"If you do not unsheath your mask, you will lose," Elise said. Her voice was low, but it was definitely feminine. It contained a certain mysterious allure that complemented her beauty well.
At her statement, Laex could not help but smile in agreement.
"How perceptive," he said before getting into the center of the arena.
"What do they mean?" Malik asked.
"Does Laex not have an Orange Source? Is it even possible to hide it?"
"No. Laex... He is limiting his abilities. He knows far more," Luna said with a mixture of doubt and certainty.
"How do you know that?"
"A feeling."
It was not them who felt it, though. The professors knew it all too well, especially Leila and Rogers. The moment they felt danger from him, they knew that he was no ordinary lad. What they saw was only the tip of the iceberg.
"I have never met anyone my age that I was not confident in killing... except you," Elise said as she pulled her crimson Key. In it, Green Source ran through.
Though it was the same color as Philip's, it was significantly denser and was more vibrant, definitely better than his.
"Well, you are a Primal Vampire, so that is no surprise," Laex said with a smile.
Elise widened her eyes in surprise at his statement. The rest of the students there were also shocked by his statement. Primal Vampires are Vampires with complete bloodlines. They were the peak of their race, the epitome of their talents.
They were Vampires whose blood was touched by the Source. A gifted race like the Harsels.
{Gate of Despair: Lamentation}
A massive skull carrying a wind of darkness came out of the Gate that exuded terror and rushed into Laex. It had no eyes, but it appeared to be crying as it went for its attack.
"There it is, a Gate only seen from a Primal Vampire. It is said that to die through it is an agony of eternity," Keith commented.
{Gate of Restraints: Chain of Despair}
A single dark chain pierced through the open Gate and went straight to the face of the skull. It merely passed through it, but every part of the Lamentation attack that it passed through stopped right on its track before being pulled by the chain to the Gate from which it came.
"Incredible. I wonder where this young man learn all of this from? That is an exclusive gate of the Agents of Order," Roger said in excitement, looking forward to what Laex would reveal next.
As he did, he pulled out his Codex, released his Key, and summoned his Plume. On the page of his Codex, it was written, {Chains of Despair}. He Inscribed unknown letters beside it that read:
[Multiply]
At that declaration, the Gate released more chains, but this time, they were aimed toward Elise.
The professors had their mouths open wide, unable to put into words the astonishment they were feeling. What Laex just did was a feat that took them decades to master. For them to see it effortlessly used by a 20-year-old kid was a blow to their confidence.
Laex's attack proved futile, though, as Elise called upon more Lamentations, receiving the chains.
'How annoying. She knows how to utilize her Source advantage to the bones,' Laex sighed in his thoughts.
{Gate of Sanguis: Blood Pool}
Like water from the sea, blood gushed out of the open, bloody Gate and released itself into the arena. It created a pool of blood that touched both Elise and Laex.
As it did, Elise's eyes turned from crimson to blood red. Darkness enveloped her persona as the remnants of Source in her blood echoed with the pool from the Other Side.
'Alas, no matter which era you go, bloodlines will always be ridiculous,' Laex thought as Elise dashed to his face.
Her movement was even faster than Thorn's solely because she was a Primal Vampire. Though Vampires were already physically superior to humans, their Primal bloodline was even more ridiculously over the top.
Elise was prepared to stab Laex with her Key, which would spell his doom, but before she could do so, a gust of wind exploded out of his Key, blowing Elise back to where she came from.
"A Response Inscription!" Leila exclaimed as if she were not shocked enough.
A Response Inscription is like a trap that only activates when a specific trigger is met. For instance, the one Laex used had a trigger that would activate when an individual got too close to him.
"Both Key and Plume, indeed," Roger said under his breath, marveling at the geniuses before him.
"I did not even catch you Inscribe that one, you are good," Elise praised as she smiled with great bloodlust, enough to make Malik's skin crawl.
Undeterred, Elise continued to cherish the buff given to her by the Blood pool, rushing forward in hopes of dealing a finishing blow to Laex.
It was predictable enough, though, for Laex to use protective Incantations to save his life.
'This cannot go any further.'
{Gate of Arcadia: Bloodsucking Leech - Mouth}
As he used another partial Invocation, a mouth the size of his face, full of fangs rounded together in its circular mouth appeared and sucked the Blood Pool, reverting Elise's eyes to normal.
It was no trouble for Elise, though, as this time, she dragged her Key across her skin, releasing her blood.
/Behold, Oh, world! Tremble in fear! Misery is here!/
{Gate of Despair: A Bloody Nightmare}
As her Key, drenched in her blood, opened the Gate, a clown with red and white features, holding a scythe, came out of the Gate. Its face was disproportionately larger than its body, and its every step exuded creepiness and bloodlust.
For a while, Luna wanted to run away from the situation. She felt that at any moment, the Bloody Nightmare could turn its face in her direction and hunt her to death.
'What a nightmare, indeed,' Laex sighed.