Sabel stood on the arena platform, watching Shalu fall from before him in a parabolic arc toward the ground outside the ring.
In his decades of combat experience, Shalu basically had no chance of turning things around. Shalu relied entirely on brute force in battle; once his body lost balance, he found it difficult to control himself. Added to the force Sabel had delivered with his rapier, Sabel was one hundred percent certain that Shalu would land outside the arena.
So the victor was bound to be himself.
Unless... unless Shalu could fly.
Naturally, Sabel did not believe Shalu could fly. If he truly could, Shalu could have seized control of the skies earlier.
Yet sometimes, the more impossible you believed something to be, the more likely it was to bare its fangs and leap before you to slap you in the face. One moment ago, Sabel had confidently believed that unless Shalu could fly, the outcome was already decided. The next moment, Shalu hovered in midair.
Shalu lowered his head, his face obscured from view. His shoulders were slack, without the slightest exertion; his feet dangled loosely as well. His entire body looked as though he had fallen asleep. Yet despite that, Shalu did not continue falling, but remained steady in the air.
What was going on?
While everyone watched in uncertainty, thick black mist began pouring from Shalu's body. The bizarre creature that had flashed into view before appeared once more. This time, its form was clearer, and its mouth full of sharp teeth stretched wide, as though it were smiling.
After appearing abruptly, the bizarre creature scattered into black particles and bored into Shalu's body.
At the same time, Shalu's physique underwent another dramatic transformation.
This change was even greater. The ears that had previously turned into