Silence lingered in the air as the unexpected unfolded.
No one uttered a word, their eyes fixed on the swirling dust cloud where the sound of battle continued.
Suddenly, the roar of a serpent broke through the tension, and a black Great Serpent emerged from the smoke, diving back into the cloud with a resounding crash!
The dust churned, and Bel's body was hurled into the air, crashing onto the platform and rolling dozens of times. In her wake, streaks of her tainted, blackened blood marked the ground. Even the audience could tell something was terribly wrong with her.
Bel struggled to stand, her hands trembling, her head spinning. She coughed up another mouthful of blood and wiped her mouth, glaring at her opponent as he slowly approached. She finally understood how Arke had done this.