Chongyang recognized that this spell was a level-four intermediate earth magic! The fact that the young man in the black robe could cast it instantly indicated that his magical level was definitely far above his own.
From the moment he began to run, Chongyang had already drawn the staff from his back. Now, faced with an attack, he immediately unleashed the prepared spell, swinging the staff like a flashing blade and pointing it skyward.
"Ball of Fire!"
This was a level-two intermediate fire magic, the strongest spell Chongyang could unleash instantly. Suddenly, nine red fireballs, each the size of a palm, appeared around him, hurtling toward the direction of the staff.
A cold smile crept onto the young man's lips: using a mere level-two fire attack against a level-four earth magic?
Anyone with some magical knowledge knew that earth magic was the natural enemy of fire magic. When facing earth spells, fire magic was inherently at a disadvantage. With the glaring difference in levels laid bare, the outcome was obvious.
As expected, the young man observed, the nine fireballs collided with the Fallen Spears, but the violent explosions failed to shatter the spikes. Amidst the roaring flames, the three descending spikes appeared poised to impale the fleeing figure below.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The young man's smug grin froze. To his surprise, the three Fallen Spears merely grazed the sides of the fleeing figure, tearing a small rip in his robe.
Chongyang understood that the purpose of those nine fireballs wasn't to shatter the Fallen Spears but to cleverly deflect their downward trajectory.
It was impossible to confront a level-four magic with a level-two spell directly, but it was feasible to redirect its attack.
What nonsense! The young man in the black robe could not believe that Chongyang had such a fierce reaction time. He thought that his opponent had simply gotten lucky and immediately swung his staff again, preparing to cast the next spell.
However, this time, Chongyang moved faster. With a sharp command, he pointed his staff behind him.
The nine fireballs reappeared! One after another, they hurtled toward the black-robed youth, igniting another explosive roar that echoed through the dark alley.
"Rock Barrier!"
The black-robed youth cast a level-four low-tier spell, forming a wall of earth in front of him that easily blocked the fireball attack. But in that brief moment, Chongyang had already sprinted close to the alley's exit.
The young man's face darkened; if this person managed to escape, their conversation—his and his junior sister's—would inevitably spread, and the consequences would be dire. He clenched his teeth and pulled a scroll from his robe—it was a magic scroll.
Unrolling the scroll to unleash the spell—"Abyssal Spike!"
Boom! With a wave of the black-robed youth's staff, countless stone spikes suddenly erupted from the ground, extending from just a few meters in front of him all the way to the end of the dark alley.
"What...?" Chongyang was completely unable to defend himself and was struck by the instant-cast level-seven intermediate earth magic spell from the scroll! The varying lengths of the spikes pierced through his robe, impaling his feet, thighs, and abdomen...
"Ugh..." A mouthful of blood erupted from his lips, and the scene before him immediately blurred, sharp pain radiating throughout his body.
After a moment, the effects of the Abyssal Spike spell ended, and countless spikes retracted back into the ground.
Chongyang weakly collapsed onto the cold earth, bloodied all over. He could distinctly feel the warmth of life rapidly fading as blood poured from the gaping wound in his abdomen. In a haze of pain and confusion, it felt as though he had returned to his past life.
In his previous life, he had worked hard in the city, only to have his life taken away easily by a cold bullet. Was this life destined to repeat such a tragic fate?
I won't accept this! Tears welled up in Chongyang's eyes.
The effort I put in, the heart and soul I've invested—how could I lose to anyone? Everything I've done is justified, both to myself and to the conscience of the world! Why must I repeatedly suffer misfortune?
The heavens are unjust.
"I'm sorry, but who told you to eavesdrop on my conversation with my junior sister? Ha, die here!" The black-robed youth slowly approached, looking down coldly at the stranger, the third-level magician lying in a pool of blood, raising his staff.
Chongyang suddenly opened his eyes wide and lifted his head, his bloodshot gaze piercing into the face of the young man above him as his right hand shot out and grasped his ankle!
"What are you doing!?" The young man felt a chill in his heart at the sight of Chongyang's blood-stained eyes and tried to shake off the grip on his foot.
With his vision slightly fading, Chongyang strained with all his might, his left hand trembling as it reached into his robe to pull out a magic scroll.
"Scorching Fire!"
An extremely intense heat radiated from Chongyang's chest, spreading to his right hand and reaching the black-robed youth's leg!
Casting magic without a staff.
It is generally believed that a magician must reach the Saint Spirit level to communicate with the elements of the world without relying on a staff and cast spells by hand. However, any level of magician has the potential to cast spells without a staff. The difference is that for those below the Saint Spirit level, it is not only exceedingly difficult but also causes considerable damage to themselves.
Having been a repeater for six years, Chongyang had honed his level-three magic to its peak. During that time, he had also researched the methods of hand-casting magic. He had believed that while hand-casting might hurt himself as much as it hurt the enemy, it could still serve as an unexpected solution in certain dire situations.
He never expected that his first use of it in a real battle would be a last-ditch effort as he faced death.
Chongyang's right hand held tightly onto the black-robed youth's ankle. The effect of the "Scorching Fire" spell transferred directly from his body and arm to the young man, making it impossible for him to defend.
The searing heat instantly spread from the youth's ankle throughout his entire body, causing him to scream in terror, feeling as if boiling water had been forcibly poured into him.
First, the pale skin of the black-robed youth turned a burnished red, as if scalded, and before long, flames began to ignite from his feet!
The panicked black-robed youth frantically struck Chongyang on the ground with his staff, crushing Chongyang's right hand and finally breaking free. But before he could do anything else, the flames that had engulfed him consumed him entirely.
"Ahhhhhhhh!" The piercing scream echoed through the dark alley. The black-robed youth became a living torch, flailing about like a headless fly, colliding and struggling as if possessed by a malevolent spirit.
"Hehe... hahahaha.. finally... took someone down with me... h-ha!"
Chongyang spat out another mouthful of blood, facing the cold ground, his pupils gradually dilating.
"Damn it... "
…
Strange, why am I not dead yet? Have I crossed over again?
After an unknown amount of time, Chongyang slowly opened his eyes. He saw a figure of raging flames hovering in the dark alley, where a humanoid face emerged with a terrifying and sinister expression. Those hollow, burning eyes seemed to pierce straight into his soul.
The frenzied expression, the eerie and horrifying visage… suddenly reminded Chongyang of something.
"This… seems like the one I summoned earlier…"
"I am the elemental spirit of fire; you can call me Flame Demon," the face in the flames rasped, its voice chilling to the bone. However, Chongyang's curiosity completely overshadowed his fear. He didn't even ponder how he could still speak when he should have been on the verge of death.
"Flame Demon? Fire Element?"
The elemental spirit of fire is commonly known as a fire spirit. The lowest-level fire spirit can be summoned with level-four magic, and the form it takes varies according to the magician. But a speaking fire spirit before him clearly shattered Chongyang's conventional understanding of fire spirits.
"Kekekeke— I have existed in this form for over five hundred years, always searching for a suitable candidate. Now, I have finally found you," the Flame Demon rasped with laughter.
"You're looking for me? For what?" Chongyang furrowed his brows.
"To complete the grand enterprise I once started as a human, to make fire magic the strongest magic on the continent!" the Flame Demon declared passionately.
"You were once human?"
"Indeed, when I was human, I dedicated myself to the power of fire magic, conducting various studies. But just as I made groundbreaking progress, my enemies found me. After a fierce battle, I was severely injured. Desperate, I had no choice but to abandon my human body, merging my soul with the fire element to become a fire elemental spirit," the Flame Demon explained.
"Since then, I have wandered between the elemental and material planes, searching for someone to inherit my legacy. And that person is you."