Orion let the six tamers he'd selected pass and allowed them entering first. Ordering them to descend the stairs toward the next chamber to await "their prize".
Then he deliberately positioned himself to obstruct the entrance. His body still surrounded by the barrier blocking access in a manner that would be impossible to pass without destroying that same barrier.
And after a minute he threw Victor like he was disposable garbage down the stairs.
The body rolled without control downward. Crystals scraping against stone as it "slowly descended".
Yet through it all, that faint mana signature still flickered. Still persisted despite all that should've extinguished it. Stubbornness or miracle keeping him barely alive through abuse that exceeded anything humans should survive.
Orion laughed with satisfaction.
