Dago no longer cared how much damage the Flame Core Air Bullet could inflict on Flax.
This time, he forcibly released it before his mental energy had fully recovered, and the more intense throbbing pain twisted Dago's face in an instant.
Veins on his forehead bulged one after another, densely covering his face like tiny earthworms.
He immediately turned around and shouted loudly at Ed, who was holding Helid: "Run! Run out of Third Street, run out of the East Town area."
After speaking, Dago descended from a height of half a meter, stumbled slightly upon touching the ground, and then ran without looking back.
The moment the Flame Core plunged into this ocean of Blood Leeches, the steaming vapor instantly transformed into a crimson mist.
A crimson wave of Blood Leeches was suddenly torn open by a searing white gap, and the Flame Core, carrying a heat wave strong enough to melt rock, burst out from the opening.
Its tail flame trailed an orange-red light band dozens of meters long, like a gigantic missile thrown by ancient divine power, and the air around it expanded violently, emitting a dull roar like thunder.
The scorching core plowed a boiling gully through Third Street, turning the Blood Leeches into golden sparks that, with its high-speed passage, created countless fleeting lines of fire.
A hundred meters ahead, Flax, a Formal Wizard in a blood-red robe, saw the Flame Core approaching with a world-destroying momentum, and couldn't help but recall the giant fireball from the airship bombardment that night, a look of panic flashing across his face.
He hurriedly raised the spine staff in his hand, and the shadow of Blood Leeches above his head erupted with a large amount of crimson light, condensing into a translucent protective barrier in front of him.
However, the fist-sized Flame Core suddenly expanded several times the moment it broke through the blood wave, its surface cracking with spiderweb-like scorching patterns, and tens of thousands of streams of fire, like magma snakes breaking free from their shackles, burst open with an ear-shattering explosion.
The annular shockwave generated by the explosion first bent Flax's protective barrier, and the myriad Blood Leech shadows above his head replenished the crimson energy as if it were free.
But then came the high-temperature rays and heatwave of the Flame Core; Flax hurriedly ascended to dodge, not daring to meet it head-on, letting the houses behind him be engulfed by white light, instantly igniting and turning to ash.
As he flew, the defensive runes on his blood-red robe simultaneously flashed and hummed the moment they touched the white light.
Flax hung in the high sky, a few burning edges of his robe fluttering in the wind, and the phantom above his head had vanished.
He stared intently in the direction Dago had fled, but only saw the rolling smoke and large patches of blood mist after the Flame Core's explosion.
The entire East Town area, including Second, Third, and Fourth Streets, was destroyed by the shockwave after the Flame Core's explosion, with Third Street completely reduced to scorched earth.
In the distance, the Academy Dean's airship from the Academy was rapidly approaching, quickly closing the distance to him.
A strong look of unwillingness flashed across Flax's face as he flew towards the forest on the outskirts of the Town, searching for his accomplices.
..........
"Hoo~ hoo~"
Dago was bent over, panting heavily, his wizard robe already stained and dirty.
In the first wave of the Flame Core's impact, he was directly thrown to the ground, then continued to run, without even the mental energy to activate the cleaning runes on his robe.
Thanks to the Resonance Art's body amplification effect, he was still able to run a long distance on his two legs.
He was currently enveloped by an unprecedented sense of extreme weakness, a weakness that did not come from his body, but from his spirit.
The "soul body" in his brain, which stored mental energy, was already "dry" and even showed signs of "cracks" after two brutal extractions from The Pinnacle of Art.
He looked back and saw rolling smoke rising in the distance, and a gradually spreading blood-red mist.
And further away, black dots flying towards them.
Dago silently curled his lips; he knew he could survive.
Without a mirror, he knew he must look very disheveled and ugly right now.
But he truly couldn't help but feel happy.
Turning his head, a few tens of meters in front of him was Ed, flying with Helid. Dago pouted, this mission had truly been a terrible trap set by the Academy, turning them into mine-sweepers.
It was also bad luck that they happened to stumble upon the resting place of the Formal Wizard Flax.
"Strength, ultimately it's all about strength. Without enough strength, one can only be a pawn that anyone can arrange and utilize. Only with sufficient strength can one control their own destiny and become a player."
Dago had never yearned to become stronger as much as he did at this moment.
That mental energy fluctuation, like a scorching sun, the spells that could effortlessly slay a Half-step Formal Witches, and the vast ocean of Blood Leeches that blotted out the sky, would all become the driving force for Dago's progress and growth in strength.
Ed, who was ahead, heard the sound of the airship coming from a distance and finally stopped, putting down the dazed Helid, and flew towards Dago.
In his blurry vision, Dago saw Ed's figure growing larger and larger, and the unique sound of the airship growing closer. Dago finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground.
After an unknown amount of time.....
A dull ache in his forehead, like being repeatedly struck by a blunt object, made Dago struggle to open his eyes in a chaotic darkness.
His eyelashes were still stained with traces of undried potion, and everything in his vision was covered by a swaying white mist. The softness of the down comforter suddenly became a heavy restraint, and each breath pulled at the stinging pain in his head.
The moonstone lamp by the bed still cast a faint silver glow, and the translucent crystals embedded in the brass lamp stand were slowly dimming their light as the morning brightened.
Dago struggled to prop himself up and sat on the bed, taking out a brass pocket watch from his storage ring to realize it was already eight in the morning.
He had slept for over ten hours. He walked to the carved window frame, where morning mist drifted in, and looked out the window, only to see that he was now in the living quarters embedded in the open space on the west side of the Academy.
Lead-grey clouds hung low over the mountain peaks, and fine snowflakes leaked from the clouds, falling onto the stone-built corridor of the dormitory area, but turning into transparent water vapor the moment they touched the brick surface.
The glowing runes carved into the walls emitted a faint warmth, as if wrapping the entire building in an invisible velvet blanket.
A thin layer of ice had formed on the silver-blue magic liquid in the bronze fountain, and the parchment bulletin board beneath the ice still slowly turned, though the words were frozen white with ice shards.
The silver-feathered messenger birds' wings were covered in snow, and when they flew up, they shook off a shower of fine ice crystals; they no longer stopped by the fountain, but huddled by the warm stove at the corner of the corridor.
The stove made of obsidian was spewing orange-red flames, with rotating runes floating within them, turning all nearby snowflakes into dancing golden dust.
The stone statue of the Wizard in the central courtyard had shoulders covered in fluffy snow, and the icicles on his beard refracted colorful light spots in the occasional sunlight piercing through the clouds, the faint glow in the statue's eyes was brighter than usual.
Dago saw many Academy Wizards hurrying out of the living quarters, treading on the accumulated snow, rushing to the Academy castle for classes.
"Awake?" Ed's voice came from outside the door.
Dago turned his head and saw a refreshed Ed looking at him with a smile, and nodded in response.
"Helid has been picked up by his mother. Before leaving, he asked me to thank you."
"You saved three members of our mission team. Regarding the deaths of Wilton and Laiqiong, we can only express our apologies."
"The Academy Dean of Aynak Wizarding Academy, after hearing about your performance in this mission, praised you endlessly and wants to take you as his formal disciple. In addition, you can also receive an extra aura potion."
Dago was a little dazed, not expecting the Academy to give him both the first and second place rewards for mission contribution this time.
It seemed Ed had reported his strength upwards, and the Academy intended to win him over.
"You can now officially stay in the living quarters."
Dago was surprised and asked, "Is it free?"
"Of course it is," Ed nodded. He walked over, lightly patted Ronan's shoulder, and said with a smile, "Thank you so much for this mission, you saved my life."
He then took out an aura potion, resembling mercury, from his waist pouch and handed it to Dago.
The latter, of course, unceremoniously put it into his storage ring; this was a reward Dago had earned with his life.
"Don't worry, it's very safe inside the Academy. You can rest and recover well during the upcoming time."
Dago nodded, indicating his agreement. Ed concluded his brief conversation with Dago, encouraging him: "You are very young, and you have a great chance of becoming a Formal Wizard, but remember, use fewer potions; their effects will diminish over time."
After speaking, Ed turned and left the room, while Dago quietly enjoyed the peaceful and leisurely time.
