When it came to Alex, who had suddenly become the center of attention, the newspapers were more than happy to dedicate entire spreads to him. Writing about him was easy, nothing too technical, and nothing they could mess up.
After all, their readers were mostly ordinary witches and wizards who wouldn't understand advanced alchemical theories anyway. So, naturally, Alex's name began spreading like wildfire across different countries, carried by reporters covering the International Alchemy Conference.
But while all this buzz was happening outside, Alex himself paid the journalists no mind. He sat through the conference with genuine focus, listening carefully to the lectures given by renowned alchemists.
What sounded like nonsense to most, complex theories, obscure runes, and intricate spellcasting mechanics, was treasure to him. Every word was knowledge, and every insight was something he could use.
Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the trio of witches who had come along with him, Medea, Vanessa, and Azalea. They were bored out of their minds.
None of them had a clue what the speakers were talking about, yet they had to sit through it all anyway. It was their duty to accompany and protect their nation's alchemists, no matter how tedious it got.
Director Barnabas, on the other hand, had slipped away the moment the award ceremony ended. He claimed he was off to pick up two officials involved in the trade agreement, but no one could confirm if that was true. Not that anyone dared question him. He was, after all, a Ministry official.
By the time evening rolled around, the lectures finally came to an end. The three women sighed in relief and began chatting about where to relax for the night. They figured they'd invite Alex to join them for dinner, only to discover that he'd disappeared without a word.
That left just Medea and Vanessa, who quickly grew bored again, and Azalea, who sat quietly, deep in thought, a troubled expression on her face.
At around nine that evening, far from the conference venue, a shadow appeared in the Abu Shawi mountain range. The figure, cloaked in menace, was none other than the dark wizard known as Thunderbird. His aura pulsed with hostility as he scanned the rugged terrain. His eyes narrowed on a wide clearing ahead, isolated and ideal for battle.
Tonight, he was going to catch Alex by surprise. It was time for payback.
The last time they clashed, Alex had humiliated him, wounded him using tactics Thunderbird considered underhanded. The shame still burned in his chest.
This time, he wasn't holding back.
Thunderbird had made up his mind. He would unleash his full power from the start and crush Alex in a single, overwhelming blow. While he did grudgingly admit that Alex had some talent, enough to put up a decent fight, it was nowhere near enough to survive against him going all out. The only real concern was if Alex tried to run again.
But even that, he had prepared for. Thanks to a high-grade flying carpet gifted by the Sphinx, he now had unmatched aerial speed. There would be no escape.
"Arrogant brat…" Thunderbird growled as he approached the clearing. "Tonight, I'll show you what real despair feels like…"
But just as he stepped into the open space, something felt… wrong. A prickling sensation crept up from the soles of his feet, familiar and yet unsettling.
Before he could react, the ground beneath him exploded with a deafening BOOM.
The entire clearing trembled violently, shaking with a magical force that pulsed up through the earth like a living thing.
Thunderbird's face twisted in disbelief.
'No… not this again.'
Memories surged, unwelcome, painful. A trap. Just like before. He had walked right into it.
Then came the blast.
In a blinding instant, the entire clearing erupted as Thunderbird was swallowed by a violent explosion. The ground beneath him detonated, and within seconds, everything in a ten-meter radius was blown apart.
The force of the blast shook the surrounding land, sending a shockwave that rippled through the nearby hills. Dust and debris soared over ten meters into the air, while a deep rumble rolled across the terrain like distant thunder.
This explosion was far more intense than the one that had struck Thunderbird in Ireland, but he wasn't the kind of wizard who could be taken down so easily.
As the dust finally began to settle, a bloodied figure emerged from the haze. Thunderbird's twisted silhouette reappeared in the center of the scorched clearing, surrounded by smoke and scorched earth.
A crimson spherical barrier flickered around him, similar to the one he had conjured during their last encounter, but this one was different. It pulsed with unstable energy, the red light inside flickering unevenly. The shield looked warped, its color faded and broken in patches, as though it had barely held against the blast.
But unlike last time, Thunderbird hadn't been torn to pieces. It seemed he had learned from their last fight, his reaction had been quicker, sharper.
Even so, he hadn't come through unscathed.
Blood dripped from his ears, nose, and the corners of his eyes, seven streams of it in total, betraying the extent of the internal damage. His face, twisted in rage and disbelief, was smeared with crimson. And despite the pain, his furious eyes still glowed red as he lifted his head and screamed into the sky.
"Alex!" The fury in his voice echoed off the rocky hills. He couldn't believe it. He'd fallen into the same trap again.
That could only mean one thing, his plan had been leaked. Alex had known. Someone had betrayed him.
His mind spun. 'Was it the unicorn? The sphinx? Or… Azalea?'
Thunderbird scanned the area, searching for any trace of Alex, his bloodstained eyes narrowing as he pieced things together. He wasn't just an arrogant duelist, he had a mind sharp enough to understand betrayal.
But just as he drew a conclusion, a razor-thin arc of energy sliced through the air behind him. It shimmered in the moonlight, a crescent-shaped blade of silver-blue magic.
It wasn't just Scissura Astralis. It was something far stronger.
Crackling arcs of blue and silver lightning move along the edge of the crescent blade, giving it a raw, volatile energy that marked it as something far more advanced, more dangerous.
"You finally show yourself, you coward!" Thunderbird roared, spinning around as the spell slammed toward him.
Enraged, he summoned his own magic with a scream. A fierce blue fire ignited in his palms, instantly taking the form of a massive flaming tiger. With a roar, the beast lunged forward and devoured the incoming sword energy in a single, blazing bite.
But Thunderbird wasn't done.
With a burst of power, he launched himself forward, riding the wave of Fiendfyre straight toward his attacker.