The scream of steel against steel split the arena like lightning tearing across a storm-heavy sky.
Hajun never even saw the blade descending.
One second he was scrambling backward on trembling limbs, boots slipping over fractured stone slick with sweat and blood. The next, a prism of violent color came crashing down toward his skull. Style Sovereign's mana-soaked sword blazing in shifting hues of crimson, gold, emerald, and violet.
And then—
CLANG.
The impact detonated in front of his face.
A darker blade intercepted it.
Obsidian met rainbow.
Shockwaves burst outward in a visible ring, scattering dust and broken gravel across the arena floor. The air itself seemed to shudder as if offended by the violence.
Hajun's legs gave out completely. He collapsed onto his backside, palms scraping against rough stone as he stared up in horror.
Suho stood over him.
