Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 7: Eruption

The battle happened so abruptly, and it was initiated by Sein and Leena.

There was a reason why Leena had earned the nickname “crazy bitch” among her fellow initiates—she had no reservations about unleashing her magic, even on Black Street!

The massive fireball, radiating an eerie deep blue, not only dwarfed Sein’s Minor Fireball spell in size but also surpassed it in power.

It hurtled directly toward Jack’s face, catching him off guard and leaving the gruesome image of his impending doom just seconds away.

Mages were known for being physically weak. Without the protection of a magic shield, a magic initiate was as susceptible to magic spells as any regular person.

None of them had anticipated Leena’s sudden attack.

A faint white light suddenly appeared and enveloped Jack’s group

It came from one of the people in Jack’s group, who possessed a piece of magic equipment similar to Sein’s Acid Wand. It appeared to be a short silver magic rod that would only activate during an emergency.

The owner of this magic rod was an intermediate initiate with a pale complexion.

He seemed reluctant to intervene in a battle that involved a senior initiate, especially when it meant sacrificing a valuable magic item.

The magic shield formed by the faint white light barely lasted two seconds before it was shattered by Leena’s Massive Fireball spell!

However, those two seconds provided those within the shield with a brief window of reaction time.

The moment the white magic shield disintegrated, so did Leena’s massive fireball.

However, her dark blue fireball did not simply vanish. Instead, it disintegrated into nearly twenty smaller, blazing yellow fireballs.

This unexpected turn of events showcased the uniqueness of every mage’s spells. Although they were all fireball spells, Leena’s version had been modified and enhanced, resulting in an explosion that scattered into twenty minor fireballs—a far cry from the Massive Fireball spell in library’s records.

The strength of a senior initiate was evident in this display!

Leena’s genius and exceptional talents shone through as well. Despite her recent promotion, she was anything but an ordinary senior initiate.

The minor fireballs from the initial explosion wreaked havoc on Jack’s group, inflicting significant injuries.

The fresh initiates bore the brunt of the damage, as their feeble strength left them vulnerable to the effects of Leena’s advanced magic spell.

Two of the junior initiates also suffered severe burns from the minor fireballs for reacting a moment too late.

In just the blink of an eye, Leena’s devastating spell had halved Jack’s group.

It was at this critical juncture, Jack’s group finally launched their counterattack.

Leading the charge was a short-haired female initiate with fiery red hair. As an intermediate initiate, she was far from pleased with Leena’s unpredictable actions.

The Black Magic Academy had always maintained a higher proportion of male initiates due to its cutthroat competition.

In such a competitive environment, females who rose to the rank of intermediate initiate and beyond were far from weak. Some of them were even more ruthless than the male initiates.

Survival in the highly competitive environment of the Black Magic Academy often required unwavering determination.

A shrill scream rang out as the female initiate unleashed a sonido spell.

This was the first time Sein had witnessed a sonido spell in action. It utilized sound waves to attack, and its speed had exceeded his knowledge of common magic spells.

It was clear that there were many hidden talents in the Black Magic Academy.

The sonido spell rushed toward Sein and Leena. Sein, who was still a junior initiate, stumbled back from the effect of the intermediate magic spell known as Banshee’s Scream.

Fortunately, the Acid Wand he was holding had a focus recovery effect, so he was not too affected by the spell.

The primary target of the attack was actually Leena, who was next to Sein.

Despite not having a magic item with focus recovery effects like Sein, Leena, being a senior initiate, was able to endure the sonido spell due to her higher focus.

Banshee’s Scream, being an intermediate magic spell, cost a lot of mana. As a result, the intermediate initiate found it difficult to cast it again within a short amount of time.

With the initiative back in Leena’s hands, she produced a black bracelet. It was a magic item Sein was familiar with but rarely saw her use.

She chanted an incantation hurriedly, and as the black bracelet emitted a dim glow, it signaled an incoming magic spell.

It was at this moment that Jack and his group also made their move, attacking in unison.

This was the consequence of being ganged up on. Although Leena’s strength surpassed everyone here, she was still greatly outnumbered by Jack’s group, which was made up of a total of eleven initiates.

Among the eleven initiates, four were intermediate initiates, including Jack himself.

Jack launched his attack right after the female initiate cast a sonido spell that targeted Leena.

Instead of casting a spell that required incantation, he pulled out a short sword from under his robe and charged directly at Sein and Leena.

Jack had a unique fighting style. A glowing red pyro pattern began to spread from the hilt of his short sword.

Jack’s sword was not a piece of magic equipment. He had infused his pyro elemental energy into the steel of the blade.

In the world of magic, there was a professional term for such practice. It was known as Pyro Elemental Enchantment.

Jack’s swift movements were a product of his experience gained in the unforgiving environment of Gloomhaven, evidenced by the numerous scars covering his body.

Although Sein was decent in terms of his melee combat skills and reflexes, they still paled in comparison to Jack’s physical prowess.

Their areas of expertise differed significantly, with Sein focusing on magic, while Jack relied on his physical abilities.

However, even with his agility, Jack could not possibly be faster than Sein!

Jack had his enchanted sword aimed directly at Leena. Given that Leena had initiated the confrontation, Jack was determined to strike her down or even take her life.

In a one-on-one battle, Jack would have been no match for Leena.

However, he had a dozen companions at his side right now, all of whom had been caught off guard by the earlier fireball spell unleashed by that crazy bitch.

Considering that Leena had just been promoted to a senior initiate very recently, this was Jack’s best opportunity to defeat her.

“I am the only one worthy of becoming Master Andes’ apprentice! This year’s academy award will be mine to claim as well! Rot in hell, you crazy, ignorant bitch!” Jack roared with fury, laying bare the source of his feud with Leena.

Yet, just as Jack’s surprise attack was on the verge of succeeding, three corrosive acid projectiles rushed toward him, causing his face to pale and sending shivers down his spine.