Lily knew she had no choice, so she opened fire on Aria and hoped that she could at least interrupt the song long enough to cancel out the timer. Her shots rang through the arena like a barrage of tiny thunderclaps, bright streaks of mana trailing behind each bullet. She adjusted her aim, hoping that accuracy might succeed where raw firepower had not.
It was useless.
Every bullet stopped a few inches from Aria's face, suspended in the air as if time itself refused to let them strike. Aria kept singing with no sign of strain or fear, her voice rising and falling in a melody that felt too beautiful for the brutality around them.
Ethan swung his spear next, roaring with frustration as he tried again and again to break through. Crystal followed suit, her hands slicing through the cold air as she launched a series of jagged ice spikes. The spikes shattered before they even touched the invisible barrier.
Nothing worked.
