The azure flames spread with impossible speed, devouring the purple mana. The ground cracked as the hidden caster tried to flip the soil to smother the fire, but the blue flames simply burned through the dirt.
"YOU PEOPLE ARE UNFAIR! WHAT KIND OF FIRE IS THIS!?"
The voice was tearful and filled with indignation. A tall woman with flowing white hair and a lavish kimono stepped out from behind a tree, looking utterly defeated.
"Is that the Yokai?" Alistair asked. Aside from her height and her hair that trailed on the ground, she looked perfectly human.
"I'm a Baku," the woman snapped, wiping her eyes. "A Dream Demon! Don't compare me to those common beasts! I master the power of dreams and reality!"
"A Dream Demon? Interesting," Tamagane whispered. "They can turn illusions into reality. Their origin is a mystery."
"Since you know who I am, you should realize the gap between us!" The woman, whose name was Bagg, thrust her hand toward them.
Suddenly, glowing rings of light appeared around Alistair and the others, constricting tightly and pinning their arms to their sides.
"This is it?" Alistair asked, feeling the light pressing against him. It felt like brittle plastic. "Shouldn't you worry about the fire? It's about to finish off your little playground."
"You're in my trap! Shut up and take back those flames, or I'll crush you!" Bagg yelled.
"Make me," Alistair teased. "If you're so powerful, why not just make the fire 'unreal'?"
Bagg bit her lip. She was panicking. This barrier had cost her months of stored mana crystals. The azure fire was literally eating her savings.
"Fine! Have it your way!" She poured more energy into the bindings, but Alistair just stood there, looking bored.
"Are you done?" Alistair flexed his muscles. The glowing rings shattered like glass.
"Impossible! I used a third of my power on that binding!" Bagg gasped, backing away.
"Dragon scales have high magic resistance," Alistair smirked, cracking his knuckles. His skin might look human, but it functioned as high-grade Dragon armor. In RPG terms, he had 99% magic immunity and 100% tenacity. He was a literal stat-monster.
"Dragon scales? Don't lie, Dragons are extinct!" Bagg sneered, her body beginning to turn translucent. "I might not be able to beat you, but you'll never catch me!"
"So confident," Alistair sighed. "But life is full of surprises. Let's try out my new move. Come into my parlor, little fly."
Alistair extended his hand. "REALM OF THE ABYSS!"
Bagg's translucent body suddenly snapped back into physical reality. A dome of ink-black shadow erupted from Alistair, swallowing the entire mountainside. The world turned grey and silent.
"Welcome," Alistair whispered, his eyes glowing with draconic power. "To my world."