A sizable minority in the crowd, who had voted for a Felix versus Hal final, had been cheering wildly just moments ago after witnessing Hal's cunning counterattack.
But now, they, too, fell silent, watching the smoke with bated breath and trembling hands.
The majority's bets rested on the young master's shoulders.
Soon, the smoke cleared, revealing a struggling Donner.
The battle wasn't over!
Someone with less experience might have missed the brief window of vulnerability, possibly giving their opponent a chance to recover.
But Hal had long been fighting to survive.
He knew that giving his opponent even a moment to recover was an unforgivable mistake in combat.
And so, lame as it may have been from an entertainment perspective, Hal didn't give Donner the slightest chance.
He quickly cast a [Glacial Rain] and [Flame Tornado] combo at the struggling young master, generating yet another thick cloud of white smoke.
However, Hal didn't stop there.
