Dark Magus Returns - Chapter 1450: The Storm Meets the Flame

Chapter 1450: The Storm Meets the Flame

The Storm Meets the Flame

When Lee Roy finally saw who he’d be facing, a faint crease formed between his brows. It wasn’t that he thought Liam was weak, no, he didn’t underestimate his opponent that easily, but the truth was, he had been hoping for someone else.

He had wanted Moze.

The lightning mage who had beaten his score during that little event outside the venue. That was the one Lee Roy had been itching to face. When his eyes landed on the boy with the eyepatch standing across from him now, there was no flare of intimidation, no spark of that instinctive battle thrill. To him, Liam didn’t give off the presence of someone who could truly challenge him.

“I have to ask before we begin!” Lee Roy’s voice carried easily over the murmuring crowd. “Are you stronger than your friend, the lightning user from your academy?”

“Do mages not have brains?” Liam shot back without hesitation, his tone dry as a desert. “If I wasn’t, don’t you think he’d be the one standing out here instead?”

Lee Roy’s lips curved into a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I hope you don’t disappoint, because I plan on winning this entire thing.”

From the restless shifting in the stands, it was obvious Lee Roy was one of the crowd’s favorites. His unique tracking magic combined with his devastating fire spells had dazzled the audience earlier. But Wilton Academy had been underestimated more than once already in this competition, and somewhere deep in the minds of those watching, a quiet, persistent doubt lingered: perhaps it wasn’t going to be so straightforward.

Among the spectators, one teacher from Wilton recognized the boy stepping onto the field. His eyes narrowed, then widened slightly in surprise.

“That kid… he’s the one who sliced down the golden ball in a single heartbeat,” the teacher murmured, a slow smile spreading across his face. He could already picture the shock on everyone else’s faces when Wilton delivered yet another unexpected performance today.

“Let the match begin!” the referee called.

In the very instant the words left his mouth, Lee Roy threw his arms wide. A sudden shimmer of heat distorted the air, and in the blink of an eye, several hundred fist-sized fireballs materialized around him, orbiting in a loose, menacing halo.

With a sharp downward sweep of his hands, the fireballs shot off in all directions, arcing like burning comets toward Liam. The crowd gasped as they tracked the deadly rain. Knowing Lee Roy’s magic, they understood the situation, there was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. The only option was to meet the attack head-on. And with the sheer number of fireballs in play, even a strong barrier or spell might not cover every angle.

Unfortunately for Lee Roy, Liam was just about the worst possible opponent to face in this scenario.

“I’m sorry,” Liam said, pulling his wand from within his blazer, “but I can’t go easy on you. I was told to do whatever it takes to win.”

With his system, glowing threads of predictive lines formed in Liam’s vision, the exact paths each fireball would take. To a normal mind, it would be chaos: dozens of trajectories, constantly shifting. But for him, it was clear as ink on paper.

He shifted his stance, channeling Qi into his arm as he slashed his wand through the air. A deafening crack split the arena as a bolt of lightning tore from the tip, detonating several fireballs mid-flight. The explosion of light and heat flared brilliantly, fragments of flame snuffed out in an instant.

The lightning leapt from one burning orb to the next, the raw energy chaining through anything close enough to touch, obliterating clusters at once.

Liam didn’t slow. Another swing, another blinding strike. Zap. Zap. Again and again, he carved through the sky, shredding the assault before it could close in. To the spectators, it was a spectacle of raw power, the air itself seemed to vibrate with every impact.

Those who had groaned earlier when they saw Liam wield a wand were silenced now. From the sound alone, they could feel the weight of each lightning strike, the potency that made their chests tighten with every sharp, electric crack.

His lightning… it’s even stronger than the other Wilton student’s. The thought passed through more than one mind. It’s no wonder they sent him. But they don’t realize just how dangerous it is when someone can also track every single target.

Lee Roy’s grin faltered, but only for a second. With a deft flick of his wrist, more fireballs peeled off from the formation, drifting low and slow along the edges of the field like predators stalking prey. At the same time, he summoned a renewed downpour from above, hundreds more searing spheres plummeting toward Liam in a curtain of flame.

“So you’ve got more,” Liam said, tightening his grip. “Then I guess I’ll just have to use a bit more power.”

He swept his arm in a wide arc, Qi surging into his wand. The lightning that erupted this time was harsher, faster, its flare illuminated a whole section of the field as it tore through a massive wave of fireballs. The smell of ozone and scorched air filled the arena.

Another strike, and the front lines of Lee Roy’s attack were simply gone, erased in an instant. Slowly, almost casually, Liam shifted his wand over his shoulder and loosed two more bolts behind him, vaporizing the slow-creeping fireballs that had been sneaking in from the rear.

“Sneak attacks,” Liam said flatly, eyes still locked on Lee Roy, “don’t work on me.”

***

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