The two flames devoured the world energy conjured by Nandi and fused into a white mass of Primordial Flames three times the size of the original.
“What the fuck?” Iata and her group were flying close in order to cast Silverwing’s spells so they were all inside the Primordial Flames’ area of effect.
They conjured the Bastion they had at the ready just for it to be punctured by the white flames and their bodies to be drowned in a fiery inferno.
‘That’s impossible, we are all boosted by my Life Mael-‘ Only then did the Sekhmet notice that bolts of silver lightning coursed through her enemies as well.
“So you are strong as a team? What a coincidence, so are we.” The Master unleashed a barrage of Howling Void that pierced through the Divine Beasts’ armor, killing two more and severely injuring the others.
“Nelia, Cyare!” Another black pillar burst from Vastor’s body and the pattern repeated itself but this time it was the Fenrir’s and the Griffon’s turn.
The Fenrir landed on the Griffon’s back and activated Doom Tide, drawing in all the world energy remaining from Xenagrosh’s and Kigan’s combined attack.
Yet instead of emitting it in every direction and hurting her allies, Cyare passed it onto Nelia. The Griffon used the Life Maelstrom stored in her body to beat the Doom Tide into submission and channeled it to her mouth.
Then, Nelia combined the Doom Tide with her Light Raider bloodline ability to conjure a Doom Blast. The energy was the same as the Doom Tide but focused in a single beam compressed by a hard-light construct that spun at high speed, giving both of them great piercing power.
The Doom Blast struck Hystar’s leg with enough strength to shatter his kneecap and foil the finishing blow on the White Griffon.
“What? How?” The four Guardians hadn’t been so flabbergasted since the day Mogar had summoned them to witness Lith beginning his ascension.
“The bloodline abilities of a Phoenix can only be used with other members of my species thanks to our blood bond. My Origin Flames aren’t supposed to mix with Zagran’s Life Maelstrom.
“A combined bloodline ability is supposed to be impossible!” Salaark said.
“What she said.” The Mother of All Garudas gaped at her lost child, her brain just as lost from the shock.
“A Griffon and a Fenrir can do that?” Tyris had stopped crying from amazement. “Since when?”
“I guess the same way a Phoenix and a Dragon are supposed to conjure Primordial Flames solely with other members of their respective kin.” Leegaain’s Eyes were in their true form, yet even with their help the Father of All Dragons had no explanation for what he was witnessing.
“I guess that Mogar was right in asking us to leave the Master alone. Our species are always fighting and despising each other due to either their territorial nature or the grudges of their progenitors.
“Thousands of years have passed since our coming yet we had no idea that our bloodlines could achieve so much. Our lost children are the black sheep of their respective species but that allowed the Master to bring them together.
“Their misfortune and pain turned them into a makeshift brotherhood, allowing them to become the first of their kind to open up to another Divine Beast. It pains me to say it, but the Master may be a better leader and mentor than us.”
Vastor had no way to listen to Leegaain’s words, but to the Father of all Dragons, it seemed like the small man was determined to keep slapping him in the face.
“Marth, you idiot, what are you doing?” The Master yelled in his communication amulet while Hushar the Leviathan and Xenagrosh produced a combined attack as well that lay waste to the enemy lines.
“I’m sorry, Zogar. He’s too strong.” Marth’s voice was filled with self-loathing and frustration. “If only my students and I were also Awakened we-”
“Who the fuck cares about Awakening? Did that ever stop us from kicking the butts of Emperor Beasts? Did it stop Manohar, Linjos, or Rudd?” Vastor cut him short.
“But Decay-”
“It’s just light magic and light and darkness are but two sides of the same coin! Didn’t you learn anything from Manohar? Are you really letting his whole life work be destroyed by an imbecile who didn’t study a single day of his life?” The Master replied.
“Manohar…” Marth echoed the name of the late god of healing, wishing he was able to pull one of the Mad Professor’s miracles just as easily.
It was then that the power core of the White Griffon answered his call and revealed the true difference between Arthan’s opus and Valeron’s.
Manohar’s mana was still there, flowing like blood through the academy. All of his research, his spells, and his personal breakthroughs had left a deep imprint in the White Griffon.
An imprint that now answered Marth’s call, flowing through him as well.
Hystar emitted a blast of Decay to not lose the advantage and keep the enemy on his back foot but Marth raised his hand, conjuring a curtain of darkness that shrouded him from head to toe.
The Decay feasted on the darkness element, turning back into harmless light. A light that joined Marth’s darkness thanks to the White Griffon’s arrays and then the Headmaster turned them both into a huge hard-light construct that slammed in Hystar’s face, sending him flying.
The construct then switched into a mass of darkness magic that flooded the Golden Griffon before he had the time to recover from the surprise.
“What the?” Hystar raised his shield to block the incoming attack and coated his sword with several Silverwing’s Annihilations to boost its destructive power.
“Not a chance.” Marth called upon Thorman’s mana and conjured his Blast Guard Magic Knight spell.
A flaming sphere deviated Hystar’s lunge enough for Marth’s shield to push it away, leaving the Golden Griffon exposed from head to waist. Hystar took a step back and raised his own shield just for Marth to Blink.
Static Field didn’t affect the elements, it simply increased the mana cost of dimensional spells. Alas, the Golden and the White Griffon had the same power source, making the array pointless.
Marth appeared behind the enemy’s back, hitting him with a diagonal slash that cut him from the left shoulder to the right hip.
“How is this possible? You are a fake mage. You need hands and chants to use spells!” Hystar cried in outrage.
“Tell that to Khavos Rudd.” The old Professor had mastered dimensional magic to the point that his hands and mouth could complete any spell faster than anyone else.
He was so quick that during the first lesson of dimensional magic, Lith had thought Rudd employed true magic.
Hystar turned around and Marth Blinked again. The Cursed Headmaster could see the exit point with Life Vision and struck at it with his Tower Spirit Spell, Execution. Marth replied by conjuring the Tower Tier version of Vastor’s Tetrastrophe.
The first spell intercepted Hystar’s, making it explode at a safe distance. The other three struck at him from below, where he wasn’t covered by his elemental sealing arrays.
The true power of the six great academies lay in their purpose and their slumber.Â
