The lightning continued lashing out wildly inside the cloud, moving with fierce intensity as it darkened further.
Arin looked up, staring at the ominous cloud and the lightning crackling within it. 'Oh shit...'
Instantly, he raised both swords and brought them down, stabbing them into the ground.
He gripped the hilts tightly, trying to pull the lower half of his body free from the ground, but it was no use. The ground had already hardened, trapping him in place.
"Ugh..." Arin groaned, his gaze shifting to Alex, who suddenly raised his Staff.
"Die...." Alex whispered. And then....
He struck his Staff against the ground, raising a cloud of dust. For a moment, nothing happened. But suddenly....
The lightning within the cloud grew even fiercer for several seconds before abruptly stopping. The cloud settled directly above Arin, and the Spell activated.
A deafening thunderclap resounded as the lightning struck down with immense force, heading straight for Arin.
The sound echoed in the forest. Students heard it but dismissed it as unimportant, while teachers witnessed the lightning strike down.
The look on Ben's face showed that he couldn't take it anymore. He hated the fact that no one was saying anything, not even the Assistant Principal, was speaking up.
"You all saw that, right?" Ben asked, his voice tense as he struggled to keep his anger in check.
A female teacher, arms folded, replied instantly, "We all saw it, but what can we do about it?"
"It might just be as Miss Riya said," another male teacher added. "Maybe a student is fighting a Beast and had to use Spells that caused explosions?"
"Tch....." Ben clicked his tongue in annoyance, his expression darkening.
"How does that make any sense? Are you dum~"
Before he could finish, the Assistant Principal's eyes snapped open, and she fixed him with a glare that sent shivers down his spine.
"Enough," she said in a calm yet firm tone. "No insults."
"Is that clear?" she added, her voice sharper this time.
"Yes, Assistant Principal," Ben muttered, lowering his head.
Satisfied, she closed her eyes again, going back to sleep. Ben retreated to a corner, folding his arms and muttering under his breath.
Meanwhile, in the forest, Riya saw the dark cloud and heard the thunderclap. A girl followed closely behind her.
'Hmmm.... It was never going to be easy,' she thought.
The lightning descended with immense force, aiming directly for Arin.
But at the same time....
A colossal serpentine Dragon made of water suddenly formed and blasted upwards, intercepting the lightning.
A loud explosion followed as the lightning clashed with the Dragon.
Though the lightning destroyed the Dragon, it altered its trajectory. Instead of striking Arin directly, the lightning hit the ground in front of him.
The impact obliterated the ground and extended to where Arin was trapped, blasting him free and sending him flying into a tree.
Alex stood frozen, a single thought echoing in his mind. 'What..... just happened?'
Everything had happened so quickly. One moment, Arin was doomed; the next, a Dragon had appeared and intercepted the Dragon.
"Who really are you?" Alex whispered, the shock evident on his face.
'No,' Alex thought, shaking his head to compose himself. 'I can still kill him.'
He stretched his Staff forward, channeling his Mana. Spears of lightning materialized in front of it and shot toward Arin.
Seeing the incoming spears, Arin slammed his right foot into the ground, conjuring a Water Wall before him.
He knew the wall wouldn't completely block the spears, but he had another plan.
As the lightning spears approached the Water Wall, Arin suddenly dashed to the left, heading straight for Alex.
"Shit..." Alex cursed.
He waved his Staff, redirecting some of the spears toward Arin.
The lightning spears were fast, but Arin's heightened senses detected them closing in. He leaped into the air, spinning his body to evade the attack.
The spears continued toward Alex. Panicking, he deactivated the Spell just in time, but Arin had already landed and was swinging his swords.
Sparks flew as Alex raised his Staff to block, but the force sent him staggering back.
'If not for that Dark Aura, he would've been thrown further,' Arin thought as he leaped toward Alex, who had just regained his balance.
"AGHHHH!" Alex roared, blocking with his Staff again. But Arin wasn't done.
With his swords pressing against Alex's Staff, Arin raised his right leg and...
His kick connected with Alex's face, sending him stumbling backward.
This time, Alex leaped back to create distance.
'I don't like where this is going...' Arin thought. 'What is he waiting for?'
As if in response, Alex smiled.
"Ahh, I never thought it would get this intense," Alex said, his voice calm yet mocking. "I thought killing you would be easy, but it seems... I'll need to step up my game."
Arin's eyes widened slightly. 'I think he's finally going to use it...'
Alex's Staff vanished, and a grin spread across his face.
The wind at Arin's left suddenly picked up, making him turn his head.
The same thing happened on his right.
The winds intensified on either side of Alex as well.
"Don't tell me...." Arin muttered. "Is this a tornado?"
His suspicion was confirmed.
The wind picked up, spiraling violently as it formed four tornadoes—two on each side of Arin and Alex. Trees swayed and uprooted as the tornadoes elongated and grew wilder.
The right side of Alex's body began glowing with a bright Golden Aura, while the left side, shrouded in Dark Aura, grew even darker. He now exuded both blinding light and chilling darkness.
Seeing this, a smirk formed on Arin's lips.
"So....." he said, "you've finally decided to use it, huh?"
"Why didn't you use it sooner?"
Despite trembling, Arin steeled himself, standing upright.
"Hahaha!" Alex laughed. "Why don't you find that out yourself? Maybe you'll get your answer after I kill you!"
'This is it...' Arin thought. 'This is what I wanted him to use... The Light and Darkness Elements.'
Alex's grin widened. His right eye that was glowing Golden suddenly shifted, and he whispered...
"First Formation of the Elements: The Divine Curse of Destruction....."