Braun's expression darkened. "Don't get too cocky. This is just the beginning!" He quickly formed hand seals, and the black-robed figures around him followed suit, casting their own spells. In an instant, black magical energy gathered together, forming a massive vortex of darkness that surged toward Krupp and the others.
"Be careful!" Dean Bruce shouted, raising his own defensive magic in tandem with Prolo Hawthorne, forming a protective barrier to block the force of the black vortex.
Krupp, however, saw his opportunity. As the vortex was still forming, he charged directly toward Braun. "You want to play dirty? Take my sword!" With a burst of golden light, his sword shot forward, aimed at Braun with incredible force.
Braun hadn't expected Krupp to be so bold, charging right at him. He quickly sidestepped, but the tip of Krupp's sword still slashed through his black robe. "Damn you!" Braun cursed, stepping back.
"What's wrong? Getting mad already?" Krupp taunted, pressing the attack without hesitation. His every swing was packed with force, driving Braun back step by step.
"Everyone, take them down first!" Braun shouted at the black-robed figures behind him.
The black-robed figures surged forward, surrounding Dean Bruce, Krupp, and Prolo Hawthorne. The battle became chaotic as spells and weapons clashed, filling the air with energy.
Dean Bruce, while fending off the black-robed figures, called out to Krupp, "Krupp, hold off Braun! Prolo and I will try to figure out how to break this magical barrier. We need to get through it fast!"
"Got it! Leave this old man to me!" Krupp replied, his attacks becoming more intense as he fully engaged Braun.
Prolo Hawthorne glanced down at the symbols on the ground, turning to Dean Bruce. "Professor, I think we might need a specific type of elemental magic to enhance the magic infusion. If you look at the patterns of these symbols, they seem to resonate with water magic."
Dean Bruce examined the symbols closely. "You're right. I'll channel water elemental magic into the symbols, and you guide the flow of magic. Let's give it a try."
They focused intently, channeling their magic and water elemental power into the symbols in the precise pattern. The cracks in the magical barrier grew larger, and it seemed like it was on the verge of breaking.
Meanwhile, Krupp and Braun's fight had reached a boiling point. Though Krupp had taken a few minor injuries, his fighting spirit was undeterred. "Is this really all you've got, Braun? I thought the Black Hole faction was supposed to be formidable. You're just a joke!" Krupp mocked, grinning.
Braun was seething with rage. "You'll regret this. Just wait—soon you'll be begging for mercy. I'll show you the price of defying us!" He pulled a black orb from his cloak, muttering incantations under his breath. The orb suddenly erupted with a powerful surge of dark energy, sending a shadowy wave of force toward Krupp.
Krupp felt the looming danger. Taking a deep breath, he channeled all his magical energy into his sword, shouting, "Break!" A blinding golden light shot from the blade, colliding with the black surge of dark power. The impact caused an immense explosion, shaking the entire corridor as a deafening roar echoed through the air.
At that moment, a shout came from Dean Bruce and Prolo Hawthorne's direction: "The barrier's broken, let's go!"
Hearing the shout, Krupp seized the opportunity, swinging his sword to knock Braun back before turning and running towards Dean Bruce and Prolo Hawthorne. "Hurry up, don't waste time!"
The three of them quickly dashed through the shattered magical barrier, continuing their sprint down the passage, with the black-robed figures hot on their heels.
As their magic flowed into the crystal, its light grew brighter, and a low, humming sound began to emanate from it.
Meanwhile, inside the magic array, the black-robed figures were frantically attacking it. Braun, in particular, was pulling out various dark magic items, attempting to break the seal.
When the crystal's light reached its peak, it suddenly released a massive energy beam that shot directly into the magic array.
With the addition of this energy, the magic array became unbreakable. It began to emit a powerful pulling force, draining the magical energy from the black-robed figures one by one.
The black-robed figures screamed in terror as their magic was quickly drained away, their bodies growing weaker with each passing second. Braun's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched this unfold. "This... This is impossible! What kind of dark sorcery are you using?"
Dean Bruce sneered. "This is the consequence of all your evil deeds. Today, we are eliminating the plague on the magical world!"
Under the tremendous pull of the magic array, the black-robed figures collapsed to the ground, unable to resist. Braun struggled for a moment before finally succumbing to the force, falling lifelessly to the floor.
Just as they let out a collective sigh of relief, a figure appeared in the distance. It was a man who looked exactly like Braun, the one who had just fallen. He walked toward them slowly, calling out, "Wait up! Why are you guys running so fast?"
Prolo Hawthorne's eyes went wide, and he tugged at Dean Bruce's sleeve, whispering, "Professor, what's going on? Didn't we just take care of Braun? Why is another one showing up? Are we seeing things? This is getting really creepy!"
Krupp tightened his grip on his sword, his eyes narrowing with suspicion as he watched the approaching figure. He muttered low enough for only his companions to hear, "Hmph, whether it's a man or a ghost, if they dare come at us, we deal with them the same way. But this is definitely strange. Everyone, stay alert—we might be walking into another trap."
The man got closer, still wearing a smile, and spoke to the three of them. "Oh, what's with all the stares? It's me, Braun! I must have gotten separated from you earlier, but I put in a lot of effort to catch up with you."
Dean Bruce squinted, eyeing the man carefully. Inwardly, he thought, This guy might look exactly like Braun, and he's speaking just like him, but something feels off. Braun is already dead—how can another one just appear out of nowhere? There's definitely something shady going on here. I'll need to test him to figure this out.
So, Dean Bruce asked, "Braun, huh? Hmph, then tell me this—back at that magic array, what kind of trick did you use? I still don't quite understand it. Care to walk me through it?"
The man paused for a moment, then laughed and replied, "Ah, well, it was an urgent situation, so I just cast a quick Dark Vortex, thinking I'd trap you all first. Unfortunately, it didn't work out, ha ha ha!"
Dean Bruce smirked inwardly, thinking, As I suspected, this is an imposter. The real Braun used a black orb to release a dark power, but this guy doesn't even know about it, and he's making up stories. Seems like he's trying to confuse us and cover up his true intentions. I'll keep probing to see what he's really up to.
He kept his expression neutral and asked, "Oh? Just that Dark Vortex? Then what happened? Why didn't you pull out your precious orb? It looked like a pretty powerful item, don't you think?"
The man's face briefly flashed with panic, but he quickly masked it with a smile. "Oh, that orb? I used it earlier, but it got damaged, so it's still in the process of repairing itself. That's why I didn't bring it out. Why, still thinking about my orb, huh? Ha ha ha!"
Krupp, who had been silently listening, picked up on the inconsistencies as well. He let out a cold laugh and said, "Oh, so you're quite the storyteller, huh? I don't buy it. You're definitely not Braun, are you? Who are you really? What's your goal? Start talking, and maybe we'll spare you. Otherwise..." He let the threat hang in the air, his voice taking on a menacing edge. "Your fate will be just like those black-robed fools back there!"