A deathly silence settled over the Grand Arena.
The cheers that had filled the air only moments before had vanished.
In their place came horror.
Disbelief.
Fear.
Everyone could see the corruption spreading through Lucas's body.
The black veins continued to branch across his chest and shoulders, pulsing with an unnatural rhythm as though something alive had entered his bloodstream.
Lucas dropped to one knee.
His breathing became ragged.
Every muscle in his body trembled as he struggled against the foreign energy invading him.
He clenched his fists so tightly that blood trickled from his palms.
The arena's healers instinctively stepped forward.
"Sovereign!"
One of them looked desperately toward the Empress.
"Permission to intervene!"
Before the Empress could even answer, the chief judicial elder shook his head gravely.
"No."
His voice echoed through the stunned arena.
"The Trial by Combat has not concluded."
Another elder lowered his head.
