Finn yanked his hand back out of desperation—trip him, trip him, trip him!
And somehow… it worked.
Ardin froze midair. His leap stopped dead, like someone had pressed pause on him. His eyes bulged in disbelief as his momentum shattered.
Then, slowly—painfully slowly—his body tilted forward.
"No… no, no, no!" Ardin thrashed as though he could will the world to rewind. "You can't do this to me! I cannot die like this!"
Finn and Chestelle stood on the other side, watching blankly as the great hero flailed in cartoonishly slow motion.
"You cannot kill me! I am the hero!" Ardin's voice cracked, his rage echoing through the collapsing room. "They need me! Everyone knows who I am! You're nothing but garbage, Finn Wiggles!" His eyes locked onto Finn with rabid fury. "I will rise from the ashes and kill you! Do you hear me?! I will not end here!"
Finn stared back, exhausted. His lips barely twitched. He could say something… but honestly? He didn't have it in him.
