Thunderbird stood still, frozen, not from fear, but from memory. He stared into the storm, his eyes distant, as though something long buried was resurfacing.
Chimaera saw this and sneered. "What's wrong? Too scared to move? If that's the case, just get on your knees and beg." His heart was brimming with cruelty, his hatred swirling like the ice around him.
But then, Thunderbird finally spoke. His voice was calm, almost emotionless at first. "Using this spell… it shows you've got some skill. You even figured out how to cast it properly."
He raised his head slowly, his gaze locking onto Chimaera's with icy intensity. "But you're still a fool… because you dared to use that spell, in front of me."
"FiendFire Ardor!"
With a deep sigh, Thunderbird suddenly roared, his voice booming like thunder crashing to the ground. In an instant, a terrifying surge of magic burst from him, his entire body glowing with a brilliant, blazing red light.
Scarlet flames, thick and heavy-looking like molten liquid, erupted around him, rapidly blooming out of thin air. The fiery blossoms multiplied at an alarming speed, eventually forming a sprawling sea of Fiendfire.
Within moments, this blazing sea surged forward like a furious tidal wave, crashing head-on into the incoming storm of ice crystals. As the flames devoured the icy wind, the fiery flowers merged together, linking up into a massive, unified wall of fire that charged violently towards Chimaera.
Seeing the overwhelming power of the attack, Chimaera nearly lost control of himself from sheer terror. 'Was Thunderbird insane? Did he plan to blow himself up along with everything else?' But there was no time to think, he had to act fast.
Desperately, he poured all his remaining magic into the icy wind, trying to push back the oncoming wave of Fiendfire. But Thunderbird's flames were thick and heavy, like molten lead, and no matter how hard he tried, it felt impossible to stop them.
At this rate, he probably wouldn't last another minute. And now, with everything he had focused on defense, even surrendering wasn't an option anymore.
"I don't have time to waste on garbage like you, Chimaera."
Thunderbird didn't give him a second longer. His voice was cold, void of emotion, and without any unnecessary words, He yanked his wand with force, as if drawing a weapon from the air itself.
In response, a blazing sword of fire, scarlet and wild, appeared in his hand, flames dancing along its blade.
With one hand, Thunderbird raised the fiery sword high above his head. His gaze was filled with contempt, and with the ease of swatting a bug, he swung it down.
In that instant, Chimaera saw the wall of Fiendfire split in two. From within the flames, a massive fire blade extended, growing larger and larger as it came down straight at him, unstoppable, and merciless.
Faced with the terrifying and overwhelming slash, Chimaera didn't even have time to react. All he could do was stare in horror as the scarlet blade grew larger and closer right before his eyes.
Fear completely consumed him, his body froze on the spot, paralyzed by panic. His mind went blank, as if he had already crossed into the afterlife.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed through the duel hall. At the same moment, a powerful burst of magical energy erupted where Chimaera stood.
The shockwave rippled outward, and with it, the fierce flames that had engulfed the hall slowly died down. Thick green smoke lingered in the air, clinging to the scorched ground and walls, clear signs that the area had just endured intense heat.
A few seconds passed before Chimaera, still in shock, realized he was somehow still alive. As he slowly came to his senses, he noticed someone standing in front of him, a figure whose clothes were still trailing green smoke.
It was Ashwinder!
"Let's stop here, Thunderbird."
At that moment, Ashwinder lowered his stance, the tip of his glowing wand still pointed forward. His expression was serious as he faced the man standing ahead, still gripping his long blade.
"This is just a qualification test. If you actually kill someone, we'll all be in deep trouble."
The moment Thunderbird unleashed Fiendfire, Ashwinder knew things had gone too far.
'Damn it,' he thought.
This is supposed to be a basic assessment. Was it really necessary to pull out Ferrum Ignis ?
Clearly, Thunderbird wasn't someone who held back once he got pissed off. And sure enough, once he drew his signature move, Ferrum Ignis, Ashwinder could only curse silently. He knew then that he couldn't just sit back and watch things spiral out of control.
Thankfully, he had prepared in advance. Just as Thunderbird was about to strike, Ashwinder used a secret technique to rush in and protect Chimaera. He arrived just in time.
Thunderbird hadn't gone all-out with his attack, or else the spell wouldn't have been enough to put out the raging flames. Still, even with his quick reaction, Ashwinder took a hit. Casting a powerful spell like that on the fly left his limbs aching, and the green smoke rising from his body was a painful reminder of the lingering heat from the Fiendfire.
He shot a furious glare at Chimaera, who stood behind him, looking clueless.
'What the hell were you thinking?' he wanted to yell. 'Couldn't you see the guy in front of you clearly isn't right in the head? Why would you go and provoke someone like that?'
But in the end, Ashwinder could only blame himself. Should've known better than to suggest having Thunderbird oversee this stupid test.
Now, looking around at the dueling hall, the scorched floor, the cracked walls still smoldering, he felt a wave of regret. Great, now they'll all just walk away after causing this mess and leave me to clean it up.
Across from him, Thunderbird noticed Ashwinder stepping in and didn't push further. He let out a cold snort, gave his wand a flick, and the blazing Ferrum Ignis vanished in a hiss of smoke.
"Relax, will you? I just wanted to test the reflexes of that piece of trash behind you," Thunderbird said with a sneer. "If things got out of hand, I would've stepped in."
Ashwinder gritted his teeth but said nothing. 'Yeah right,' he cursed silently. 'You're full of crap, you crazy old man.'
He was sure that if he hadn't intervened in time, that Chimaera would've been reduced to ashes. And knowing Thunderbird, he'd probably stand there mocking the whole thing, saying something like, "I didn't even use much force, and this guy still died. What a weakling."
And sure enough, as if reading Ashwinder's thoughts, Thunderbird kept going with his taunts.
"This guy really lives up to the name 'trash.' I barely did anything, and he just froze there like an idiot, didn't even try to fight back. Tell me, is someone like that really qualified to be promoted?" Thunderbird scoffed, shaking his head.
"Honestly, I'm starting to worry about the future of this club. I hope Golden Snidget can give a proper explanation."
He turned slightly and added one last jab. "Back when I was in charge of assessments, someone like him wouldn't even make it past the first round. But now? Well, that's your call."
With that, Thunderbird spun on his heel and walked back toward the reception room, leaving behind a heavy silence.