Boom!
The sky above was shrouded in dark clouds, blotting out the sun. Thunder roared, like the furious cries of an ancient beast, shaking the heavens and the earth. The rain grew heavier, and the lightning more frequent, accompanied by an overwhelming sound that caused many hearts to tremble instinctively.
Amidst the ominous dark clouds, something terrifying began to take form—a massive, dragon-like creature with an awe-inspiring and ferocious visage. Its glowing red eyes pierced through the storm, gazing down upon the earth.
This scene left everyone in stunned silence.
Yami, who had a cigarette in his mouth, forgot to take another puff.
Even Julius, the Wizard King, rose from his throne.
"What... is this? A dragon?"
"What kind of joke is this? Where on earth did this thing come from?"
"Goodness, could it be that some ancient beast has been hiding in the Black Light Forest all this time?"
The commoners were perplexed. Even the nobles and royals were clueless about the gigantic entity towering above the sky. Not even the captains of the nine squads could explain what they were witnessing.
"No need to panic; this is Ethan Hayes' magic..."
...
Ethan's magic?
Wait. Isn't he supposed to be a wind and fire magic user? What does thunder have to do with him? Could he possibly be…
A tri-elemental mage?
The thought sent shivers down the spines of everyone present. Normally, even the strongest captains and the Wizard King themselves possess only a single elemental affinity. Ethan's dual-elemental affinity was already one in a million.
But tri-elemental?
That didn't seem right. If Ethan truly wielded three elements, he should have a third grimoire with thunder magic. Yet no one had seen him use such a book.
"This must be some sort of derived magic," Julius mused, gazing at the ancient beast in the sky.
Ethan had previously discussed his theories on natural and derived magic with the Wizard King. According to him, natural magic drew power directly from nature to unleash spells, even without consuming one's mana. All it required was immense mental fortitude and precision. Derived magic, on the other hand, involved triggering chemical reactions within one's elemental magic to create entirely new properties.
"So those seemingly random fireballs earlier... were they preparing for this spell?" Julius speculated.
He had been puzzled by Ethan's bizarre fireball trajectory earlier. It turns out they weren't random at all.
It was all part of his grand plan.
But how could launching a few fireballs result in such a massive and destructive spell? Fire and thunder—was there even a connection?
In mid-air, Ethan raised his left hand high, his movements deliberate as if wielding a scepter of judgment.
The inspiration for this spell came from an anime he had watched in his previous life. However, unlike in the anime, where both fire and thunder elements were required, Ethan had only fire. At best, he could conjure a Kirin-like entity but lacked the key step to summon thunder.
Without an affinity for thunder, Ethan couldn't naturally resonate with the lightning in the sky.
But what he lacked in affinity, he made up for with sheer mental strength and control.
"Thunder Creation Magic—Kirin's Descent!"
With a commanding gesture, Ethan's hand sliced through the air. The beast, which had only partially revealed its head, emerged fully from the thunderclouds. Its colossal body radiated a blue glow, entirely composed of lightning. It stretched across the sky, blocking out the sun and occupying half the visible heavens.
Meanwhile, Nebula and the others, who had just broken free from their wind prison, froze as they looked up at the terrifying beast.
Fear seeped into their very souls.
In that moment, they sensed the unmistakable scent of death.
They were going to die.
In the blink of an eye—or less.
While the human blink takes approximately 0.3-0.4 seconds, lightning strikes in milliseconds. Before the thought of blinking even forms, the lightning is already upon you.
"Time Reversal Magic—Chrono Restoration!"
Time seemed to halt in an instant.
The colossal Kirin's descent stopped just meters away from Nebula and her group, a distance that would have obliterated them in less than a fraction of a second.
Above them, a massive clock face appeared, its second hand ticking lifelike toward the twelve o'clock position. As it reached the top, the Kirin began to dissipate, and the dark clouds retreated.
The sky cleared as though nothing had happened.
"This is... time magic," Ethan muttered, his eyes filled with a mix of awe and admiration.
Unlike the overwhelming grandeur of his Kirin's descent, time magic was understated, almost ordinary. But its simplicity only underscored its immense power.
Ethan's Kirin had harnessed the destructive might of nature—unmatched by human magic.
Yet even that fell before the Wizard King's time magic.
Was it the magic itself that was so overwhelming? Or the sheer mastery of Julius Novachrono?
"Enough. The competition ends here!"
Descending from the sky, Julius wiped the sweat from his brow.
He had been too absorbed in his awe earlier and barely acted in time. Had he delayed even a fraction longer, Nebula and the others would have been obliterated.
Natural magic was not something that could be resisted—not by ordinary means.
Even for Julius himself, neutralizing it had come at no small cost.
The participants on the ground heaved sighs of relief. The suffocating fear of death had passed, but the experience left them shaken.
"It's over? Just like that?"
"That felt so anticlimactic. What now?"
"So, who's the winner?"
Before Julius could answer, Nebula and her group spoke up:
"We lost."
Their alliance had already been met with criticism. To cling to victory now would only tarnish their names further.
And they couldn't deny it—they had lost fair and square. Ethan's victory was carved from sheer grit and power.
"Well then," Julius said with a faint smile. Turning his gaze to Ethan, his expression softened.
"Come now, Captain of the Tenth Squad. Your induction ceremony awaits!"
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