In mere moments, Hex, frozen in shock, was encased in crystal-clear ice. Under the ancient lamplight, his form gleamed with a sinister, chilling light.
"Cuz, you're amazing! You took down that evil wizard in one move!" Gwen's wide, sparkling eyes were filled with awe and excitement.
At the same time, curiosity flickered within her. This new Alien Hero not only had the power to phase through matter but could also control formidable ice. With this alien on their side, catching Ghostfreak next time might finally be possible.
Upgrade stepped forward, studying the motionless Hex trapped within the ice sculpture. He smirked. "Buddy, next time you borrow books, remember to visit the library."
Sizzle...
Suddenly, the Charm of Fire pendant on Hex's chest flared to life, blazing with golden light. Intense flames burst forth, melting through the layers of ice encasing his body. The crystals dissolved into droplets of water that splashed onto the cold stone floor.
"You brat, daring to speak so arrogantly."
As he spoke, Hex lifted his beak-shaped wand, drawing fiery energy from the air in a violent surge.
"Berdi-mordo-natta!"
With the incantation, a monstrous bull made of fire materialized before them. Its blood-red eyes glared fiercely, twin horns jutting from its massive head, its colossal body radiating unbearable heat.
"Weirdo, let the great hero teach you a lesson!"
A green laser burst from the circle on Upgrade's head, scorching the air as it shot straight toward the enemy.
"Is that so? Then let me see what you can do," Hex sneered, flicking his wand.
Moo!
The flaming bull charged forward, its bell-sized eyes overflowing with molten red fire. Despite its size, it moved with terrifying speed, like a blazing locomotive, and roared as it collided head-on with the laser beam.
Whoosh!
The searing green beam pierced through the bull's fiery body without resistance, continuing its assault toward Hex himself.
Hex slammed his gray staff into the ground, conjuring a purple protective shield before him. The raging laser struck it like a furious dragon, cracking it with a web of fractures before the beam finally dispersed into the rising heat.
By now, the ferocious fire bull had already stormed toward the stunned Upgrade.
"Ben, get out of the way!" Grandpa Max shouted.
But it was too late. Though enormous, the bull's speed was blinding.
Just as the flaming horns were about to impale Upgrade, a blue figure appeared before him, blocking the attack.
"Cuz," Upgrade muttered, his eyes flickering.
Facing the raging beast, Big Chill exhaled a torrent of icy breath. The frigid air condensed midair into a massive pillar of ice, thick as a tree trunk, which came crashing down on the bull's head.
BOOM!
A thunderous crack echoed as the fiery bull slammed into the ice pillar. Its sharp horns snapped instantly, and the freezing pillar—laden with biting cold—drove straight through its body, piercing it completely.
Midair, Big Chill clenched his hand, and the enormous pillar exploded. The fire bull was torn apart in an instant, scattering flaming fragments and shards of ice that rained down like glittering snow.
"Awesome!" Upgrade couldn't help but exclaim. "That move was incredible—way cooler than mine!"
"Cuz, you're amazing! You just took out that giant fire bull!" Gwen said in astonishment, her emerald eyes reflecting the flickering dance of ice and flame.
"Nice work, Lucian," Grandpa Max added with a rare smile, giving a thumbs-up. He didn't hand out praise often.
"Damn it... what kind of monster are you?" Hex growled, his voice tight with frustration.
"Are you talking about yourself?" Big Chill replied coldly before shifting into his spectral form.
A blue humanoid silhouette flared into being, its ethereal wings fluttering like those of a butterfly from an icy realm, as it darted swiftly toward Hex.
Panicking, Hex raised his gray wand and conjured several multicolored barriers before him. Layer upon layer stacked together, desperately trying to block the approaching phantom.
To defeat Lucian, Hex unleashed every spell he knew, summoning protective enchantments without restraint—anything to stop the assault.
But Big Chill, existing in another dimension, was untouchable. His ghostly form phased through Hex's walls of defense with ease, closing the distance between them in an instant.
"Wait, I've done nothing to you—"
Before Hex could finish, Big Chill's spectral form dove into his body, unleashing a torrent of bone-chilling cold that froze him solid in an instant.
Within seconds, Hex was encased in ice, his expression frozen in shock, mouth agape as if still trying to speak.
Sizzle...
A searing hiss cut through the silence. From the fiery pendant on Hex's chest, blazing heat erupted, melting the ice outward from his torso. The intense temperature scorched a gaping hole through the frost, the melting rapidly spreading across his body.
In just two seconds, Hex had freed his upper half. His dark crimson robe was soaked through, clinging to him like the feathers of a drenched bird.
He was about to speak when Big Chill's fist smashed straight into his face.
Hex screamed, his body flung backward with tremendous force before crashing hard into the wall.
At the same time, the Charm of Bezel around his neck jolted violently, and one of the small glowing stones detached, tumbling into the cold wind.
Five charm stones—one now missing from the center.
Slamming into the wall, Hex's face throbbed with pain, too dazed to notice the missing charm. But Big Chill wasn't about to give him a moment's rest.
The alien exhaled another wave of freezing air that condensed midair into a storm of icy spears. Each spear gleamed like crystal, slicing through the air with a vicious chill as they shot toward Hex like striking serpents.
Ignoring the ache in his body, Hex raised his bird-beak staff once again.
"Bellum ocorro mazzura!"
The moment the spell was spoken, two massive gray-white hands burst out from the wall behind him. Twisting like giant serpents, they lunged forward, roaring as they reached for the icy spears.
BOOM!
The glittering ice spears collided head-on with the pale stone arms. The impact shattered both into a spray of shards and dust, scattering a glittering storm of ice and stone that drifted slowly to the ground.
As the glow faded from the charm on Hex's chest, Big Chill's gaze hardened. His voice was low and rough.
"That's... a Transformation Spell."
The Transformation Spell could freely alter the form of objects and completely control their movement. Just moments ago, Hex had used its power to turn the wall into those enormous arms.
While Big Chill analyzed the situation, Upgrade had already charged forward.
He clenched his metallic fist tight, the surface rippling like liquid steel, then drove it hard into Hex's abdomen.
"You're finished, Mr. Mage!"
Buzz!
In an instant, a surge of purple energy burst from Hex's body, blasting the overconfident Upgrade backward. He smashed through several exhibits, sending glass and debris flying, before finally crashing to the floor and lying motionless amid the wreckage.
"Ben!" Grandpa Max shouted, sprinting toward him.
"Berdi-mordo-natta!" Hex incanted again, channeling the power of the Charm of Fire.
A torrent of scorching flames erupted from his wand, roaring straight toward Grandpa Max and the fallen Upgrade.
Seeing this, Gwen stepped forward without hesitation. Raising her hands, she summoned a translucent bubble of shimmering water that enveloped them both...