/BOOM/
The room erupted into chaos as a sudden explosion engulfed the space where Callius had stood. The force of the blast sent debris flying in all directions, leaving the assailants stunned and disoriented. None of them was expecting such a thing to happen at all, as they all had seen the mana reserves of him being depleted to the minimum.
The assailants were thrown back by sheer force, their bodies battered and broken by the unleashed might of Callius' final gambit. Amidst the debris and chaos, their forms crumpled, defeated, and vanquished.
Since none of them had sensed magic being activated, and neither did they expect Callius to blow himself off, their defenses were close to zero making all of them injured.
The leader staggered backward, shielding his face from the blast, but not to avail as he, too, was caught off guard. "AAAAH!" A painful scream echoed inside the room as the face of the leader was burned.
Because he was the closest, the leader took the most damage, but that didn't mean the others didn't take any damage at all.
"Cough, cough…." Coughing, the leader staggered as his body as on the verge of collapsing. His brain was about to lose its function as he was not able to think straight.
However, the leader still managed to regain his composure, even in the midst of the pain. He spoke, his voice trembling with a mix of shock and anger. "What... What is this magic?" As his gaze wandered around, he continued his words. "He didn't even use his mana." As a knight that was proficient with fights, he was sure he would have sensed the mana of Callius if he had used magic.
As his eyes wandered around while trying to get a hold of himself as the pain of the lingering explosion filled his head. The constant sound of ringing was all over his head as his senses were screaming at him non-stop. However, all of his group members lost their consciousness as they were lying on the ground.
"Grrr....This heretic, he used some sort of fiendish magic." the leader mumbled through gritted teeth, his hand trembling as he reached for the healing potion. 'There is something affecting my consciousness in the atmosphere.' He was able to observe that.
Even if he had been caught off guard, he was someone that was experienced and educated in such situations. "I need to treat myself first." Therefore, he instantly analyzed the situation and decided to treat his wounds first since his whole body was hurting, with his face at the center of the pain itself, as his consciousness was about to slip away.
"Tu-tu- tu- tu. We can't let you have that."
/CRACKLE/ /SWOOSH/ /SPLURT/
But before his fingers could close around the potion, a sudden disturbance disrupted his focus. A crackling sound filled the air, accompanied by a swift whooshing motion, catching the leader's attention. His gaze shot up, only to be met with a blinding flash of black lightning that streaked past him.
"Hmm?" Getting surprised by the sudden turn of events, he tried to process the information he got from his eyes.
/THUD/
However, his thoughts were abruptly cut short by a resounding thud, followed by a crimson-colored waterfall pouring out of the place his arm was supposed to connect.
There, lying on the ground, was his severed arm, blood gushing from the mangled stump where it had once been attached to his body. The pain surged through him, overwhelming his senses as he struggled to process the shocking reality before him.
"AAAAAAA!" he howled, his cry mixing with the sounds of chaos and destruction that enveloped the room. Every nerve in his body screamed with anguish as he grappled with the searing agony of his severed limb. The once-confident leader now found himself crippled, his strength compromised by the loss of his arm.
"What is this? WHO ARE YOU?" A resounding scream filled with wrath and fear sounded inside the room. The leader was unable to process the things that had happened right there.
"It seems your ears became deaf now, too." The same tranquil voice that the leader had heard just a minute ago spoke once again, but this time it had a slight contempt inside.
"No, it can't be!" His voice filled with disbelief as he finally understood who was the one that was talking.
Fear and desperation mingled in his eyes as he clutched the remnants of his maimed arm, blood staining his fingers. The full weight of his vulnerability dawned upon him, forcing him to confront the cold reality of his defeat. He realized that Callius, despite appearing wounded and depleted, was actually never wounded at all.
As the smoke slowly disappeared from the room, it revealed the culprit; the young man with black hair and crimson eyes who had a smile on his face as a sword of pitch black was in his hand.
/CRACKLE/
The leader could see the faint particles of lightning surrounding Callius as his gaze widened. "You have a lightning affinity, too?" He spoke in disbelief. 'Nobody informed us about this. I thought he only had a fire affinity.' This thought filled his brain as he no longer had the strength to resist. The pain was overwhelming him, coupled with the primal instinct of fear.
"That I have," Callius answered with a smirk on his face. "Did you have fun beating my clone?" The villainous smile on his face widened as lightning cracked around his hands.
As he started walking towards the water mage of the group, he continued his words. "Did you have fun while inflicting pain on an innocent person? While choking him with your tenet beliefs." As his words echoed inside the room, the leader's eyes widened. 'No!'
"Then, you should also be ready to be in pain, shouldn't you? Isn't this what your doctrine says? 'As you sow, so shall you reap.'" With his last words echoing inside the room, the lightning cursed through his hands as it instantly surged through the water mage that was lying on the ground unconscious.
/CRACKLE/
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
As the lightning reached the body of the water mage, a scream of agony sounded inside the room. The eyes that were closed were opened wide as the blurring magic was lifted, revealing the face of the young man inside. "How is it? Is it fun?" The cold voice echoed inside the room as the crimson gaze now looked like a demon's….
-----------------A/N---------------------
Now, Callius will exact his vengeance; then, this facade will end soon.
You can check my discord if you want. You will be able to see the illustrations here and engage in a conversation with me if I am available.
https://discord.gg/ufP7aaZu
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m