Crackle!
A surge of crimson lightning burst from Duke's right hand, slicing through the air. Like a serpent, it slithered and coiled in the void. The moment that blazing red light reflected in Brand's eyes, a force of utter annihilation struck him.
Boom!
The blast of Force Lightning hit Brand squarely. Amid the chaos, Duke's calm voice echoed through the storm.
"And the Force… is with me."
The lightning coursed through Brand's body, suppressing the infernal flames that once burned so fiercely within him. They dimmed, their brilliance fading. Without pause, Duke hurled a cluster of Anti-Magic Stones into the fray.
Those stones suppressed Brand's magic with devastating efficiency, though their influence on Duke himself was far less severe.
As the maze's ambient mana grew more chaotic under the expanding suppression field, the link of Force Lightning between Duke and Brand flared brighter—power flowing endlessly from Duke's palm.
Since the day of his rebirth, the Vengeful Flame Spirit, Brand, had never known pain like this. Duke's right hand tilted upward—and Brand, bound by the lightning, was hurled violently into the air.
Thud!
He crashed into a molten wall of magma. Agony flashed in his eyes.
"This power…" Brand's flames flared, burning higher, his voice breaking into a furious roar as he drew upon the Rune Fragment within him. "It's nothing compared to my fire—'447' is stronger!!"
Before his words had even faded, a tidal ring of flame exploded outward from his body—searing and all-consuming.
Duke responded instantly. His right hand straightened like a blade, condensing the Force into a razor-sharp edge.
"Break!"
Shhhkk!
The flame ring split open, leaving a jagged gap where Duke stood untouched, his cloak billowing in the inferno.
Boom!!
The fiery wave slammed into the labyrinth walls. Already weakened, the structures gave way with a deafening crash, magma flooding the passages like a raging torrent.
The denizens of the labyrinth barely had time to look up before the flames devoured them, leaving behind nothing but ash.
Deep within the maze
Brand's form hovered in midair, wreathed in uncontrollable fire. Flames poured from his eyes, ears, and mouth, distorting his once-human face.
"Enter the world of fire!!"
His bestial roar echoed. Duke raised both hands, and several Anti-Magic Stones floated around him, reshaping under the power of the Force into spinning stone spears.
With a flick of his wrist, they shot toward Brand, as the cannons on Duke's armor unleashed beams of magnification light.
The spears tore through space, expanding midair until they resembled massive, petrified trees.
"Nothing can stop me!"
Brand thrust his arms forward, and torrents of flame burst out like breaking dams. But the stone spears, propelled by Duke's Force, pierced through the flood—embedding themselves around him one after another.
"Pathetic attack!"
Brand sneered at the glowing spears lodged in the wall.
Duke only shrugged. "Demacian Anti-Magic Stone. Absorbs magic efficiently. I've got thousands more where that came from."
"Can you last until then?"
Duke's eyes narrowed. He unleashed hundreds more stones, each twisting into sharp spears mid-flight, connected through the Force.
"When enough Anti-Magic Stones link together—they form a network."
Hundreds of Anti-Magic Spears shot forth, expanding and embedding themselves deep in the labyrinth walls.
He recalled the celestial meteor shower that descended upon Demacia when Kayle had appeared.
Had the city not been built with Anti-Magic Stone—woven into every foundation—the capital would have been reduced to cinders.
Now, those same stones radiated suppression.
The walls glowed, forming a cage that dulled Brand's once-blinding flames. Even the oppressive heat in the labyrinth began to drop.
"Nothing can suppress the power of the World Rune!"
Brand's roar shook the earth. His mana flared again—volcanic, unrelenting. Any ordinary mage would've collapsed long ago under such suppression, yet Brand still burned.
"How violent," Duke muttered.
He raised his arm, pointing straight at Brand. The Force exploded outward.
Brand's body was yanked toward him uncontrollably—but instead of panic, a twisted grin spread across the fire spirit's face.
"Foolish creature! You're digging your own grave!"
Brand pulled his arms close to his sides, his entire form condensing into a blazing fireball hurtling toward Duke like a comet.
"I never do anything meaningless."
Beneath his helmet, Duke's left eye flared—the array within it piercing straight through Brand's flaming form, revealing everything beneath.
The Rune Fragment near his heart—and countless weak points scattered through his body.
Duke took a single step back, leaving a phantom forged of Force in his place—then vanished.
The flaming meteor crashed down upon the illusion. It dissolved instantly.
And in the same moment, Duke appeared above Brand, his right hand raised.
"Sink—!"
He brought his hand down, Force concentrating at his palm, warping the very air. The pressure made Brand's flame heart shudder. Duke struck precisely at the weak point he'd identified.
BOOM!
Air compressed to the limit detonated in a thunderous burst. Duke's arm shot forward like a coiled spring.
Wham!
Shockwaves rippled around his arm as Brand plummeted downward like a smelted anvil, crashing into the depths of the maze.
His legs disintegrated into ash, the fire eating away at what remained of his body.
In the world of magic, Brand was a devastating sorcerer—his every spell an explosion, his power absolute.
But reality was less forgiving. His strength lay only in destruction. His control was poor. His recovery, minimal. His mobility, nonexistent.
The Vengeful Flame Spirit was a creature of ruin—nothing more, nothing less.
If he failed to kill in one burst, his enemy would always escape. Ryze wouldn't fight him head-on—he'd teleport away.
So yes, Brand was strong. But once someone found his weakness, he was nothing but meat on the butcher's table.
The only question was—could you survive his opening strike?
Many hadn't. They'd turned to ash in his flames.
Even Duke, in the beginning, had struggled to approach him. His weapons melted before they could even fire. Stronger ones would've detonated, taking him along.
But once Duke turned his mastery of the Force from theory to weapon, the battle changed.
He'd found the key.
From there, it was simple for a scientist.
He withstood Brand's inferno, using Anti-Magic Stones to suppress and absorb the fire spirit's mana—then crushed him through sheer Force, breaking his reason, exploiting his weakness, and waiting for the kill.
And that moment had come.
Brand's body, pinned by Force, fell into the maze's deepest pit, crashing into the sand below.
He'd escaped the stones' suppression—but not Duke's relentless assault.
Shhhh!
A torrent of dark-blue Force energy streaked down like a meteor, slamming into Brand's chest.
The impact tore him open, and more than a dozen Anti-Magic Spears followed, pinning him to the ground.
Chains of anti-magic metal snaked from each spear, anchoring them to massive stones.
"AHHH!"
Brand roared, drawing on the Rune Fragment within his heart one last time, desperate to unleash it.
But Duke—his right hand wrapped in a shadowy aura—dropped from above like a hawk. His clawed gauntlet pierced Brand's chest.
With one brutal motion, he tore through flesh and flame alike, his hand burrowing deep.
His left eye narrowed.
Duke's fingers found what he was looking for.
"No!" Brand thrashed wildly, but the spears held him down. His screams rose to a fever pitch as Duke ripped through his chest.
"It's mine! You can't take it!"
"It's mine!"
"It's mine—!!"
Duke ignored him. He pressed his boot against Brand's throat and pulled.
Shhk!
A shard of cyan light—a Rune Fragment—came free, gleaming in Duke's palm.
"No! Whoever takes it… it's theirs!" Duke said coldly.
Deprived of the fragment, Brand let out one final, piercing scream. His body, drained of power, began to shrivel. Flames devoured what was left of him until only a charred human silhouette remained.
Fwoosh.
In the blink of an eye, the Vengeful Flame Spirit was gone—nothing but soot upon the sand.
End of chapter....
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