Frame by frame, the recording began to play on the massive screen.
The ceremonial leaf floated downward, twirling in the air. The audience leaned forward, eyes fixed, the silence so complete that even the faint creak of chairs echoed.
The leaf brushed the platform. At that exact instant, Noah moved.
In slow motion, the crowd could finally see the truth. He had not cheated. He had not moved before the signal. He had simply launched forward with such terrifying speed that, in real time, it had looked impossible. The instant the leaf touched, his body shot across the platform, and by the time most eyes registered the signal, he had already crossed more than half the distance between him and Hiroshi.
Gasps rippled through the stands.
One spectator clutched the railing in front of him. "Oh god… how can a human body accelerate like that? He went from stillness to full sprint without even building momentum."
