The barrier dome dimmed as John was carried off the platform by two attendants.
A brief intermission was announced, the platforms lowering slightly as the arena crews began repairing the worst of the structural damage.
Up in the waiting tier, Yuna finally stepped back from the railing.
"…Unbelievable," she muttered.
Her composed posture cracked visibly now that the fight was over. She dragged a hand through her hair, the elegant, princess-like demeanor she'd been maintaining slipping away under the pressure.
"He burned everything in under three minutes. Three." She turned to Aren. "We're fighting uphill the rest of the rotation."
Aren leaned against the railing, gaze still on the platform below.
"He tried to force an endurance check against an Earth major," he said calmly. "That was never going to work."
"That's not the point!" Yuna snapped, then immediately winced at her own tone.
She exhaled and lowered her voice. "The point is… I'm next."
