Chapter 315 – Blazing Fireball

Amid Monbay Windbeak’s furious roar, dozens of lightning bolts shot forth from the sphere of electricity gathering above his head. Currents thicker than giant trees requiring five people to encircle swept across the sky, fragmenting the very space they passed through. All soil on the ground was vitrified by the scorching electrical currents.

Facing this terrifying whirl of lightning, Ben Lajie had no intention of confronting it head-on. Though he lacked flight spells, his mobility through Flame Jet remained formidable. While Ben Lajie usually appeared as a comical, portly old man, in combat one would quickly discover he was a genuine Master-Level veteran of countless battles.

Transformed into a massive fireball, the stout old man astonishingly dodged every lightning strike with agile, high-speed movements. Through his precise control of Flame Jet, the “fireball” appeared to teleport across the sky—instantly freezing in one position before “blinking” to another—each “teleportation” effortlessly evading the electrical assaults.

After closing the distance, Ben Lajie hurled a blinding white fireball toward the still wildly discharging Monbay Windbeak.

“Master-Level Evocation Spell—Scorching Fireball”!

The superheated fireball rapidly expanded as it approached Monbay Windbeak. Though this slightly reduced the spell’s potency, against a large enemy like the Stormhawk with no obvious weak points, area damage often proved more effective than single-target strikes.

Confronted by the approaching inferno, the disoriented Monbay Windbeak finally ceased his lightning pursuit of Ben Lajie. Recognizing the terrifying energy contained within the incandescent sphere, the frenzied Stormhawk at last remembered the concept of “dodging.”

Monbay Windbeak violently beat his wings, transforming the terrifying gale into countless instantly materialized blades that slashed toward the enormous fireball. Simultaneously, the Stormhawk began banking mid-air, attempting to rotate his body sideways to evade the approaching Scorching Fireball.

Under normal circumstances, with the delaying effect of his wind blades buying time by slowing the fireball’s advance, the Stormhawk’s aerial agility and speed would have allowed him to avoid Ben Lajie’s attack.

But the muddled, crazed Monbay Windbeak had clearly forgotten something!

Just as his body completed half its rotation, Punk—who had become a streak of purple light darting rapidly in the distance—smiled coldly. At the exact moment Monbay Windbeak began his turn, a deep purple energy ring instantly launched from Punk’s hand.

“Master-Level Conjuration Spell—Unidirectional Kinetic Shackles”

Metamagic – Mana Compression!

The ring shot toward Monbay Windbeak with lightning speed. During its flight, the purple ring rapidly unfurled, interlocking circles forming countless energy chains that coalesced into a spherical cage, completely enveloping the Stormhawk just as he reached a forty-five-degree tilt.

“Arghhh, damn it all!”Realizing the “Ring Chains” had enveloped his entire body in an instant, an enraged Monbay Windbeak immediately summoned gale forces to twist his physique.

But…

Countless purple energy runes abruptly ignited across the rings, congealing all space restrained by the chains. Within this domain, even light lost its momentum, while the tempest swirling around the Stormfeather Eagle froze mid-air.

The next second, Ben Lajie’s Scorching Fireball pierced effortlessly through the barrier formed by the “Unidirectional Kinetic Shackles” before mercilessly striking Monbay Windbeak’s exposed abdomen.

Since Punk had cast “Unidirectional Kinetic Shackles”, the kinetic stagnation only affected the barrier’s interior, posing no obstruction to external elements. Unfortunately, Monbay Windbeak’s evasive rotation was only half-completed – not only did he fail to dodge the fireball, but his vulnerable belly became fully exposed to Ben Lajie’s assault.

Thus, trapped within Punk’s immobilizing spell, Monbay Windbeak could only watch helplessly as the fireball struck true.

“ARRRGH! Damned insects! I’ll slaughter you all!”

The agonized roar erupted from Monbay Windbeak’s beak, its sonic force scattering the clouds overhead.

While fire-element spells might not be the most destructive, they undoubtedly inflicted the most excruciating pain. Ben Lajie’s “Scorching Fireball” particularly differed from conventional fireballs – instead of exploding on impact, it adhered to the target while continuously releasing superheated temperatures exceeding ten thousand degrees. The sustained torment could disrupt spellcasting for ordinary mages even through minor injuries.

But Monbay Windbeak was no spellcaster. The searing pain only fueled his frenzy, condensing wind element into near-solid form around his wings. The escalating energy fluctuations soon cracked Punk’s “Unidirectional Kinetic Shackles” with web-like fractures.

However…

“Just a raving madman after all. No enemy proves more manageable than such fools.”

Watching the mindless accumulation of wind energy for a brute-force breakout, the perpetually mobile Punk smirked contemptuously. Then…

Precisely as Monbay Windbeak’s elemental power peaked for explosive release, Punk instantly dispelled the “One-Way Kinetic Shackles” while hurling another spell at the crimson-eyed eagle.

The violet energy dissipated without maintaining restraint just as Monbay Windbeak’s tempestuous power erupted. But with its shackles vanished, the Stormfeather Eagle’s unleashed energy struck empty air.

Simultaneously, Punk’s second spell descended:

“Master-Level Conjuration – Kinetic Acceleration!”Having unleashed his power but failed to break free from his target, Monbay Windbeak was still in a dazed state when a massive surge of kinetic energy was directly released upon him. This kinetic force was perfectly aligned with the direction of his Wind Elemental outburst, causing the Stormhawk to immediately lose balance under the combined propulsion of his own strength and Punk’s spell.

Everyone knows that kicking forcefully forward can lead to instability if the kick misses its mark. Now imagine what would happen if someone gave you a hard shove from behind at that very moment?

This was precisely the predicament Monbay Windbeak found himself in. Propelled by both his own Wind Elemental burst and Punk’s “Kinetic Acceleration,” the Stormhawk shot forward at an uncontrollable speed toward the mountains, then… crashed directly into a towering peak!

“BOOM!”

Rolling around at month’s start begging for votes~ Give them to me, give them to me now~

(End of Chapter)