"Regenicus Lighesco." The flaring magic particles alleviated through the sky. Dozens of energy are being compressed in a singular form of light. It was coming from the Masked Magician's source. He cast advanced-tier magic which can cause large-scale damage. By pouring his mana into a single compound, he created a large wave of magic circle layered above.
The color of this magic circle is beet red, exclaiming in hotness. Its build was larger to cover the whole night sky. It glowed red and the civilians from the ground started noticing it.
Commander Bill noticed the lighting towards the backside of the academy. The other knights have positioned themselves. Discovering the light halted their movement while sneaking in on the other side of the academy.
One of them used communication magic to contact the rest of the team.
"Report..."
"Yes, there has been a massive recollection of mana from the sky. We are certain that it is the masked magician finally doing his work to finish the job. What should we do?" He asked.
"Stay in position..." Commander Bill replied.
(That light... What is he planning to do?) Wondering about the nature of the massive reddish magic circle, he visualized the whole academy on his mind.
Inside the academy, numerous candidates felt the need to go outside of their room. They were petrified when they saw the massive pillar of red light crackling above the sky. It radiated through the window which reflected their position. They were getting bad feelings about the situation.
"What is that light?"
"What's happening outside?"
"Should we go out?"
"Don't be an idiot, you might get expelled for doing so!"
"I am scared..."
"Don't worry, they will protect us!"
Outside the garden, Huck and Eunice stayed close together. They were preparing for any interference in the backside.
"That light is coming towards us, isn't it?" Huck asked while looking upward. It was beveling the color emitted from their skin. The glow continued to erupt and inflate, pulsating with so many magical molecules.
"I have a bad feeling about that light," Eunice replied. Her eyes are dimmed.
After running from the basement while trying to find any holes and blindspots, Aran and Lisa stopped in their tracks, they felt the accumulation of magic from outside including the gathering of the candidates on the hall.
"What is that?" Aran asked as he felt the surrounding energy on the sky even without seeing the flare.
"This is bad! I need to get them to calm down!" Julia left the room in a hurry and went through the hall to gather the candidate. Seeing her presence, their attention has navigated towards her.
"Everyone, please calm down. We don't know for sure what's causing that massive magic circle. Remain calm and it will be okay. The knights are there to protect us. It will be okay. Now, please return to your room." She politely asked everyone. Despite this, there seems to be a lower number of reassurance from her words for she doesn't know the exact information.
"Aran can you try examining the outside using your perceptiveness?" Lisa approached Aran and asked him. Nodding in agreement, Aran closed his eyes for a brief moment and started gathering information on the surrounding.
The area and scope that he can manage existed and stretched throughout the whole front side of the academy. His mind went inside the void again, noticing the disturbance of the light energy particles, it was not a material but a presence of a mass. The light energy particles moved all around the scope and the magic molecule is floating towards one center. Realizing the situation now, he opened his eyes and reported.
"I see it, all of the knights are now in position. But I have a bad feeling about the gathering of mana in one center." He said.
"What do you mean by that? What did you see?" Lisa pushed forward.
"There's a large magic circle outside. It is becoming big as time pass. I don't think it is the work of the knights at all..." His tone was serious. Lisa gasped as she heard his response and tried to look upward.
"It's showtime!" A scream echoed outside the academy.
A contemplating word of despair and revenge circulated on his veins, employing the creativity of his plan alongside the destruction of his personality.
The magic circle stopped its inflation and the rain of terror have begun.
"Commander!"
"What?!"
"We're in trouble! It is coming towards us!"
With a quick return of his head to the sky, he saw a rain of fireballs coming towards their position. A meteor shower of spells from a hot molten ball of light came from the massive magic circle earlier attacked the stationed knights. It was a lethal spell that can be used to kill or destroy a place. With its powerful and quick lance, it is like an asteroid falling and destroying every land.
Seeing this, the whole army of knights raised their hands synchronously and started chanting a spell. The words came out of their mouth as an army, and one stepped forward.
"Reflecterous Purigeo!"
Using all of their combined mana, the accumulation of magical molecule have transferred over their place in a need of an instant magic sequence activation. The whole group in the front side of the academy turned the whole area into a massive collection of a transparent shield made out of their own power to protect the place.
The meteor pushed through the boundaries of the ground. A series of explosions erupted from their position, damaging a couple of buildings and areas of the academy and hitting a small team of knights from their undercover position. The impact is so powerful to the point that it reached the roof of the academy causing it to revoke its protection line.
Small snaps of holes were created and the loud roaring of the blast have resonated around the area causing a lot of people to panic and run away from the scene. The overlapping thick smoke and clouds of dust screened the entire area, creating a major blindspot for the masked magician to enter.
Using the overwhelming destruction of the place, he swiftly dashed on the backside of the academy and landed on the post.
"He is here! Engage!" With their war cry, they started attacking him one by one with their weapons alongside their magical enhancement gear.
A sudden shockwave caused the world to tremble in fear. The earthquake was caused by a massive explosion and the sounds of the blast passed through some windows. The candidates that are inside the hall covered their ears.
"What the hell is that?" Aran felt the shock.
"An earthquake?" Lisa asked. They looked at each other for a second and started running.
"Let's go to the hall!" Aran took first place by running upwards.
The massive cloud of smoke reached the training grounds area and through the garden. Huck and Eunice covered their face with their hands while on guard.
"This is bad, he attacked the academy by using large-scale magic. He's probably using the commotion to get inside!" Eunice stated the situation. Despite the struggle in breathing while keeping their position intact, they still managed to protect the other things on the backside of the academy.
"Where is he?!" Huck rushed near the front.
One by one, for each individual he has distinguished, the masked magician ultimately beat them up with a single strike. The knights dispersed around his perception and started dashing themselves through him. He dodged every single one of them with his quick abilities and reflexes. To counter it, he purposely grabs their arm and beats them with a kick on their stomach.
The barrage of slashing continued, but it was avoidable and easy for him. As he catches their position, they were electrified using advanced magic.
"You won't be able to stop me!" The masked magician exclaimed. They were completely wiped out by his electrocuting ability. Some of them were pulled upward with his strength.
Noticing the enormous magical attribute, Eunice held into her position and made a stance.
"Get back here!" She called to Huck.
"Huh?"
"He's coming!" She replied.
His running speed is not normal at any point. The moment he step and leaped, the rubble beneath the ground erupted from its position. He jumped upwards in a quick unsettling motion. His body became blurry. The height of his jump passed through the fence and he finally got to bypass, entering through the back area as he landed on the field of grass.
Huck and Eunice saw him as the smoke dissipated.
"That's him!" She exclaimed.
"Alright! What should we do?" Huck asked her while stepping back.
The masked magician saw them with their weapons in hand. He started approaching them in a walk that is slower than usual.
"Greetings, fellow candidates. If you would be so kind to let me in, I won't harm anyone around here." He introduced himself, a rough voice muffled inside can be heard. He continued to approach the two without doing anything. The smokes have started to dissipate throughout the field and the sudden shockwave caused by the impact of the explosion negated its core, ending the destruction of the spell. The red magic circle that he has accumulated started vanishing into thin air while dispersing the magic molecule in the sky.
"Should we call them?" Huck whispered to her while doing a stance.
"We can't, we've lost track of him and he is now inside the academy. If we call them, he would get inside. We need to stop him here and prevent him from entering the building." Eunice answered as she held her weapon in her left hand.
"But–"
"We don't have a choice, even if the enemy of what we know is capable of doing the things we don't like. We still need to fight. We need to protect the people inside and wait for reinforcement to arrive. This battle is accustomed to us." She countered him before Huck can say anything. Realizing the position that they are currently within, Huck nodded and closed his eyes to prepare himself for the battle.
They were given an option to confront or to let him in. However, they all know that if he lets him in, it would only harm the other candidates inside. That's why stalling him here and keeping him from entering the building would be wiser. Even though it was not part of Aran's plan, they didn't think that it would be better to contact the Masters immediately.
"We can't let him in!" He replied as he bent his knees.
"Hou... So you two are going to come towards me? Looks like you've made a very bad decision. I am not fixated on dealing with the candidates. But you two leave me no choice!" The masked magician has started opening up his stand to chant.
"As if we are going to lose to you!" Eunice didn't hesitate and started running towards him followed by Huck who's ready to inflict a blow.
Eunice's weapon is called 'Ripper Of Wraiths' a dual war-scythed weapon that is capable of slashing through any material or flesh. The color of her weapon is black with the blade having a glowing touch of purple on the edge. Her mobility and quick reflexes in organizing a combination of circular motion are pretty applicable to her scythe slashing movement.
As soon as she reached his point-blank range, by pivoting her body and rotating the scythe, she made a trifoliate circular swing over him that caused him to step back. Her speed and precision with the side effect of her magical spell have embedded a certain cut of overkill from her intent.
(She's fast!) Cautious of her movement, the masked magician had no choice but to avoid and step back. However, as soon as he landed on the other side of the field, Huck was there to cover for Eunice's combination of attacks. By pressing his arms together, he ultimately broke the ground, causing the debris to shatter around the area. A wave of impact permeated through the ground. Unfortunately, he managed to save himself from that attack.
Repeating their combination, Eunice moved to the side while rotating her scythe. She continued her tracks and once again, a triple-slash of the scythe went over to his head, body, and legs. By allowing herself to move freely, she made another stance and changed her position to give her a springboard to thrust the blade over him. With this, he was cornered in the center while Huck is trying to attack him with his barrage of fists. However, as soon as he touched the ground, he suddenly chanted a spell.
"Liberus!" A sphere of chaos blasted around the area causing them to get hit by a sudden shock of electricity. However, Eunice managed to retract the effect with her scythe and landed on the garden. The stupendous amount of magic power he has is over the top. A great magician with an infinite amount of mana. Despite having used multiple spells while battling the other knights, he still managed to create a distinct space using a heavy damaging spell.
"That was close!" Eunice took her stance.
"That blast... He really is pretty skilled. His magical stance is more intricate than his combat stance. I think we should stay out of his perimeter for the time being." Huck gave a suggestion while recovering from the electrocution.
(These guys... They literally took the damage from my chaos blast, yet they still managed to stand as if nothing happened. So this is the power of a candidate?)
"I commend you for stopping my attacks. That was very impressive. However, your time is up!" The masked magician raised his hand and started firing another combination of spells.
"Increnerous!" A medium-sized fireball was fired at their position causing them to get away from each other while avoiding the impact. It is pretty strong to the point that a mere strike will get them burned over to death. It was another lethal magic that he can use.
Eunice rotated her scythe in a swift manner in order for the fireball to get deflected. Huck got his chance to appear on his back. By pushing all of the strength from his body up to his arms, he managed to land a clean blow on the masked magician's face that made him flinch over to the other side of the ground.
While sliding using his legs, he immediately stood up, but it was followed by Eunice's swings. His quick thinking of the situation saved him from the slash and threw another fireball on their end. Huck jumped on the sky to face him in mid-air.
However.
"Idiot! Don't get near him!" Eunice noticed the spell that the masked magician has chanted as he bailed on the air. By making himself predictable in the mid-air section of the battle, he purposely baited Huck to attack him.
"Liberus!" Another chaos blast went through the air. Huck touched the blast and was electrocuted. His body was paralyzed from the shock. Seeing him in that account, the masked magician kicked him out of the grounds. Huck's body went downhill on the building wall causing the pillar to get destroyed.
"Tsk!" Eunice was alarmed by the situation and started attacking him again. Her speed gradually increased to compress her hit. However, even with the exceptional speed, he still managed to dodge every single swing of her scythe. The quick tumble over his body gave pressure on her attacks, causing her to draw back from her position to avoid the fireball he created. The ground broke.
"What's wrong? You seem to be more defensive." He continued on parrying until she reached the dead-end corner of the building.
"Ripper of Wraith 2nd Art: Wave of Hell!" Using her weapon's skill, Eunice leaned her body upward as she created a slash directly onto the ground. Charging on its lance was a purple flame that crackles. The crescent-shaped wave went through the masked magician's position.
"Hou..." He easily countered the powerful impact of the wave. He raised his hand to conceive a shield to protect him.
"Damn it!" Eunice gritted her teeth.
"It looks like you're already tired, let me set this straight for you. If you let me pass, I will leave you alone," he offered another choice.
"Tsk!" But Eunice didn't listen. She persisted in defending the entrance.
"You are so persistent!" Eunice made another circular rotation of her scythe. After negating her attacks, the masked magician grabbed her right arm.
"Impedimus!" Charming her with the dismantling magic spell, Eunice dropped her weapon.
"Hah! Liberus!" Using it as his advantage, he cast another chaos blasting spell. The electric shock made her vulnerable. She dropped to her knees, her mind was still conscious but she cannot move.
"You wasted my time." Soon enough, Eunice fell to the ground.
***
Julia was inside the hall where the candidate are controlled, she tried her best to calm them down.
"Everyone listen! Do not panic! Everyone, please stay calm, it will be okay!" She exclaimed. The masked magician finally entered the building as he passed through the first pillar. It will take about ten minutes before he can reach the hall.
Outside the vicinity, everyone gathered around.
"What's the situation?" Commander Bill asked for the report. Most of the knights that were stationed on the other part of the city were called upon on the front of the Fosier Academy. Each of the buildings that were damaged from the massive spell was getting procured by the other security team. Civilians under the Fosier Academy were forced to evacuate.
"Yes! 1/4 of the whole area was destroyed from the fiery rain attack of the criminal. The casualties are limited for the buildings. As for the civilians, they are safe and no one was hurt. But in regard to our own men, half of them were injured. The team on the back suffered the fatal one. We need to regroup in their position before the criminal enters the building. As for the academy, almost all of them are gathered on the hall and we are currently monitoring them now." One of the knights has reported.
"Damn it! This is not what I am expecting at all! To think that he would cause any more destruction to halt our undercover operation. He used a panic state to enter the academy. We're off to the first phase of our operation. We need to go to plan B as soon as possible. Listen up! I want all of you to go inside the academy and cover all entrances and exits. I want you to protect the facilitators and candidates. Judging by the distance, he is now probably in this state right here. The academy space is big enough to let him pass in a long amount of time. We need to be cautious about any other third-party user as well." He instructed as he laid out the plan onto the other knights.
"The release of the spell came from the south, we need some men on the other side of the building as well. We need to help the other knights who are injured, what should we do?"
"We don't have any more men to represent, but I guess you can handle that on your part, officer. Our top priority right now is to prevent the criminal from going inside." Commander Bill approved the suggestion and he gave the job to the officer to handle the recovery of the other injured knights.
At the city hall office, Henry went outside to take a look at the situation.
"To think that he would use destruction to divert the attention. This criminal reminds me of someone..." He mumbled.
The night fell into his hands. He was controlling the situation in a better aspect. The lunar sky sets the night into its incredible possession of crisis. The people that are living in the town were alarmed by the current situation.
"Agh!" Aran suddenly cried as soon as he reached the door to the first floor.
"Aran? What's wrong?" Lisa moved over to him.
"My head hurts..." While enduring the pain, Aran slightly leaned his body on the rail of the stairs. He slowly moved his legs to cover and drag his body.
"Are you okay? You should take a break for now..." Concerned for his condition, Lisa adjusted his body and placed her hand on his forehead.
"You are mildly burning up..." She retracted.
(Damn it! It is happening again, this feeling of hotness in my body. The left side of my body is getting numb and weak. I don't know if there are any more side effects that I can feel as of now. I need to go to the garden or else, Huck and Eunice will be in trouble!) Aran decided to pursue the two.
"Wait, Aran!" Lisa grabbed his hand. "What are you planning to do?" She asked.
"I can't stay down, I need to go to the training grounds now. Huck and Eunice are probably dealing with that criminal. If we don't send them help, it will be the end for them. I need to endure this!" He exclaimed as he opened the door.
Exiting the ground floor, they found themselves in the hall where the other candidates are gathered. Nikki found the two and rushed to them.
"Aran!" she called.
"Nikki... What's the matter? How is everyone doing?"
"The masked magician cast a large-scale attack. Almost a fourth of the academy was destroyed by this rain of terror. Most of the knights are now stationed on the backside. They are running over there. I'm worried about Huck and Eunice. And no! Are you okay? You seem to be weak!" She reported as she gave concern for Aran. Lisa grabbed his arm and helped him walk by guiding it and pressing her body to move.
"I-I'm okay... We need to hurry on the training grounds!"
"That won't be necessary..." Suddenly, a rough voice resonated around the hall.
It was the masked magician who came to greet them.
Everyone stopped in their tracks.
"You..." He mumbled.