The arena was still shaking from the sheer impact of Aria's final strike. Dust hung in the air, swirling like a ghostly mist as the echoes of the crowd's cheers thundered across the coliseum. Even with thousands of voices chanting her name, Aria barely reacted. She stood there, hands relaxed at her sides, emerald eyes dull with disinterest as she turned away from Kaelen's broken form.
The young fighter lay on his knees, his forehead nearly touching the cracked stone floor. His chest heaved, muscles twitching involuntarily as he struggled to remain conscious. The pain was unbearable. His entire body felt like it had been hollowed out, his mana flow shattered like delicate glass beneath Aria's effortless counterattack.
And that was what made it so much worse.
It wasn't just that he had lost. It was how he had lost.
