The Great Magic Tower had exploded, and flames burst out from every window and doorway. Some young apprentices, who originally intended to hide in the tower to observe the Great Mages' battle and learn something, were now crying and wailing as they rushed out of the tower, rolling in the snow to try to extinguish the flames on their bodies. Billowing thick smoke shot straight up from the tower into the sky, a spectacle visible throughout the city.

"Kuziman! There is no need for you to drag those funeral offerings with you—that will only make your failure more painful." Lynch's voice, amplified by a spell, was deafening. The snow piled up on the surrounding secondary towers quivered and fell due to the vibration.

As everyone's gaze focused on the Great Magic Tower, watching the Great Mages constantly flying out from the windows in an attempt to find Kuziman's figure, a mass of dark clouds quickly gathered above the Mage Association, rolling and swallowing the snow-filled sky entirely. The low rumble was incessant, with occasional lightning snakes darting back and forth within the clouds.

"Thunder Cloud Storm!" Lynch's voice overpowered the rumbling thunder: "Kuziman, is this your tactic? Do you intend to flatten the entire Mage Association?"

No response came, only a blinding light striking straight down from the sky, like a series of suns suddenly flaring in the night, too bright to behold. Lynch's figure vanished instantly in the light, his fluttering red robe swallowed by the white glare. Then came the massive boom, with explosive air compressing down from above. This time, not only did the Mage Association's high tower shake, but all the nearby buildings quaked under the immense pressure. Everyone standing was forced to the ground; those already flat against the ground were lifted by the recoil force into the air and then thrown back harshly onto the ground.

Following this were four more consecutive lightning bolts, each thicker and extending further than the last. The land beside the high tower was left with a pit deeper than a person, and the burning rock smoke made breathing impossible.

Sos looked up in terror, but quickly closed his eyes with each flash of lightning. He had never imagined magic could possess such immense power. This apocalyptic spectacle was beyond any wonder he had ever witnessed.

"Can anyone survive this?" The only thought in Sos's mind was: "No! Unless a miracle happens!"

The Great Mages looked somewhat disheveled, yet they still tried to maintain composure in front of their students. They cursed the unruly Kuziman in their hearts, who detonated a Hellfire Ball right beside them. If not for the magical protection mechanism within the Great Magic Tower, those precious books would have been entirely burnt, and even if they survived, they'd be in tatters, if not stark naked.

However, in the instant of the Hellfire Ball explosion, they had not noticed where Kuziman went. But it was impossible for him to flee from a mage duel; otherwise, where did the Thunder Cloud Storm come from?

The power of the Thunder Cloud Storm spell gradually subsided, allowing everyone to examine the area where Lynch had originally stood. There was nothing in the air, not even dust or water vapor, as they had already been evaporated by the high temperature. Caso opened his eyes warily; he too was a Great Mage with the Eye of Insight, yet even with his all-seeing vision, he could not spot his apprentice. Just like Kuziman, Lynch had vanished without a trace.

Nevertheless, the young Great Mage would not concede so easily. As soon as the first lightning struck, he had understood Kuziman's intention. In a direct one-on-one confrontation, an Adept Great Mage would not feel entirely confident, so during the duel, he had to conceal his position. However, Lynch's Eye of Insight always posed a threat to him; any attempt at invisibility or cover was meaningless—after all, Kuziman did not know that Lynch's Eye of Insight had already failed. In this situation, Lynch believed both he and Kuziman really only had one option.

Lynch landed softly on the ground, and until that moment, he had existed outside everyone's view. Caso was the fastest to react, immediately capturing Lynch's figure, but even he did not understand how his apprentice suddenly appeared. He only watched as Lynch silently drifted toward an apprentice lying on the ground, still trembling in the snowdrift.

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