BOOM
An explosion tore through the arena without warning.
Stone ruptured as if struck by a giant's fist. Entire sections of reinforced platforms cracked apart, and the massive projection screens that hovered above the arena shattered into thousands of glowing fragments.
Mana conduits burst, releasing violent surges of unstable energy that crackled through the air like lightning snapping free of chains.
For a fraction of a second, there was silence.
Then panic exploded.
Thousands of spectators screamed as the ground shook beneath them. Seats collapsed. Railings snapped.
Parents grabbed children. Nobles abandoned composure and ran like commoners. The carefully enforced order of the World Academy dissolved instantly into chaos.
Before the dust even settled, space itself began to tear open.
One by one, black portals ripped apart the air above the arena. Their edges writhed like living wounds,
these leaked demonic energy so dense that everyone felt nausea claw at their throats.
