Down at the arena's boundary where the competitors gathered, the atmosphere in the Blood-Oak camp had curdled into pure, seething hostility. Eryx stood dead still. He didn't utter a single word, but his jaw was clenched so tight his teeth threatened to shatter. He watched the medics gently load Isla's limp body onto a stretcher before snapping his murderous glare toward the Black Mire group a few dozen meters down the line. His eyes locked onto Nyx — who, completely oblivious to his killing intent, simply wandered back to her team.
Just then without getting more heated, lumen grabbed everybody's attention by forcefully clearing his throat.
"Alright, alright! Let's shake off that chill, folks! The tournament waits for no one!"
Lumen pointed down at the arena floor.
"Representing the Sovereign Monolith, the unbreakable wall of Zenith's team... Viktor Ashford! And facing him, stepping up for Black Mire Academy, their lethal poison specialist... Morven Shade!"
