Meanwhile, the spectators at home, who had just tuned in and prepared themselves for an exhilarating battle, stared in wide-eyed disbelief at their screens.
Families gathered in living rooms gasped collectively, their plans for a spirited evening of rooting for their favorites abruptly halted.
"Dad? Why are they on the ground? Is this some trick?"
"I don't know..."
Young children asked their elders if what they witnessed was a trick, while the older generation, who thought they'd seen it all, could only shake their heads in utter dumbfoundedness.
Up in the opulent chambers of the Colosseum, a hushed silence prevailed.
Here, amidst grandeur and decadence, the powerful and influential had gathered, many having personally sponsored some of the now-incapacitated fighters.
Crystal chalices, hovering mid-air, paused in their paths as conversations came to an abrupt stop...Whispers filled the room, each murmurs a mix of disbelief and shock.