His presence was too sharp, too watchful. He pressed his palms together in silence, and the faint crackle of static spread outward. The air around him stirred as if brushed by a hidden wind. The scent of distant rain drifted across the arena though no clouds marked the sky. Some in the crowd shivered, sensing the storm that slumbered within him.
The two stopped ten paces apart.
The Orb of Accord floated between them for a moment, pulsing faintly. Its light shifted, grew brighter, then dissolved into a cascade of sparks that rained downward before vanishing into nothingness. The match had begun.
The crowd released the breath it had been holding. No one shouted. No one dared break the heavy silence. Their eyes were locked on the two figures standing in stillness, the weight of the moment pressing upon every chest.
Minjun inclined his head slightly, the movement carrying both respect and challenge. His voice was calm, yet it reached every corner of the coliseum without strain.
