The heavens split with a roar, a sudden and furious crack tearing across the sky like the wrath of a forgotten god. In that very instant, just as the Grandmaster's final strike reached the crescendo of its devastating descent....a brilliant lance of lightning descended from the storm clouds above. It did not strike Lucas, nor the shattered earth around him, but instead tore straight through the heart of the old man's gathered energy, shattering it in a burst of raw elemental force.
The grandmaster let out a sharp, strangled cry as the lightning arced into his body, ripping through his form and flinging him down like a fallen star. His descent was merciless. The ground erupted as he slammed into it, dust and fragments of stone exploding outward in all directions. The shockwave blew across the ruined temple, sending gusts of wind howling past the bystanders and flattening what little remained of the temple walls. For a breathless moment, there was silence, utter silence.
