[Congratulations, you have successfully activated the first innate Skill of a Progenitor.]
[First Innate Skill of a Progenitor: Overheat]
Suddenly, red smoke began oozing out from Arin's body, spreading round. His eyes glowed a deep red as he stared at Alex from inside his Blood Barrier.
Alex's eyes widened as he stared at Arin. "W..... What is happening? What is this sudden fear I'm having?"
For some reason, seeing Arin right now sent a kind of chill down Alex's spine. The red glow in Arin's eyes was so intense and eerie that Alex found it hard to look away.
'No...' Alex thought. 'This is just a feeling. He still stands no chance against me.'
Instantly....
BOOM!
Alex's Golden and Dark Aura flared, sending a wave of pressure to Arin. His right eye glowed Golden, and the Dark glow in his left eye deepened.
"Let's finish this," Alex whispered.
His Aura spread out in the forest, reaching every corner. Though, this caused something else to happen.
Hector, who was on another side of the forest, gripped his dagger tightly as he prepared to stab the incoming wolf.
"Come at me!" Hector roared, but then....
WHOOSH!
The wolf suddenly made an abrupt stop as it looked around as if it was confused.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, the wolf turned back and began running somewhere else.
"What?! Come back here!" Hector exclaimed, but the wolf had already dashed away.
Hector placed his finger on his chin thoughtfully as he squinted his eyes. "The wolf didn't run because of me... Then what made it run away like that?"
Suddenly, he felt a certain kind of Aura... An oppressive Aura that made him want to leave the forest instantly.
"Wh... What is that Au....."
Hector stammered as his eyes widened, unable to complete the sentence.
Without wasting time, he dashed hastily towards where the teachers were located, with one thing in mind.
'I have to let them know.....'
This same thing was happening to other students in the forest. The Beasts they were fighting would suddenly run away in fear, and then, they would also feel the Aura, making them start running towards where the teachers were located.
A girl who was also running towards the teachers suddenly stopped and hid behind a tree after hearing the sound of Beasts approaching.
In that instant.....
WHOOSH!
More than 50 wolves rushed past her, heading towards a different direction.
"What could possibly be the source of that Aura?" the girl muttered as she continued running towards the teachers.
Meanwhile, Arin's eyes were fixated on Alex whose Aura had already spread round the forest.
Though, he could not focus well because the new skill he got just activated on its own.
The red smoke oozing out from his body increased, but that wasn't all.
Some parts of his skin were now red, and it was as if his blood was boiling. He could feel it flowing in his body.
'It's almost as if my blood is boiling,' Arin thought. 'Maybe that's the cause of the red smoke.'
He couldn't check the description of the skill now, but he instinctively knew how it worked.
He looked at Alex once again and noticed the Aura exuding from him.
'He's bringing out the pure 'Elemental Energy' and shrouding himself in it...' Arin thought. 'That's why it's spreading out so fast.'
Immediately he had this thought, the system screen suddenly appeared in front of him.
[You have gained insight on Aura]
[Congratulations, you have successfully activated the second innate Skill of a Progenitor.]
[Second Innate Skill of a Progenitor: Aura]
[You can now utilize a small portion of your Aura.]
Arin instantly grinned as soon as he saw the notification, but before he could have any thought, another notification appeared.
[Due to activating two innate Skills of a Progenitor, including Aura, your Blood Energy has increased.]
[Your Rank has increased.]
[You are now at the Vampire General Rank.]
[You can now add Blood Energy to your Mana-based attacks.]
As soon as Arin read that last part, a smile instantly formed on his face.
'I guess I'm ready to face him head-on once again,' Arin thought.
He had been sustaining the Blood Barrier with more Blood Energy, but now, it was time to face Alex again.
SHING!
As soon as Arin stopped adding Blood Energy to the barrier, it instantly shattered, revealing him.
He was perfectly fine, including his cloak and mask, but apart from that, a bright red Aura shrouded him, just like how Alex's Aura shrouded him.
His cloak fluttered as he continued walking forward before stopping a short distance away from Alex.
They both stared at each other in silence, without anyone making a move. The tension was high between the two, but then...
BLINK
Yes, in the blink of an eye, the two of them were no longer standing on the same spot, and the next second...
CLANG!
Sparks flew in the air as both of them clashed midair. They instantly returned to the ground but dashed toward each other again.
'This... So this is the effect of Overheat, huh?' Arin thought with a grin on his face.
He could feel his blood boiling, increasing his physical capabilities. His physical capabilities were already enhanced before, and now with the Overheat Skill, he was a blur. He could also utilize his Aura, enhancing his strikes and forming spikes and other things.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Only clanging sounds could be heard as they clashed. Trees weren't spared from their clash either. They couldn't be seen due to their speed, but the sparks from their weapons were clearly visible.
Arin's Aura instantly enveloped his swords, enhancing them as the clash continued.
The wind slashes from the tornadoes were still present, but they couldn't harm Arin because of his new Aura Skill that was blocking them.
Arin instantly leaped back, creating distance between himself and Alex. He grinned as he stretched his right hand, and then...
"Blood Dragon..."
Since he was now able to add Blood Energy to Mana-based attacks, he did just that.
Instead of the usual blue, water-like dragon, the dragon that was formed this time had red scales, and a red Aura shrouded it. But this dragon also did something different.
As it zoomed toward Alex, it suddenly let out a bone-chilling roar that shook the trees.
ROARRRR!
Alex grinned at the incoming dragon as he raised his staff.
"Justice's Call..." he whispered.
And then...
CRACKLE! BOOM!
A golden-colored lightning descended, striking the dragon and instantly destroying it.
A dust cloud formed, covering the surroundings.
Arin gripped his chest in pain as he closed his eyes. 'I think I've reached my limit... I'm not sure I can continue.'
He had been fighting for a while now, but he could feel himself getting weaker.
He was using too many skills at the same time, and his Mana was also depleted, but that wasn't the main reason.
"Blood..." Arin muttered as he staggered slightly.
Since the fight began, he had been healing himself, so his urge for blood was slowly building up, and now...
'I can still move well, but...' Arin thought. 'I won't be able to continue fighting, especially considering the fact that I have to join the other students.'
'I can't do anything that'll blow my cover now.'
The dust cloud finally cleared, and the two of them stared at each other.
"You said you wanted to know my name, right?" Arin began. "Well, I guess I'll let you know."
"Haha!" Alex laughed. "Why the sudden change of heart? Or are you surrendering?"
"Hmmm, no," Arin replied. "But I'm about to leave, and I think I should leave with a big bang, don't you think so?"
Alex's expression instantly changed as soon as he heard what Arin said.
Without saying anything, he dashed toward Arin, but Arin had already turned back, walking away.
"We'll meet again," Arin said.
Alex, who had a deep frown on his face, heard what Arin said. "Come back here! I'll kill you!"
But before he could reach Arin, he suddenly saw Arin stretch out his hands, and then...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three blood dragons formed at once, heading toward Alex with immense speed.
"Shit..." Alex cursed as the blood dragons blocked his view, but he managed to hear Arin's voice.
"By the way... I'm Chaos."
".... Until we meet again."