The atmosphere in the Market Area grew heavy. Many races gathered around the massive white-marble platform, every eye locked on the spectacle.
No one cared that the fighters below were only Rank 1 and Rank 2; the scale of the moment felt grand, and the crowd waited for the outcome with high expectations.
Tension sharpened, especially as the Umbraens—against whom many races held old hatreds and grudges—were humiliated before everyone's eyes. People held their breath.
For many, watching the Umbraen youths killed and disrespected was a kind of elation; they believed the Umbraens were finally facing what they had deserved for too long.
Others, however, felt the weight of what this act would bring in the future.
Sidelong glances slid toward Sevrak, each look asking the same thing: how would this tyrant respond after today in order to protect the sovereign face he had worn for so long?
