The battle underground raged, or better put, the trio of Guardsmen was using every ounce of their skill, agility, and luck to avoid the shower of Arcane Formulas raining on them.

The Necromancer gathered his will and chanted a new Arcane Formula.

Igneoanima - Facies Pessus - Mutatio Spargo - Mutatio Tardus

A stream of blue flames surged out of the pink Cibus crystal atop the iron staff the Necromancer held on his hand, descending like a torrent of burning death over Callis and company.

The trio split apart in all directions, but once the azure flames hit the ground they expanded into a carpet of flames, reducing the traversable area of the lab and isolating the three Guardsmen in different sectors of the chamber.

Bellator jumped back into the tunnel they came from, vanishing into the shadows the way he always did when a fight wasn’t going his way.

Alexa, heavily armored, couldn’t move as fast and she got caught by the shockwave of the initial impact mid jump, launching her towards the back of the chamber, crashing into many boxes covered by fabric and tarps, obscuring their contents.

Callis, the fastest of the trio, rushed to the opposite side of the Necromancer and realizing the flames would reach the floor he was standing on, didn’t stop, running up the side of the wall using any noticeable protrusions in the wall as footholds. He only stopped when he reached a metal ring which formerly served to hold a chain net that served as a filter for the cistern.

-Impressive, clearly you three deserve your infamous reputation as disgusting hounds of the City Guard.- The Necromancer, right now at eye level with Callis, mixed insults with compliments with a sneeringly sarcastic tone.

Even with the burning blue lighting illuminating the underground chamber, the shadows seemed to cling to the Necromancer’s face, obscuring his traits, but his confident smirk was still noticeable through the veil of darkness cast by his ornate hood.

-Not that I care about it, but our reputation will greatly increase after today.- Callis replied, trying to keep his cool, but he could feel his blood burning hotter than the fire he just avoided.

-Because this is the day you die and stop tormenting the Kingdom of Via.- The Beast Blade almost roared this threat, his gloved hand gripping the metal ring close to bending it.

As they exchanged insults and threats Alexa managed to stand up, the box in which she landed crumbled as she removed herself from the indentation caused by her armored body, causing a minor collapse and making many of the large tarps covering the boxes fall, revealing the contents of the hidden cargo.

It was a reddish pink powder that had been processed from Cibus Crystals and when combined with water and other reactive it would serve as the basis for Ninferi, the substance the Necromancer pumped into corpses to make them his puppets.

This powder had many applications, but one of its most important traits was its instability when exposed to Arcane Effects.

Callis, who even if he lacked the ability to perform Arcane Sciences had a basic understanding on the matter, thanks to his education hatched a plan.

-MESSA PARMA! RUN AWAY! RUN TO THE TUNNEL!- Callis instructed as he dropped down into the inferno below, braving the flames.

Before landing he used an overhanging brick as a foothold, taking his downward momentum and converting it into a jump thanks to his inhuman agility.

-I don’t know what you’re trying, but it won’t work!- The Necromancer shouted as he summoned his will, gathering Vis, the energy needed for Arcane Sciences, ready to unleash another barrage of flames on Callis.

Yet it would be too late for that.

As Callis performed an elegant arc over the flames he detached his cloak and passed it over the flames, setting the fabric on fire. 

He landed right close to Alexa as the flames in the floor began to waver, since the Necromancer had to change focus into this new Spell Formula.

-Are you sure?- She asked, having an inkling of his plan.

-Is the best idea I have, Messa Parma.- He replied as he threw his flaming cloak into the boxes of pulverized Cibus.

The Necromancer realized what the Beast Blade planned and even under the cover of shadows the horror on his face was evident, breaking his concentration and dissipating all the Vis he gathered.

His first instinct was to run, but Callis, with pinpoint accuracy, threw the only sword he was building as hard as he could, piercing the tunic of the Necromancer and pinning it against the wall.

-I’m not going to die here! Not when I’m so close!- The perverse arcanist proclaimed, ripping his tunic as he attempted to flee, but he wouldn’t be able to take more than one step.

A wooshing sound passed right by him, as Alexa, also running like Callis towards the tunnel they came from, threw her massive Halberd with the intention of hitting the Necromancer, but she failed, yet the attack was a success, as the large weapon went through the criminals’ leg and pierced the roof of the tunnel he was in, lodging itself diagonally over it, creating a blockade.

As both of them jumped into the tunnel the Arcane Flame reached the boxed Powder Cibus and a massive explosion of blue flames blasted in all directions.

The shockwave made the whole sewer complex shake and the whole city and even neighboring regions felt the ground tremble beneath them, as the pillar of blue flames burst upwards, eating through the floor and reaching the surface, right in the Old Middle District, burning through two large warehouses above ground and creating smoldering a hole in the ground, as black as the shadows hiding the Necromancer’s face.

The roots of the city itself, ruins of previous civilizations, shook beneath it from the force of the explosion and the aftershocks expanded exponentially around the region, a seismic, unlike anything the continent had felt since the immemorial times of the Seven Ancient Magus of the Empire.

Paulus could almost taste victory, each step he took on the heavy carpet seemed to be one step closer to recognition, fame, and everlasting glory. 

At least that was what he thought, rather than confronting the reality of his action being blackhearted, even darker than the ink he planned to spill.

Mere Eiru away from his target something peculiar happened. Maybe it was serendipity, maybe it was fate, maybe just a mere coincidence, but as he was about to perform his devious deed, a peculiar sound caught his attention.

A slight crystalline hum came from above him, as one of the elaborate chandeliers hanging all over the roof began to vibrate, alongside the others, quickly followed by the windows, walls, and finally the very floor his treacherous feet were treading.

The aftershock of the underground Arcane explosion in Rigel reached the Royal Academy, making the whole building, which stood on the side of a mountain, shake like a leaf.

The students, taken by surprise either stood up to look for cover or stood frozen in place scared shitless of the sudden tremor. Only two of them did something different.

Novus, fearing the earthquake could affect the building and make dust fall leaned forward, covering his exam with his own body.

Paulus, the only one standing, lost his balance and fell backward, spilling the ink he so deviously planned to use against Novus over himself and his own text, sealing his fate and Novus, as this would disqualify him from obtaining the Arcanist rank he so coveted, while his target would, thanks to his months of studying and practice most likely pass the test with flying colors.

A momentous occasion for two people connected by fate or mere coincidence. A villain was killed and a great task was fulfilled. The start of a new dawn for the Kingdom of Via, as the year of terror, was over, and for the first time ever a member of the Lowborn class had obtained an official title and license to practice the Arcane Sciences.