First came the light. Even though Freon's eyelids were closed, the pure white light still managed to get through. There was no difference. Everything was bathed in white! Then came the sound. The loud explosion blasted his eardrums and made him dizzy. He fought the nausea and concentrated on his spell. Then came the heat. It was hot, so unbelievably hot that Freon felt his clothes and skin burning up again. When he inhaled, he breathed in pure heat. Even his tears, sweat, and blood dried up. He was basically being cooked alive. Still, his focus did not waver, because he knew what was coming. Finally came the flames. These flames resembled lava more than ordinary fire. They were far more liquid, thick, and overpowering! It looked like the end of the world! The flames rushed at Freon with incredible speeds. Likewise, Freon's spell activated, producing a large flame wall. He would fight fire with fire! Whoosh! The two spells violently slammed into each other.
A vast number of flames, reminiscent to an ocean, covered the floor, the walls, the ceiling, and everything in sight. Everything was on fire! Rocks turned orange and melted, slowly transforming the cavern. And at the center of this endless inferno stood a small, lonely, and precarious reef. It was Freon's flame wall! This sanctuary was tiny. Elizabeth was next to Freon, and she was hardly safe. Her fingers were merely a touch away from the outside where they would have been incinerated into dust. She clung closer to Freon. He was too busy unleashing everything he had to notice.
His idea was simple. A battle between magic spells was, in essence, a battle between interference strength. The stronger spell would engulf the weaker one and dominate the space. Freon could not compete against the Rank 2 Beast Lord, arguably even at his full strength, and certainly not now, when he was at his weakest. However, most of the salamander's attack was dispersed over a large area, meaning the density of its interference strength was equally spread out. So, as long as Freon could concentrate his spell and interference strength into a small enough area, then they had a tiny chance to survive. It was an absolutely ludicrous idea, born out of sheer desperation and hope. Nobody would have considered it sane and yet, he made it work. His weak flames somehow offset that overwhelming inferno!
The issue was that the flames endlessly assaulted Freon's spell. Much like troops reinforcing the frontlines, it was a constant onslaught of interference strength. The safety area was slowly shrinking. The air became blazing hot, and the ground underneath them started liquefying. Some flames burst through and poked holes in the flame wall. Freon cursed fiercely. Since he had no time, he could not use his Bloodline Ability, though it was debatable whether he could in the first place. The same went for double casting. This was his limit. He tried to call for Elizabeth's help, but nothing came out. His lips, tongue, and throat were dry to the point of hurting. He felt his entire body reducing to ash.
Suddenly, wind blew in from behind. He relaxed, because it must be Elizabeth. Since she was caught unprepared and the backlash was still affecting her, she was slightly slow to respond. Nevertheless, her spell came at the right time. She knew that if she thoughtlessly casted her spell, the interference strength would weaken both her and Freon's spell. It would ultimately kill them. Her thoughts were a mess, but she understood that much. To prevent that from happening, she needed a spell to draw in wind from elsewhere. That wind would not be the byproduct of her spell, so it would not be affected by interference strength. Her spell became the 'paper fan' that blew air.
This had a fatal flaw though. The wind had to come from somewhere, and they were surrounded by endless flames. She would simply be pulling the fire in and burning them alive. Therefore, the answer she arrived at was to bend the air around them in a wind barrier. She had no need for delicate control or double casting. Freon's flame wall did half the work already, causing the flames to curve around them. Elizabeth's wind barrier would only follow their path. Most importantly, her wind would strengthen Freon's flames. Whoosh! His spell gained a second life as it flared with extraordinary power! He vaguely pushed back the endless fire for an instant before his spell started collapsing. It was not enough! Elizabeth and Freon roared defiantly and unearthed every bit of energy they had! An unimaginable contest of elements took place!
Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, their Magic Circles shattered and they spat out mouthfuls of blood. They were mere steps away from death. Their spells failed, not because of a lack of concentration or willpower, but because the ambient interference strength had grown too high. The world was imposing natural order again. Similarly, the endless flames from the salamander's spell faded, leaving behind a molten landscape. Although Elizabeth and Freon were in terrible condition, they successfully beat the odds and lived! Freon endured most of the pressure, being the first to respond and standing at the forefront. His clothes were reduced to rags. His skin was blackened several shades. His hair was a sizzling mess. Even his wand broke apart in his hands. So, when the pressure lifted, he immediately stumbled and fainted.
Elizabeth hunched over as a vast weakness assaulted her body and mind. The world spun in her vision, as her blood flow went chaotic. She vomited again and again. A stinky puddle of blood and stomach bile formed at her feet, yet that did not seem to help. Her legs buckled and she dropped to her knees. Just lifting her head felt like a titanic task. The dullness in her body and mind made her believe she aged a decade or more. Funnily enough, despite all that her body went through, she could still feel pain and exhaustion. She was unsure whether that was a good or bad thing. None of her limbs responded as if it was almost not her body anymore. This was the price of using World Energy. Her very lifeforce was expended to cast the spell. The allure of a deep sleep never seemed nicer; however, she did her best to resist it. Losing herself here would doom both Freon and her. She needed to get them to safety before she passed out.
Her fingers crawled across the ground towards Freon. They were physically close, yet that distance was as vast as a valley. Time stretched unbearably long. Faster. Faster! She needed to go faster before those monsters fought again! Her eyelids grew heavier, her breathing more laboured, and her thoughts slowed too. When she finally reached Freon, she was elated, only to discover she became too weak to grab him. No matter how she tried, willed, or pleaded, nothing worked. Freon was immovable! Despair set in as Elizabeth realized she had reached her limit, truly and completely this time. There was nothing left to give. And… assuming she chose to burn up her remaining World Energy, it was pointless. The high interference strength had created a dead zone, meaning no spells or techniques could be used here. She was stuck. Once she understood that, the last remnants of her strength evaporated and darkness consumed her.
On the surface, Protector Avin dodged another swipe from the Obsidian Wind Wolf. The boulder he stood on was sliced into four clean pieces. Moments later, a large section of the cliffside was eaten by the Fat Light Chicken. It cawed angrily at the escaping wolf and Protector Avin. The wounds on its body were rapidly healing. Protector Avin squinted as he retreated again. The Bubble Trap Toad and the Extreme Blade Mantis were waiting for an opportunity to strike. Since he was not in his peak condition, engaging with them was a careless move, especially with that Triple Poison Ferret and the Featherwind Sect nearby. They could change the cadence of battle in an instant. He suddenly stopped. The strings of karma connecting him to Nassandra and Freon tensed violently. They were in more danger than before. It was a serious risk to their lives! He cursed. What was the Featherwind Sect doing? No, it was wrong to trust them in the first place. The bigger question was what was he doing? He was a Blue Depth Core Arcanist! This was not the time to hesitate.