Don't let her escape!" Andre, though caught off guard, quickly regained his composure thanks to his strength and shouted orders to the others.
Meanwhile, the magic clusters Phoenix had released transformed into horrifying black ghosts and charged at the group.
Remembering Alex's earlier advice, they quickly countered with fire curses, which proved effective against these necromantic spirits.
The ghosts shrieked as they burned, but they weren't so easily defeated.
After the flames hit, the ghosts exploded painfully, only to split into smaller, more numerous specters that continued to swarm and entangle the crowd.
"This is too slow!" Alex realized after a quick assessment.
Aside from their corrosive nature, these ghosts weren't especially deadly, at least not to elite wizards like them.
Still, their real danger lay in their resilience.
Each time a powerful spell struck, the ghosts fractured into smaller forms, prolonging the fight and wasting precious time.
Knowing this, Alex understood they couldn't afford any delays.
If Phoenix managed to slip away from the building, the wizards outside wouldn't be able to hold her back for long.
Then he lifted his right leg high, and a surge of Desolate Thunder descended upon him.
The electric energy wrapped around his leg from foot to knee, making it look as if he were wearing boots made of blue and silver lightning.
"Thunder Trample!" Alex shouted, stomping hard on the ground.
Instantly, a halo of lightning formed under his foot, spreading quickly across the area.
This halo wasn't just on the floor; it rose up into a ring-shaped electric wall that reached all the way to the ceiling.
The wall surged outward with unstoppable force.
When the relentless ghosts crashed into this electric barrier, they were zapped like mosquitoes hitting an electric swatter, turning to ash and losing their terrifying ability to split and multiply.
The powerful stomp not only broke the enemy's siege but also left a large hole in the floor.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Alex dropped down to the lower level, shouting up, "Moody, guard the main entrance! Everyone else, follow me quickly!"
After landing safely, he spotted a corroded hole nearby, realizing that Phoenix hadn't stayed on the second floor but had gone down even further.
Seeing the scene unfold before him, Alex didn't waste a second.
They had already lost nearly ten seconds upstairs, and if Phoenix got any more time, she might actually escape.
Determined, Alex quickly flipped his longsword upside down and stabbed it into the floor.
With a loud crack, a big hole broke open beneath him, and he dropped down to the first floor.
Once he landed, Alex immediately noticed something was off.
There was a large hole in the floor, and Phoenix had disappeared straight into the basement.
This struck him as strange because when Phoenix had returned to France, Alex had already snuck into the house and thoroughly checked every corner, including the basement.
There was no secret passage leading outside down there.
So why would Phoenix head into the basement?
But there was no time to ponder this now; he needed to act quickly.
Without hesitation, Alex plunged his longsword into the ground again, breaking through the floor as he continued his descent through the broken hole.
Suddenly, as he fell through the air, he heard a curse being chanted from below.
Then, several dark, shadowy magic bullets shot up toward him.
Instead of panicking, Alex actually felt a wave of relief.
If Phoenix was setting an ambush here, it meant she had no way out; he had her cornered.
He didn't dodge the incoming spells.
His entire body trembled, and his flying cloak hung motionless behind him, holding him steadily in midair.
Then, with a flash of blue and silver lightning from his longsword, charged with his [Thundris Tempest] magic, he swung it through the air, slicing at the shadowy bullets.
Bang! Bang!
Bang!
Those spells, called [Umbra Excidium], were Phoenix's signature attacks, but against Alex's [Thundris Tempest] magic, they were no match.
The clash created a loud, violent noise, but the shadow bullets couldn't break through his sword's electric barrier.
They were either instantly destroyed or sent flying harmlessly into the empty space around them.
When the Umbra Excidium spells hit the walls or floor, the intense corrosion and the sharp sound made it clear that these magical attacks were far from ordinary.
After deflecting Phoenix's ambush, Alex finally had a chance to assess his opponent's condition.
Phoenix stood awkwardly near the fireplace in the basement, about ten meters away.
She was still dressed in a thin lace nightgown but now
held a wand that Alex didn't know where she had gotten.
Her other hand was covered in Floo powder, indicating she had tried to escape through the Floo Network, but that attempt had clearly failed.
Since Alex planned to surround her, he had made sure to cut off any obvious escape routes, including disabling the Floo Network in the area before entering.
Beyond blocking the Floo Network, Alex had also taken precautions against ground-based escape spells.
He knew the club's defenses included a Subterreo, which could pass through walls and floors, so he had installed a jammer to block such spells.
Phoenix hadn't expected him to arrive so quickly.
Theoretically, her Anima Dirge spell should have delayed him for several minutes, giving her time to find a way out.
Instead, Alex caught up within ten seconds.
She hadn't tried escaping through the main entrance earlier because she sensed others were lying in ambush outside.
Without knowing the enemy's strength and unable to Apparate, running into the open would have made her an easy target.
She had intended to flee via the Floo Network, but her enemies were merciless enough to cut off that route as well.
Realizing she was trapped in the basement, Phoenix's eyes hardened.
She knew that if she didn't act now, she wouldn't get another chance.
Yet, despite the situation, she looked at Alex with a hint of reluctance.
"I've never met you before. Why would you come after me if you hold no grudge?" she asked.
Before Alex could respond, he shouted, "Fulmen Percutio!"
Just as Phoenix was about to speak, Alex, standing opposite her, suddenly thrust his sword, [Voltbrand], sharply under his ribs.
Without hesitation, he channeled the thundris tempest magic into the blade and lunged fiercely at the phoenix.
The furious and destructive energy, guided by the [Voltbrand], transformed into a solid blue and silver blade that extended along the tip of the sword.
With a fierce and overwhelming force, he stabbed toward Phoenix with relentless momentum.
In an instant, he closed the distance.
At that moment, Phoenix felt utterly powerless.
The young wizard in front of her looked kind and handsome, but why was he attacking so violently?
Why didn't he even give her a chance to speak?
Facing a delicate girl like her, bare and vulnerable, was such an aggressive move really necessary?