Amid the chaos, the buyers quickly fled the underground hall, with their footsteps echoing wildly as panic spread. But those who were unlucky or simply too weak were cut down where they stood, torn apart by the winged serpents before they could even reach the exits.
As for the remaining dealers and guards, they were all Indigo mages. Naturally, they could hold their own, especially given their numerical advantage. While the winged serpents were very strong, it was still ten against two, and the balance of the battle was already beginning to tip.
On the other side of the hall, Augustus barely blinked as his attack failed to leave a mark on the bald dealer.
"Yeah… I didn't really put my good side into that one," he said, tilting his head slightly. "That was more of a… warm-up strike."
He narrowed his eyes, trying to look intense.
"Also, are you… like… immune to damage? Or is this one of those things where you're impressed but just not showing it?"
Not far from him, the bald dealer slowly dusted off his shoulder. His gaze flicked to the two winged serpents at the other side of the hall for a moment before returning to Augustus.
"Pathetic," he said flatly, his lips curling into a thin, disdainful smile. "I've seen children conjure more impressive tricks, with half the effort."
"And yet, here you are… still foolish enough to stand before me."
He took a slow step forward. "Allow me to demonstrate what real power looks like."
He dipped his shoulders slightly, drawing his fist down as his knees bent. In one swift motion, he drove upward, his fist arcing in a sharp uppercut.
"Shadow Azure Spell: Distanceless Uppercut!"
BANG!
As if distance meant nothing, his fist struck Augustus in the stomach. Though it never physically reached him, the impact landed all the same, lifting Augustus off the ground.
It was a spell that ignored distance, a guaranteed hit.
Before Augustus's body hit the ground, the bald dealer was already preparing to cast another spell. However, he was interrupted when Edmund rushed in with his sword.
With precise movements, Edmund unleashed a barrage of attacks. He did not swing wildly. Each strike was deliberate and perfectly aimed. Yet, as if he could anticipate every move, the dealer evaded each attack with ease.
And once he found an opening, the bald dealer drove his foot into Edmund's stomach, sending him flying several yards back.
He then cast the exact same spell as before, a distanceless uppercut, sending Edmund's body upward up until it struck the ceiling before it slowly fell back to the floor.
Once he was done with Edmund, he shifted his focus to Augustus who had recovered from earlier attack.
This time, already back to his feet, Augustus cast another spell.
"Flamus"
"I poured, like, more than half of my soul essence into this one," he added, voice equal parts serious and self impressed. "So it better be… you know… iconic."
In an instant, flames engulfed the bald dealer's body. The blaze burned with such intensity that a heat wave rippled outward, scorching everything within several yards.
This is a similar type of spell to the one previously cast by the bald dealer, a guaranteed hit spell.
But as an azure mage, his body was far more resilient than most. An indigo level spell like Augustus's was not enough to bring him down.
Still, the pain was real. It gnawed at him, sharp and relentless, forcing a grimace across his otherwise composed face.
But even so, he did not hesitate. Through the flames, he raised his hand and cast a spell.
Two pitch black spears shot toward Augustus at blinding speed, tearing through the air with a sharp, piercing shriek.
Augustus reacted just in time. He managed to parry one, deflecting it away with a sharp motion. The other, however, slipped past his guard. It tore across his shoulder, grazing deep enough to draw blood and send a jolt of pain through his body.
Not far from the bald dealer and Augustus, Edmund's body hit the floor. Yet even as he fell, he drove his sword into the ground. In an instant, seven ice golems rose around the bald dealer, surrounding him on all sides.
At that moment, Edmund realized the Ring of Storm had been completely drained of essence. The sword that summoned the ice golems had consumed every last trace of essence within it.
On the other side of the hall, the remaining azure mage froze as he caught sight of a familiar figure standing before him.
"Arminius… how?" he breathed, his voice barely steady.
His eyes flicked to the vampire's chest, widening in disbelief. The black wooden stake that had once pierced his heart was gone.
Arminius raised his index finger and tapped the silver blue ring, a crooked smile spreading across his face.
"Hey, it was all thanks to this little beauty right here," he said. "Given to me by a certain deity after I swore my undying faith, you know how it is. Very unique item, totally custom. Allows me to cast a spell right through those chains and that cursed stake they thought would hold me down."
He took a slow step forward, eyes locked on the mage.
"Torbit, tonight… you're done. You're gonna die."
A moment later, Torbit and Arminius cast their spells at the same time.
Behind Arminius, two Terrorbirds materialized, each one towering over him at twice his height. Their massive forms loomed like living shadows, talons scraping against the ground as they let out low, guttural cries.
Behind Torbit, a monstrous two headed bear emerged. It stood like a moving fortress, its twin maws snarling in opposite directions. Each of its claws was as large as a human arm, tearing into the floor as it shifted its weight.
Without any delay, the beasts clashed.
On the other side of the hall, the battle raged on.
Two gigantic winged serpents clashed against ten indigo mages. Spells collided in bursts of light and force, echoing through the vast hall. The serpents fought fiercely, but they were being driven back, their movements slowing as wounds began to accumulate.
It was only a matter of time before the two beasts fell to the combined might of the indigo mages.
At one of the cages, a female vampire had just freed herself, using a simple shattering spell to break the chains that bound her. Once she was free, she was finally able to sense her own Soul Essence again.
This time, she cast another summoning spell, not relying on the Ring of Storms as its foundation, but drawing directly from her own soul, an Azure Soul Essence that burned as its fuel.
She whispered, "Summoning Spell: Forgotten Knight of Vengeance."
After casting the spell, she turned away and quickly searched for something to cover her body. Only then did she move to free the other vampires from their cages.
At some point in time, across the hall, the light dimmed.
No one saw when he arrived. Amid the chaos, where dealers and guards clashed against the two winged serpents, a lone figure now stood. A knight clad in battered silver armor, worn and scarred by countless battles.
In his hands rested a greatsword, rusted and seemingly fragile.
Yet when he swung it, there was nothing weak about it. The blade cut cleanly through its first victim of the night, claiming a soul as if it had been waiting far too long to do so.
The guards and dealers' faces filled with shock as they realized they had lost one of their own.
It had happened in an instant. One moment he was still standing among them, and the next, he was dead. Even with just a glance, they knew. This knight was not something they could face without risking their lives.
At some point, the guard stationed at the surface noticed a disturbance below when he saw several buyers rushing out of the building in panic.
He went down to check the underground himself. The moment he saw what was happening, he gasped.
Two massive terrorbirds were locked in a violent clash with a gigantic two headed bear. Nearby, a battered silver knight wielding a rusty greatsword fought against a group of guards and dealers. Not far from them, two enormous winged serpents twisted through the air, battling more guards and dealers in a chaotic frenzy.
Without hesitation, the guard rushed back to the surface. With only one thought filled his mind.
'I have to report this to the boss. The trading hall has been attacked!'
The moment he stepped outside, he sprinted at full speed toward the City of Light, muttering under his breath, "Just you wait. Anyone who dares to attack the trading hall will be killed by the boss without mercy."
With a spell specialized in speed, the entrance guard reached the city gate in a few minutes. To avoid drawing suspicion, he slowed his pace only as he approached the gate.
The moment he passed beyond the walls, he surged forward again. Soon after, he arrived at a particular building. He rushed inside and found an old man with gray hair, quietly reading a book.
"Boss Goretzka!"
The guard's voice rang out, breathless and strained.
Sensing the urgency in his expression, Goretzka rose from his seat. "What has happened?"
The guard took a deep breath before answering.
"The underground trading hall is under attack!"
Goretzka's gaze hardened. "Who did this…"
"…who thinks they can mess with my business?"
A crooked grin crept across his face, his eyes burning with something wild.
Without hesitation, he set off at once, heading toward the underground trading hall.
In his mind, there was only one thought. To kill and destroy anyone who dared to disturb his business.