[Day 3 of the Tournament – Semi-Finals]
[Location: The Arena Floor]
The boot came down.
The air screamed as the solar mana condensed around Prince Nero's heel, turning it into a guillotine of pure light.
BOOM.
The impact shook the arena floor. Dust and light erupted in a blinding flash.
The crowd gasped, some turning away, expecting to see a crushed skull.
But as the light faded, there was no gore.
There was a barrier.
A shimmering, translucent wall of hexagonal panels hovered inches above Lukas's face.
It was cracking under the pressure of Nero's stomp, spiderwebs of mana spreading across the surface, but it held.
Standing next to the unconscious boy was the Head Referee, a 6th-Order Earth Mage. His hand was raised, trembling slightly from the effort of holding back the Prince's foot.
"Match concluded!" the Referee shouted, sweat beading on his forehead.
"The opponent is unconscious! Cease your attack!"
