One careless move, and the whole board was lost.
Such an outcome turned the faces of the top experts still stranded outside ashen to the extreme. They had merely been unwilling to take the lead, planning to hang back, observe the situation, and then make their decision. Never in their dreams had they imagined that by waiting, they would wait themselves into an ending like this.
Their gloom was beyond words; regret coiled like a venomous snake.
But naturally, there was no question of them giving up just like that.
If the Light Arc had already vanished, then they could only swallow their regrets. But now, it had merely shrunk in size. By all rights, there ought still to be a chance.
That was true enough in words, but even after they displayed every art at their disposal, it remained useless. This strange Light Arc was far more troublesome than they had imagined.
Almost every expert's face showed vexation. What had they been foolishly waiting for? They had known full well that this matter was extraordinary. If they had gone in the moment the Light Arc appeared, would they not have been spared all this trouble?
Unfortunately, what use was regret? Things had come to this point, and brooding was utterly pointless.
To miss it was to miss it.
Of course, still no one was willing to leave.
Who could know for certain there would be no turning point?
And, as it happened, they did not have to wait long for that turning point.
"Whoosh, whoosh..."
Some ordinary stones flew out from within the Light Arc.
Pitch-black and unremarkable.
They were about the size of fists, contained not the slightest fluctuation of magic power, and looked completely like ordinary stones.
No one paid them any mind, though a few mighty