The sound of the gong echoed across the Colosseum, its deep metallic ring swallowed by the roar of the crowd.
Prince Garen immediately drew his gleaming longsword, its golden runes blazing to life. The sunlight above seemed to bend toward him, empowering his presence as though the heavens themselves favored his blade.
His aura exploded outward in a dazzling brilliance, pressing down on the arena like a crushing tide.
"Radiance… Descend!" Garen's voice boomed, and a halo of light formed behind him, casting his figure like a war god in mortal flesh.
The students gasped in awe, some shielding their eyes.
'He's going all out from the start,' Alex thought as he, too, summoned his weapon and shield.
The moment his right hand held Sacrament, Alex's senses became sharper than ever.
Svalinn, who looked like an unassuming, round, black shield, firmly latched onto the young man's left arm.
