Abner spoke with his eyes widened. “This... this level of magic, especially from one of Kintovar's creations, it shouldn't be possible... Elemental fusion of this scale is a tier beyond even Extreme Magic, and yet, I'm witnessing the impossible.

  "Risebelle echoed in a hushed tone, "Elemental fusion..."

  Roselle channeled her energy, focusing on the element of ice and formed patterns within the air. Slowly, her breath misted in the air. The violent energy surrounding her began to shift, condensing, refining. The flames dimmed and in their place—came ice.

  She sent a gust of wind forth, laced with razor-sharp frost. The air itself howled as the icy tempest rushed toward Abner, swirling with beautiful yet deadly motifs.

  Abnertried to leap aside—but it was too late. The wind caught his arm. A deafening CRACK split the battlefield.

  Abner’s eyes widened as pain shot through him. The frost shattered upon impact, leaving a deep, jagged gash trailing from his shoulder down to his forearm. A harsh gasp tore from his lips. He clutched his arm and staggered backward.

  He gritted his teeth. “I cannot allow this to go on…”

  Summoning his remaining strength, The Elite Mage lifted his hand.

  "Luminous Spheres!"

  Orbs of radiant light swirled around him. One by one, they aligned, locking onto Roselle before shooting forward with blinding speed.

  Risebelle tensed. “Roselle, move—!”

  But Roselle didn’t move. She simply stood there with an unfazed look.

  Abner’s breath caught in his throat. Something was wrong.

  [System Message]

  Ability Unlocked: Thunderstorm's Wrath

  Dark clouds gathered overhead which blocked out not only the sun, but the luminous beacon of Abner. Thunder rumbled from the clouds until a cataclysmic thunderstorm manifested above the battlefield. Lightning bolts crackled and arced across the darkened sky.

  Risebelle watched in awe and concern l. Dark purple streaks of lightning coursed down Roselle's body.

  The luminous spheres closed in with divine energy meant to burn through any opposition. They collided with Roselle’s body with bursts of golden light erupting around her on impact. The ground beneath her cracked, and yet, she stood as if nothing had happened with the spheres pushing into her.

  The battlefield, once bathed in Abner’s light darkened. Shadows crept in, swallowing the glow. Abner’s breath hitched. His hands trembled and he took a step back.

  Roselle finally spoke in a low tone. “Earlier, you said something…You talked about the elements—lightning, water, earth, fire, ice. You said they were things you had seen before.”

  She took a slow slow steps forward, looking like an approaching cataclysm.

  “You’ve always treated light as superior.”

  The storm intensified.

  “You don’t understand, do you?”

  Abner gritted his teeth, raising his hand to exert control over the spheres that had struck her. He poured his energy into it, trying to push her back with force.

  But Roselle kept coming forward instead of moving back. The spheres dimmed against the overwhelming storm that wrapped around her like an unshakable force.

  “Light is powerful,” Roselle admitted while lifting her hand as lightning coiled around her fingers, combining with the frost clinging to the wind. “But elements—when combined—become something far beyond what you understand.”

  Abner’s eyes widened.

  Meanwhile Dr. Kintovar, accompanied by Becky and Sybil, her new recruits continued their journey through the Mystical Forest. The atmosphere had grown increasingly tense as they ventured deeper into the forest.

  While walking, Kintovar suddenly halted. Her eyes scanned the skies. The sight that met her gaze was beyond anything she had anticipated. Dark clouds had gathered overhead, casting an eerie shadow over the forest. Thunder rumbled ominously and lightning crackled across the sky in violent bursts.

  Dr. Kintovar let out a low chuckle while the turbulent atmosphere above. It was a sight that both intrigued and excited her. Her mind immediately turned to her creations, Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle.

  Becky and Sybil exchanged puzzled glances. "Why did you stop, Doc?" Becky inquired.

  Sybil chimed in, "Is something wrong?"

  Dr. Kintovar turned to her companions with a twirl. "Oh, nothing's wrong, Becky and Sybil. In fact, everything appears to be quite extravagant. Let us move on!"

  She continued walking through the Mystical Forest with an unshaken confidence.

  The battle continued. Roselle tapped into her newfound abilities, channeling her overwhelming magical energy into a lightning whip. The whip crackled with violent energy, and it extended to remarkable lengths with a mind of its own.

  The whip lashed out with precision and speed towards Abner, who was still in shock of Roselle's elemental onslaught. His aura of radiant light wavered under the relentless assault by the whip. After beating across Abner’s chest with it like a drum, she allowed the whip to coil around Abner, ensnaring him with its tendrils.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Abner found himself unable to break free from the grip of the lightning whip. His aura of radiant light flickered and, causing searing pain.

  Abner struggled. His entire body was writhing against the crackling tendrils of Roselle’s lightning whip. His once-brilliant aura of radiant light flickered dangerously.

  In a seamless shift, Roselle released her toxic blade and summoned her medium-sized cannon in its place. The weapon pulsing with a dark, venomous glow. Without hesitation, she lifted it, aiming directly at Abner’s trapped body and fired.

  Toxic bullets tore through the air, striking Abner with merciless precision. His breath came in ragged, pained gasps as a sickly sensation spread through him.

  His light—was vanishing.

  “N-No…” Abner stammered, reaching desperately toward the dimming Luminous Beacon above. “This… can’t be… my light… it’s vanishing!”

  Roselle’s face was cold. She lowered her cannon and replaced it with her toxic blade. Flames surged around the blade, intertwining with arcs of violet lightning. Ice clung to the edges, radiating an unnatural chill, while the ground beneath her feet trembled as earthen energy coiled into the weapon’s form.

  The blade pulsed with chaotic powerand had a mesmerizing rainbow-like glow. Roselle exhaled.

  “You’re finished.”

  With a flick of her wrist, she released Abner from the lightning whip. He barely had the strength to lift himself off the ground once he was released.

  Roselle stepped forward and said, “Time to end this once and for all.”

  Roselle closed the distance in an instant with her blade raised high, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

  Abner’s scream echoed across the land as her blade descended upon him.

  A violent surge of elemental energy erupted as the sword pierced through Abner’s chest. The force sent a shockwave across the battlefield, scattering debris and distorting the very air around them.

  Abner’s body trembled. His mouth opened, but no words came—only a choked gasp. His aura dissapeared, leaving nothing but darkness in its place.

  Then—he dropped.

  His body hit the ground with a dull thud.

  Silence fell over the battlefield.

  Risebelle stared at the scene. Her breath caught in her throat.

  “She… she did it,” she whispered.

  Even when Risebelle spoke the words, disbelief lingered in her mind. Abner—the wielder of Extreme Magic, the radiant force that had nearly erased them was defeated. And the one who had done it was Roselle. “This power…”

  Her thoughts drifted back—to Dr. Kintovar.

  Before Roselle’s creation had been complete, Kintovar had spoken to her about the project.

  “Ah yes! You want to know if your sister’s name beforehand? Roselle, Codename: Project Mage…Oh? You want to know what the codename thing is all about too, do you? You’ll understand one day.”

  Risebelle’s jaw tightened.

  Was this what Kintovar had meant? This overwhelming power Roselle now wielded—was it tied to their codenames? To something deeper?

  She glanced at Roselle again and thought, ‘Just what were you made to become…?’

  Just when they thought it was over—when Abner’s lifeless body lay still on the battlefield,te air grew heavy with an unnatural energy. From above, the Luminous Beacon pulsed violently and then, it descended.

  A radiant column of light engulfed the broken Abner. The warmth of it spread through the battlefield, so blinding it forced both Roselle and Risebelle to shield their eyes.

  The deep, fatal wound Roselle had inflicted sealed itself shut. The burns, the bruises, the fractures—all disappeared in mere moments. His aura of light returned, stronger than before.

  By the time the radiance faded, Abner was whole again.

  Risebelle’s breath hitched. “No way…” she muttered.

  Then—Abner chuckled, which was slow at first, but it grew loud enough to warp into a full-bodied laugh that echoed through the ruined battlefield.

  Roselle’s violet eyes burned, but even she couldn’t deny the impossible sight before her.

  Abner finally composed himself with a satisfied grin stretching across his face. “I have been reborn again,” he declared while stretching his arms. He tilted his head at them. “Did you really think it was over?”

  Risebelle gritted her teeth. “Not again…!”

  Abner took a step forward. “As long as my Luminous Beacon exists, I will return. Untouched. Restored. Perfect.” His smirk deepened. “And there is nothing you can do to stop it.”

  The words hit like a hammer. They had just defeated him—no, killed him. And yet, here he was, standing before them like nothing had happened.

  Abner’s gaze flicked toward Roselle. “I must admit, this power you’ve discovered—it is beyond impressive.” He gestured toward her with a slow wave of his hand. “To think you could reach a level that rivals my own...”

  He paused with a smile that turned condescending. “But even with that strength… you can’t stop me.”

  Roselle remained silently looking on while Abner continued. “I will keep returning, again and again. And you?” He let out a mocking chuckle. “Your power will diminish with every battle… while mine remains infinite.” He spread his arms wide, basking in the golden radiance of his beacon.

  “It was futile from the very beginning.”

  Risebelle clenched her fists and thought to herself, ‘No… that can’t be how his power works… hold on...’

  She stared up at the Luminous Beacon still pulsing in the sky. It had always been there, casting its golden glow over the battlefield.

  A realization struck her like lightning. ‘ Waitaminute, before, it was high in the sky—completely untouchable. But now…it’s below the clouds…’

  It was within range.

  Risebelle’s sharp blue eyes locked onto Abner with a smirk. “The human mind can only take so much, you know.”

  Abner’s smirk faltered slightly. “What?”

  Risebelle crossed her arms. “You like to act invincible, but your energy isn’t as infinite as you want us to think.” She gestured toward the sky. “That Luminous Beacon of yours—wasn’t it supposed to be unreachable?”

  Abner’s smirk twitched.

  “But earlier,” Risebelle continued with amusement, “when Roselle unleashed her thunderstorm, your beacon couldn’t reach you, could it? So it descended.” She jabbed a finger upward. “And now? Now it’s not above the clouds anymore.”

  Roselle suddenly smirked.

  Abner’s eyes widened. He took a small step back.

  Roselle eyes Abner with her smirk fading and a serious looking replacing it.“If we destroy that beacon, then the moment you die—you won’t be coming back.”

  Abner’s fists clenched. “Tch… You can’t destroy my beacon!” His voice rose with anger. “I am a Chosen One—blessed by the goddess herself! My power is divine, beyond your comprehension!”

  Risebelle rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, say that like an idiot, but…” She cracked her knuckles. “You’re looking real nervous right about now.”

  Roselle lifted her sword with violet lightning crackling across its blade. “Then let’s put it to the test.”

  For the first time since the battle began—Abner didn’t look confident. He looked afraid.

  At that very moment, a violent burst of energy exploded from Roselle’s body, sending a wave of static crackling through the air. Arcs of unstable electricity danced wildly around her.

  Roselle’s eyes widened as a sharp, unbearable sensation tore through her body. Her knees buckled, and she fell on them with her arms holding the ground. She panted heavily.

  “Roselle!” Risebelle’s shouted with alarm. She rushed forward but stopped short when another surge of unstable energy lashed outward.

  Roselle’s breaths came ragged and shallow. She clutched at her chest with her fingers trembling against the overwhelming force raging inside her.

  Then—

  [System Message]

  Form: Project Mage Transformation (Forced)

  Lifeforce: 150%

  Magic: 210%

  WARNING: First stage of Magic Rupture detected. Immediate stabilization required.

  Magic Rupture…She knew what that meant. This form—her body wasn’t handling it. It wasn’t meant to handle it.

  A sharp cry escaped her lips as another pulse of unstable magic jolted through her system that sent fresh waves of pain shooting through every nerve.

  Risebelle’s face turned from shock to worry. “Damn it…”

  Abner watched the scene unfold. His initial fear melted away as a slow, knowing grin spread across his face. “Well, well…” he mused while folding his arms. “All that power… all that fury… and yet, in the end, it’s you who’s falling apart.” He let out a soft chuckle. “How fitting.”

  He spread his arms wide. “Go on, struggle all you want and try to attack me. I’ll be watching as you break yourself apart hopelessly.”

  Project Mage