Moon held Ace's gaze.
The cameras hovered overhead, every drone capturing every angle of the exchange. The crowd watched in absolute silence. Hundreds of thousands of people leaned forward in their seats, waiting to see what happened next.
Across the arena, Selene's grip on her staff was white-knuckled.
Kael watched from his pillar, his breathing shallow.
Moon and Ace stared at each other, the seconds stretching into what felt like hours.
Them, Moon's lips curved into a small, cold smile of his own.
"Neither."
Ace's expression didn't shift.
"I'm here because you want me. Don't you?"
For the first time, something flickered behind Ace's eyes. A reaction that came from a man who had heard exactly the word he hadn't expected to hear.
Moon didn't stop.
"Last time I checked, I was ranked first on the list, and I'm not talking about the tournament's one."
The smile on Ace's face froze.
The temperature between them dropped.
