"Damn it!" Toby snarled as arcs of electricity crackled around his claws. "You dare underestimate me? I'll show you my true power!"
Just as he was about to charge, Lyon raised a hand to stop him.
"Stand down, Toby." Lyon's tone was calm but cold. "You're not his match."
Toby's jaw tightened, and his fists clenched so hard that his knuckles popped. Though unwilling to admit it, Lyon's words were the truth.
So, despite his frustration, Toby reluctantly took a step back.
Lyon locked eyes with the man standing across from him—Wes Elwin.
"What's your purpose for coming to Galuna Island?" he asked directly.
Wes didn't intend to hide his motives, though he didn't speak the full truth either.
"I heard a demon had appeared on this island," he said lightly. "I came to take a look. I didn't expect to find nothing more than a group of self-proclaimed mages, all bark and no bite."
At that, Lyon's eyes sharpened, his voice turning cold.
"In that case, you can leave now."
To Lyon, avoiding unnecessary conflict was the priority. The ritual was nearing its most critical phase—he couldn't afford any interference.
But Wes showed no sign of leaving. Instead, his lips curled into a faint, knowing smile.
"However," he said, "I've discovered something much more interesting."
He pointed toward the towering pyramid-like structure in the distance.
"Over there—you're conducting some kind of ritual, aren't you? Focusing moonlight into a—"
Before he could finish, a biting chill swept through the air. A massive bird made entirely of glistening ice swooped down from above, diving straight at him.
Lyon moved at the same moment.
Wes swung his wand fluidly, shattering the incoming ice birds one after another. Each burst apart with a crisp crack, scattering frozen shards across the ground.
He sighed softly. "So impatient. You could've at least let me finish my sentence."
But Lyon couldn't risk it. If he lets this outsider speak too much, the Magic Council might catch wind of their actions—and everything would be ruined.
Without hesitation, Lyon raised his hand again, summoning more magic.
"Ice-Make: Pack of Wolves!"
With his incantation, over a dozen snow-white wolves appeared out of thin air, each one lifelike and emanating a biting chill. They formed a formation and lunged toward Wes in unison.
Having previously fought Ul, Wes knew that ordinary flames couldn't destroy ice created by Ice-Make magic.
So he chose a far more powerful spell—the Cursed Flame Curse.
Chanting swiftly under his breath, he released streams of black fire from his fingertips. The flames surged forth like serpents, engulfing the charging snow wolves.
The black fire's power was terrifying—it didn't just melt the wolves; it vaporized them completely, leaving no trace, not even ash.
Lyon's eyes narrowed, his expression growing grave.
Black flames… I've never seen anything like it. He knew ordinary fire wouldn't work against his ice—that means he's fought an Ice-Make mage before.
Though shocked, Lyon didn't stop. His hands formed another intricate seal, his voice low and firm.
"Ice-Make: Fierce Tiger!"
With a burst of light, a massive tiger of ice materialized before Wes, its fangs glinting with lethal cold.
The ice tiger before him was enormous—its size was terrifying enough, but its strength and speed far surpassed the wolves from earlier. With a single leap, it lunged toward Wes Elwin, closing the distance in a heartbeat.
In the past, an attack that fast might have been too quick for Wes to follow.
But ever since his body had been enhanced, his perception had sharpened dramatically. His vision was clearer than ever—he could now see every minute movement of the tiger's muscles and claws.
"Perfect time for an experiment," Wes muttered.
He focused his power, condensing dark flames into a massive black greatsword. Under his precise control, not a trace of energy leaked from the weapon.
Raising the black sword, Wes brought it down in a clean arc aimed straight at the beast's forehead.
There was no resistance at all—just a smooth, effortless motion, as if slicing through tofu.
The tiger was cleaved neatly in half, and before its remains even hit the ground, its body evaporated into vapor, vanishing without a trace.
Wes swung the sword again experimentally.
(Still not quite used to it… movements are a little stiff.)
Lyon noticed that detail immediately.
(He's not well-trained in close combat.)
"Ice-Make: Giant Eagle!" Lyon shouted.
Spotting Wes's weakness, he shifted tactics—summoning multiple large, highly mobile eagles made of ice. They dove from above, swooping at incredible speed.
Wes swung his black sword again and again, shattering eagle after eagle midair.
Despite his enhanced physique, he had never undergone formal melee training. He could only rely on brute strength and sheer speed to fend them off.
Lyon commanded the ice eagles to reform into an aerial formation, launching waves of coordinated assaults.
More and more of them slipped through Wes's defenses, pressing in dangerously close.
(Looks like improving physical combat skills won't happen overnight.)
As the eagles neared, Wes suddenly loosened his grip—letting the black sword fall.
The moment it hit the ground, it erupted into a spiraling black fire tornado, consuming every ice eagle in sight.
Then, with a simple gesture, Wes directed the blazing vortex toward Lyon.
"Get out of the way, Lyon!" shouted Toby from nearby, panic-stricken. He could tell that the black fire held immense power, one that directly countered Lyon's Ice-Make magic.
"I can't," Lyon gritted out. He knew that if he dodged, the ancient pyramid ruins behind him—where the ritual was being prepared—would be destroyed by Wes's attack.
He couldn't let that happen.
Channeling all his power, Lyon used both hands—a rare occurrence for him.
"Ice-Make: Phoenix!"
A massive phoenix of ice burst forth, spreading its wings as it soared straight toward the oncoming firestorm.
Wes poured even more magic into his attack.
The fire tornado roared louder, burning hotter, overwhelming the ice phoenix little by little.
Sweat streamed down Lyon's forehead.
Though his magic was strong, it was nowhere near Wes's level. Still, he refused to back down, pouring every last drop of power into maintaining the ice phoenix.
"Now's my chance!"
Toby took the opportunity to strike, launching his signature move—Lightning Claw!
But Wes didn't even glance at him. With a simple sidestep, he dodged cleanly.
Then, using the momentum, he hooked his right foot around Toby's ankle, tripping him hard into the ground.
"Ice-Make: Great Ape!"
Seizing the moment, Lyon summoned a massive ice gorilla that beat its chest before slamming its colossal fist downward toward Wes.
The impact roared across the battlefield.
°°°
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