The seemingly fragile white shield held against Leo Shaw's thunderous punch for a fleeting heartbeat—long enough for the crowd to draw a collective breath of surprise. No immediate shatter, no explosive defeat. The Celestial Sun Energy barrier, hastily woven in desperation, absorbed the initial impact with a resonant hum, white light flaring brightly as it distributed the force.
But it was illusionary resilience. From the point of fist contact, hairline fractures spiderwebbed outward—dense, relentless cracks forking like lightning across glass. They spread in seconds, covering the entire curved defense in a web of impending collapse.
Then—CRASH!
The shield detonated into harmless shards of dispersing energy, vanishing like mist under sunlight. Cindy Moore seized the brief buffer, body b
