The atmosphere in the Celestial Arena was thick with suffocating tension.
The millions of aristocratic spectators who had spent the entire day mocking Arthur were now locked in a terrified and breathless silence.
The brute had not just punched his way to the finals.
He had dominated a master mage using their own sacred magic. He performed it with an effortless perfection that bordered on the divine.
Arthur Sterling stood in the center of the vast and scorched marble arena. His dark coat shifted slightly in the wind.
He looked entirely bored.
Across from him stood Prince Valerius.
The golden boy of the Celestial Court looked nothing like the arrogant aristocrat from the waiting room.
His immaculate starlight armor was humming violently. His handsome face was twisted into a mask of desperate and cornered fury.
He had watched Arthur erase a spell with a whisper. He knew his standard Celestial arts would not be enough.
