Accompanied by a calm yet proud voice, Joseph raised his right hand high, as though drawing the raging flames from the air itself.
Then something unbelievable happened—the wall of fire surging toward them didn't just halt.
It vanished.
No, it didn't merely vanish—it was absorbed.
In less than a second, the raging inferno disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye, drawn into Joseph's palm like a whale gulping down ocean water.
Second-Ring Magic: Flame Absorption.
"This is impossible…" Pyro John muttered in disbelief, unable to process the sight.
Before he could even react further, Joseph moved again—his fingers flicked forward with practiced precision.
Fireballs, each the size of a basketball, rapidly formed in midair and launched in rapid succession like a magical barrage of cannon shells.
Three-Ring Magic: Chain Fireball!
For any true mage, not being able to cast a fireball was a shame. But Joseph's mastery over it wasn't just sufficient—it was terrifying. The rapid deployment, speed, and control of the fireballs would make even a seasoned third-level mutant like "Fireman" John despair.
More than a dozen fireballs zoomed toward him in an instant, their glow painting the battlefield a deep orange-red.
"Careful!" shouted a voice from the side.
Lucas Bishop, quick on his feet, leapt in front of John. Crossing his arms, he summoned his mutant ability to absorb energy, forming a shield with his body.
The first fireball struck.
To his relief, it was absorbed with ease—flame energy was well within his scope of power. But then came the second one.
This time, Joseph compressed the fireball before releasing it, increasing its destructive energy exponentially.
The moment it struck Bishop's body, it exploded with a force ten times greater than the first.
"Shit!"
Bishop let out a pained yell as his body ignited like dry brushwood. Unable to absorb the energy in time, he was thrown violently backward, flames trailing from his limbs.
Three-Ring Magic: Pyroblast!
But Joseph didn't let the blast radius affect the others nearby. The intense flames hit Bishop alone, and the surrounding area remained untouched—as if he were sculpting fire with the precision of a master craftsman.
A display of such terrifying control sent chills down everyone's spine.
By the time Pyro John snapped out of his trance, it was already too late. The third fireball was almost upon him.
"Don't just stand there, John!!!"
Kevin, the shapeshifter, screamed in horror. He immediately activated his psychic abilities and attempted to invade Joseph's mind.
But the moment his mind touched Joseph's—
Boom.
It was as though he had slammed into a fortress of steel. A sharp screech rang through Kevin's brain, making his vision swim with stars.
The third fireball didn't stop.
It suddenly elongated, its body stretching into a flaming whip that cracked through the air and lashed Kevin with a flaming arc.
Fire-Shaping Magic: Flame Whip!
Still Three-Ring!
Kevin flew backward, smoke trailing from his scorched clothing.
Pyro John could only watch in horror as Joseph conjured yet another spell.
The fourth fireball swelled, ballooning outward until it morphed into a flaming giant over three meters tall. The flaming titan charged forward with an explosive punch and struck a super-hardened mutant head-on.
The hulking mutant was thrown like a ragdoll.
Three-Ring Magic: Elemental Burning Titan!
The fifth fireball expanded horizontally, transforming into a massive flaming hammer. It came crashing down, smashing through a hastily summoned light shield with devastating power.
The poor mutant behind the shield was immediately blown away like dry leaves in a storm.
Fire-Shaping Magic: Flame Hammer!
On the opposite side, Petra stood rooted to the spot, horrified.
The sixth fireball compressed violently, flattening into a glowing disc. Then it spun and split—one, two, three… until seven flaming blades streaked across the air like burning scythes.
Three-Ring Magic: Flame Blade!
"What level of mutant is this guy?!" Petra gasped in disbelief.
Reacting instinctively, she activated her earth ability. With a deafening boom, stone and earth erupted from the ground, pillars rising like a fortress to shield her.
But the flaming blades weren't ordinary.
Despite being pure fire, they sliced through the stone pillars like heated knives through butter, reducing them to rubble within seconds.
Before Petra could retreat, she heard a strange hiss from below.
A terrifying creature emerged.
A flame serpent—wide as a tree trunk and long as a train—slithered up from the broken stones, its body coiled in flames. Before she could scream, it wrapped itself around her body, pinning her in a suffocating embrace.
Four-Ring Magic: Lava Serpent!
She screamed in agony as the burning coils pressed closer.
While Petra was being subdued, Pyro John was left standing alone… and terrified. Only Carl Wen, the mimetic mutant, was still on his feet.
But it was too fast.
Joseph was already conjuring the seventh fireball.
"Hmph!"
Carl wasn't panicked. His ability might not seem flashy, but it could mimic the powers of any mutant within a certain range.
He couldn't reach Headmaster Charles or Cyclops—they were too far—but one person was nearby.
Storm.
Teacher Orolo was on the playground!
"Mimicry, activate!" he shouted.
In an instant, the power of a storm surged into Carl's veins. He couldn't summon hurricanes, but he could at least call down rain and wind.
A thunderclap echoed as a downpour fell around him.
But the joy in his heart died instantly.
The fireball changed color—turning blue—but it didn't flicker or fade.
Rain? It meant nothing.
"This isn't ordinary fire…"
The realization brought no comfort.
The blue fireball split in two. One half smashed into Carl's chest, sending him flying through the air.
The other half expanded like a gas torch and spread across the playground—cutting off Storm's path entirely.
"Joseph! That's enough!" Storm's voice rang out from above. She hovered in the sky, lightning flickering around her. "Teach them a lesson, sure—but they meant no harm!"
Her eyes, however, showed unmistakable fear as she looked at the blue flames that refused to die in the rain.
Four-Ring Magic: Fierce Fire Curse!
But Joseph didn't respond.
He raised his hand again, and the remaining seven or eight fireballs in the air suddenly surged forward at incredible speed—rushing straight toward Pyro John.
John tried to dodge, but he was far too slow.
One by one, the fireballs slammed into the earth around him. The playground exploded in bursts of fire and soil, engulfing John in a blazing cyclone.
His skin paled. He stood helpless as flames wrapped around his body and grew hotter by the second.
The ground cracked open. Heatwaves surged. The playground was no longer a training field—it had become a battlefield.
The fire spread—devouring everything in its path.
Then, with a gust of wind, the flames soared into the sky and began spiraling...
A flame tornado.
Four-Ring Magic: Flame Storm!
John stood at the very heart of it. Panic surged in his chest, his thoughts a blur.
This wasn't just overwhelming—it was terrifying.
And yet, the flames didn't strike him.
Just as they were about to touch his body, the fire collapsed inwards and morphed.
With a hiss, the flames reformed into a giant multi-headed serpent.
A Hydra.
Nine flaming heads loomed over John, their burning eyes gleaming with intelligence. They stared at him like predators watching prey—mocking, merciless, and chillingly sentient.
Five-Ring Magic: Hydra of Flame!
John fell to his knees.
He finally understood what Joseph had meant earlier when he said:
"You don't know anything about fire."
This entire battle—from the first spell to the devastating Hydra—had taken only ten seconds.
But for everyone present, it felt like an eternity.
Joseph hadn't truly hurt anyone. Despite the power behind his attacks, he had shown absolute control, ensuring no fatal wounds were inflicted.
Still, it was enough.
The entire playground had fallen silent.
No one could speak. No one could move.
They simply stared at the boy standing in the center of it all—calm, composed, and terrifying.
Joseph.
He wasn't just strong.
He was overwhelmingly powerful.
So powerful that even hope itself seemed to burn away in his flames.