When everything finally settled down, Shasbia had vanished without a trace, leaving behind a chaotic cave and the lingering traces of dark magical energy in the air.
"He's gone," Chikx Thomas said in a low voice.
Dean Bruce surveyed the scene before him, frowning. "It's fine. He's badly wounded and won't be causing any more trouble for a while. What's more important is that we've found the true core of the Black Hole Headquarters. That's the key."
They all turned their attention back to the massive black crystal orb. Prolo Hawthorne walked over to Dean Bruce's side. "Teacher, what do we do next?"
Dean Bruce thought for a moment. "We need to find a way to destroy this crystal ball. Chikx Thomas, you know more about the Black Hole organization than any of us. Do you have any suggestions?"
Chikx Thomas shook his head. "I don't know much about this core, but I can tell you that it must have an incredibly strong defense mechanism. We'll need to proceed with caution."
Dean Bruce nodded. "Then let's search this cave carefully. We might find a clue that can help us."
They began to search the cave thoroughly. After some time, they finally discovered an ancient magical circle hidden in a secluded corner.
"Look here!" Krupp pointed at the magic circle. "This circle seems connected to the crystal ball. Maybe we can use it to destroy the orb."
Dean Bruce stepped forward to examine the magic circle closely. "This circle is complex. We'll need to figure out the correct way to activate it."
Chikx Thomas suddenly spoke up. "I remember that in the Black Hole organization, there were specific incantations to activate similar magical circles. Let me give it a try."
With that, he closed his eyes and began murmuring a complex spell. As he spoke, the magic circle began to emit a faint glow, which slowly intensified.
"It's working!" Chikx Thomas suddenly opened his eyes. "Everyone, step back! This magic circle might trigger a powerful explosion!"
The group quickly moved back to a safe distance. Just then, the magic circle erupted in a blinding flash of light, illuminating the entire cave like daylight. A deafening explosion followed, sending a shockwave that nearly knocked everyone off balance.
When the light and smoke cleared, they found that the massive black crystal ball had vanished, leaving only an empty, silent cave behind.
"We did it!" Prolo Hawthorne shouted with excitement.
Dean Bruce looked at the scene before him, a sense of accomplishment flooding his chest. They had finally destroyed the true core of the Black Hole Headquarters, removing a great threat to the magical world.
"But our mission isn't over yet," Dean Bruce said in a deep voice. "We still need to ensure that the remaining members of the Black Hole organization are completely wiped out, so they can't come back."
"Right!" Krupp echoed. "We need to keep tracking down the remnants of the Black Hole organization and eliminate them once and for all!"
Chikx Thomas nodded. "I will do my best to help with that."
Prolo Hawthorne clenched his fist tightly. "For Leizor, and for the peace of the magical world, we have to fight to the end!"
Just then, a mysterious line of text suddenly appeared on the cave wall. The characters glowed with a faint blue light, standing out strikingly in the dim cave.
"What's this?" Dean Bruce moved closer to the wall, carefully studying the writing.
"Be careful, there might be danger ahead," Dean Bruce warned, his voice tense.
They moved cautiously forward, always on the lookout for any potential threats. After some time exploring, they finally reached a large hidden chamber.
The door to the chamber was firmly shut, covered with intricate runes and symbols. Dean Bruce examined the runes and symbols carefully, trying to figure out how to open the door.
"These runes seem similar to the ones we encountered earlier," Dean Bruce said. "We might need to solve another riddle to open this door."
"Then let's solve it!" Prolo Hawthorne said eagerly, ready for the challenge.
Dean Bruce nodded and began to closely study the runes and symbols on the door. However, this riddle seemed even more complex than the previous one. They tried several methods, but none of them succeeded in opening the chamber door.
"Professor, this riddle is so difficult!" Prolo Hawthorne said, a bit frustrated.
"Don't rush," Dean Bruce reassured them. "The harder the riddle, the more important the contents of the chamber are likely to be. As long as we patiently search for clues, we will definitely crack this puzzle."
Just then, Chikx Thomas suddenly spoke up. "Have you noticed that these runes and patterns seem to be related to constellations?"
"Constellations?" Dean Bruce paused, surprised. "You mean..."
"Yes," Chikx Thomas said. "I learned some astronomy in the Black Hole Organization. The arrangement of these runes and patterns bears a striking resemblance to the shapes of certain constellations."
"Really?" Krupp asked, astonished. "So what do these constellations have to do with the riddle?"
Dean Bruce's eyes brightened. "If what Chikx Thomas is saying is true, then the arrangement of these constellations might hold the key to solving the puzzle. We need to carefully study the arrangement and see if we can find any clues."
They began to scrutinize the runes and patterns on the door, trying to match each constellation with the symbols on the door. After a bit of effort, they discovered that the runes did indeed resemble the shapes of some well-known constellations.
"Look, this one looks like the head of Leo," Prolo Hawthorne pointed to a rune on the door.
"And this one, it's the tail of Scorpio," Dean Bruce added.
"That one is Gemini," Chikx Thomas joined the conversation.
As they continued to match the constellations with the runes, they realized that the door displayed the complete arrangement of the twelve zodiac signs.
"Twelve constellations... what does that mean?" Krupp asked, puzzled.
Dean Bruce thought for a moment. "In astrology, the twelve constellations represent the twelve months of the year. Perhaps the answer to this riddle has something to do with the months."
"Months?" Prolo Hawthorne scratched his head. "So, what should we do?"
Dean Bruce studied the constellation arrangement on the door, and suddenly an idea struck him. "What if we arrange the runes in the order the constellations appear throughout the year? That might solve the riddle."
"Good idea!" Krupp agreed.