The wind howled through the ruins of the mountain village, scattering ashes like black snow. In the center of the burning square, Nova stood alone — his figure cloaked in charred sealing papers that still shimmered faintly with magic light. The molten glow of the Magma Entity painted his body in the colors of war — red, gold, and death.
Each breath Nova took burned like fire in his lungs. Each heartbeat echoed like a drum of war.
The ground trembled beneath their feet. The flames around them flickered as if the world itself was holding its breath.
"Why do you resist, little ember?"The Magma Entity's voice was deep, distorted, echoing from the molten cracks that split its stony face. "You're nothing compared to me. A flicker of light in a sea of flame."
Nova spat blood into the dirt and steadied his stance. His sword, chipped and glowing faintly from the residual mana, trembled in his grip. The heat distorted his vision, yet his crimson eyes never left the monster in front of him.
"Because a flicker…" he said, voice low and defiant,"…can still start a fire."
The Magma Entity laughed — a deafening, grinding sound like boulders colliding. Its molten veins pulsed violently, and streams of lava began to pour from the cracks in its arms, scorching everything they touched.
The ground turned to glass under its feet.
Then, without warning, the beast charged.
Its first strike split the earth. The impact sent shockwaves tearing through the square, flinging stone and dust into the air. Nova leapt sideways, barely escaping the molten fist that slammed down where he'd been standing.
The explosion of molten rock engulfed him. His robes caught flame. His sealing papers ignited. But he didn't stop.
He drew two seals from his belt and pressed them together midair.
"Level 3 Sealing Art—Double Burn!"
The seals burst apart in an explosion, releasing a cross-shaped wave of fire that clashed against the Entity's molten body. The impact was blinding — flames meeting lava, pressure meeting chaos — yet when the smoke cleared, the Magma Entity still stood, unharmed, molten light blazing brighter than before.
"Pathetic."It raised its clawed arm and swung. Nova barely blocked it with his blade — the collision sent him flying through a wall. Debris buried him.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Beneath the rubble, Nova coughed violently, blood dripping from his mouth. His ribs screamed with pain. He could feel his mana slipping away like sand through fingers.
He looked at his trembling hand and muttered to himself,
"If I can't match strength… I'll use speed."
He slammed a seal to his leg — the runes ignited.
"Level 3 Weapon Enhancement – Ignition Step!"
His body exploded forward like a bullet of flame. The world blurred around him. In an instant, he was already in front of the Magma Entity, his sword blazing red-hot.
He struck once—twice—three times. Sparks burst with every hit, his strikes so fast they painted the air in streaks of light.
The Entity growled in irritation, parrying with its massive arm, each blow creating a thunderous sound that shattered nearby windows. The heat was unbearable; the ground boiled where it stepped.
But Nova refused to yield. He ducked under a molten fist, leapt off a falling rock, and slammed his blade into the creature's shoulder joint. The sword sank in slightly — for the first time, the Entity flinched.
Nova's eyes widened. He pulled out a seal with his free hand and pressed it onto the blade still stuck in the Magma Entity.
"Level 3 Sealing Technique—Infernal Burst!"
The explosion was catastrophic. A fiery shockwave erupted, blasting both of them backward. Nova was thrown across the square, rolling through fire and debris until he crashed into a shattered fountain. Steam hissed as water and flame collided around him.
The Magma Entity staggered — its shoulder partially shattered, molten blood spilling from the crack.
It looked at Nova with hatred and a flicker of surprise.
"You dare wound me…?"
Nova coughed, barely able to breathe.
"Guess the flicker burned you after all."
The Magma Entity roared. The entire square trembled. Flames erupted from every fissure as it raised both arms to the sky. The air grew unbearably hot — the clouds themselves seemed to melt.
"Then burn with your village!" it screamed.
A massive pillar of molten energy descended from above like divine punishment. Nova's eyes widened — he had no time to dodge.
He slammed every remaining seal into the ground in a desperate attempt to defend.
"Level 3 Combined Seal—Barrier Formation!"
The light erupted around him — a golden dome of sealing symbols encased his body just as the magma beam struck.
The impact was apocalyptic.
The explosion tore through the central square, reducing the surrounding houses to ash. Lava surged outward like a tidal wave. The barrier cracked instantly, but somehow—barely—held for a few seconds before shattering like glass.
Nova was thrown into the air, crashing into the remnants of a bell tower. He lay motionless among the broken stones, his breathing shallow. His mask had fallen off, revealing his face — burned, bloody, yet defiant.
The Magma Entity approached, each step shaking the ground. It looked down at Nova, towering over him like a god over a mortal.
"You cannot kill what was born from the world's fire," it said coldly."You are merely delaying your extinction."
Nova tried to stand, but his legs failed him. He pressed a hand against the ground and glared up at the creature, his voice trembling but unbroken.
"Then I'll… keep delaying it."
The Entity raised its hand to crush him, but at that moment, a faint light pulsed beneath the rubble nearby — Walter's broken sword, glowing faintly with residual mana. Nova's eyes caught it.
He reached out, summoning the last of his sealing papers. They floated weakly in the air, flickering like dying fireflies.
"Come on…" he whispered. "Just one more…"
The papers wrapped around his arm and fused into the blade's fragments, reigniting them in a swirl of red flame. The new sword shimmered, unstable but alive — a reflection of its wielder's will.
Nova stood again, one knee bent, sword glowing in his hand. His body was shaking, his vision fading, but his spirit — that burning will — only grew brighter.
The Magma Entity roared and lunged forward.
Nova met it head-on.
Their clash shook the heavens. Sparks and fire scattered like stars across the battlefield. The air screamed with the force of their blows — every strike sending waves of molten debris through the ruins. Nova's blade met magma again and again, his movements faster, wilder, more desperate.
His sealing papers ignited midair, forming chains, circles, and symbols that attacked from every direction — binding, exploding, protecting. He used every ounce of strength he had, every fragment of magic he could muster.
Still, the Magma Entity wouldn't fall.
"You're only prolonging your death!" it bellowed.
"Maybe," Nova snarled back, his eyes glowing brighter than ever, "But if I burn out… I'll take you with me!"
They clashed again — one man, one monster — their flames consuming the night.
And as the ruins of the village glowed under their infernal war, the final light of the sealing papers flickered across Nova's body… before going out one by one.