"You are too young to deceive me," Dracula muttered as a matter of fact, his voice steady and unflinching. He swung his hands toward the encroaching lightning with fluid precision, his movements betraying no hint of urgency or concern.
"Huh?" Aaron muttered in surprise, his brow furrowing as he reached up to clean his nose in confusion. A strange sensation tickled his senses, unexpected and disorienting amid the heat of battle.
From his nose, a small trickle of blood escaped his body, drawn outward as if by an invisible force. It floated toward Dracula, coalescing into tiny, razor-sharp needles that glinted ominously under the arena's ethereal lights.
The blood-formed needles struck each lightning serpent and the pursuing flame spheres with pinpoint accuracy. They embedded briefly before exploding in a brilliant burst, shattering Aaron's attacks in a cascade of sparks and embers that scattered harmlessly across the earthen platform.
