Draven was standing in the center of the sandy ground with Alastor and Eric. Eric was ready for the battle, stood with his hands at the back and head straight to the audience. He was wearing black color clothes that looked one-piece or connected, it was a suit.
Draven with a tense expression was looking at the entry stairs to the ground. At the same time, he was looking at his vintage brass red color pocket watch attached with a gold chain to his blazer.
"Did your soldier run away?" Alastor commented, tilting his body. He smirked at Draven.
"I think you forgot he is one of the chosen and gifted with strength and ultimate powers...," Draven speaks with his watch in his hands with his head straight towards the audience.
"...Do you think he would leave this chance where he beat the pulp out of your soldier," Draven turned his head towards Alastor and said.
Alastor's smile soon left his face and changed his gesture sharply. He walked towards Jabez and murmured for a minute. Alastor came back and stood in his previous position.
Jabez raised his hand in the air and signaled to the drummers to stop beating. Every world got its cheerleaders to support the traditional blood bath. As the drummers stopped, all the students who were howling and screaming stooped too. Complete silence fell in the atmosphere.
"As we know, we are here to punish the people who crossed the boundary without permission," Jabez speaks in a loud voice.
"Xion the leader of Elementals had crossed the boundary and Eric of Malignus helped someone to cross the boundary...though Xion has disrespected the ancestors by neglecting the importance of time..."
"It is not like that...We all know how he is...Something must have happened," Draven interrupted, going to the forward.
"Even if it is...We cannot waste our time like this," Alastor said, giving a signal with his eyes to the head of the INANIS.
"We should announce Eric as a winner," Vraek, the head of Inanis said in a loud voice, rising from his chair. His face looked like a triangle shape on which he wore human skin with less fat. He had an extended black color long thin beard on which he was running his one hand all the time while he rested his one hand at his back. He was wearing long boots till his knee with black color pants tucked in them and on the top he had a long tight shirt. In his one hand, he had a ring on which a skeleton head was made.
"Master, I will wait for Xion," Eric murmured, getting closer to Alastor.
"Don't be a fool,"
"Master,"
"Shut up,"
"I am with the headmaster on this," Alastor said, moving away from Eric.
"Just wait for a little," Draven said, getting tensed.
"Draven, I think we have done that already," Vraek said, smirked.
Draven narrowed his eyes on him.
"We all are gathered here to see a blood bath..." Suadela, the head of the ETERNOS, addressing all the people around her. She was wearing a necklace of a clock design and from toe to head she was covered with a white-bluish color overcoat filled with furs on the lining. She wore a hat and shoes of the same color as her outfit. She had many different types of rings in her hands, some were small, big, and shining.
"Aren't we...,"
Everyone in the stands seemed enthusiastic and started to shout.
"WE WANT A BLOOD BATH"
"Wait won't kill you, Vraek," She said with a smile and sat on her chair.
The other headmasters of the world agreed with Suadela and Vraek was forced to shut his mouth.
***********
Xion and Master Wayne were walking towards the battleground. On the way, they encountered Sophie and Dakota. Sophie could not able to take off her eyes from Xion. She widened her eyes and took a deep breath. She was able to saw Xion's full tattoo which on the first day she got a glimpsed of it. She observes Xion's muscles with ease. She forgot where she was or what the situation was. She observes his dragon tattoo which goes from his left wrist to his shoulder.
"Dakota, what are you doing here?" Master Wayne asked. Sophie came out of her dreamland.
"Do you think I would leave him alone?" Dakota said.
"I want to be there for him,"
Xion was happy to see Dakota. Sophie was ignored completely.
"Please let me…be there," Dakota requested. Master Wayne nodded.
"Is Laura and Zale fine?" Master Wayne asked his last question before was moving.
"They are resting," Sophie said, trying to show her presence.
They walked at on fast pace. They soon came out of the corridor in the light. The weather was as always cloudy. They were standing on the stairs to the ground. The green and small ground where they hoped to see Draven and others…was empty.
"Where is everybody?" Sophie asked, tilting her head.
Master Wayne smile with one side of his mouth while another side remained the same. Master was standing near her, he snapped his finger in front of her eyes. As Master Wayne removed his hand, Sophie saw a huge ground filled with sand which was previously appeared small and green. She saw people in different uniforms. People held Xion and Eric posters in their hands and were sitting.
The ground had huge stands with gaps in between to divide the people from the different worlds and in front of each stand flags representing different worlds were blowing. Master Wayne spotted Draven in the middle and started to walk towards them. Draven walked towards them as soon as he saw them. The crowd in favor of Xion started to cheer as he stepped into the ground. Everyone was shouting his name and the drummers started to beat the drums. Alastor, Jabez and Vraek were certainly not seemed happy with Xion's arrival.
"Where the hell were you all?" Draven asked, feeling relieved.
"Long story," Master Wayne said.
Draven did not look in the mood to listen to the story, he asked Xion to walk with him. Master Wayne, Sophie and Dakota went to their stands and sat at the top for which they had to climb a lot of stairs. Xion with Draven and Eric with Alastor stood in a horizontal line, Jabez stood at the side.
A man came towards them with a tray in which there were two bowls filled with some glowing liquid. He wore a gold ring around his head and had a gold color outfit. First, Eric took the bowl and drank it, he put the empty bowl back. Eric coughed.
"I feel bones," Eric said, turning his head towards Alastor and was feeling awful.
The man moved to Xion, he took the bowl and drank it then put the empty bowl back. The man departed. Xion felt worse than Eric, he coughed and fell on his knees. Draven helped him to stand up.
"I felt my powers leaving me," Xion said.
"What happened?" Sophie asked, getting closer to Dakota because it was getting harder to talk.
"The bowl had a drink made up of magical herbs that for a while will suppress their magical powers," Dakota said. Sophie sat straight and again landed her eyes on Xion.
"Now, they are without their powers" Jabez announced.
Xion and the others gathered closer and stood in a circle.
"There are three stages, first a spear fight, second double swords fight and at last fight without a weapon," Jabez told.
"Good luck," Draven and Alastor said to Xion and Eric, respectively.
Draven and Alastor went and stood near their flags.
"Are you ready to see some blood?" Jabez asked the audience in a loud voice.
"Yes," People said, showing enthusiasm and was getting excited.
"They will fight until one of them is dead," Jabez announced.
"Let the Curse of Duel, begin," Jabez said, walking out of the field.
Xion and Eric stretched their hands in the sky and with lighting spears in their hand appeared. They stood in front of each other and took their attacking position. On the sound of the trumpet, they both ran towards each other with their spears was pointing at each other. Xion with the strength strikes at it and Eric block it with was holding the spear in the horizontal position in both hands.
Eric pushed Xion back and jumped in the air to strike at Xion. Eric strikes though Xion also strikes at him and their spears clashed. They both strikes as they got a chance and after many attempts, Xion got his spear a taste of Eric's blood. Eric got a scratch on his face. Eric touched his face and saw blood on his fingers, he gets angry and desperate to taste Xion's blood. Eric did multiple attacks one after one but Xion was able to block them.
Xion panted. Eric did not stop and gave no time for Xion to take a rest. Eric again did multiple attacks and this time he got his spear through Xion's foot. Xion screamed out of pain. Dakota stood from her seat and screamed his name, she cried out. Sophie covered her mouth in shock and stood up to console Dakota. Supporter of Xion for a while sealed their mouths but started to cheer again as Xion continued to fight. Draven's tension got increased.
Now, Xion turned on his monster mode and strikes at Eric. Xion noticed that Eric was not giving attention to his legs moment so, at first, Xion distracted Eric with his spear than with Xion with help of his legs made Eric fell to the ground. Xion made his spear through Eric's foot. Eric screamed out of pain. Alastor clenched his teeth and saw Xion with angry expressions.
"A foot for a foot," Eric said, stretching his hand to help Eric to stand up.