Elara reacted instinctively, raising her hands to summon a wall of fire that absorbed the impact of Thorne's attack. The flames roared and crackled, the heat washing over her as she held her ground.
"Stay on him, Selene!" Elara shouted, her voice filled with urgency. "We can't let him regain his strength!"
Selene nodded, quickly regaining her footing, focused her magic, summoning a sphere of darkness in her hands. With a swift motion, she hurled the sphere at Thorne, the ball of shadow magic streaking through the air like a comet.
Thorne dodged to the side, the sphere narrowly missing him and exploding against the wall behind him. He retaliated with a wave of dark energy that surged toward Selene and Elara, crackling with malevolent power.
Elara summoned a torrent of fire, the flames surging forward to meet Thorne's dark energy. Selene reinforced her shadows, weaving them into a dense barrier that absorbed the brunt of the impact.
The clash of magic sent shockwaves through the chamber, the force of the spells creating a deafening roar. For a moment, it seemed as though Thorne might overpower them, his dark energy pushing against their defenses with relentless force.
But Selene and Elara refused to back down, drawing on every ounce of strength and resolve they had left. Their combined magic surging forward with renewed intensity.
With a final, desperate push, they broke through Thorne's attack, their spells slamming into him with a force that sent him crashing to the ground. Thorne lay still, his body limp and lifeless, his dark magic finally extinguished.
Selene and Elara exchanged a glance, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. "We did it," Selene said, her voice trembling with exhaustion. "He's done. Now it depends on others."
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Back to Alexander.
Alexander and Lira both unleashed their magic—fire and shadow intertwining as they surged toward the Dean Ignis and magic circle, determined to disrupt it.
But it was too late. With a blinding flash of light, the magic circle activated, engulfing Dean Ignis in a pillar of fire. The flames roared and crackled, consuming his body in an instant. For a moment, there was nothing but blinding light and heat, the force of the magic sending shockwaves through the chamber.
When the light finally faded, Dean Ignis stood in the center of the circle, his body transformed into a being of pure flame. His eyes blazed with a fierce, unholy light, his entire form flickering and shifting like a living inferno.
Alexander's heart sank as he realized the full extent of Dean Ignis's power. "He's… he's become the Flame Man."
As Dean Ignis stood before them, his body wreathed in flames, a wave of black fire erupted throughout the Academy, spreading through the halls and corridors like a living thing. The main library was soon engulfed in flames, and the air was filled with the sounds of screams and panic.
The air around them shimmered with heat, the temperature in the chamber rising to unbearable levels. "We need to stop him!" Alexander said, turning to Lira and Dean Aqua. "We can't afford to hold back."
Dean Aqua struggled to her feet, her face pale and her breathing labored. "I'll do what I can," she said, her voice weak but determined. "But my injuries… I don't know how much help I'll be."
Lira placed a reassuring hand on Dean Aqua's shoulder, exchanged a glance with Alexander, both their eyes filled with determination. . "We'll get through this together. Just do your best."
With that, the three of them launched themselves at Dean Ignis, their magic flaring to life as they attacked.
"You're all fools," Dean Ignis sneered, his voice echoing through the chamber like a thunderclap. "You think you can stop me? I am the Legacy of Fire incarnate! I am invincible!" Without warning, Ignis unleashed a wave of black flames that surged toward them like a tidal wave.
Alexander conjured a roaring inferno, sending it hurtling toward Dean Ignis with all his strength. The flames collided with Ignis's own fire, creating a blinding explosion of light and heat.
Lira followed up with a surge of shadow magic, her hands moving in a blur as she summoned tendrils of darkness that wrapped around Dean Ignis's limbs, pulling him toward the ground.Dean Ignis roared in anger, the flames around him flaring hotter as he struggled against the shadows.
Dean Aqua summoned a torrent of water, the cool liquid surging toward Ignis and colliding with his flames in a hissing cloud of steam. For a moment, it seemed as though they might have the upper hand, the combined forces of fire, shadow, and water pushing against Ignis's flames.
But Dean Ignis was relentless. With a furious roar, he shattered their attacks, sending them reeling back.
Lira and Dean Aqua barely managed to conjure shields of water and shadows, the intense heat pushing them back as they struggled to maintain their defenses.
Alexander gritted his teeth, his face slick with sweat from the heat. "We need to find a way to break through his flames! If we don't, he'll burn us all to ash!"
Lira nodded, her eyes narrowed with determination. "I'll try to distract him. Dean Aqua, Alexander, can you manage another attack?"
Dean Aqua nodded weakly, her face set in a grim expression. "I'll do my best."
Lira's hands weaving through the air as she summoned a shadow serpent, its body writhing and twisting as it lunged toward Ignis. The serpent's fangs glistened with dark energy, its eyes glowing with an eerie, otherworldly light.
Dean Ignis laughed, his voice filled with mocking derision. "Is this the best you can do?" He raised a hand, releasing a burst of flames that engulfed the shadow serpent, reducing it to a wisp of smoke and ash.
Dean Aqua, though more weakened by her injuries, mustered the strength to unleash a torrent of water from her palms. The water spiraled through the air, forming a massive wave that crashed down on Ignis with the force of a tidal wave. The water hissed and steamed as it collided with Ignis's flames, creating a thick cloud of scalding steam.
Seeing his chance, Alexander raised his hands, summoning the most advanced fire magic he knew. A vortex of flames erupted around him, spiraling upward into a towering inferno. He focused all his will on the spell, channeling the fire into a massive fire dragon that roared toward Ignis with an ear-splitting cry.
Dean Ignis sneered, lifting his own hands to counter the attack. A colossal wave of black fire surged from his body, meeting Alexander's dragon head-on. The two forces collided in mid-air, the impact sending a shockwave of heat and energy throughout the chamber. For a moment, it seemed as though the flames would cancel each other out, but Ignis's fire began to push back, overpowering Alexander's dragon and sending it crashing to the ground.
"You are nothing before the power of the Legacy of Fire!" Dean Ignis bellowed, his voice filled with contempt. "You will all burn!" Then he summoned a ring of fire that expanded outward, sweeping across the chamber like a fiery tidal wave. The heat was unbearable, the flames so intense that the very air seemed to ignite.The flames washed over them, overwhelming their defenses and sending them sprawling to the ground.
Lira cried out as she was thrown against the wall, the impact knocking the wind out of her. She tried to rise, but her body was weak, her magic drained from the relentless battle.
Dean Aqua fared no better. She was slammed into the opposite wall, her body crumpling to the ground. Her breathing was ragged, her injuries too severe for her to continue.
Alexander, however, managed to stay on his feet, though barely. His body ached, his magic nearly spent. He knew they were running out of time.
As he stood there, watching Dean Ignis prepare for another attack, Alexander's gaze fell on the magic ring he had taken from Thorne. It lay on the ground, glinting in the firelight. An idea began to form in his mind—a dangerous, desperate idea.
"Lira!" Alexander called out, his voice strained. "I'm going to try something. It's risky, but it's our only chance."
Lira looked up, her eyes wide with confusion and fear. "What are you talking about?"
Alexander reached for the ring, slipping it onto his finger. Immediately, he felt a surge of dark energy course through him, the power of the ring filling him with a cold, menacing strength.
"What are you doing?" Lira shouted, struggling to her feet. "That's dark magic! You can't—"
"We don't have a choice!" Alexander replied, his voice filled with urgency.
With a deep breath, Alexander focused on the dark power within him, channeling it into a single, powerful spell. Black flames erupted from his hands, swirling around him like a storm. He could feel the dark magic coursing through his veins, a cold, relentless force that threatened to consume him.
But Alexander held on, creating a cyclone of flames that spiraled toward Dean Ignis. The vortex of black fire roared like a living creature, its heat intense enough to melt stone.
Dean Ignis raised both hands, summoning a barrier of black flames to shield himself. The cyclone slammed into the barrier with a tremendous force, the flames spiraling around it as t
directing the flames toward Ignis. The black fire collided with Ignis's own flames, the two forces clashing in a fierce, blinding explosion of light and heat.
For a moment, it seemed as though Dean Ignis would overwhelm him, the power of the Legacy of Fire pushing back against Alexander's dark magic. But Alexander gritted his teeth, he pushed back with all his strength, the dark flames surging forward, overpowering Ignis's fire.
As the battle reached its climax, the chamber was filled with a deafening roar, the sound of magic and fire crashing together in a cataclysmic display of power. Alexander's vision blurred, his body trembling from the effort of maintaining the dark magic. He could feel the inner dark energy pulsing through him, a wild, uncontrollable force.
But he couldn't stop now. With a final, desperate cry, Alexander poured all his remaining strength into the spell, the black flames surging forward with a renewed intensity. The flames collided with Dean Ignis's own fire, the two forces clashing in a fierce, blinding explosion of light and heat.