The third second.
The seemingly prolonged preparation came to an end.
In Howard's perception, the world lost its color at this moment, leaving only the lean figure on the church spire and the drawn longbow in his vision.
He didn't understand how a bow, consisting only of a string and frame, could launch an attack faster than sound, but he knew if he couldn't dodge this strike, death would be his only fate.
He saw the figure release their fingers.
The terrifying energy stored in the bow was unleashed.
Howard saw a ring of fine runes flash where the fingers had gripped the bowstring, a mass of air being compressed and condensed as the bowstring tightened.
On the empty bowstring, air itself was the enemy's arrow.
This was why Howard couldn't anticipate the attacks in advance; the enemy hadn't shot anything physical, merely releasing a wave of energy that propelled the air forward in oscillation.