Hearing Sora's response, Duke Yanryu's eyes widened — his expression flickering with envy, jealousy, and regret.
Among mages, most could master only a single discipline, even at the prestigious [Square-tier] level. Those capable of wielding two elements were already considered prodigies. For instance, Tabasa, skilled in both Wind and Water, stood as one of the leading [Triangle-tier] magicians in the kingdom. Having mastery over two elements made one harder to counter — and infinitely more adaptable in battle.
But Sora, who could command three different elements, was nearly invincible among his peers. He could adapt to any opponent's weakness and was almost impossible to restrain.
If a [Quadruple-tier] mage ever arose, one who mastered all four elements, their destructive potential would be second only to the legendary [Five-Star] magicians. Each element's fourth-tier spell carried world-shaking power — [Heavenly Fire Burns City] for fire, [Tornado] for wind, [Great Flood] for water, and [Landslide] for earth. Most Square-tier magicians could only master one of these. But a four-element mage could unleash all four, tailoring their assault to any battlefield. Even if individually weaker than a single-element specialist, their versatility in large-scale war would far outweigh the difference.
Duke Yanryu's wounded pride boiled into fury. He had been refused, humiliated, and wounded by this upstart. And now, realizing how dangerous Sora would become if he reached the Quadruple-tier, a chilling thought emerged: If this man lives, Toristine's power will grow too strong.
Better to kill him now — before he matures.
Murderous intent surged through Duke Yanryu. Sensing his master's rage, the fire dragon beneath him roared, its throat glowing crimson as it gathered a pillar of flame and spat it toward Sora from dozens of meters away.
Sora yanked hard on his griffin's reins, soaring upward just in time as the flaming blast gouged a deep, smoking crater into the earth below.
Duke Yanryu urged his dragon onward, drawing a wand from his waist, his expression cold and resolute.
"No—he's serious this time. Partner, fly! Get out of here!" Dever's voice rang in Sora's mind.
Sora could feel it too — that searing, unmistakable killing intent. For reasons he couldn't fathom, the Duke now meant to end his life.
"Let's go, boy!" he shouted to his griffin, turning sharply toward the city.
A furious roar echoed behind him. The dragon released a flurry of fireballs, raining them down like cannon fire.
Sora twisted midair, swinging his sword again and again — absorbing and deflecting blazing orbs of death with Dever's glow.
But Duke Yanryu's chanting never stopped. Although Sora couldn't hear the words at such a distance, the heat thickened around them — the air itself shimmering with suffocating intensity.
Slicing through the incoming flames, Sora poured every ounce of magic into shielding his griffin. The little creature flapped as fast as it could, wings trembling, until finally the far-off outline of the city appeared through the haze.
Sora's heart lifted — if he could return to the city's defenses, the pursuit would end.
But just as that thought formed, Duke Yanryu snapped open his eyes. He raised his wand and brought it crashing down.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Sora looked up in horror. The clear night sky filled with dozens of blazing crimson orbs — human-sized fireballs forming one after another, tilting downward in deadly arcs. There were at least forty or fifty, with more still gathering above.
The air trembled. This was fourth-tier fire magic — [Heavenly Fire Burns City].
Meteors fell in waves. Dodging them was impossible.
Sora drew a long breath and steadied his stance, balancing atop his griffin's back. "All right, Dever — full power!"
Dever's voice rang bright and fierce. "Got it, buddy!"
The sword gleamed like liquid light — its reforged blade, blessed by the water spirit, radiated divine brilliance.
The first fireball struck. Sora swung downward, cleaving it — its molten core absorbed into Dever's blade. But three more struck a heartbeat later. One seared the griffin's wing, flames licking up its side as it screamed in pain.
With his free hand, Sora thrust forward, chanting sharply. A torrent of water burst from his palm, steaming as it struck descending orbs, slowing several in midair. Steam filled the sky, cloaking their flight. The griffin beat its smoldering wings, diving and darting through the gaps, narrowly avoiding further impact.
Behind them, the world burned — the endless barrage of fireballs igniting trees, grass, and even the fields surrounding the city walls. Blazing towers of fire roared into the sky.
But before Sora could catch his breath, a second wave fell — another thirty or forty orbs descending from above.
He swung Dever again, releasing the flames his sword had absorbed. The discharged fireballs collided with incoming ones midair, producing a series of blinding explosions that thrust the griffin forward with the shockwave.
Still they fell.
Sora unleashed second-tier water magic — [Water Shock] — to intercept them, but his magic was draining fast. Dever absorbed some strikes, rechanneling them as counterbursts, yet it wasn't enough. The sky itself seemed to collapse in fire.
Exhausted, Sora staggered but kept slashing — each impact shaking through his arms. The griffin faltered, wings buckling from the blast waves. Gritting his teeth, Sora thrust his sword outward once more, forcing an explosion behind him that flung them upward through the firestorm.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Four more fireballs struck. Sora parried one head-on but couldn't stop the rest. The remaining three engulfed his griffin. Flames wrapped around it — the creature's scream pierced the night as it was consumed in fire.
Sora threw up his arms, shielding his face. Dever pulsed with light, absorbing what flames it could, but the inferno swallowed them whole. The griffin, mortally wounded, lost balance and fell.
Far above, Duke Yanryu's face had gone pale. He poured his final magic reserves into controlling the remaining dozen fireballs, bending their trajectory to chase Sora's falling body.
"Skreeee!"
The burning griffin still lived. Wreathed in flame, it spread its wings — wings now made of fire — and veered sharply, gliding sideways through the air. Like a phoenix of ash and light, it soared several hundred meters before crashing down to earth.
Sora hit the ground rolling, dousing the fires clinging to his clothes with mud and sweat. When he rose, covered in soot, his eyes found the charred figure of his griffin lying motionless nearby. Grief tightened in his chest.
Above him, the fire dragon hurtled closer, its roar shaking the air. The last volley of flaming meteors crashed nearby, gouging another massive crater and filling the horizon with fire.
"Damn you, Duke Yanryu," Sora spat, his voice hoarse with pain. Burns seared his body, rage burning hotter within. Clutching Dever, he cursed himself for holding back earlier. If only [Great Wind Thorn] had struck his heart… if I'd known he'd try to kill me, I should've ended him first.
He turned and sprinted toward the city.
The devastating echoes of [Heavenly Fire Burns City] had already roused the entire capital. Soldiers and citizens poured into the streets. Even Headmaster Osman staggered from his quarters, gripping his wand, while William and Tabasa mounted their griffins and cloud-dragons, searching the skies for Sora.
At the city gates, Sora stumbled forward, barely able to run.
Tabasa and William spotted him and swept down on their mounts.
Behind him, Duke Yanryu's dragon roared again. It drew in the rest of its mana, compressing it into one final, blinding blast. Its wings spread wide — its shadow growing larger by the second as it dove.
Fifty meters from the gate, Sora's magic was gone. He could only shout. "Tabasa! William! Third-tier combo — Wind and Fire! Target: Duke Yanryu…"
Then, through the haze of pain, an image of Churuka flashed before his eyes. His voice broke as he added, "…and his mount!"
William lifted his wand. "Yah Mayfair 3 Albrook!" [Burst]
Tabasa followed instantly. "Inz Wendy 3 Gluck!" [Wind King's Hammer]
A blazing red sphere larger than a carriage and a swirling blue vortex of air gathered before them — then shot past Sora's head and collided with the oncoming dragon.
BOOM!
Fear flickered in the dragon's gold eyes. It spat a pillar of pure flame — its strongest attack — to counter the spell. The two forces met midair — fire and wind merging, feeding each other, swelling into a single roaring inferno.
The explosion quickly grew beyond third-tier strength, rivaling fourth-tier magic itself — a cataclysmic blast focused on one target.
For a few agonizing seconds — five, though it felt like eternity — the two forces struggled. Then the dragon's flame weakened. The great sphere of fire and wind overwhelmed it, slamming into its head.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosion consumed dragon and rider alike, lighting the sky like dawn.
When the glare faded, the charred corpse of the once-mighty fire dragon plummeted from the heavens and struck the ground with a heavy, final thud.