The awakeners felt it immediately.
A chill ran down their spines, not fear exactly, but awareness. The battlefield felt different. Clearer and quieter. Their hands stopped shaking and their breathing steadied.
"What is that…" someone whispered.
"Why does it feel like… like standing near him makes it easier to breathe?"
Arthur didn't hear them as he concentrated on the boss who felt the opposite.
It froze for a fraction of a second, instincts screaming as something heavier than it pressed down. Rage flared and it charged anyway, muscles bulging as it forced itself forward.
A death charge.
Arthur stepped off the pillar.
He landed lightly, blade low, eyes calm.
"Oh," he said, voice carrying. "You still want this?"
The boss roared, sound tearing through the air.
Arthur then moved.
