Though neither have any weapons, the concentrated move slashes through Ceros' uniform top, and blood spurts from an open wound.
They exchange a few more words before Mason goes on the offensive once more, keeping Ceros from performing his own attack. Stuck between dodging and blocking, the second prince doesn't seem to be having a hard time, either way.
Suddenly changing his position, instead of dodging, Ceros steps into Mason's slashing wind attack. He presses a pointer finger against Masons right shoulder and a laser beam the size of the tip of his finger pierces through his flesh.
"Aaahk!" Mason screams. He shoves Ceros away and slaps his left hand over the open wound. It does little to help, especially since blood spurts from the hole on his back. It quickly stains his uniform red and drips onto the sand beneath his feet.
Huffing and dripping with sweat, Mason creates a condensed ball of whirling air and throws it.
"Is he just going to stand there? Why isn't he blocking it?" Seojin asks in frustration when the second prince just stares at the incoming attack. He scoots to the edge of his seat, his hands folded tightly in his lap. His dark eyes are glued to the stage below.
"You've never seen him fight, have you?" Verce asks.
"Obviously not." Yujin answers for his friend, as he too is frustrated.
The attack slams into Ceros midsection. Whereas everyone expected to see some damage to his clothing and possibly even worsen the wound already on his chest, the image of the prince's body fades away.
"What?" Yujin furrows his eyebrows, "Where did he go?"
"Pay closer attention." Verce sighs.
Yujin scans the arena and finds the prince on the other side of the platform. "Then, was that just an illusion?"
"Mhm." Verce hums. "He created it as soon as Mason launched himself forward. He then stepped aside and walked around."
Mason spins around, his eyes scanning the dueling area, but he doesn't seem to know where the prince is. The hole in his right shoulder continues to bleed, leaving a trail behind wherever he steps.
"Why doesn't he notice him?" Seojin wonders.
Verce shrugs, "Probably making himself invisible."
Yujin scoffs, "That makes no sense. How can we see him but Mason can't?"
"He's a light user. He can manipulate the light particles bouncing off of him, and also the light particles that Mason can perceive. Why work twice as hard making himself invisible when he can just do it to one person in particular. It takes up a lot less mana."
"You sure know a lot about his power." Seojin says as he glances over Yujin's shoulder at him.
Verce shrugs, "We've battled before."
"You did? When?" Yujin leans forward, eager to hear about it.
"It was for an end of the year exam." His brother explains, "We had to observe each other and ourselves."
"Wow, that's so cool." Seojin mutters. "Not the exam obviously, but how skilled he is with his defense."
"What about me?" Verce frowns over at him. "I'm skilled too."
"But you're not a prince." Seojin snarks back.
"Are you just going to keep hiding?" Mason calls out, his voice audible to the audience. "Come out and face me."
Ceros starts a steady walk towards him, however Mason continues to remain oblivious. Ceros gathers a beam of light in his hand and casually tosses it to Mason's left. It kicks up a cloud of sand and Mason slashes his hand in its direction. A deep cut forms on the ground and he growls in frustration.
"What's the fun in this if he's just going to keep hiding?" Yujin mutters as he leans back in his seat. "Isn't this supposed to be entertaining?"
As soon as the words leave his lips, the pressure in the air grows thick and a static electricity raises the hair on everyone in the arena.
Yujin's violet eyes widen and he turns to Verce. Before he can move or utter a word, a loud thunder cracks from above. An explosion of heat bursts from the sky.
Yujin is pushed back into his seat, his hip cracking against something solid. His ears ache with a high pitched ring and when he tries to open his eyes, his vision blurs. A hand grabs his shoulder and shakes him, but he's too disoriented to figure out who.
"-et up!" The muffled voice sounds too far away. "Damn it, Yujin get up!"
The ringing fades and he's bombarded with screams of terror. Crouched over him, Verce looks panicked, his head tilting up to look at the sky. "We have to help people evacuate!"
Yujin gasps in agony and pushes to his feet, his hand clutching the back of a chair for balance. He tilts his head back, his black hair a static mess, and follows his brother's gaze.
A red and black portal swirls above them, monsters powering out like their liquid instead of solidified beings.
A gate? How could a gate-
"Get up!" Verce yanks him up by his arms and slaps him. "Get it together!"
"R-right," Yujin whispers. "Right!" He says again more firmly. He glances around and finds Seojin passed out in his seat. The pressure exploding must've knocked him out.
"I'll worry about him. You get the children and families out first!" Verce pushes him towards the end of the row, where a group of two young kids and their parents crouch down in fear.
He wobbles on his feet but hurries to their side. "Is anyone hurt?" His voice comes out shaky as he scans them up and down. He doesn't see any blood so that's a good thing.
"I think my son broke his wrist," The man says, his hand clutching at the young boys elbow. Luckily he seems calm enough to keep a cool head on him.
The boy doesn't look older than twelve, his hand cradled to his chest as he whimpers. His mother holds him close to her chest, her eyes red with tears as she bites her lip to hold in her cries.