Everything had happened in an instant.
The cheers—and the boos—of the crowd came to an abrupt halt as they gazed at the outcome of the battle with wide eyes.
Utter silence. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
Standing atop the floating platform, Almansour and Mario couldn't believe their eyes.
When the match began, they saw Elarion disappearing from his position. A moment later, they saw him appear before Merlin. Then… they saw the madman disappear and then reappear several meters behind the elf.
And as Elarion fell to the ground, his eyes rolling backward, Merlin threw his head back and laughed, breaking the still silence that permeated the arena.
"Fafafa!"
Then, he turned to the commentators and grinned. "What're you waiting for, you guys? Go ahead, announce the champion of this duel. Or do you want me to do your job for you?"
Almansour snapped out of his shock, staring at Merlin as if he were looking at… a monster.
