Kai breathed deeply, steadying himself as the anticipation thickened in his chest like stormclouds gathering. Every nerve buzzed beneath his skin, alive with tension. Every muscle coiled like a drawn bow.
Then Grim moved.
It wasn't a step. It wasn't a surge. It was an eruption.
An invisible tremor rippled through the coliseum as Grim unleashed his mana, not with grace or subtlety, but with the raw force of an explosion. The very air around him shattered into waves of pressure, a shockwave of pure energy that would've flattened any lesser opponent.
Kai's sigils held. Barely.
The weave of mana drawn from the protective inscriptions on his shirt, cloak, and boots shimmered under the strain, absorbing just enough of the wave to keep him standing. Still, his breath caught. His balance wavered.
"This would've flattened Cyrus if he hadn't blocked with pure mana…"
Kai blinked, and realised he couldn't see.
