The whole stadium gasped from how bloodied Zurat was, and he was still ready to go for another strike. They all believed it to be over for Damien as he was struggling to stand still at the moment. However they all truly appreciated how far he was able to withstand and how much he was able to damage Zurat. Even the higher ups who had no faith in Damien could only accept what Nora had said to be correct. A round of applause which stemmed from Cal and Erik, reverberated all around to show Damien a newfound respect.

‘Now it doesn’t feel so bad if I lose, it was the most thrilling fight I ever had. But damn it, I was so close. If I only had a little more Mana then I could target his gaping wound. I wanted to win so badly!’

Damien had recovered from his wounds at this point but he no longer had any juice left. His only response was to lift his sword and prepare himself for the coming attack. He would rather go down fighting than to surrender to Zurat and give him that satisfaction. Zurat witnessed his foe once more stand to fight but the threat he felt from before disappeared. He shrieked loudly in glee and to also shut up the applause that was not for him.

“You are still just a human. You can push me and push me, but in the end those who are superior will be the last standing. Your only downfall was to be born from your parents. You should blame them for birthing you into this world as that weak species. You can be comforted by them later, but now it’s my moment.”

Damien slowly dropped his sword back down to his side. The words he heard hit him deeper than any attack he received today. He thought of his lack of parents growing up and the fact they were not here to support him and show him what a childhood was really like. The fact is, Damien had always pushed these thoughts to the depths of his mind to not be bothered every day by them. He appreciated his grandpa for raising him, but for his own selfish reasons he wished he had more. His mind was going through tumultuous turmoil, but in all of that anger and confusion he found an answer. He looked Zurat directly in his beady eyes with a fierce orange glow in his eyes. They shined brightly like two celestial suns blazing down onto the planet.

“You talk too much, Zurat. You talk and hide behind your words because of your insecurity. You know deep down humans are at the top of this food chain. Even within the founding figures there were two humans, and not to say those who stand at the top today. You are actually just afraid of humans because they were able to cause the downfall of your mother!”

“Bullshit! How dare you lecture me when you are about to lose!”

Zurat shrieked once more before he launched himself at the defenseless Damien. The referee was ready to intervene at any second, but Damien was standing tall to the attack. As a matter of fact, the referee felt something unnerving when he stared into Damien’s eye. His posture slacked and he no longer felt the will to focus on the fight. He could only watch the two fighters come to clash. He watched on and on but Zurat never made it to Damien.

Damien’s emotions were at an all time high. He was angry, but at the same time he was conscious of his emotions. He let it all out, feeling his eyes burn in response. Zurat could not help but look straight into them and that was when he lost himself. He slowed down to a complete halt a couple meters away until he grabbed his head in pain. Zurat yelled out in agony while he trashed around, hitting the floor with his head. He could not take the burning pain that felt like it was lighting his soul and fire. It was a pain that could not be described with mere words alone.

While this was happening the Headmaster along with his colleagues were up in arms about the situation, especially Ari. Even though he was ready to end Zurat’s life if there were any mishaps, he still cared for the boy he saw grow up. He took on the responsibility for Zurat’s actions because that was the only way they would allow a risk to be present.

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“Omarion, do you know what is going on? You’re the most knowledgeable one here.”

Ari looked at Omarion with an unpleasant frown. He was ready to stop the fight himself, but he needed to be sure of the situation. Omarion went into quick deep thought as he was flipping through all of his memories.

“I have read an ancient scroll that could fit this description, but that would be something nearly impossible. It is too early to make an assumption but if it were to be true then… sorry you’ll have to excuse me.”

“Where are you going, Omarion!? I asked you a question, now finish it!”

“It is best I know for sure before I say anything. I am going to find Veron with my clone and confirm what he knows. I have a feeling he should be nearby observing this battle. Goodbye.”

“Don’t you dare leave Omarion! I need to know if this will affect the academy!”

Ari was ready to chase down Omarion, but Nora stepped in between them both with a sudden swiftness. She pointed down to the fight below to bring Ari’s attention back to what mattered at this moment.

“I can feel Zurat’s life’s essence fading by the second, I’m sure you could have as well if you focused on it. The referee isn’t moving either. He must be affected by something as well. You need to stop this fight at this very moment.”

Ari brought his attention back to the fight and confirmed what he was told. Omarion took the chance to vanish from thin air in search of Veron and answers. Ari let him go as he now had something else to handle that was important to him.

Back down onto the arena Damien watched Zurat writhing in pain the entire time. He felt nothing from his agony, in fact a wicked smile began to form when he heard his painful cries enter his ears. It was like a sweet melody that brought him great joy. Inside of Damien’s body, his Flame Core was hard at work sending out waves of energy but it was running on a dry tank. It could not control what was seemingly taking over Damien and invading his body’s systems. It wasn’t until Ari appeared onto the arena where things changed. He stared at Damien and felt a numbing sensation slowly seep into. He quickly dispelled it with his own Mana and protected himself from further invasions.

“Damien, that is enough. You have won this duel so you can let up now.”

Damien ignored his warning and stood there unwaveringly with his cold, maniacal smile. Ari felt something was terribly wrong, so he could no longer play nice anymore.

“Kid, you made me do this, you best remember that.”

Ari instantly encapsulated Damien in a globe of metal liquid making the effects opposed on Zurat to disappear. Zurat immediately felt relieved from the pain but he could no longer stay conscious. He passed out and with that transformed back into his human state. Ari quietly whispered to himself looking at the condition of Zurat.

“You’re okay now. I will need to consult Izil if she can make a Rune Code Seal that is stronger or if she knows anyone that can.”

Ari then looked around at the audience who were paying attention to his every move. He was not in the mood to address his students as shown by the bulging veins on top of his bald head.

“The duel is over. Damien has won, so all of you leave!”

His voice pierced into each of the students' eardrums who all got up quickly to dismiss themselves. Damien’s group of friends were the only ones still staying but with an extra gesture from Ari, they knew they were not going to be able to see Damien for now. They followed the line of students leaving the arena as they watched Ari rise up into the air. He carried Zurat in one arm and had the metal globe follow him up as well. Inside the metal globe, Damien saw only darkness, but when he looked closely into the walls of his prison he saw a blurry reflection. With the glow of his eyes he saw a dark and creepy visage. He was smiling from ear to ear with his face disheveled from a harsh battle. Instantly he was shocked to his core because that was when he realized what had happened. He didn’t have his glasses on which led him to brutalizing Zurat that he enjoyed. Damien grotesquely grabbed his own face like he was trying to rip off the wickedness he was displaying.

“What have I done? I couldn’t control myself… it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me! I didn’t know what I was doing. It can’t be my fault, right? No… it is my fault. I didn’t keep my mind controlled. What will they think of me? I don’t want to be alone again. I feel tired… I can’t keep my eyes open…”

Just like that Damien lost consciousness from Mana exhaustion just like before.