The magic circle beneath him exploded upward — a sequence built into his movement from the first step he'd taken on the platform.
A trap Varn had never noticed.
It didn't burn.
It didn't shatter.
It folded.
The stone twisted under Varn's feet, rising like fingers to grab his legs, locking him in place.
Then Elias flicked two fingers—
A wind magic bomb detonated behind Varn's left ear.
Boooooom!!
The referee called it.
"Stop! Combatant Varn is incapacitated. Victory: Elias Verdan!"
The crowd erupted.
This time, the cheers weren't confused.
They were raw.
Real.
Frenzied.
The boy who had ghosted through the Maze…
Dictated a team's synergy without shouting…
Had just dismantled one of Crowgarth's hardest hitters without a single visible wound.
And barely touched him.
The battle had barely even lasted three minutes and just like that, Elias had once again proven himself.
Reiz exhaled.
"Alright," he muttered. "Now they're scared."
