrapped the truth in a neat stack of what appeared to be lies. Such then when it finally happened, well…

From an outsider's perspective, in fact to anyone watching, Zavier's words sounded dangerously close to that of the ravings of a lunatic. Was the overbearing effect of the crowd's contempt starting to get to him? Of course it seemed like the only plausible explanation. It was pathetic, but it was also funny. And that was one thing about crowds- they sure loved to have a good laugh. And laugh they did.

It was all very amusing. Spreading like an infection, the contagious wave of laughter swept through the entire stadium, until at least eight in every ten people were laughing. Those who weren't laughing were either distracted, or still trying to figure out what was wrong with this young man. To cheat was one thing, but to come in front of a whole stadium and declare his detailed plan to cheat? That was a whole other level of crazy. What was wrong with this chap?

Was he being delirious or something?

Indeed, it was pretty naive of him to think he could actually bamboozle the crowd in this manner and get away with it. His behaviour was a very irrational one, in not stupid. Soon, even those who had been trying not to see him as a mad person lost all reasons to give him the benefit of the doubt. Zavier wasn't helping his case at all. He was already very unpopular amongst his peers, his latest stunt had now put him on the radar of virtually the entire school.

But then again, Zavier didn't care. He might have as well been deaf. Anyone else who found themselves in his shoes wouldn't have the cajones to proceed. Everyone was laughing at him. It was basically the most unfortunate situation any fighter could hope to find themselves in before a fight. On a weak mind, the psychological effect alone could be devastating. But Zavier wasn't just any mind. He was as brilliant as he was mentally sound.

Anticipating just how shocked the entire crowd would be when this was all over, Zavier turned to the referee and nodded, signalling that he was ready to fight.

The referee seemed to have also been absorbed in the ensuing drama happening all around him. This particular situation was the diciest one he had ever been in. All he usually did was declare the start of a match, and declare the winner. Never had he witnessed such a flamboyant opening before. A part of him was a bit excited. About a second and a half after Zavier had given him the go ahead. He broke off from his trail of thoughts and proceeded to do his duty.

Signalling that the match had commenced, the referee methodically blew hard on his whistle and simultaneously raised his left arm to the sky, while he stretched out his right arm horizontally. The match had begun. The poor referee had only gone through the motions, his heart hadn't been in it at all, for he was still very much puzzled by Zavier's strange words. These were the finals, only serious minded people were supposed to have made it this far.

As he withdrew to allow the contestants go at it, he kept asking himself one question; 'Was he really going to perform his enterprise in full view of the ever judgemental eyes of the public?'

The referee, (and every other person seated watching) were subjected to the power of the goddess of time, and thus had to wait to find out what was going to happen. Zavier made the first move.

He deftly turned on his trusty Time-Space eye. He had gotten so used to it that in every situation, whether battle or not, he was forced to rely on it for the gift of true sight. With his visual prowess active, he quickly released a very peculiar illusion called 'Inevitable Hypnosis.' And it landed squarely on the unsuspecting mind of the cute smiling girl's body.

Sabrina didn't know what hit her. She could only sense it. Because the attack was more mental than physical, her petals could do nothing to protect her. It was just as Harry had said earlier on the previous day. The girl's weakness was on her spiritual side. If a whole dragon hadn't been able to shale her, then it was very likely that no other physical attack would make a difference.

Completely taken unawares, with no spell to warn her, Sabrina was caught in between two powerful invisible forces. She felt like the two mental forces were playing tug-of-war with her head, pulling her from two opposite directions with malicious force. She violently resisted the incursion of the invading forces.

With his Time-Space eye, Zavier saw a very different picture that contrasted sharply with what everyone else was seeing; he saw Sabrina's true essence in the form of a petal-like aura inside of her. It was flickering, fluctuating with the instability of an alternating current. This was the force that was fighting against Zavier's illusion. Like an anti-body fighting against an infection, the petal-like aura stood firmly, resisting the invasion of the external force that was trying to overpower it and take control. Zavier doubted that even Sabrina knew what was truly happening.

He was right. From Sabrina's own perspective, things were very different, very scary and very painful. It was difficult for Sabrina to process what exactly was happening to her. But in that moment, one thing was constant; she had a very eerie feeling of being watched by two huge eyes. She could feel its intense stare burning a hole through the back of her head from behind her.

This was the first time Sabrina felt such immense mental pressure. It was strong, really strong, and it had the meanest kick to it. Sabrina felt like she was backed up against a wall, not being able to breathe, and not being able to move. She felt like a huge boulder was pressing down on her chest, making her gasp for breath, and rendering her immobile. Sabrina didn't just feel stuck, she was actually stuck. The force prevented her from moving at all. She remained static, held in place by an invisible force.

Due to Zavier's need to stay focused, he didn't move an inch. This was a task that demanded his full concentration, so he remained static as well, just in the same manner his target was also stuck in one place. The two of them remained in place like two lifeless wooden figurines.

Everyone in the audience was puzzled. They (especially the freshmen who hated Zavier with passion) had all expected Sabrina to crush him already. The delay was very unsettling. And even more disconcerting was the fact that they were just staring at each other like it was a staring competition instead of bloody, jaw-dropping display of violence that one would usually expect from finalists of this pedigree.