Moth's eyes widened in fear as he saw the summoned creature. While there were no limits on how many Schools of Magic a person could use, most people chose to specialise in only one or two. That was the norm. He himself was only able to have such proficiency in two because of Pestewind's blessing.
From the very beginning, he thought Burning Man was bluffing and wasn't actually a high-rank mage. He should have been easy to deal with as someone who had inherited some of Pestewind's power.
But that wasn't the case.
"No! I won't let you best me! I'm a favourite of the Lord!"
Luca wore an amused expression under his mask. This guy was way too deluded and needed some serious help, but he wasn't going to entertain that thought right now.
The massive rotting stag charged at Moth with a fierceness that was surprising for what was practically a walking skeleton. It persevered through the fierce winds that Moth constantly generated and stamped through the floor to reach the other mage.
And this entire time, it wasn't as if Luca was merely sitting around waiting for something to happen. He was moving as well. Whilst Moth was preoccupied with the beast, he scanned the area for a way to get close and end the battle personally.
'This fight has been going on for far too long.'
Luca dug through his stash of talismans. Three more left. One Illumination tile and two explosion tiles. His mana could occupy just two talismans and one more personal cast. So he had to make everything count.
He pulled out the last Illumination talisman and an explosion tile.
Then, without waiting, he threw the Illumination and watched as the bright light consumed the street once more.
"I told you this wouldn't work anymore!" Moth yelled from where he was.
He readied his sword and charged straight at the stag. A dark shroud of energy appeared around the blade as it hacked down into the beast, clashing with its bony white horns.
'I'd say it works quite nicely!' Luca remarked inwardly as he threw the second talisman right at the ground under the Carrion Stag.
BOOOOOOM!
Amidst the bright light, another burst erupted at that moment, but this one was an actual explosion. The stone ground boiled from the sudden heat, sending stones and debris flying in every possible direction.
Luca didn't wait around to get hit. As soon as he threw the talisman he had already started moving towards the shocked Moth.
The other mage was defenceless, and all his spells stopped working at this critical moment.
This opening was all Luca needed to achieve his goal.
He ducked to the side and circled around behind Moth. It had only taken a split second. The boy moved with precision and accuracy that would stun even professionals. It wasn't that he was simply really fast, it boiled down to the fact that he never wasted a single movement.
SWISH.
The blade of the dagger pierced right into Moth's chest without any trouble. Luca dug it further in just as extra assurance that the fight was finally over.
And so it was.
Thud.
The body fell to the ground weakly. By now the bright lights had faded. Luca glanced at the floor where Moth breathed weakly and where his summoned demon was nothing but a lifeless pile of bones and rotting flesh.
Luca reached down with his dagger once more and stabbed Moth's back a few more times for good measure, just enough for the man's body to stop moving entirely.
Finally, he could relax a little. He stared at the surroundings. The area was completely ruined. From bricks that were half-eaten by the Plague Flies, to those damaged by Luca's explosion tiles. It was a total mess.
The exhaustion also set in right around this period. The constant high he felt during the battle had distracted him from his rapidly depleting mana pool, but now he could feel it completely.
His body felt weak, and his arms more sore than ever.
But his relaxation came too soon. Luca stared down at the body and noticed something odd.
CRACK!
The black insect mask Moth wore split with a loud sound, and a dark baleful energy escaped from it into the air.
His eyes widened as he felt the energy spilling into the city. It was exactly the same as the one Count D'Escoli had used during their fight, and the same one that the Plague Flies gave off.
It definitely wouldn't be a good thing if it spread around the city and began infecting ordinary humans.
No, not at all.
But that wasn't all. He had far bigger problems on his hands.
Luca looked up just as the dark miasma spread with the wind through all parts of the city. The pale moonlight shone down on a tall, skinny man standing on the roof. He wore a long dark coat with a brown suit underneath. A golden medallion depicting the Eye of God rested on his chest, glinting with a magical glow.
A spectral figure seemingly made of light floated behind the man. It had no clear features and was little more than a silhouette, but four wings stretched out from its back, as well as two small horns in the front.
The man wore a sleazy smile and spoke a few words that were loud enough for Luca to hear in the silence of the night.
"Orobas would never mislead me, but this outing was surprisingly more productive than I expected. A dead mage, and another soon-to-be dead one who killed our victim from three days ago.
Some part of me almost wants you to keep living so you can kill more of your kind, but…"
SWOOSH! THUD!
The man, Finley, jumped down from the tall building. The wind whipped his coat around, but he landed looking just as neat as he did before. The strange entity behind him followed wordlessly.
"I really want a promotion."