As Zenith walked calmly back to her side of the arena, Dante was already grinning ear to ear, hyping her up.
"Damn, Captain! One hit? You didn't even let the guy breathe! Absolute boss!" Dante laughed, leaning his hammer on his shoulder.
Selene peeked out from behind Viktor, nervously clapping her hands. "Y-You were amazing, Captain... really incredible..."
Viktor didn't say a word, just offering a firm, deeply respectful nod as she stepped back into their ranks.
Across the dirt boundary, the prodigies from Blood-Oak, Silvercrest, and the remaining Black Mire team just stood there in absolute shock, totally dumbfounded by the monstrous gap in power.
Up in the stands, Lucian's group watched the whole thing unfold.
Sera crossed her arms and clicked her tongue.
"Tch... What a show-off. I could have finished him in half a punch."
Elira didn't even look at her, casually taking another bite of her snack.
"No, you couldn't," she replied deadpan.
"Hey! Shut up, you dumb witch!"
