"And now," Lord Morval proclaimed, his voice calm yet thunderous, spreading across the great arena like the tolling of an ancient bell, "I present to you... A fifth-stage martial art: Breath of the Ages."
S I L E N C E.
An eerie, absolute silence fell upon the colossal auction hall—a silence so profound, it felt as though time itself had frozen in reverence.
Eyes blinked in disbelief. Minds raced to comprehend the magnitude of what had just been spoken.
And then, slowly—inevitably—like ripples in still water, the weight of the announcement began to spread.
First came the widening of eyes. Then the quiet rising of bodies, one after another, as if pulled by an invisible gravity.
Then—
RUMBLE. RUMBLE. RUMBLE.
A crescendo of sound erupted like a tidal wave crashing against the walls of the cosmos.
"Heh~"
