Making a spectacular entrance, Ella landed among the rebels, twirling her scepter. She placed it in front of her and said:
Ella: All right, here I go. I can't back down anymore. Get ready—I won't be going easy on you.
City of LURENO, Third Avenue
Meanwhile, in an alley partly destroyed by the fighting, stood Silone. He was facing a rebel with a horribly scarred face, armed with a massive club. The man charged at Silone, but his movements were too clumsy. In less than three seconds, Silone disarmed him. Terrified, the man fled. Silone tried to pursue, but fiery chains descended from the sky. He dodged them all before muttering to himself:
(Silone): (This is getting annoying. This whole setup was clearly planned by someone. Whoever it is… they're really getting on my nerves.)
Silone looked toward the rooftops. There sat a man in profile, his back turned, a staff resting on his legs. He gazed in Silone's direction. The man wore a white T-shirt and loose black pants, his shirt tied at his waist. His face looked to be in his twenties, framed by messy, long hair.
From his perch, the man said:
Man: It takes some courage to wander this far in.
Beside him, a figure in a long black hooded coat and a black mask spoke:
Shadow: We could take them all down at once with our mages surrounding them.
The man turned his head toward the speaker and said:
Man: You really should stop appearing like that. And as for your idea—no. If they haven't escaped yet, it's because they don't want to go all out. They're protecting civilians. They're avoiding unnecessary risk.
If you ask me, they're waiting for someone.
The hooded figure, hands behind their back, asked:
Shadow: Are you sure of that, Master Maxuel?
Maxuel glanced at the person beside him, then asked:
Maxuel: Hold on—are you a man or a woman? You know, that's always bothered me.
The person stood motionless for a moment, then sighed and removed the mask and hood, revealing shoulder-length black hair and delicately shaped features.
Maxuel: Ah, so you were a woman!
The woman in the black coat replied sharply:
Shadow: Don't dodge the question—answer me!
Keeping his gaze fixed on the avenue where Silone was, Maxuel replied:
Maxuel: I thought women were supposed to have intuition. Because I can tell something's coming—and it's big.
The Heroes' Hideout
Meanwhile, Silone entered a half-ruined building and went down into the basement. Inside were dozens of civilians: children, gravely injured adults, even pregnant women. As he stepped in, he saw Iris—still dressed in her white priestess robe—moving from one wounded person to another, comforting and healing them.
On the other side of the cellar stood Arthur, also tending to the injured and reassuring the frightened children. Silone approached quietly. The children watched his long black cape with fascination, while the adults glared at him with distrust.
When he reached Arthur, who was finishing healing a child, Arthur smiled and said:
Arthur: Please, could you give us a moment?
The child, thrilled, replied eagerly:
Child: Of course, Sir Hero!
Watching the scene, Silone thought:
(Silone): (Arthur's aura is something else. He radiates cheer and hope, yet there's power behind it—even without a blessing. He's truly born to be a hero.)
Once the child left, Arthur crossed his arms and asked:
Arthur: So, what's your assessment?
Silone answered coolly:
Silone: We're still trapped. We'll need outside help. Without your barrier around this building, we'd already be dead.
Still deep in thought, arms folded, Arthur replied:
Arthur: Furious said the same thing.
Silone looked around before asking:
Silone: Where is Furious, anyway?
Iris suddenly appeared behind Silone, touching his shoulder and smiling:
Iris: He just stepped out! Don't worry so much. The Goddess told me everything will be fine.
Arthur asked, surprised:
Arthur: What do you mean?
She answered with a sly grin:
Iris: Simple—the destructive light has already arrived.
Ella's Intervention
Suddenly, a loud Bang! echoed through all of LURENO. Something shot through the air between buildings at incredible speed. Archers tried to intercept it, but their arrows froze midair. Then, from the flying object, a voice rang out:
Ella (Voice): Earthquake!
The ground cracked open, trapping the archers where they stood. The object kept moving through the streets until it reached a gathering point where dozens of armed rebels had assembled.
A scepter spun and was leveled at them:
Ella: Light Ray Barrage!
Magic circles appeared everywhere, unleashing a storm of light beams that struck every rebel and tore through the surrounding buildings. The assault pressed forward relentlessly.
As the deafening noise of magic explosions reached Maxuel's ears, he said, without even turning his head:
Maxuel: You see, Shadow. You might as well tell all your mages to retreat.
No—wait. Forget it. Leave them.
The woman in the black coat asked:
Shadow: Why do you say that?
Maxuel: Let's just say—they've already lost.
Speeding through another street, a hand extended into the air, gripping a man by the face.
Ella (Voice): Explosion!
An explosion burst from her palm, blasting the man backward.
(Ella): (The first one was here… the next one's right there!)
Her scepter swung in the other direction. A magic circle appeared, launching a lightning bolt that curved around a corner and struck a hidden mage.
(Ella): (There, there, there, and there too!)
This time, the scepter pointed downward.
Ella: Revelation of the Mountains!
Magic circles formed beneath several hidden mages. Pillars of earth shot up, impaling them in the stomach.
(Ella): (And finally—!)
The scepter rose toward the sky.
Maxuel: Hahaha! Bringing her in was a bold move.
Dozens of magic circles appeared above the city.
Elsewhere, Lora and her team were subduing the remaining rebels.
Lora looked up at the sky and said:
Lora: She's not holding back at all. I thought they were exaggerating.
Back in the building, Arthur and the others struggled to stay on their feet as tremors shook everything.
Iris laughed and shouted:
Iris: What did I tell you!!!
And everyone knew it—this girl was a miracle.
From Ella's lips came the final words:
Ella: Intermediate Light Spell: "Divine Rain of Light!"
Every hidden mage was struck by a massive white beam from the heavens.
Ella stood at the center, shining brilliantly.
She was the Prodigy Mage of Light.
END OF CHAPTER
You people don't even realize how much I'm outdoing myself here—three whole chapters of pure gold, and not even one comment! I get it, you're just haters, you don't like me. Fine, whatever. See you later.
NEXT CHAPTER: The Heroic Group Takes Action — Maxuel.