Meanwhile, Mika, Jarred, and Carl's group were already in the elevator, leading over thirty slaves to escape with them.
 
"Be ready," Mika said, her voice tense.
 
As the elevator neared the ground floor, Dabric heard the sound and stood from his seat, curiosity evident on his face. He stared intently at the elevator doors as they opened, revealing Mika and her group.
 
Mika stood firm, holding two normal-grade weapons in each hand, her gaze locked on Dabric with a serious expression.
 
“Oh? What a surprise,” Dabric said calmly, his eyes narrowing at Mika. 'So, these pests were planning something after all. Are they agents of the Heavens Council? No, the swords she’s holding don’t look high-quality. Just normal grade,' he thought to himself.
 
"Jarred, get them into the remaining carriages," Mika ordered.
 
"I got it," Jarred replied, quickly looking back at the slaves. "Follow me."
 
"Carl, help me keep this guy busy while they escape," Mika continued.
 
"On it," Carl replied, his hands glowing as he summoned his guardians. "Answer my call and protect us!"
 
Two guardians appeared by Carl’s side, ready to attack. Yet, Dabric remained standing still, his hands casually resting in his pockets, his expression serious as if he wasn’t concerned about the fight ahead.
 
“Enough of this joke. You’re not just clowns; you’re the whole circus,” Dabric said with a dark tone.
 
Mika grinned. “Let’s see who’s the real clown.”
 
In an instant, Mika and the two guardians rushed forward. The guardians unleashed powerful punches, but Dabric effortlessly dodged them, his hands still in his pockets.
 
"Is this all you’ve got?" he asked, glancing at the guardian’s arm with a bored expression.
 
Before anyone could react, one guardian was hit with immense force, sent flying across the room. Another strike quickly followed, knocking the second guardian back.
 
Carl’s eyes widened in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. His guardian had been blown away without Dabric even launching a visible attack. 
 
‘W-what just happened? ’ Carl thought, panic rising in his chest as he watched his second guardian fall nearby.
Out of desperation, he unleashed a barrage of wind magic at Dabric. Mika, too, was frozen in place, shaken by the sight.
 
Dabric calmly raised his hand, conjuring a level two barrier that blocked Carl’s attack effortlessly. “Is that it? I’m not even breaking a sweat,” he said, glancing at his fist.
 
‘This is impossible... He’s too fast. I didn’t even see him move! ’ Mika thought, trembling. ‘I have to fight—’
 
But before Mika could gather her thoughts, she was sent flying at breakneck speed, crashing into one of the carriages meant for the slaves. Jarred, who had been helping the slaves escape, noticed Mika’s fall and his heart sank.
 
'M-Mika! ' he thought in panic. Turning to the fleeing slaves, he barked, "Go, hurry!"
 
Jarred dashed toward Mika, while the slaves rushed in the opposite direction. 
 
“Mika! Mika! No… Mika! ”He cried out.
 
Seeing the slaves fleeing in the carriages, Dabric activated his Green Angel Ring without hesitation.
 
“Infernal Storm.”
 
A powerful storm of fire and molten embers erupted from the ground, engulfing the area in flames. The fiery winds swirled, scorching everything in their path. The storm intensified, becoming more destructive with each second, engulfing the carriages and the escaping slaves. Jarred and Mika were caught in the raging firestorm as well.
 
Carl, witnessing the carnage, quickly unleashed wind magic, trying to put out the flames, but nothing worked. The storm was too powerful, too relentless.
“No… Nooo!!! ”Carl’s voice rang out, filled with rage.
 
A powerful aura surged around him, drawing David’s attention. Before Dabric could fully turn, a blast of wind magic struck him, sending him flying. The force of the attack stopped the Infernal Storm, and without wasting a second, Carl rushed toward the burning area where his friends were.
 
Using wind magic, he extinguished the flames as he moved, desperately searching for their bodies. Amid the chaos, he stumbled upon the lifeless forms of the slaves they had intended to rescue.
 
“M-Mika! Jarred! ”His voice cracked with desperation. “Where are you?! ”
 
After several agonising minutes, Carl found them. They lay together, their bodies not entirely consumed by the fire—Dabric’s attack hadn’t lasted long enough to burn them completely. However, they were still covered in burns and cuts across various parts of their bodies. Carl dropped to his knees, quickly checking if they were still alive.
 
“Shit, shit! You’re bleeding everywhere! ”He muttered in panic, immediately casting healing magic. “Don’t worry, I’ll save you both.”
 
Jarred’s wounds began to heal rapidly, as though Carl was using some kind of advanced magic. Within moments, Jarred stirred, his eyes slowly fluttering open. But before Carl could heal Mika, another wave of Infernal Storm approached. 
 
With one hand still focused on healing Mika, Carl raised the other, channelling his wind magic.
 
"Grand Wall Wind,” he whispered, his voice calm but commanding.
 
A massive barrier of wind materialised, shielding them from Dabric’s attack. The flames collided with the wind barrier and were swallowed whole, leaving Dabric wide-eyed with shock.
 
“What…?! ”Dabric murmured, disbelief written across his face.
 
“That’s enough. You’ve gone too far,” Carl said, his voice cold.
 
“C-Carl? Is that really you? ”Jarred asked, barely able to comprehend what he was seeing.
 
Jarred had never seen this side of Carl before. The sheer power he was displaying wasn’t something Jarred thought possible, leaving him to wonder if the person before him was even the same Carl he knew.
 
Dabric, regaining his composure, charged toward them, aiming a powerful punch at Carl. But Carl effortlessly blocked it with his arm, barely flinching from the blow. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a gust of wind that sent Dabric skidding backward.
 
“I’ll leave him to you, Jarred,” Carl said, his gaze never leaving Dabric.
 
Jarred nodded, still stunned as Carl rose to his feet and calmly began walking toward Dabric. With each step, he released a flurry of wind attacks, as though he were a master sorcerer who needed no elderstaves—he was the source of the power.
 
Dabric’s eyes widened in fear. He retaliated with a barrage of fire magic, his attacks colliding with Carl’s wind, creating explosions that tore through the battlefield, destroying everything around them. As the battle raged on, Dabric sprinted toward Carl, activating his Flame Aura—the same ability he had used earlier against Carl’s guardians.
 
The Flame Aura surrounded Dabric with an invisible field of heat, intensifying the temperature around him. The heat drained the strength of Carl’s attacks, making them weaker. But the passive ability was more than just defence—it reflected the damage back toward Carl, stronger than before. At the same time, the aura made Dabric immune to fire, reinforcing his own abilities as flames surged around him.
 
Grinning, Dabric prepared for his next assault, confident that Carl’s power would falter under the relentless heat. Despite the oppressive heat from the Flame Aura, Carl seemed unfazed. Instead, he matched Dabric’s every move in their hand-to-hand combat.
His arms were wrapped in wind magic, shielding his fists from direct contact with the intense heat field. Even though each strike sent the force back at him twice as strong, Carl didn’t let up. He relentlessly unleashed blow after blow.
 
Dabric was in disbelief, unable to comprehend how Carl could withstand the feedback from his own attacks. Jarred, still tending to Mika’s wounds nearby, was equally stunned. He watched the clash, knowing he’d never seen Carl fight with this level of power.
 
With a swift motion, Carl unleashed a powerful wind attack, sending both him and Dabric flying apart. He had done it intentionally—creating distance between them to set up his next strategy. Carl knew the weakness of Dabric's Flame Aura. The ability only worked in close combat, reflecting attacks back on the opponent. At a distance, it couldn't counter long-range strikes.
 
Carl took advantage of the gap, hitting Dabric from afar with a barrage of wind attacks. Desperate, Dabric tried to close the distance, but Carl gave him no opening. Each gust of wind that hit Dabric felt like the crushing weight of a thousand-kilogram boulder, forcing him to stumble back with every blow.
 
*
 
Meanwhile, in Azrael and Kyle’s situation, the chaos was escalating. Star’s relentless attacks tore through the surroundings, creating massive destruction.
 
“You won’t leave this place alive! ”Star shouted, her voice filled with dark determination.
 
Azrael sprinted, barely managing to avoid the barrage of attacks raining down on him. His heart raced as he led Star further away, keeping Kyle hidden so he could recover without being noticed. For now, Star’s focus was solely on Azrael, but the tension in the air was suffocating.
 
Azrael’s eyes darted around, searching for a momentary opening. “I just need a chance,” he muttered under his breath. He knew he couldn’t keep running forever.
 
Star sneered, throwing another deadly strike toward him. “You can run all you want, but there’s no escaping me! ”
 
Azrael’s mind raced. He needed a plan. Time was running out. Azrael dodged another one of Star's vicious attacks, barely escaping the scorching heat. Star slammed her fist into the ground and, with a fierce shout, unleashed her ability—Lava Burst.
Molten lava erupted from the ground, spreading like wildfire in the area she targeted. The ground beneath Azrael's feet began to crack and burn.
“I won’t let you escape! ”Star yelled, her fiery eyes locked onto him.
She watched with cruel satisfaction as the lava spread, forcing Azrael to keep moving to avoid getting caught in it. Azrael grated his teeth, struggling to think. He glanced at Kyle, still hidden, knowing he couldn’t let Star find him. But the heat was unbearable, and he couldn’t keep running forever.
 
“I need a way to stop her,” he whispered to himself. He leaped to the side as another stream of lava erupted just inches from where he stood.
 
Star smirked. “What's wrong? Getting tired? You’ll burn soon enough.”
 
Her mocking tone only fuelled Azrael’s determination. He couldn’t afford to lose. Not now. Azrael quickly scanned the area, his mind racing for a solution.
"There has to be something I can do," he muttered under his breath, trying to stay out of the molten hot zones. 
 
Star slammed her fist down again, causing another explosion of lava. The searing heat swept through the area, forcing Azrael to jump back. He could feel the ground beneath him growing hotter with every second, each move becoming more dangerous. 
 
"There's no way out, Azrael!" Star laughed darkly, her voice echoing as the lava continued to spread. "You might as well give up!"
 
Azrael’s breath came in rough gasps, but he wasn’t about to give up. He couldn’t. He tightened his grip on his Elderstaves, feeling the familiar flow of mana as it pulsed through his hand.
 
"I need to stop this lava, or I’m done for," Azrael muttered.
 
Dodging another wave of molten rock, he raised his Elderstaves and pointed it toward the ground. With a sharp focus, he whispered, "Aqua Stream!"
 
A surge of water shot from his Elderstaves, rushing toward the lava. The moment the water met the scorching heat, steam erupted into the air. The lava burned and cooled, forming hardened rock in some places. But the spell wasn’t enough to completely stop Star’s relentless assault.
 
She raised her hand, gathering even more heat beneath her. The ground rumbled as another burst of lava prepared to erupt. This time, the explosion would be even stronger.
 
Azrael, already drenched in sweat from the heat, raised his Elderstaves again, this time channelling his wind magic.
“Grand Gale!” he shouted, and a powerful gust of wind burst forth, pushing back the flames and giving him a bit of breathing room.
 
But Star wasn’t done. With a menacing grin, she slammed her fist into the ground again, triggering a new eruption. Molten lava exploded, and this time it shot toward Azrael, faster than before.
 
"I can't keep dodging this forever," he thought, clenching his fist around the hilt of his curse dagger. He hated using this weapon, but with Star cornering him and Kyle still recovering, he didn’t have a choice. 
 
He took the dagger from his empty space, feeling the dark energy pulse through the blade.
“You’re not the only one with dangerous magic,” he muttered, the curse mark on his arm glowing faintly as he prepared to use the dagger's power.
 
Star noticed the shift in Azrael’s energy, and her smirk faltered. “What’s that? ” she asked, her eyes flickering with curiosity and caution.
 
Azrael grinned slightly, his eyes hardening. “This is where things get serious.”
 
He dashed toward Star, his Elderstaves in one hand and the curse dagger in the other. As he moved, he cast a wind spell to lift himself off the ground, avoiding the lava completely. Star was fast, but Azrael was faster with wind magic boosting his agility.
 
In mid-air, he slashed the dagger toward her, sending a cursed wave of energy in her direction. Star barely managed to dodge it, the cursed energy consuming her arm. Immediately, her skin began to burn and darken where the curse touched.
 
“You—what did you do?! ”Star shouted, now visibly shaken as she backed away from him.
 
“Something that’ll make this fight a lot harder for you,” Azrael replied coldly, landing lightly on his feet.
He was already preparing his next move, mixing his wind and water magic. The air around him hummed with energy as he prepared to finish this fight.