A surge of incomparably violent magic suddenly erupted from Ur's body. The sheer force of it whipped up a storm across the frozen island, roaring outward in every direction like a raging tempest.
Pasfield jumped in fright.
It was the first time Ur had ever revealed his full strength before him. Just moments ago, he had nearly been swept into the sky by that tempest of magic. Fortunately, Jangsen had shielded him in time. Otherwise, he might have become the first casualty, wounded by friendly fire.
The people nearby stared in shock. Even the three members of Angel's Wing were no exception, especially Jelka.
Her expression looked as though she'd seen a ghost.
It's only been a year, how did you turn into this?
Buzz!
A complex magic array flared to life.
Scorching fire magic rapidly gathered into Ur's palm. Layer upon layer of heatwaves rippled outward. The ice and snow beneath his feet evaporated at a visible rate, and the falling snowflakes dissolved into wisps of white mist before they could even touch the ground.
In mere seconds, an enormous fireball, twelve meters in diameter, condensed in his hand. Once the fireball was complete, the area within twenty to thirty meters of Ur turned into a vacuum zone. Terrifying flames coiled around the sphere like dragons, while the surrounding earth hissed and crackled with steam.
Ur stood expressionless, holding the blazing sphere aloft like a demon god stepping out from the heart of an inferno. His presence was overwhelming.
Gulp. The young Dio swallowed hard, panic flooding his heart.
"S-Sister Jelka… didn't you say this guy wasn't that strong? Why does something feel seriously wrong?" Dio recalled last night's evaluation of their enemy and suddenly felt as though there might be a traitor in their own ranks.
Jelka shot him a vicious glare.
How the hell was I supposed to know it would turn out like this?
A year ago, when she had fought alongside Ur, his strength had been average at best, barely worth mentioning. Now? Just one year later, who knew what kind of hellish training this monster had gone through to become like this?
Jelka's gaze grew complicated. Slowly, she turned her head toward Ur, only to see an enormous fireball hurtling straight toward her.
For a split second, she froze.
"Look out!" Beside her, Balen shouted and immediately grabbed Jelka and Dio, retreating at full speed.
Boom!
The gigantic fireball slammed into the ground. Blazing flames burst outward in a hemispherical shockwave, and in an instant, nearly a hundred meters of land transformed into a sea of fire.
It had to be said, when it came to hiring people, Diana was vastly wealthier than Pasfield. By comparison, Pasfield looked downright impoverished.
Aside from the three members of Angel's Wing, Diana had three additional experts guarding her at all times.
One of them, like Pasfield's, was a butler-bodyguard assigned by the Dori family, though Diana's was a bespectacled woman. The other two were powerful mages hired from a large hunters' guild, both possessing strength close to S-Class.
The moment Ur launched his attack, the three immediately escorted Diana away from the battlefield.
However, while Diana managed to escape Ur's strike, the surrounding members of the hunters' guild weren't nearly so fortunate. Earlier, to prevent Ur and his companions from fleeing, fifty or sixty mages had nearly encircled them completely.
Then, with a single fireball, Ur wiped out half of them.
"Courting death!" The two top fighters from the hunters' guild flew into a rage at the sight. Roaring furiously, they charged at Ur.
"Raging Tide's Roar!"
"Crimson Flame Stream!"
Sico and Sipa were twin brothers, yet the magic they practiced stood in stark opposition.
A surging torrent and blazing fire shot toward Ur simultaneously. Instead of weakening each other, their powers intertwined and grew even more formidable.
Ur's expression did not change.
A massive magic array blossomed in his palm. He slammed his hand toward the ground. "Molten Giant Claw!"
A colossal black-and-crimson claw, towering like a pillar, burst forth. It crushed the flames in midair with a single grip, then lifted Ur into the air, allowing him to evade the raging torrent below.
The effortless way Ur neutralized the two experts' attacks caused everyone else present to suck in a sharp breath.
Jelka and the other two exchanged a glance.
Then, all three moved at once.
Five golden magic arrays appeared behind Jelka, radiating endless light magic that surged into her body. Gradually, an exceptionally sacred and awe-inspiring aura began to emanate from her.
"Requip, Sacred Blade!" With a low shout, Balen's knight sword transformed into a golden blade glowing with intense light-element power.
"Cover me!" he called, charging toward Ur without hesitation.
"Be careful! That guy knows hand-to-hand combat too. He's not especially strong at it, but he's not helpless either," Jelka warned hurriedly, recalling something.
"Got it!" Balen responded, though inwardly he dismissed the warning.
Most mages in this world possessed sturdy physiques, and some learned basic martial techniques as a backup. But those amateur skills might work against ordinary mages. Against a true Magic Swordsman who specialized in close combat like him? It made no difference whether they existed or not.
"Holy Light Impact!"
The five golden arrays behind Jelka aligned into a straight line. The holy light she unleashed passed through each one, its power amplifying layer by layer. After receiving all five enhancements, it transformed into a golden pillar nearly three meters wide and blasted toward Ur.
"Light Flame!"
Seeing Balen and Jelka attack, Dio immediately followed suit.
White radiance flared like a column of pale fire. Though it carried no heat, it contained extraordinary power, like a force capable of purifying all things.
Ur's eyes sharpened.
Magic gathered in his palm once more. Another massive magic array formed on the ground, and a second Molten Giant Claw burst forth.
The instant it appeared, it met Jelka and Dio's attacks head-on.
Boom!
A violent shockwave erupted. Ice and snow were blasted into the air in all directions, and even the thick ice beneath their feet began to crack.
Five opponents launched simultaneous attacks against Ur, who controlled two colossal claws at once.
For a moment, Ur stood at the center of it all, like a true Great Demon King facing down the world itself.
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