The shattered glass of the eighth round faded into the vacuum, leaving behind a heavy, pregnant silence. Mirabella turned to the side, seeing the senior walking casually towards her across the invisible floor. His arms were still crossed firmly behind him, and his ancient, perfectly calm gaze met hers, unfazed. She blinked, exhaling a slow breath to steady her mind, then asked:
"What next?"
"You truly want to continue?"
Mirabella nodded her head. There was no hesitation in her eyes; she had bled, fought, and sacrificed far too much. She had come this far not to surrender when her ultimate goal—The complete dominion over death—Was already in hand reach.
Seeing her absolute, unyielding determined expression, the senior slowly nodded his head, acknowledging her resolve as a true Sovereign. He raised one hand and lazily snapped his fingers.
WHOOSH!
