Chapter 40: Darkness versus Trickster

"These people seemed riled up by that kid's appearance… Its either they are dumb and ignorant, or that kid is actually something special" Dan sneered with a raised eyebrow while he pointed at Tristian.

"Yeah right? Like who are they to think a talentless kid can defeat Damian? Even though I'm confident in my abilities… I will rather not fight Damian…." Kira said with a serious expression on his face.

"Yo! Zero… How good is that kid Tristian? Is he as good as they say?" Akila asked after a while, promptly making the other two stare at him with expectant gazes.

They were all aware of Zero's special sensory skills which practically nothing can get past. His ability to tell the true strength of a foe accurately also made him an irreplaceable asset to the team. At the moment Zero's cold gaze was fixed on the two youths in the arena. On one side was Tristian whose aura was quite colorful, dancing around his body wildly. On normal circumstances this could be considered as impressive for someone his age, his aura was definitely on par with that of some students at the elite class, taking Zero by surprise.

"He is good… Probably strong enough to battle the average members of our elite class and even come out on top if he plays his cards right but Damian is another beast on his own" Zero said with a frown on his face.

Unlike Tristian whose aura was leaking unconsciously, Damian's aura was well controlled. It was a sheathed sword which could be released at any moment All Zero could see was darkness, everywhere, absolute darkness lingering around the kid.

"Damian is a monster, there is no way Tristian can win against him… But Damian's potential is equal to ours and probably better…. His strength comes with the element of darkness which his special ability grants him control against. I think we can either bring him over to our side or kill him before he gets too strong and becomes a problem" Zero sighed deeply while he spoke. The thought of letting someone like Damian live too long bothered him greatly.

"Harboring thoughts of taking life at such a tender age… shame on you" Dan shot Zero a sly smile but his eyes were cold. Apparently, he was actually taking Zero's words seriously.

"Yea… Don't you think you are just paranoid? We are the strongest amongst our peers… Do you think someone within our age-grade can actually harm us?" Akila was not convinced.

"Zero… If I were to fight Damian… who would win?" Kira spoke up once again with a stern look on his face.

Zero threw Damian another glance and they turned his attention to Kira. Kira's aura light that of Damian was been suppressed but just like Damian who had darkness lingering all over him, the image of a great cobra curling around Kira. He couldn't tell their strength until they decide to reveal their aura

"I can't tell…" Zero gave them a short and straightforward answer but it was enough to make the other three feel threatened by Damian's existence.

"That's what I thought" Zero whispered with a rueful smile on his face

..............................

Damian's eyes remained shut tight but the way he smiled at Tristian made the youth believe Damian could see him. Not bothering to open up a conversation before the battle begins, Tristian weaved his hands, revealing some cards.

Xiu!

Before anyone could understand the nature of his ability, a card flew towards Damian, giving the chubby kid only a second to dodge.

Swoosh!

Damian dived to the right at the nick of time, evading the plain-looking card. His eyes remained shut but a frown could be seen on his face. A thin line appeared on his chubby cheek and a few drops trickled down his fat face.

"Interesting…" Damian muttered before getting on his feet.

Combat technique: Shadow dimension

His shadow expanded and from it a black dagger ejected out, flying into his chubby hands.

"Here I come" Damian muttered with a kind smile.

Bang!

Like an arrow, Damian shot towards Tristian with the black dagger in his hand pointing forward. Yet to recover from the fact that his opponent had a whole shadow dimension where he or she can store things or the fact that a fat kid could move so fast, Tristian lost a few seconds. He retreated by a few steps before launching numerous cards at the incoming opponent.

Combat technique: Shadow loop!

Damian's voice was calm but it still instilled fear in all those who heard him speak. Suddenly numerous dark circles appeared all around the arena, surrounding both combatants. Damian did not try to evade the incoming cards, instead, he kept charging forward! Right before the cards could reach him, a black circle appeared beneath his feet and he was propelled upwards by an unknown force. Flipping uncontrollably, Damian's feet pointed towards the sky while his head towards Tristian's direction.

Bang!

Damian stepped on the black circle position in mid-air, shooting towards Tristian who was yet to recover from the shock.

Puff

A deep gash appeared on Tristian's unprotected left hand. Before the youth could even cry out in pain, Damian was sent airborne by the black circle positioned behind Tristian the very moment his feet touched the ground.

Like a ball, Damian kept bouncing all the place, leaving deep knife injuries each time he blitzes past Tristian. Everyone from the elite class expected Damian to win but not in such a manner, he was leagues above their expectations and even Zero was stunned. He couldn't help but shudder at the thought of battling someone like Damian.

The battle ended faster than it even started, leaving Tristian in a pool of his blood. None of his injuries were life-threatening but it was enough to put the kid away for a few weeks. Everyone knew Tristian didn't lose almost instantly because he was weak, he only lost because Damian was too strong.