ROOOAR!
Vale's foot crashed into Ethan's back with enough force to split stone.
His eyes were bloodshot, unfocused, stripped of reason. Whatever restraint he once had was gone. The only instinct left inside him was rage, the lingering image of someone slipping away from his grasp just as he had been about to crush them.
Muscles swelled beneath his skin, veins standing out like cords ready to snap. His heel pressed down harder, trying to drive Ethan into the ground through sheer brute strength.
No one moved.
Everyone present understood exactly how dangerous Vale became in this state. Back home, when he lost control like this, even veteran warriors avoided standing in front of him. A direct hit was something few people survived.
And Ethan?
Throughout the entire journey, the Ancestral Star trial participant had seemed completely ordinary. His energy presence was faint, almost nonexistent, impossible to measure properly. Nothing about him suggested threat or brilliance.
