Goji's calm demeanor wavered, his gaze narrowing, a flicker of something—guilt, perhaps—crossing his face. He didn't speak immediately, his mouth pressing into a thin line as if searching for a response.
But beside him, Asurik stood unfazed. His smirk remained firmly in place, an expression that seemed to taunt Elias's outrage. The faint glow of his magma Ikona flickered brighter for a moment, catching the sterile light and casting faint shadows that danced across the walls.
His eyes met Elias's with a cold, calculated calm, the corners of his lips curling ever so slightly. "You don't get it, Elias," he said finally, his voice level, steady, as though they were having a casual conversation. Beneath that calm, though, lay something colder. "I can't risk the arena death match, and neither can Junjio."
