Like a fully charged EMP, her power reached its zenith, Caroline clapped forward. With a resounding clap, the force of her presence reverberated through the air, akin to a primal symphony of thunderous might. In that instant, the colossal serpents of lightning, whose width had reached the size of an arm, that had been coiled around her erupted forth, their fury unmatched. They surged outward in a furious display, an awe-inspiring area-of-effect assault that left no corner untouched.
As the bolts of lightning tore through the very fabric of the building, their destructive path knew no bounds. Ceilings crumbled, roofs shattered, floors quaked, and walls trembled in the face of such overwhelming power. The very essence of fire trailed in the wake of their devastating assault, setting ablaze everything they encountered.
Witnessing this cataclysmic display, Blaze swiftly leaped into the room from the side, evading the impending contact with this unleashed fury. As he rose to his feet, he shook his head, a testament to the sheer force and intensity of Caroline's assault.
"She made Robin's impressive and flashy Tier-2 weapon spell attack look lame. Besides, she did it without a weapon. If Robin was half as creative as her, we would have escaped," Blaze cursed before running back to the lobby.
He never wanted his path to be blocked by Caroline. When Blaze returned, all the lightning Caroline expelled had been replaced with new ones.
This time, Caroline did not shoot her lightning outward like the previous attack but allowed the crackling tendrils to surround her. After which, she dashed at Blaze like a raging bull on an unstoppable rampage with lightning acting as an impenetrable armor with a dual purpose – destroying everything in her path and shielding her.
The narrow confines of the lobby offered no escape for Blaze as he found himself in the path of Caroline's relentless assault. Fear gripping his heart, he dashed through the lobby for his life, desperately maneuvering past the fallen roofs and the encroaching flames that threatened to consume him.
Caroline, undeterred by Blaze's attempts to elude her, pursued relentlessly. With every thunderous step, her lightning continued to wreak havoc, leaving a trail of destruction and flames in its wake. The ground trembled under the weight of her power as if bowing before the might of this relentless force.
As Blaze reached the stairs, a sense of urgency propelled him to abandon the conventional ascent. With a daring leap, he gracefully vaulted from the top, swiftly descending to the chaos-ridden ground floor below. Amidst the pandemonium, disarrayed figures scrambled in a state of undress, their frantic movements a testament to their desperate need for escape.
Yet, Caroline remained indifferent to the chaotic scene unfolding around her. Determinedly, she charged forward, her lightning unbridled as she traversed the wooden stairs. Each step she took left scorch marks in her wake, the flames devouring the very structure beneath her feet. Unfazed by the destruction she wrought, she fixed her eyes upon Blaze, raising her hands in a gesture that left him perplexed, his mind racing to comprehend the unfolding situation.
However, before he could grasp the full extent of her intentions, a colossal bolt of lightning hurtled towards him with blinding speed. The velocity of the attack rendered evasion all but impossible, forcing Blaze to rapidly improvise. Acting on instinct, he propelled a nearby table, using it as a makeshift shield against the impending strike. Yet, the sheer force of the lightning shattered through the feeble barricade, leaving behind a gaping hole before crashing into Blaze with a thunderous impact. The immense force sent him hurtling through the air, his body colliding forcefully with the wall, leaving him momentarily stunned and disoriented.
"Lightning users, always sending me crashing into walls," Blaze muttered, his head still spinning as he shook off the dizziness. Instinctively, he rolled to the side, narrowly evading Caroline's thunderous impact.
Caroline, propelled by her momentum, crashed into the spot where Blaze had previously stood, igniting yet another inferno. At this point, they remained the sole inhabitants of the once bustling brothel, the echoes of chaos and despair now drowned by the flames that consumed their surroundings.
Unable to land a single blow on Blaze, Caroline's frustration reached its boiling point, pushing her towards a state of uncontrollable fury. She pursued Blaze relentlessly, launching punches with reckless abandon, leaving herself vulnerable without bothering to defend herself. Yet, every time her fist neared its target, Blaze effortlessly evaded, his movements fluid and graceful. Though she couldn't see his face, she could almost envision a proud smirk etched upon his lips.
Abruptly, Caroline ceased her relentless assault, her actions rendered futile as exhaustion began to overtake her. Her chest heaved with exertion, her lightning dissipated into nothingness. Meanwhile, Blaze maintained a safe distance, his gaze fixed upon her.
As Caroline surveyed the engulfed brothel, flames dancing and shadows writhing, a sense of despair washed over her. Yet, when her gaze shifted towards Blaze, she found him standing before her, his presence seemingly instantaneous. Before she could react, a chilling realization struck her core as a short ice blade found its mark, piercing her stomach with incapacitating precision.
Slowly, her eyes closed, the world fading into darkness. The mask she had made was the last thing she saw.
'So this is death,' Caroline thought, her consciousness slipping away as her eyes sealed shut.
Blaze released his grip on Caroline's lifeless body, allowing it to fall to the ground. With a purposeful stride, he approached the solitary standing shelf amidst the chaos of the burning brothel. He used the key he collected from Caroline's body to unlock the standing shelf.
With Caroline's lifeless body cradled in his arms, Blaze made his way towards the charred remains of the once-grand staircase. His ice helped him amidst the flames. Positioned beneath its burnt remnants, he carefully removed the hot, fallen debris, revealing a hidden tunnel. However, it has collapsed. Worst of all, it looked like a deliberate and man-made collapse. His eyes narrowed behind the mask, a flicker of realization and unease crossing his features. The tide of events was unfolding in an unexpected direction.
In an instant, a wave of apprehension washed over Blaze, causing every hair on his body to stand on end as his pores contracted. Reacting swiftly, he leaped backward without a moment's hesitation. Like a sharp blade, a small portion of his mask near his forehead dislodged and fell to the ground, revealing a glimpse of his forehead.
Without delay, Blaze dropped Caroline and bolted out of the crumbling brothel, the structure itself succumbing to the ravages of the fire. Once outside, he propelled himself forward, his feet carrying him swiftly towards a nearby building. Scaling its heights, he reached the pinnacle, where his gaze fell upon a figure clad in a pristine white robe. The man exuded an air of mystery, his long black hair cascading down as he wielded a slender sword in his hands.
Both Blaze and the enigmatic figure stood opposite each other, akin to statues, with a road separating the two buildings. A tense standoff ensued, each assessing the other's capabilities with unwavering focus.
Blaze recognized the devastating technique that had narrowly missed him as the wind-blade, a technique he had encountered before. However, this manifestation possessed a heightened power, a Tier-2 Weapon Spell. Unlike the crude and turbulent wind-blade of the hawk bird, this one remained silent when moving through the air, devoid of any discernible disturbance that would alert his ears.
Blaze knew he was in for a lot of trouble fighting this man. Fighting something invisible will be fighting handicapped.
"Don't think of escaping. At least, if I hand you over to the Dragon Emperor, the reward will be nice," He said with a sweet, feminine voice that made Blaze squint.
'What do I expect from a man using such a narrow sword,' Blaze thought inwardly while thinking of a way to escape.
"I am Zion, the Baron of Isle Town. Ezra contacted me to kill you and, at the same time get the reward from the crown. Although Ezra is using me, the reward is good. You were supposed to die in that manor, but the array wasn't complete," the man said with his hands behind his back.
Blaze silently gazed at him, wondering who would spend time talking to their enemy if they weren't stalling.
"However, Ezra already paid somebody to make a gigantic array that covers the whole town. This time, it's complete and this is where you will be buried. Brute force wouldn't be enough to get you out," He said with a smirk.
"She-man or whatever you are, what were you saying?" Blaze mocked and as expected, it made the Baron angry.
Zion, without moving, slashed at Blaze from a distance with his narrow sword. Blaze jumped from his position to the side even though he couldn't see or detect anything. Abruptly, a thin, hairline cut materialized on the roof, carving its way through the structure and into the building below.
"I can't detect the Tier-2 spell. And the place is already evacuated. I guess this is the real trap. The other was a disguise," Blaze mumbled after successfully dodging the invisible projectile.
Aphrodite, who had vanished during the chaos, suddenly materialized beside Blaze, her voice laced with urgency. "The array is genuine! We are stuck here."
Blaze's eyes narrowed abruptly in response to the message. Previously, he treated the threat and array stuff as a bluff because the Baron, or Zion whatever, seems to be a joker.
However, his initial skepticism towards the Baron dissipated as he began to recognize the gravity of the situation. No longer dismissing him as a mere jester, he realized the seriousness of the threat – he was surrounded and alone. Moreover, he hasn't reached an all-powerful level yet.
"Caroline…oh Caroline. Ezra just played you." Blaze remembered the plan he set in place.