Page 238 of Psycho Devils: Aran's Story 2

The student section murmured with excitement.

Lothaire continued, “The goal is to draw a competitor’s blood. When blood is drawn, an enchanted black X will hover in the air above the injured person’s head. The first team whose members are all injured will be the losers. They will be punished.”

I stood up.

His words washed over me, and reality clicked into harsh focus.

Everything was crisp.

The individual strands of vibrant green grass swayed in the wind.

I pulled the fractured pieces of my psyche together. Pushed my shoulders back and flexed my butt for stability.

Adrenaline pounded through my veins, and my heart pumped frantically in my chest.

I looked around the arena and studied who we’d be competing against.

The angels and leviathans also had four competitors each. The assassins, shifters, and devils had two competitors each.

More competitors means we have more chances to draw blood but also means it will be harder to protect one another from attacks. It will be easy to separate us. We’ll have to stick together in a formation and focus on offense. Attacking first will be our best strategy.

“Present your weapons now,” Lothaire ordered. “Daggers, swords, and talons only. If you do not present it for inspection, you cannot use it.”

I tucked my pipe away in my pocket and concentrated on the well of rage inside me.

It was disturbingly easy.

There was a twinge across my back, and two familiar ice daggers shimmered into existence in my hands.

I flipped the irregularly shaped weapons into the air. They were light and sharp. I felt safer and more competent holding them.

Beside me, Vegar made a grunting noise as inky black lines expanded down his face and the side of his neck. Ink poured off his black fingertips and defied gravity.

The tendrils swarmed together and formed into an impressive broadsword.

Zenith smirked as he brandished the same black weapon.

The lower halves of both their faces were covered in ink like they were wearing creepy masks.

Note to self: don’t piss off the demons.

Across the field, angels smirked as they brandished ice swords, while devils bared their teeth and brandished swords of fire.

Meter-long talons erupted from the hands of the leviathans.

Beside them the assassins punched at their forearms with blank expressions. My jaw dropped as they gouged their skin, then pulled out pieces of cracked bone. The bone shards expanded and shaped into daggers.

They tossed bone weapons back and forth in their hands like their forearms weren’t gaping open, pouring blood.

Did they not feel pain?

Highly unsettling.

On the other side of the field, Jax let out a low growl as he partially shifted and flashed bear claws. Sadie furrowed her brow and hovered a sphere of blood before her eyes. She smiled as the plasma took the shape of a dagger.

Wow.

That was new.

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