A spell so famous and devastating that it had become the trademark for Magi worldwide. Mortals have always associated these powerful beings with this spell.

Rank 2 Spell: Fireball!

Now, however, when Oswald and Hemingway saw the sheer number of Fireballs that had covered the sky above them, they couldn't help but shudder in absolute terror.

They couldn't believe that this was the fighting prowess of a newly advanced Mana Liquefaction Magus!

The pair fearfully glanced at the youth and saw him coldly pointing his finger at them.

Following that, the countless Fireballs hovering in the air shot toward them with unmatched fury.

It was truly an apocalyptic scene.

Upon seeing so many Fireballs fly toward them, Oswald and Hemingway realized that there was no escaping this.

No matter which mobility spell they used, they couldn't evade the enormous blast radius that would result from these incoming spells.

"Damn it!" Oswald cursed under his breath, his eyes flashing with panic. "How is this even possible?!"

It was as if the entire town of Omai was suddenly being blanketed by a carpet of flames.

"Quick!" He glanced at Hemingway and hurriedly stated, "We must combine our defensive spells! Now!"

Hemingway snapped out of his flustered state and immediately composed himself. Or at least tried to, anyway.

He knew that if he didn't work together with Oswald now, there was no way he was going to survive this enormous wave of Fireballs.

The next moment, they cast a series of hand signs at lightning speed. They didn't hesitate to sacrifice their material components.

Their lives were at stake, after all.

One by one, thick walls made of mud, stones, metals, and even crystals started to emerge from the ground all around them. Multiple layers of walls were stacked together, forming a cohesive whole.

Then, the top half of the resulting wall started to bend inward and gradually formed a dome, covering Oswald and Hemingway from the top and the sides.

The wave of Fireballs was now only moments away from impacting their newly erected defensive structure.

Inside the magically-created dome, Oswald and Hemingway stood side by side, enveloped in complete darkness.

Only the sound of their pounding heartbeats and quick breathing could be heard as they waited for the Fireballs to descend.

With trembling hands, they continued to expend large amounts of mana and made sure that the dome remained sturdy.

Now, the Fireballs were nearly upon them.

Realizing this, the two Magi couldn't help but grit their teeth and roar, further increasing their mana output.

And then it happened

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

The countless fireballs that they were expecting to have arrived by now and smashed their dome into smithereens never arrived.

For a few moments, Oswald and Hemingway stood there in a daze, wondering what was going on.

But then realization dawned upon them.

"Don't tell me" Oswald muttered and terror flooded his veins as he thought of a terrifying possibility.

Hemingway continued, "I-I-It was an illusion?"

Suddenly!

A cold whisper that didn't belong to either of them was heard inside the dark space of the dome.

"Indeed."

The next moment, a pair of eyelids opened, displaying beautiful, white flower patterns over its black pupils. These two flowers immediately lit up the inside of the dome with a resplendent light.

When Oswald and Hemingway glanced at this pair of eyes, they were thunderstruck!

Before they could even react, Adam had already struck out with a claw attack. He viciously grabbed both the Magi's heads and launched into the air.

The dome created by the joint effort of these two Magi was effortlessly destroyed from the inside as Adam vaulted off the ground and into the sky.

Oswald and Hemingway could only helplessly flail around their limbs as they were manhandled by the youth and taken far away from the town.

With that single jump, Adam was able to create a large enough distance from Omai. The wind brushed against his bloodied face and caused his raven hair to flutter.

The white flower patterns in his eyes glowed with a bright, holy light. But his face was the opposite. It was twisted in anger, pain, and sorrow.

Just as the youth started to descend from mid-air, he gathered strength in his arms, causing the veins to bulge and the muscles to ripple.

Then, he swung his arms and viciously tossed the two Magi toward the ground one after the other.

With a thunderous sound that echoed across the fields, Oswald and Hemingway slammed toward the ground like falling meteors.

Their landing caused two large pits to appear on the ground as dirt and mud splattered everywhere. Their bodies, bruised and bloodied, lay there motionlessly for a while.

Then, they crawled out of the pits and looked around in terror.

After what happened to them just now, they were unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.

Their senses had been deceived time and time again, and now they couldn't believe what was in front of their eyes.

In the distance, they heard a deep resounding impact. They turned their heads and looked in that direction. There, they saw Adam kneeling on the ground and vomiting mouthfuls of blood.

Despite being in such a vulnerable state, neither of them dared to approach Adam.

Instead, they started retreating.

"I-Is this an illusion again?!" Hemingway blurted out, his body trembling in fear.

Oswald remained silent. He didn't know it himself. For now, he decided to keep his distance and observe Adam.

After observing for a long time, the man's eyes narrowed.

He saw that the youth was constantly bleeding from his eyes. He was clutching at his head and screaming in such agony that it made the hair on the back of his neck stand.

Finally, realization dawned upon Oswald, and his eyes lit up.

"I see!" He spoke in excitement.

Hemingway glanced at him and asked in panic, "W-What is it?!"

Oswald shared his speculations. At the same time, he kept staring at the youth with high vigilance.

"I believe that the artifact that causes lotuses to appear is connected to his eyes," he began with a solemn expression. "If you've noticed, his eyes have the same pattern as the lotus."

Hemingway couldn't help but nod in agreement as he watched Adam writhing in excruciating pain.

Oswald continued, "I also believe that the artifact is related to the School of Illusion. After all, each illusion the boy casts is countless times more powerful than what he can manage."

"You mean to say Adam is in possession of some high-grade artifact?!" Hemingway was stunned.

"I wouldn't be surprised," replied Oswald, "he already has a dragon as his familiar. I wonder what else he has in his possession."

Thinking of this, both Magi were once again overwhelmed by greed.

"Every time he casts a large-scale illusion, he has to bear the artifact's backlash!" Hemingway spoke in understanding.

He then glanced at Adam and muttered weakly, "This is already the second time" Then, his eyes flashed with panic. "O-Or are we still under another illusion?"

Oswald was silent for a while before answering, "It is unlikely."

Then, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes and he stated, "Illusion or not, we must attack him now!"

The two exchanged glances and nodded. Then, they weaved a series of hand signs and sacrificed material components.

Following that, two magic circles appeared before them. They overlapped and formed an enormous magic circle, out of which, countless blades materialized and shot toward Adam.

Rank 2 Spell: Cloud of Blades!