VERSATILE MAGE: RISE OF A LEGEND

The Cursed Beast feeling the frantic rage of its owner. The enraged Cursed Beast charges at Light with all its power, while Light calmly watches, his mind already calculating the next move. There's no fear in Light's eyes, only a cold, calculating resolve.

Light, unfazed by the creature's onslaught, moves his fingers slightly, and an invisible thread wraps around his finger. From the depths of the shadows, a Giant Shadow Spike emerges noiselessly. However, this is no ordinary spike—empowered by the Nyx Regime, the Shadow Spike multiplies into six razor-sharp swords. These swords shimmer with dark energy, humming with deadly precision as they target the Cursed Beast.

The first of the six sword-like spikes strikes the Cursed Beast's leg, cutting through its flesh with ease, as though severing a thread. The Cursed Beast stumbles, but the other five sword spikes descend without mercy, slicing through the creature's body with devastating accuracy. One sword plunges into the beast's brain, while the remaining strike its abdomen, right leg, and wrists, pinning the Cursed Beast in place like a puppet on a string.

The once fearsome creature is left screaming in agony. Its pained shrieks echo through the iron cage, vibrating through the air like a lament of death. The dark energy of the Shadow Spikes seeps deeper into the Cursed Beast's form, penetrating its very soul. Beneath the Nyx Regime, the shadow force is not only physical but also spiritual, piercing through the soul of the Cursed Beast, cursing it with unbearable torment.

Light observes, his expression cold, his breath steady. The biggest threat—the Cursed Beast—has been neutralized. His attention shifts to the traitors standing nearby, Jia Wenqing and Fu Tianming.

"Don't be furious," Fu Tianming shouts, desperation leaking into his voice, "have a taste of my Wind Magic!" He conjures a sharp gust of wind, hoping to catch Light off guard. However, Wind Magic is the least effective against the Shadow Element, especially under the power of the Great Nyx Regime Formation. Light merely sinks into the shadows, moving swiftly and silently through the darkness.

Jia Wenqing, seeing his comrade's futile efforts, ignites his magic. "Fiery Fist!" he roars, summoning the colossal power of flames. The air ripples with heat as a giant, flaming fist hurls toward the shadow where Light is hiding. The explosion that follows is fierce, a fiery inferno intended to incinerate everything in its path.

But Light emerges from the blaze, his body wreathed in flames—not from Jia Wenqing's attack, but his own. The rose-colored flames dance across his skin, their heat palpable, yet controlled. The rose flames are unlike Jia Wenqing's common-grade flames. They are majestic, refined, and far more deadly.

"You think you can harm me with those flames?" Light's voice is cold, and his eyes blaze with determination. "Rose Flames."

Before Jia Wenqing and Fu Tianming can react, Light summons the full power of his fire magic. "Fiery Fist!" he roars, conjuring his own version of the powerful spell. The ground beneath them begins to tremble, cracks spiderwebbing outwards. Light doesn't stop there. "Nine Palaces!" he chants, his voice steady as the energy around him surges. The power within the Nine Palaces explodes outward, tearing through the battlefield with the force of a mythical beast.

Jia Wenqing and Fu Tianming scramble to call forth their defensive magic equipment, their eyes wide with terror. But it's too late. The rose flames envelop them, burning through their defenses as though they were made of paper. Their screams are short-lived as their bodies are reduced to nothing but ash, falling from the sky like dark snowflakes.

Light doesn't even spare them a glance. His focus shifts, his eyes narrowing on Yu Ang, who stands frozen in disbelief. Behind Yu Ang's mask, his face is pale, his single exposed eye wide with shock.

"Fire Element?" Yu Ang whispers, his voice trembling with fear and confusion. "How...?"

His mind races. Light is supposed to be a Space and Undead magician. But the fire magic coursing through Light suggests something far more terrifying. **Dual Element Awakening?** The realization strikes him hard. He needs to kill Light—now, before it's too late.

"Kill him!" Yu Ang's voice cracks with fury as he shouts the order to his subordinates. His anger boils over, the scars on his face burning as though set aflame. "Kill him now!"

But Light has no intention of letting Yu Ang escape. "Catch him, Corpse General," he commands.

The ground trembles as an ox-headed undead creature appears, slamming its powerful arms into the earth. Yu Ang, trying to flee, is caught off guard as the Corpse General's strike sends him flying through the air. Blood pours from the disfigured part of his face as he crashes to the ground. The Corpse General grabs Yu Ang tightly, squeezing him with a bone-crushing grip.

All around them, chaos erupts as students begin to gather at the scene, their eyes wide with shock and horror. The sight of the Cursed Beast, pinned and defeated within the iron cage, leaves them speechless. The once fearsome creature, now tormented and powerless, is a testament to the brutality of the battle they've just witnessed.

"What... what is that thing?" someone gasps. "It's disgusting!"

"There are corpses... someone's been killed!"

"It's the Great Demon!" another voice cries out. "Light is the Great Demon!"

The students whisper and murmur, their voices tinged with fear and awe. The legendary demon within the iron cage is no myth—it's Light.

Amidst the chaos, Ms. Tangyue's voice crackles through Light's Bluetooth earpiece. "Light, are you alright?" she asks, her tone filled with concern.

"I won't die," Light replies, his voice steady despite the exhaustion settling into his bones. "Did you catch your person?"

"We've got him," Tangyue responds, her voice carrying a note of triumph. "Thanks to you, we'll finally be able to root out the Black Vatican's power in Shanghai. Tonight, there'll be a great purge."

Light listens, his mind only half on the conversation as he surveys the battlefield. The job isn't over yet.

"You've done us all a great service," Tangyue adds, her voice softer this time, almost reverent. "This victory... it's all thanks to you."

Light doesn't respond. His gaze is fixed on the Beast Taming Iron Cage, where the last remnants of the battle linger. He moves toward it, his hands deftly unlocking the cage with practiced ease. His sister had shown him how to open these cages before—another lesson learned, another skill mastered.

As he steps out of the cage, the students around him step back, unsure whether to approach or flee. But one voice cuts through the silence—Shen Mingxiao.

"Don't walk away!" Shen Mingxiao shouts, grabbing Light by the arm. "That creature... those corpses... you need to explain!"

Light turns, his eyes cold and unyielding. "Yeah," Shen Mingxiao continues, his voice shaking slightly, "if I'm not wrong, those two people were Fu Tianming and Jia Wenqing... did you kill them?"

Light doesn't hesitate. His voice is as sharp as the Giant Shadow Spike that ended the Cursed Beast's life. "I did," he says simply.

There's no regret, no hesitation. Just cold, hard truth.

As Light's gaze sweeps over the battlefield one last time, the students around him stare in stunned silence. The once-feared Cursed Beast now lies in a crumpled heap, defeated and powerless. The traitors, Fu Tianming and Jia Wenqing, are nothing more than ash on the wind.

And yet, Light stands tall, a silent force of destruction. The Demon of Shadows, the wielder of Rose Flames, the Space and Undead magician who commands the elements with terrifying precision.

As the chapter draws to a close, the weight of what has happened settles over the battlefield like a shroud. The students, the teachers, and even the Black Vatican will never forget the name of the boy who walked through the flames unscathed—the boy who mastered both shadows and fire.