The arena had fallen into absolute silence.
Not the tense silence of anticipation.
Not the breathless quiet that came before victory or defeat.
This silence was born from fear.
Across the shattered battlefield, broken stone floated through unstable spiritual currents while silver-gold soulfire and endless eclipse darkness continued colliding violently in the air above. The once-grand tournament grounds no longer resembled an arena built for students. Entire sections of the battlefield had collapsed into molten craters glowing with spiritual fire, while fractures of distorted space spread like spiderwebs across the heavens overhead.
Yet none of that held the audience's attention anymore.
Every gaze in the capital remained locked on the same terrifying sight.
Behind Aether—
A gigantic crimson wing slowly unfolded through the darkness.
