Chapter 79: Imeline’s Fiery Onslaught

“Boom—! Boom—!”

A colossal fireball struck the ruined street, its fiery tendrils erupting amidst the dense horde of Specters.

The translucent Specters, their forms twisted like human faces, let out piercing, mournful shrieks, dissolving into agonized screams within the flames. The dazzling blaze threatened to illuminate even the darkest night sky.

Imeline stood alone on the rooftop of a derelict house, gazing down at the surging tide of Specters below.

Clad in a magic robe and a black wizard’s hat, she clutched a long-handled peachwood Wand almost as tall as herself. The red crystal adorning its tip pulsed with scorching, flowing light. Indeed, those devastating fireballs had been conjured by Imeline’s own hand.

The trio had now delved deep into the heart of the Lost City. With no other souls around, Imeline unleashed a carpet bombing of magic without reservation.

Some of the already dilapidated houses were utterly reduced to rubble by Imeline’s relentless bombardment.

As a member of the protagonist’s original party, Imeline, like the other two, was a rare genius, a talent seen perhaps once in a century.

In this world, humans capable of becoming Mages typically resonated with only one element. Those with superior talent might resonate with two elements at most. A prime example was Elena, the second young lady of the Crimson Family.

Elena could wield both Wood and Metal elements. Earlier, at the Crimson Family mansion, she had attacked Imeline by conjuring vines with Wood and blasting open the staircase with Metal.

As for Hochell, while she could manipulate two elements, her Dark element stemmed from black magic, acquired through blood sacrifice. It could not be considered a normal element. Her true mastery lay solely with the Earth element.

Imeline, however, could command a staggering three elements: Fire, Ice, and Lightning.

The mutually opposing yet complementary nature of Fire and Ice elements alone was enough to secure Imeline’s future as a top-tier Mage.

Moreover, she possessed the exceedingly rare Spatial element. Her potential, without a doubt, was the highest within the Mage Association.

For this very reason, Imeline was highly valued by the Mage Association. Her status was almost on par with Lucia, the Church Saintess.

It was simply that Imeline could not yet fully utilize her Spatial element with ease. Even if Elena’s rank surpassed Imeline’s, defeating Imeline would prove incredibly difficult.

In the early stages of the original story, Imeline’s primary defensive measures were limited to Ice Shields, or using a Freezing Aura to slow down incoming attacks.

It wasn’t until the mid-point of the original story, when Imeline reached the fifth rank, that she began to use Spatial elements for defense.

She could either redirect incoming attacks with Spatial Magic, or directly teleport to evade them.

Amidst the wails and shrieks of the Specters, the cross pendant on Imeline’s chest glowed ever brighter. This signified her score was steadily climbing.

Suddenly, a chilling gust of wind swept in from the other side of the rooftop. It was a translucent Specter, armed with sharp claws, that lunged at Imeline with incredible speed, uttering an eerie sound.

Facing this sudden threat, Imeline didn’t even spare the Specter a glance. She continued to unleash fireballs onto the street below.

Just as the claw was about to graze Imeline’s hat brim, it abruptly snapped in two and dissipated into the air.

It was Lucia.

She had been guarding Imeline all along, constantly wary of sneak attacks from Specters.

Wielding a Gun-sword in each hand, she cleaved the Specter’s claw with her left blade.

Then, with her right, she plunged her Gun-sword into the Specter’s head.

A flash of silver, and the Specter instantly vanished completely.

No wonder Imeline showed no fear of the Specters’ surprise attacks. Lucia’s sole purpose, guarding her side, was Imeline’s safety.

She didn’t need to draw in Specters like Attestor, nor did she need to fight through hordes of them herself. She simply had to protect Imeline, allowing her to unleash her magic without restraint.

They had employed the same strategy in previous Monster Hunt Exercises. By now, their coordination was incredibly seamless. Even without looking, Imeline knew Lucia would dispatch the Specter. She trusted Lucia implicitly.

Just then, a massive horde of Specters suddenly poured out of the alley ahead. They appeared to be pursuing someone.

Upon closer inspection, that person was none other than Attestor.

“Imeline, I’m back! Get ready!”

Hearing Attestor’s shout, Imeline immediately turned, raising her Wand. The red crystal at its tip grew increasingly luminous, as if overloaded from continuous heating.

She gently waved her Wand. Scorching, flowing flames began to surge forth before her. The Fire element gradually coalesced into a massive orb.

This was an even larger fireball than before, with blazing currents swirling within it like molten lava.

Once the fireball fully materialized, Imeline gently pushed her Wand forward with her right hand.

The massive fireball erupted instantly, hurtling straight towards the Specter horde behind Attestor.

“Boom—!!!”

An unprecedented roar suddenly erupted. The surrounding derelict streets and buildings were utterly obliterated by the heatwave and shockwave of the explosion, turning into piles of rubble.

A scorching pillar of fire shot skyward. Countless Specters, their terrifying faces contorted, were incinerated into oblivion by the pillar’s impact.

Even Attestor, at the moment the colossal fireball struck, immediately spun around, raising her Holy Shield before her. She did so to avoid being affected by the magic’s residual effects.

As the fiery glow receded, the horde of Specters behind Attestor had been utterly incinerated. A massive, deep crater marked the epicenter of the explosion.

Astonishingly, despite facing an attack of such immense power, Attestor, caught in the blast and protected by her Holy Shield, was not only completely unharmed but hadn’t even budged a single step.

In truth, this was a strategy they had planned and employed before.

****

After reaching the depths of the Lost City, they would temporarily split into two groups.

Imeline, under Lucia’s cover, would use magic for large-scale Specter extermination. Attestor, meanwhile, would venture into a different area, luring Specters towards herself.

Once a large horde had gathered, she would return to Imeline and Lucia. Then, Imeline would use higher-ranked magic to eradicate the massive Specter horde in one fell swoop.

The Specters’ attacks were no more than a tickle to Attestor. She could move freely among them. Therefore, having her draw in the Specters for Imeline, who possessed wide-area destructive capabilities, was undoubtedly a more efficient strategy.

“Not bad. I feel like your power has grown considerably stronger lately.”

Attestor took a few quick strides to Imeline’s side, praising her with a light chuckle.

“Stronger where?”

Imeline rolled her eyes in exasperation, retorting with an annoyed tone.

“Aren’t you always completely unharmed anyway?”

“Haha, you can’t judge it by whether I get hurt or not. I can personally experience the power of your magic. Judging by that feeling, you’ve definitely grown stronger.”

“Alright, alright.”

Imeline waved her hand dismissively.

“Stop teasing me. Let’s keep going.”