The demon student attempted to continue the fight, his eyes blazing with rage, but the front man moved swiftly, his movements precise and controlled. With a resounding thud, the demon student was slammed to the ground by the sheer force of the front man's shield. The impact reverberated through the hall, a sharp contrast to the demon’s earlier confidence.

Once the demon student lay on the ground, writhing in frustration, another member of the front man's team quickly approached, chains clinking ominously as they wrapped around the demon’s limbs, restricting his movements. The demon student glared at the front man, his chest heaving with fury.

"You’ve been defeated by a human you discriminate against," the front man remarked, his voice calm but filled with quiet disappointment. His gaze was unwavering as he stared down at the struggling demon. "Use all your roots. I’ll block them all." His words were a challenge, but behind them was a sense of purpose, as if the fight was more than just about victory.

The demon, humiliated and seething, fought against the chains, his pride wounded far deeper than his body. His thoughts were clouded by the injustice he felt, the sense of superiority that had been shattered in front of everyone. He opened his mouth to launch another verbal assault, to spit venomous words, but before he could get the first syllable out, the arrival of the Vice Leader of the AL Guild cut through the tense atmosphere.

“Enough with the child’s play, Batch 4 Students. This is not your playground, though it might seem like one today,” the Vice Leader said with a wry smile, his attempt at levity doing little to lift the tension in the room. “We have the list of all of you. Find your given section listed on that wall.” He gestured towards the officials working on posting the lists. “We will have a total of 16 sections.”

The students began to disperse towards the wall, murmurs of curiosity and anxiety filling the air. The handsome prodigy leading the group continued, his voice cutting through the noise with commanding authority. “And it’s in order. Section 1 will comprise the most talented and highest results on the qualification exam, while the 16th section will be... well, the opposite, as you might have guessed.”

Hiro and Kyren exchanged uneasy glances, their optimism wavering.

“But that’s not all we have here,” the prodigy continued, drawing more attention. “We will be conducting the coronation of the 16 Guardian Angels of Batch 4 Sky Academy.”

"Guardian... angels?" Hiro asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“I have an idea about it, but let’s hear what he has to say,” Kyren replied, his curiosity piqued.

“Some of you already know how the Sky Academy works, but for those who don’t, the GAs are the top-ranking students of each section,” the Vice Leader explained, his voice filled with authority and purpose. “They are granted special powers that allow them to adjust the rules of the school or have special rights and immunity to some elimination exams. By defending the majority vote of all 16 GAs, it means you are likely to pass the Sky Academy if you are one of the GAs.”

Hiro nodded slowly, trying to process the information. “I see, I see,” he muttered, more to himself than to Kyren.

“Remember what Pat said about her being the leader of their section?” Kyren added, “She’s talking about this one. She’s a GA from their section.”

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Hiro blinked, his mind racing with thoughts of where they might place. "We might have a shot at being Guardian Angels," he said, his optimism fighting against the growing dread in his chest.

The Handsome Prodigy stepped forward again, his presence commanding attention. "Now, let’s take a short break. Find your allocated sections, students," he announced.

"Let's go, Kyren," Hiro urged, his voice slightly anxious as they made their way towards the posted lists.

They began by eagerly scanning Section 1, fully confident in their performance during the qualification exam. But as they moved down the list, not finding their names in Sections 1 through 6, their confidence began to erode.

"Hiro, this is bad," Kyren whispered, his voice trembling with unease.

"It’s okay, Kyren. We still have sections 14 and 15," Hiro reassured him, but his words sounded hollow even to his own ears. The further they went, the heavier their hearts became.

Finally, they reached Section 16. Hiro's stomach churned as he spotted their names at the very bottom. He stared at the list, the weight of their placement sinking in. The shame of it burned in his chest, and for a moment, all he could hear was the thudding of his own heart. All that training, all that effort... for this?

As they stood there, stunned into silence, the Handsome Prodigy’s voice rang out once more, signaling the beginning of the Guardian Angels coronation. "Okay, Batch 4 students, we will now commence the coronation of the 16 GAs. When I call your name, please come to the stage. Let’s begin with Section 16."

The announcement felt distant to Hiro, his mind still reeling from their unexpected ranking. He barely registered the names being called, but as the list proceeded, his focus sharpened.

“The 16th GA will be… Zeeha Cores, Human Race, Female, Aspiring for a starred badge in Executioner or Shooter.”

Zeeha, a girl of slight frame and sharp eyes, took the stage confidently, despite being from the lowest section. Envious glances were cast her way, even from students in higher sections.

The Handsome Prodigy continued with the names, reading them in quick succession:

“15th – Crystalia Nirvana, Elf Race, Female, Aspiring for a starred badge in Executioner.”

“14th – Morgan Recca, Imp Race, Female, Aspiring for a starred badge in Healer or Defender.”

“13th – Plumie Riri, Goblin Race, Female, Aspiring for a starred badge in Fighter or Executioner.”

“12th – Bea Fabia, Human Race, Female, Aspiring for a starred badge in Executioner or Shooter.”

“11th – Vilon Rose, Dwarf Race, Male, Aspiring for a starred badge in Shooter.”

“10th – Aolomon Donnie, Demon Race, Male, Aspiring for a starred badge in Fighter, Executioner, or Sorcerer.”

“9th – Yo Yong, Imp Race, Male, Aspiring for Fighter or Executioner.”

“8th – Dustian Hill, Orc Race, Male, Aspiring for Defender.”

“7th – Lipsy Nepuri, Divvy Race, Female, Aspiring for Healer.”

“6th – Sweetie Sway, Pix Race, Female, Aspiring for Executioner.”

“5th – Romeo Brian, Troll Race, Male, Aspiring for Shooter.”

“4th – Penny Pluma, Imp Race, Male, Aspiring for Fighter.”

“3rd – Roger Blake, Human Race, Male, Aspiring for Defender.”

Hiro and Kyren stiffened when they heard Roger Blake’s name. The same Roger Blake who had confronted the racist demon earlier now ranked high among the Human Race representatives. Hiro couldn’t help but feel a mixture of surprise and frustration.

"2nd – Ruzz Loud, Human Race, Male, Aspiring for Executioner."

"And finally," the Handsome Prodigy’s voice rang out with an extra flair, "the 1st Guardian Angel… Rayn Princessmon, Babe Race, Female, Aspiring for Sorcerer/Shooter/Healer."

Hiro's blood ran cold. "What? Rayn the bitch is ranked number 1 among all of us?" he whispered harshly, his jaw clenching. Memories of what Rayn had done to him resurfaced, fueling his already deep frustration. It wasn’t just about the ranking anymore; it was personal.

"Hiro, do you know what the 'Babe Race' is?" Kyren asked, sensing his friend's growing frustration.

"I’ve never heard of it," Hiro replied curtly, trying to focus on anything other than Rayn. "I know Human, Elf, Demon... hmm, Orc, Trolll, Dwarf, Pix, and Divvy,” he said, distractedly listing the races he knew. “Maybe she’s a rare one? That’s why she’s a weirdo."

But even as he spoke, Hiro couldn’t shake the growing sense of unease. They were at the bottom, far from where he had expected to be, and now his rival stood at the top. The academy wasn’t going to be the challenge he had expected—it was going to be something far worse.