As more people realized what had happened, suppressed gasps resounded everywhere.
The mostly silent, cloaked Master who had cared for nothing but his cauldron was now standing in front of the branching expert, being face-to-face with him, his left hand clinging tightly to the Elder's right wrist.
Aside from the sheer, even demented, opposition of a branching expert, some sharper eyes among the audience noticed something else.
Liam had been quick, too quick. He was a rooting expert, but to reach the Elder in time to interrupt his attack, he also had to have true skills.
Of course, no one believed Liam had actually stopped anything. If the Elder had wanted to continue his attack, he would have done so despite the hand on his wrist. He was a branching expert in the end.
