For a heartbeat that seemed to last an eternity, the crowd stood frozen, their minds reeling as they grappled with this paradigm shift.
Then, like a dam bursting under immense pressure, chaos erupted.
"Senior!"
The anguished cries of the Soulfire members shattered the silence as they rushed to their fallen comrade. Their faces were masks of disbelief and horror, unable to reconcile the sight of their powerful leader laid low by those they had dismissed as beneath them.
Meanwhile, the crowd erupted into a cacophony of fearful murmurs, their eyes wide with terror as they stared at Gladius and Arianna. The air crackled with tension, thick enough to cut with a knife.
"What... what in the name of all that's magical just happened?" a young Mage stammered, his voice trembling with a mixture of awe and fear. His hands shook as he clutched his magical staff, the once-comforting weight now feeling inadequate in the face of such overwhelming power.
