A second had barely passed when Eric vanished.
A gust of divine wind tore across the field, grass flattened, the air shimmered, and before anyone could even blink, the ball was gone.
"…What?" Kael muttered, eyes wide.
Eric now stood right in front of the goal, golden energy crackling around his boots.
But instead of shooting, he didn't even glance at the net.
Slowly… deliberately… he turned his head toward Aestrea.
Their eyes locked across the field.
The crowd fell silent again, as if the world itself refused to breathe.
Eric began to walk forward; each step was heavy and full of authority, causing the space to crack.
The golden radiance from his twelve wings illuminated everything around him, painting the broken divine net behind him in holy light.
When he stopped a few meters away from Aestrea, his tone was calm, but it carried the weight of thunder.
"I've fought saints, champions, divine heirs… even kings," he began, his eyes narrowing slightly.
