"Rain down."
The hall responded before the echo of his voice faded.
Weapons stirred along the walls. Golden fixtures trembled. Space itself seemed to open in thin, shining seams above and around the arena. Pride had reached for overwhelming force again, but earlier this time, faster, with less patience for the exchange.
Ludwig noticed it immediately, and the realization made the blood loss, the shattered hand, and the oncoming storm feel almost worthwhile.
Ludwig smiled.
It was not a pleasant expression. It stretched across his face with the crooked satisfaction of a man who had just confirmed that stepping into a meat grinder had, in fact, taught him where one of the gears was.
He was about to die. Probably badly. But there was a difference this time.
'It changed, again. He's using an Ultimate Skill already. He's being pressured."
