Two towering tornadoes of angry fire twisted around each other as they devastated the ranks of shadow beasts that charged towards the plaza of the inn. Between them, a massive fireball the size of a building hovered a dozen meters above the ground, constantly throwing out fireballs that exploded and killed dozens of shadows beasts at a time. A few bigger and stronger shadow beasts survived, but not for long.
Stewart's eyes glowed with power as he unleashed both his wind and fire element to deal the most devastating amount of damage he could in order to buy enough time for his students to retreat. While he was also protecting the other people, he could not care less about them when compared to the future powerhouses of humanity.
SCREEEEECH!!!
The space and air around the giant fireball screeched in agony as a black hole appeared from nowhere, siphoning away the fire and transporting into into a space that was cut off from this area. Stewart resisted as best as he could, and when the black hole vanished, he was already panting, his eyes wide and red.
That black hole spell far surpassed what a Master tier mage could do. His eyes widened as he peered into the distance. There, a feline creature covered in black scales slowly walked forward. Its pitch black scales seemed to swallow up all light that landed on it, making it resemble a black haze as it approached the battlefield.
Even Dion felt the intimidating presence that was exuded by the feline creature, and he faltered, creating an opening that his opponent did not fail to exploit.
BOOM!
Massive blocks of stone fell down, crushing buildings that were already mostly in ruins. Between those falling rocks, a giant, black hand reached out and snagged a figure. It quickly squeezed tight, intending to crush Dion in one fell swoop. Alas, Golems were not famed for their insane defensive abilities for nothing. Only a few cracks spread across Dion's body as he resisted the force being imposed on him. However, that was all he could do, as the shadow giant had taken the initiative out of his hands.
"Weaklings. You dare oppose me? You shall pay the price." With a prideful tone of voice, the black scaled cat continued walking graciously. Although it looked to be prowling slowly, it crossed the distance between Stewart and it in mere moments.
Smack!
It's tail blurred and whipped Stewart's cheek, sending him shooting down to the ground. As he fell, a black aura manifested around him, multiplying his weight by many times. When he struck the ground, it was just as impactful as Dion's mighty fall from before. However, this force was all concentrated on his small, defenseless body.
BOOOOOOM!!!!
The ground shook, cracked, and broke up into pieces that were thrown up into the air as Stewart's body slammed down into the ground. Everyone trembled as an imposing presence spread over the area, making itself known to them.
Avery's eyes widened when she saw this. She had not expected Stewart to go down in a single hit, but when she felt the imposing aura spread over the area, she knew then, that this was no ordinary foe.
"Kids, keep running. Find a way to get to the gate and get help from the school. In fact, help might already be on the way, but keep running. Don't stop, no matter what!" She told them sternly, her voice full of tension and nervous energy. After that, she pulled out the sword that was hanging on her hip and ran forward. But before she could take ten steps, a terrifying pressure spread outwards, pushing her down to the ground. The pressure manifested in the form of a dark purple sphere that spread outwards, encompassing everything in sight.
Avery choked on dirt as the pressure pushed her into the ground, everything around her breaking and splintering under the crushing weight. In her heart, she swore in agony. This was Gravity magic!
"Ahahaha! Trying to run away from me? Cute!" The cat laughed, rolling its head in amusement.
Among the students, all of them were terrified, including Leon. His eyes shook with fear as he looked up ahead. He could not see Stewart, and even Avery, who he could see was down on the ground, not even able to speak. If he could move, he would have turned his head to see his only friend one more time before they all died, but he couldn't
'Mom... I wish I could see you one more time.' Tears gathered in his eyes as he thought of his mother. She was all he had, and he was all she had. She had been so proud of him when he had made the cut for the main campus, but now it seemed as though this was a bad thing instead.
Slowly, his vision began turning dark as some parts of his body stopped being responsive. He no longer felt anything. No pressure, no pain, nothing at all.
Just as he was about to lose his vision and fall unconscious, a white light appeared at the corner of the creeping darkness. It fluttered around like the depressing gravity did nothing to affect it.
'Oho, what a tragic sight.' An aged, ancient voice hummed within Leon's mind. He absently thought it was his imagination and did not think much of it.
'Now, now. I may be long gone, but that does not mean I did not exist. Wake up, child. Do you want the power to protect your friends? I can see you are close to your mother. Do you not want to see her again?' The old voice droned on, rousing Leon's dozing mind.
'I... I want to see my mother again...' He thought, his eyes hazy. 'I want the power to protect my friends, my family...'
'Good, then take this. Grasp this power, the power to do it all. The power of the Sage! My LEGACY! TAKE IT ALL!!!' The old voice turned loud and domineering as Leon's vision warped. The darkness was driven away by an overwhelming white, and he felt his body begin to burn. That was all he felt.