The King's order turned the arena quiet.
End the anomaly cluster.
The words did more than threaten.
They organized.
Every panel above the battlefield folded itself into a blade shape. Every wager converted into a bounty seal. Every fighter still standing felt the new rule hit their contracts like a hand on the back of the neck.
TARGET CLUSTER IDENTIFIED
SECONDARY VESSEL
PRIMARY FACE
SPONSOR ANCHOR
PINK BIND ANCHOR
UNLICENSED CONTAINMENT AUTHORITY
BROKEN SWORD WITNESS
Heissman looked up. "Broken sword witness sounds dignified."
JJ wiped blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. "You are enjoying the wrong parts."
"My brand survives strange weather."
The first spear of arena law fell from the ceiling.
Omina caught it with one hand.
The spear was made from gold script and old verdicts. It struck her palm and drove her knee into the stone. Green light burst under her boot. The whole battlefield shook.
The King watched with his pleasant face restored.
