Chapter 321: Battle

The door of the library started shaking as the staff exploded with the power of lightning.

The attack failed, but the Thunder Emperor didn't feel disappointed. He was merely assessing how strong it was.

"Whew~ That was tough..." He said as he stepped back a couple of times.

In the meantime, Charles frowned at his action as the sparks of lightning almost reached him. He had to move to avoid being hit by the staff's lightning power.

Charles grunted at this as he shifted his attention to Jean.

"Aren't you going to stop him from destroying the door? I can tell that there are many students hiding behind that door. Once it's opened, many students will be injured if you let him be." Charles said to Jean as he held his cane tightly.

Charles knew that his movement was already slow. In terms of movement speed, he would fail compared to the person in front of him.

It was better to be on the defensive so he could only taunt Jean to attack... He even decided to shrink his Magic Zone in order to increase his concentration.

"Heh... I don't want to... I'll wait until the effect of the pill disappears." Headmaster Jean said with a chuckle as he remained on his spot. He was also a bit unsure about the Forbidden Pill that Charles had consumed. With that in mind, he was simply considering when to summon his Shadow Soldiers to attack them.

"Y-you..."

His answer made Charles speechless. He didn't expect that the dignified Headmaster would be so shameless.

"Just go ahead and help your friend destroy the door." Headmaster Jean added.

"Hmph... Just watch me!"

The Thunder Emperor said as he approached the library door again, which was locked and sealed by a formation art. His attack a while ago failed to even make a dent in the door, but he was still filled with confidence.

He raised his staff and pointed it at the door. He prepared to unleash a different lightning magic this time.

"Stand back," he said to Charles Blackwood. "I'll handle this."

Then, he unleashed his lightning magic on the door, sending a bolt of electricity toward it. This time, it was red! It was a bolt of red lightning!

Boom!

But instead of breaking the door, the lightning bolt bounced back and hit him in the chest. He flew back several meters, landing on the ground with a thud.

He groaned in pain and shock. He looked at the door, which was unscathed.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed.

Charles Blackwood smirked at him.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" he asked mockingly. "This is not just the Order's Formation Circle... That's a formation left behind by Morgan Vermont. It's not something you can break with brute force. It's easier to find the key for this thing or get someone inside to open that damn door." Charles said while his eyes remained on Jean.

The Thunder Emperor glared at him.

"Then how do you suggest we get in?" He asked angrily.

Charles Blackwood shrugged.

"I don't know," he said casually. "Maybe we should ask him."

He pointed at the man who had been watching them all this time.

This time, the Thunder Emperor finally shifted his attention to Jean, who wore a black cloak and hood, hiding most of his face and body. He held a cane in his hand as if he was a limp.

"Jean Hoffman... Are you really going to shelter the Masked Devil?" The Thunder Emperor asked.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about. However, if you defeat me, I can let you pass through that door. So if you're going to attack, just come at me." Jean said.

The two looked at each other and decided to team up for different reasons.

The Thunder Emperor decided to team up with Charles Blackwood because he needed help to get past the formation art. On the other hand, Charles Blackwood chose to team up with the Thunder Emperor because he couldn't kill Jean Hoffman alone unless he made a suicidal move.

Thud!

The Thunder Emperor struck the ground with his staff and shouted. "You'll regret this!"

Charles Blackwood also made his move as he used his Hell's Chain to tie up Jean and make him incapable of dodging.

Jean Hoffman smiled wickedly at them.

He didn't care about the lightning attack and the chain that bound him.

He raised his cane and pointed it at them. He prepared to unleash his dark magic on them, intending to destroy their Spells.

However, his casting was too slow.

The two spells hit him perfectly.

He felt the chains wrap around his lower body and the lightning strike his chest. He groaned in pain as he realized that they were stronger than he thought. His robe actually failed to fully neutralize their attacks.

Nevertheless, it wasn't to the point that he couldn't handle it. He didn't even stop casting!

"Is that all you've got?" Jean taunted.

"You think you can defeat me with such weak spells? Let me show you what real dark magic is." He added.

With a wave of his hand, he released a Dark Blast, a dark spell that could fire a beam of pure darkness at the target.

Whoosh~

The beam was fast and powerful, and it headed straight for Charles.

Charles didn't panic as he reacted quickly and cast his Shield of Darkness. This dark spell could create a barrier of darkness to protect himself. It was stronger than just using his Darkness Manipulation Spell. Furthermore, the Dark Blast wasn't the best spell against a Dark Spellcaster like him.

Thud!

The shield blocked the beam, but it cracked under the pressure.

Charles knew he had to act fast, or he would be overwhelmed. He won't trust the Thunder Emperor to help him in the first place.

He cast Dark Wave, which should also corrupt his target. However, in this case, his target was another Dark Spellcaster stronger than him, so the Dark Wave could only create a shockwave of darkness to push the enemy back.

"Hmph!"

The wave hit Hoffman and knocked him back...

Charles took this opportunity to cast another spell: Filthy Flame, a dark spell that could create a black fire that could burn anything it touched.

He wasn't simply relying on his Lightning Staff... He was still a proud Elementalist!

The flame flew towards Hoffman, who dodged it narrowly.

He was actually surprised by Charles' speed and skill. That Dark Wave was dangerous. Although it didn't deal damage, it caught him off-guard.

'It seems that Forbidden Pill can increase his Casting Speed, Vitality, and Power...' Jean silently thought as he realized that he had to deal with Charles first before he could focus on Thunder Emperor.

He swiftly summoned his Dark Claw, followed by his Shadow Soldier...

The claw slashed at Charles, who barely avoided it. He felt a sharp pain on his arm where the claw had grazed him. He saw blood dripping from his wound and felt a cold sensation spreading through his body. He knew it was a sign of dark poison.

It wasn't over yet. The Shadow Soldier appeared beside him as he cursed loudly.

"Bring it on!"

He ignored the pain and cast his other Spell, Gloom Spear, to pierce the Shadow Soldier...

It seemed that he was actually expecting this as he summoned the Spear almost instantaneously. The Spear easily pierced through the Shadow Soldier before it could even attack!

It didn't even end there, the Spear continued heading towards Jean Hoffman.

Whoosh~

Charles wasn't expecting much from this attack, but to his surprise, Jean was pierced by the Spear!

It was thanks to the Thunder Emperor, who also threw another Spell, making him unable to dodge the Gloom Spear!

Poof!

Unfortunately, as Charles and the Thunder Emperor were about to celebrate, 'Jean Hoffman' shattered like glass.