Chapter 1557: Burning Light

It had only been a matter of time before one of the Cerebus Guild members found them. Alen had hoped it wouldn’t be this soon, but fate rarely granted such mercy. The moment he sensed the approaching mana, he knew what was coming.

Beatrix was still moving the last of the survivors to safety, which meant this battle was his alone to face. He exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of responsibility tighten across his chest.

“Guess it’s just me, then,” he muttered.

He crossed his arms before him, the runes along his gloves flaring to life. Flames burst from his palms, wrapping his forearms in ribbons of molten heat. When he swung both hands outward, the fire twisted and shaped itself, forming two blazing dragons that roared through the air toward their target.

The flames spiraled beautifully, the dragons’ bodies coiling as they cut through the hall, their jaws wide open.

“The fact that you’re attacking me straight away,” the Cerebus mage shouted, “means you already know you’re guilty!”

He thrust his hands forward. In an instant, a towering wall of water erupted between them. But it wasn’t still water, it flowed downward in constant motion, like a vertical waterfall caught in place by magic. The shimmering cascade crashed against the floor with crushing force, its pressure far greater than any normal barrier.

That was the difference between a typical mage and a master.

The flaming dragons struck the wall, their tails igniting even brighter. For a moment, it seemed they would be extinguished, but instead the heat only intensified. The flames fed on the moisture, the mana within adapting and strengthening. Both dragons let out a resonant screech and pushed through, tearing the barrier apart in a violent explosion of steam and sparks.

The water shattered into droplets that hissed and evaporated on contact with the fire. The blast threw the Cerebus mage backward, flames engulfing him and searing the corridor walls until everything around him was bathed in a furious orange glow.

When the smoke began to clear, Alen lowered his stance, fire still licking the tips of his gloves. “You might be one of the infamous Cerebus Guild,” he said calmly, “but it’s not like I’m some nobody.”

It wasn’t arrogance, it was fact. Though Alen rarely spoke of it, he had once been personally trained by Enaxx himself, one of the Grand Magus. His mastery over mana manipulation and flame control had been refined under the strictest conditions imaginable.

If he had to face one of the strongest guilds in Alterian, then so be it. He was ready.

He didn’t wait to confirm whether the enemy survived. Time mattered more than victory. Turning sharply, he ran down the hallway where Beatrix had just finished guiding the last group of prisoners.

The pair burst through into the reception chamber. Beatrix’s earlier spell had already carved out a massive stairway through the structure, creating a direct route to freedom. Together, they pushed forward, the smell of ash and smoke filling the air.

Within moments, they emerged outside. The night breeze hit them, cool and sharp against the heat of battle. Grass and dirt replaced the cold tile beneath their feet as they descended the hill, helping the freed captives move faster.

“Where did you put the others?” Alen asked as they ran.

“I left them behind the facility,” Beatrix said without slowing. “Once the guild saw us, they’d focus their attack this way instead of chasing the ones escaping.”

Smart. She was buying time for the weak to reach safety.

Up ahead, a group of soldiers was running toward them, Alen’s unit. Their armor caught the faint moonlight, their expressions a mix of worry and determination. They’d seen the signal and rushed in without hesitation.

“Alen!” one of them called. “What happened inside, ”

The question never finished.

A blinding beam of golden energy erupted from the top of the facility, tearing straight into the sky. It was like a spear of sunlight stabbing through the clouds. Everyone turned toward it, shielding their eyes from the glare.

“That light…” Beatrix whispered.

Before anyone could react, a figure shot out from the very same point. A man wrapped in golden energy, wings of radiant light unfurling behind his back. The glow was so intense that it illuminated the entire field.

He descended with tremendous force, landing on the grass before them. Dust and heat rippled outward from the impact.

Alen’s eyes widened. He recognized the man instantly, the same Cerebus Guild mage he had just fought. Half of the man’s face and one entire arm were scorched black from the earlier flames.

Or rather, they had been.

Because as Alen and everyone else watched, the burns began to fade.

The skin regenerated before their eyes, pale and smooth as if it had never been touched by fire. His hair gleamed gold beneath the radiant light, his breathing calm and unbroken.

Alen clenched his fists. “He healed… instantly?”

The realization sank in like ice.

It was the same phenomenon he’d seen before, Safa’s healing in the arena. The same impossible recovery, the same unrelenting vitality.

“Just how far has their light magic affinity grown,” he shouted, “if they can do this? They must have been performing that experiment for years!”

The glowing mage smirked. “You should be honored. You’re about to witness the perfected form of Light.”

Before Alen could respond, four more pillars of golden light erupted from the facility. Each one blazed brighter than the last, and from them, four more figures emerged, each with golden, energized wings unfurled behind their backs.

They rose together, hovering in formation above the smoking ruins. The night sky looked as if it had been painted with halos.

Alen’s soldiers instinctively took a step back. Beatrix raised her sword, her aura igniting in response.

When the figures descended, Alen immediately recognized the two at the front, Tonto and Yellum. The elite unit.

Their expressions were cold and furious.

“There you are,” Yellum said, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. “You rats think you can expose us?”

The other four landed beside her, their combined mana pressing against the ground so heavily that the soldiers around Alen could barely stay standing.

The field fell silent for a heartbeat.

Then Yellum raised her hand, light magic swirling into a sphere at her palm. “Burn the heretics where they stand.”

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