What a sight.
High above the wooden castle, the heavens split open in a storm of crimson light.
King Eldros stood suspended in the air, his body wreathed in crackling arcs of lightning that painted the sky like blood. His presence was absolute, the kind that made the earth itself seem to shrink beneath his gaze. His eyes, cold and indifferent, swept across the ground where more than a dozen Stage 3 beings stood rooted to the spot.
Such a force—so many powerhouses gathered in one place—was enough to tilt the balance of any region, to dominate entire kingdoms.
Yet until this very moment, Eldros had known nothing about their existence.
His gaze lingered, the stormlight reflecting in his eyes. Slowly, a frown creased his face, sharp and cutting, but just as quickly it faded. Calm replaced doubt. His will settled like stone.
In the end, the reason did not matter.
