The entire Colosseum fell into an unnatural silence.
Tens of thousands of eyes watched in awe as Nathan rose gracefully from the sand ground, the air rippling beneath him as if reality itself bent to his will. Dust and fragments of shattered stone swirled around his boots, caught in the updraft of his ascent.
He didn't even glance at Isak, whose lips were still twisted mid-taunt — the words dying in his throat as Nathan's shadow passed over him.
Ignoring every whispers, Nathan ascended higher, his gaze fixed unwaveringly upon the grand marble balcony that loomed over the arena — the Imperial Box.
"Emperor…" Octavius began, half-rising from his seat, his hand instinctively brushing the hilt of his sword.
But Caesar raised a single hand, halting him. His expression was calm, yet his eyes gleamed like tempered steel.
"Let him approach," he said coolly. "If he dares try something here, it will only be his loss."
