The Beastman on the stage clearly froze for a moment, but the axe was already swinging down. Even though he desperately tried to stop it, the heavy weapon's momentum carried it downward.
"Ah—"
The crowd below gasped in alarm when they saw the axe suddenly plunge.
Just as Zelda heard the gasps and turned to look at the stage, the axe was already in front of Yan Yichen. He was about to intervene, but then he saw someone else had already made a move.
A pair of large hands, manifested from spiritual power, suddenly appeared and caught the axe just in time. Zelda was stunned for a moment, then his gaze swept quickly across the crowd, but he didn't see the person he expected.
Yan Yichen had his eyes squeezed shut, but after a long moment passed with no pain, he slowly peeked them open.
The first thing he saw was the giant axe hovering firmly above his head. In front of the blade was a large, blue hand manifested from spiritual power, holding it steady.
