"Dodge!" his instincts screamed, and his body obeyed without hesitation.
The swirling dust split as a shadow streaked past his head, clipping a few strands of hair in its deadly path.
He quickly activated his ability, but what he saw next wasn't encouraging. As he saw, Malcon's fist on his stomach again.
Cage quickly covered the area with layers of mana, like a barrier.
As Malcon's fist made contact with Cage's stomach. The barrier took the blow head on, dulling its force as Cage was only taken a few steps back.
Malcon couldn't help but smile at himself, his plan. Was working.
Since Cage could see his next move, he relied solely on his speed. Even if Cage did see his next move, with his speed he won't give him any chance to react quickly.
Cage was drenched in sweat, his heart threatening to beat out of his ribs. His mana magic wasn't as strong as Damian, so he couldn't completely reinforce his entire body with mana, only one patch at a time.
"Shadow Craft." Malcon said calmly, advancing one step at a time.
Cage instinctively stepped back, his instincts screaming.
Then he saw it, Malcon's arms stretching unnaturally, the edges twisting and sharpening into blade-like forms.
At that moment, Malcon no longer looked human.
To Cage, he looked like a demon sent to bring his downfall.
He activated his ability. hoping to get a glimpse of the future, but the future seemed to have arrived faster. As he saw Malcon standing infront of him, his bladed arm moving towards his neck.
Cage quickly bent down avoiding the blade, but instead met Malcon knees, which slammed to his jaw, sending him up again.
Malcon knew his body was getting stressed out and he wanted to end the fight by all means possible, before his body gave up on him.
Maintaining the pace between them, Cage was panting. His cloth was drenched with blood from the several cuts Malcon had given him.
'I should just yield.' he said to himself, looking up and was surprised to see Malcon standing still, panting, as the shadow slowly wore off.
"I guess the tables have turned," Cage said to himself, smiling.
"I'll make sure you bleed just the way you made me." He added, as he ran towards Malcon.
From the sideline Bane could see how pale Malcon looked. His legs looked numb and could barely carry his weight, it looked as though he would stumble and fall anytime soon as he struggled to keep his eyes open. But Cage didn't seem to care, as he charged towards Malcon with his blade.
'No no no no!' mlaocn shouted at himself not admitting defeat.
"Shadow craft." he said, using the last piece of mana he could muster.
A small shadow pin slowly materialized in midair.
"Just yield." Cage yelled with frustration.
Pointing the shadow spike at Cage he shot it, but Cage swiftly moved his head allowing the spike to greze the air and pass him.
Malcon was knocked off his feet as Cage's fist crashed into his stomach.
The impact stole the air from his lungs, and his vision blurred. He felt his consciousness slipping.
"No, I can't lose, I can't…"he said to himself as his consciousness completely drifted.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the arena.
A dimly lit room surrounded him. The ground was damp, and the steady drips of water echoed in the silence.
Looking up ahead, Malcon could feel an intense, powerful energy radiating from the dark.
"You're weaker than I expected," a voice said from the shadows.
A dimly lit room surrounded him. The ground was damp, and the steady drips of water echoed in the silence.
Looking up ahead, Malcon could feel an intense, powerful energy radiating from the dark.
"You're weaker than I expected," a voice said from the shadows.
It was cold, deep, and laced with power, each word echoing with an authority that made the air tremble.
"Try not to fail my pride again." the cold voice warned.
Suddenly, Malcon felt a compelling raw energy flood into his body. It was overwhelming, wild, and he suddenly felt very much alive.
Cage instinctively stepped back, his gaze locked on Malcon, who now stood still, something was different and he could feel it.
Cage for some reason felt like he would soon turn to a prey as he felt the surge of power growing in Malcon.
His breath quickened as Beads of sweat rolled down his temples. The sound of his pounding heart echoed in his ears.
"What is this…how?" he asked himself.
The shadow underneath Malcon slowly wrapped his body in a armor of darkness, sleek and fearsome. Only his eyes remained visible, glowing through the veil of black shadow that covered his entire body.
"No... I can do this." he muttered, Cage swallowed hard, forcing confidence into his trembling voice.
He quickly activated his ability, eager to get a glimpse of Malcon's next move again.
"Ahhhhh!" Cage shouted in pain. Blood streaming from his eyes, with one of his hands slightly covering his eyes, he looked at Malcon who was still glaring at him, as though he was thinking of the best way to attack him.
Cage felt a sudden airwaves smash into his face.
His eyes widened with fear as he saw Malcon standing in front of him, his fist moving towards his face. The pressure was so much that he wet his pants. Instinctively, Cage knew if that blow so much as greze his skin, he would drop dead.
A massive shockwave erupted across the arena, tearing through the air and sending chunks of earth flying in every direction.
Malcon suddenly dropped to the ground. and out of the haze of dust that covered the arena, they all saw Eckhard glowing blue eyes.
Two medics rushed in, picking both cage and Malcon who had both blacked out.
After the duel, the kids were asked to go back to their rooms while the captains were called to a meeting by the king.