For one fleeting second, the entire arena held its breath.
The silence wasn't born of peace. It was the sound of the minds of thousands failing to comprehend what they were witnessing.
At first, Malik's body had only twitched, convulsing with sickening spasms. But then it ripped—flesh tearing open as veins of smoke burst forth like living rot. His bones cracked, his form bulged unnaturally, and something inside him—something ancient, foul, and wrong—forced its way to the surface.
And then came the roar.
It wasn't a sound made for mortal ears. It crashed like a tidal wave of corrosion, an auditory scream soaked in ruin and despair. The protective barrier shuddered visibly as the Doom Beast's power slammed into it, unleashing a sickly green shockwave that turned the air to ash and fire.
The silence shattered like glass.
Panic erupted instantly.
