The surge of violent electricity sent shockwaves through the onlookers, their gazes snapping toward Kael.
Crackle—hiss—
Purple lightning coiled around his body like serpents, its brilliance dazzling and its thickness rivaling an arm's girth. The energy radiated a primal, overwhelming force that sent a jolt of alarm through even Leif.
"Lightning... the power of thunder! It's actually lightning!" Magnus grunted through his injuries, his sharp eyes immediately recognizing Kael's mastery over this unprecedented element. How had Kael unlocked what no one else could?
"Leif." Kael smiled faintly, his form blurring as he activated Star Steps. In an instant, he closed the distance, stopping precisely ten meters away—just outside Leif's Domain yet within optimal spellcasting range.
"The power of thunder? So the Sacred Council has its own hidden ace. I underestimated you."Leif chuckled darkly. Though startled, he showed no retreat.
With his Domain active, he was invincible below the seventh-tier!
"Tch. So what if you've mastered a never-before-seen lightning magic?" Leif sneered, his gaze sharp as a blade. With a sudden flourish, he roared, "Gate of Shadows!"
Despite his taunts, Leif wasn't careless. He knew anyone who'd harnessed thunder magic was extraordinary—their talent monstrous, their potential limitless.
Kael, meanwhile, harbored a different ambition.
Facing an opponent wielding a Domain—a power exclusive to Arcane Magisters—he treaded carefully. Yet he also sought to glean its secrets from Leif.
When Leif had effortlessly nullified Magnus's quartet earlier, Kael had caught a fleeting glimpse of the Domain's mechanics. And now, with his accumulated insights, the Millennium Ice Soul'sfull absorption, and his own terrifying aptitude...
He might just grasp the Domain himself.
The spell Leif unleashed—Gate of Shadows—manifested as a colossal void before Kael. Pitch-black and fathomless, it yawned like the abyss of the underworld, its gravitational pull devouring wind, dust, and even light itself.
Kael snorted coldly, channeling his power to resist. He muttered an incantation under his breath before thrusting his staff forward!
"Wrath of Thunder!"
Countless bolts of lightning erupted violently!
The Holy Temple members near Kael shuddered as every hair on their bodies stood on end, their scalps tingling from the static.
Those around him felt their limbs go numb—zapped by the overwhelming current. The crackling electric web left an uncomfortable, prickling sensation across their skin.
The thunder gathered, condensing into a single point.
Like the fury of a thunder god, violet lightning flashed—swift, merciless. The concentrated electricity coalesced around Kael before lashing out toward Leif in a blinding streak!
BOOM!
The sheer force of the thunderstrike forced everyone to flinch.
Its speed was incomprehensible—finally showing them what "fast as lightning" truly meant.
In an instant, the violent current surged forward. Leif hastily expanded his Domain, attempting to block Kael's aerial assault.
"Domain—Stasis!" Leif barked. His Domain fully unfurled, mana surging around him. Normally, any spell entering his Domain would freeze in place—just as he had neutralized Magnus and the others earlier.
But this time... it failed.
The lightning was simply too fast. It tore through his Domain before he could react!
BOOM!
Leif's heart leaped into his throat. At the last moment, he twisted aside, using Instant Flash to narrowly evade the strike.
A deafening explosion followed as Kael's spell obliterated a dozen undead beasts behind Leif. The stench of charred flesh filled the air—the creatures collapsing into smoldering husks.
A single strike, yet its might forced even Leif to retreat!
"Incredible... Lightning magic. Kael's potential is immeasurable. Even within the Holy Temple, few possess such promise!" Magnus murmured, his gaze complex as he watched Kael.
His words were an understatement. With power like this, Kael could overpower almost all of the Holy Temple's younger generation! Only the Temple's Holy Son might rival him...
"So this is the power of lightning," Leif sneered, his eyes glinting with murderous intent. Frustration burned in his chest—Kael's strength had far exceeded his expectations, reaching a level that genuinely threatened him. Even with his Domain, he couldn't fully suppress Kael.
But he still had a card to play.
While Kael mastered thunder magic, he lacked a Domain. That remained Leif's advantage.
"Raging Flamewind!" Leif hissed, his killing intent surging. He now saw Kael as his greatest threat. Never had he imagined that among the Holy Temple and Sacred Council's forces, such a monster would emerge.
Raging Flamewind—a dual-element spell!
Kael's pupils contracted. So Leif's this capable too? This was the first time he'd encountered another mage below the Arcane Magister tier who could wield composite magic.
In an instant, the spell surged forth. Though similar in concept to Kael's Flame Tempest, its power dwarfed the sixth-tier spell by magnitudes. Fire roared across the battlefield, a tsunami of destruction locking onto Kael with apocalyptic force.
Kael snorted, darting backward while channeling another thunder spell:
"Heaven's Thunderfall!"
The sky ignited with violet streaks. Lightning erupted in layers, weaving a cage of electricity so dense it sealed every escape route around Magnus. The deafening crackle of thunderclaps filled the air like a storm of frying beans—
BOOM!
Lightning clashed violently against the composite spell, their forces colliding midair!
Every spectator hastily raised magical barriers to shield themselves from the fallout. The sheer intensity of this duel forced even bystanders to expend energy just to withstand the shockwaves.
The two titanic powers collided—space itself seemed to distort momentarily from the impact. The opposing energies, perfectly matched, detonated in a cataclysmic explosion.
Flames scattered like meteors; thunderbolts streaked like vengeful serpents.
Yet when the inferno dissipated, the lightning persisted, crackling and reforming its electric web unabated.
"Damn you! Domain—!" Leif's murderous intent spiked. Even his composite spell had failed to suppress Kael. In desperation, he expanded his mana violently, swelling his Domain to its limits in an attempt to engulf Kael entirely!
In Leif's calculations, Kael's reliance on thunder magic was his sole advantage. Once trapped within the Domain, no amount of lightning could save him!
With that, Leif lunged forward at blinding speed, closing the gap between them!
"Kael, look out!" Ethan's brow furrowed, his voice tense.
Amelia's eyes flashed with worry. Her sharp perception instantly grasped the stakes—
Kael appeared to hold the upper hand, trading blows with Leif effortlessly. But his dominance relied entirely on lightning's unrivaled speed. If Leif dragged him into the Domain, Kael would be utterly vulnerable, paralyzed by its laws... and slaughtered at will!
Their fears were justified. A mage's Domain was their absolute realm—within it, they were god.
Kael knew the peril. Seeing Leif charge, his mind chilled—yet paradoxically, his focus sharpened.
Then, abruptly, he closed his eyes.
Yes! At this critical juncture, Kael shut his eyes.
"Seeking death!" Leif sneered, his grin venomous. Was this fool really surrendering?
But just as Leif crossed into striking range—his body locked midair as if seized by an invisible force.
Then, without warning, he staggered back three steps, his face contorted in shock.
"A Domain... You've comprehended a Domain?!" Leif's voice cracked with disbelief.