Zach noticed the barrier dome around him and the king. Of course, he did, even if it appeared without sound and was invisible. He made barriers for a living.
The method employed to erect the barrier separating him and the rat king from the others was different. It seemed like it was part of an automatic magic engraved on the floor, compared to Zach's, which was like breathing.
But the pressure in the air shifted when the barrier popped up, and the sounds from outside, faint as they were, became muted.
Zach didn't let it get to him. If anything, the realization that he was truly alone in his fight against the rat king made it easier to focus.
However, he might have focused on the wrong thing.
Zach was busy thinking about how his family used their swords while inching toward the rat king when the rat king lunged forward, thrusting his spear at Zach's shoulder.
