Ken let out a quiet breath, the faint smirk never leaving his face as he gave Lucas one last look, a look filled with confidence and quiet mockery, as though he had already seen how this would end. Without another word, he turned and began walking back toward his army, his steps unhurried, his composure untouched.
When he reached his side, he stopped at the front line, folding his arms as he settled in to watch, the same smug expression resting on his lips as his eyes locked onto the center of the valley.
He was not worried.
Not in the slightest.
Back at the center, the atmosphere shifted the moment he left.
The Celestial stepped backward.
Each movement was slow, deliberate, carrying a weight that pressed against the ground and rippled through the air itself. He stopped at a distance of about twenty meters from Lucas and the Ice Belle, his scarred body standing tall, unmoving, like a storm waiting to be unleashed.
The valley fell into a deep, suffocating silence.
