In the advanced class's training ground, the master stood watching the four who had mastered aura wrapping.
After each had demonstrated the power of their aura, the scene changed dramatically when all eyes turned to Saruto, who blasted the ground beneath his two chained swords.
Then Lucien stepped forward with steady steps, his eyes blazing, the aura surrounding him and his spear.
"Saruto… I won't let this demonstration pass without experiencing it myself. Let's see who controls their aura better!" he declared defiantly.
But before he could get any closer, the ground shook from a powerful impact.
Rain, the heir to the Dragon Clan, entered, the aura around him forming undulating black wings.
His voice was a mixture of mockery and defiance:
"Don't rush things, Lucien. I'll be the one to test this boy. I want to see if Saruto can handle just the aura."
Their eyes met, and a clash was imminent, but Saruto calmly raised his hand, a sly smile playing on his lips:
"Enough. No need to argue… Let's settle this with a coin toss. Whoever wins, face me."
He tossed a small coin into the air, and it spun rapidly, landing on the ground.
All eyes turned to it… The result was in Ryan's favor.
Ryan waved his hand, sparks flying from his aura:
"It seems fate has chosen me. Get ready, Saruto!"
Lucien simply pursed his lips, but his eyes glowed with the promise of an upcoming fight.
The duel began.
At a signal from the master, the arena erupted with the glare of two clashing auras.
Saruto unleashed his black aura, tinged with violet, so intense it seemed to weigh down the very air.
As for Rhyn, he enveloped himself in a deep red aura that echoed the roar of a dragon, a violent energy spurting from it that pressed down on the ground beneath his feet.
The two of them surged forward in a single step, their fists meeting in mid-air.
The explosion shook the arena like a thunderbolt, and dust flew in every direction.
The remaining seven heirs covered their eyes against the intense light, while the Master watched in stark silence.
Saruto planted his feet firmly, exhaling black vapor all around him.
"Your aura is powerful… but it lacks control."
Rhyn laughed, his eyes blazing with madness.
"And who said I need control? A dragon doesn't need to restrain itself!"
He raised his fist again, bathed in the light of his aura, then brought it down like a hammer.
Saruto blocked the blow with his aura-encased arm, and the ground split open beneath him.
The clash intensified, a barrage of blows shaking the arena, each punch capable of shattering a solid stone wall.
Neither used their other skills, but their auras alone were enough to reveal that they were not mere heirs, but lurking monsters.
At the crucial moment, Ryan unleashed his full force, shaping his guarded sword and enveloping it in aura. A crimson flash, like a full-fledged dragon, engulfed him, and he roared with an almost real roar.
Saruto didn't back down. He raised his bound swords, auras flowing through the chains until they ignited with a dark purple glow. Then he charged at Ryan, their weapons clashing.
The final impact sent the entire arena trembling. The walls shook, and the students were thrown to the ground by the force of the blast wave.
When the dust settled… the two stood, breathless, the auras around them almost extinguished.
The score: a draw.
A heavy silence fell over the arena before the trainer smiled and said,
"Well done, both of you. You performed brilliantly using your aura."
Lucien, however, bit his lip, his expression tense.
"It's even... next time, I'll be your opponent, Saruto."
As Lucien prepared to stand before Saruto, a quiet but thunderous voice boomed:
"No... I'm your opponent, Lucien."
Everyone turned to see the Storm Heir, Kyle, his towering figure surrounded by a flash of white lightning, a massive hammer in his hand gleaming with overwhelming power.
The trainer raised his hand firmly. "That's right... Saruto is exhausted now after his match against Ryan. That's why you, Lucien, will be Kyle's opponent."
Lucien clenched his fist and smiled with blazing confidence. "Then... so be it. I won't back down."
The two stood in the center of the arena, one enveloped in a pure blue aura that wrapped around him like a celestial shield, the other raising his hammer, sparks flying around it as lightning rumbled.
"Begin," the instructor said.
Kyle went first, slamming his hammer into the ground.
A deafening crash reverberated through the arena, and lightning shot out toward Lucien, but Lucien dodged it, then screamed, releasing his aura through his arms.
He leaped high into the air, then landed with an aura-filled punch on his opponent. The fist slammed into the hammer, and lightning surged forth in a raging vortex, so intense that everyone felt the air rushing in like a flood.
Kyle spun his hammer, each movement leaving a trail of lightning.
He unleashed a sideways strike, and the lightning split the ground, forcing Lucien to retreat.
But Lucien didn't hold back for long. He shaped his spear, unleashed his aura on his legs, and charged with lightning speed. He closed in and rained down a barrage of blows on his opponent, each one shrouded in a blue halo.
His hammer and spear clashed repeatedly, sparks flew, and the ground crumbled beneath their feet.
Kyle grinned. "Strong... but that's not enough!"
He raised his aura-enveloped hammer to the sky, and black clouds gathered above it within the arena itself, accompanied by explosive lightning.
Then he shouted, "Lightning strike!"
A strike shot down from above, a column of intense lightning threatening to crush Lucien.
But Lucien screamed back, his entire body ablaze with aura. He covered himself completely in a brilliant blue layer, effectively blocking his opponent's attack. Then he charged through the storm, breaking through the lightning with his momentum, until he reached him and delivered a direct punch to the chest, sending Kyle reeling two meters away.
The two stood facing each other, their chests heaving, their bodies bruised, their auras undulating after being heavily used.
After a long moment of silence, the trainer raised his hand:
"Enough! The match is a draw."
The results of the other Heirs matches were then shown: Camellia vs. Selena: Camellia won decisively.
Star vs. Eliza: The match ended in a draw after their auras collided and faded together.
As night fell, the Heirs returned to their respective rooms.
Saruto and Lucien were in one room, the tension between them silent but palpable. Ryan was with Kyle, Camellia with Eliza, and Selena with Star.
Everyone sat down, each one of them contemplating the results of the day, realizing that what awaited them in the future was not just training bouts… but the beginning of their real journey.