Keira raised her hand in disbelief, pointing at the familiar yet strange figure in the air, her voice trembling and sharp from the intense shock.
Free flight – a spell dreamed of by countless sorcerers.
Triss was no less shocked. Her pale green eyes widened, filled with uncontrollable awe.
But then this shock turned into a moment of sudden realization, and then... an indescribable, barely perceptible annoyance.
She stared blankly at Karl, his figure maneuvering in the air, pressed her lips together, and remained silent.
It turned out he had hidden so much, even deeper than she had assumed, and had revealed little to her.
Compared to the two sorceresses' errors, Hen was, without a doubt, the calmest of the three.
He had long known that Karl could fly, and even his own health recovery and rejuvenation were thanks to Karl's power.
At this moment, his gaze was fully focused on the distant giant insect fighting Karl and Borch, his expression indescribably serious.
He turned his head and spoke in a low, serious voice to Triss and Keira, who were still recovering from the shock.
"If the records in the Aretuza textbooks aren't too sparse, you should know what this creature is."
"Facing it, we might... be unable to help."
Hearing this, Keira's chest heaved violently, her body trembling slightly from fear and lingering anxiety.
She stared intently at the giant insect, nodding with difficulty, her voice trembling uncontrollably: "It... it's the 'Spitfire Demon'!"
"Yes... it's an otherworldly being that can only be summoned using Arzu's Double Cross technique. It... is almost immune to all spell attacks."
"In history, it once killed Arzu himself, as well as... thousands of the Brotherhood's most elite sorcerers. It was a catastrophe that nearly caused a rift among the sorcerers!"
Speaking of this sealed, bloody history, Keira's voice was filled with fear.
She instinctively glanced at Triss beside her; her expression became complex, her eyes flickering for a moment.
A mixture of jealousy, reluctance, and obsession made her inexplicably ask in a tone that seemed casual but was actually intentional.
"Triss... did Karl never tell you he was going to do this... this extremely dangerous summoning spell?"
Triss's expression changed, emerging from her complex emotions.
She was about to speak, trying to explain Karl and show her trust in him.
He hadn't told her about the spell, perhaps because he had his own concerns – for her safety...
But before Triss could say anything, Hen beside her almost immediately noticed Keira's subtle but unpleasant thoughts.
Hen snorted slightly, his gaze calmly sweeping over Keira. His voice was low but carried an inexplicable meaning, interrupting directly: "Keira, I think Karl didn't tell Triss about the summoning..."
"Simply because the spell is too dangerous, and for Triss's safety, not out of distrust."
"No matter what kind of sorcerer they are, once they gain knowledge of a powerful and dangerous spell, they will develop the idea of learning and experimenting."
"It is a human instinct to seek knowledge, and there is nothing to reject, except..."
Suddenly, Hen changed the subject, hinting at something: "The main thing is that some people can restrain this impulse, weigh the pros and cons, and understand what is needed and what is not."
"But some people lack this self-control, easily succumb to the temptation of power, and end up in trouble."
His words were both a warning to Keira for her provocation and a warning to her.
Hearing Hen so directly explain Karl's actions and ruthlessly express his own suspicions,
Keira's expression changed slightly. She immediately lowered her head, pressed her lips tightly together, and did not dare to say another word.
Before Hen, her cleverness and calculation seemed utterly ridiculous.
Seeing Keira silenced, Hen responded casually.
The small irritation Triss felt from being kept in the dark dissipated into thin air.
She pressed her lips together and smiled slightly, a warm current running through her heart. Since Hen had already given Karl the strongest explanation, she naturally didn't need to say more.
She simply turned her soft, trusting gaze back to the distant figure fighting the Spitfire Demon.
Hen's gaze pierced through the dust, fixed on the distant battle, which defied ordinary understanding.
The scene of Karl and the Golden Dragon joining forces to fight the Spitfire Demon resembled a scene from mythological history returning.
His lips moved soundlessly, ancient and obscure syllables flowing through his mind, awakening the chaotic magic power that stirred the surrounding atmosphere.
As he silently recited, on the cliff where the three stood, the clouds in the sky began to gather and part at an unprecedented speed.
The originally thin white clouds quickly changed from white to gray, transforming into heavy, black, oppressive clouds that hung low, as if they could crush the mountains.
In the dark clouds, dazzling electric serpents began to move; muffled thunder rumbled, like the heartbeat of a giant, rumbling and gathering destructive power.
Triss and Keira were immediately drawn by the sudden change above their heads.
They felt the overwhelming magic spreading through the air, making their scalps tingle, and instinctively turned their heads to look at Hen.
He stood motionless but had become the core of this thundercloud.
Keira stared in astonishment at Hen, then instinctively turned her head to look at Triss beside her, her eyes full of questions.
She could not recognize what spell this was, but the power capable of stirring the heavens was certainly not ordinary.
Triss caught Keira's gaze, her eyes full of surprise.
She lowered her voice and quickly explained: "This is Arzu's Thunderbolt! As far as I know, this legendary spell has two main attack methods."
"One is directed by the caster themselves, releasing compressed thunder directly by hand."
"The second is someone like Hen, who directly manipulates and controls the lightning in the sky, with far greater range and power than the first."
Keira slightly raised her brows, her words tinged with a subtle envy and curiosity, and quietly asked: "Did he... the incantation for this spell? Did he tell you?"
"It's been almost half a year since you got it, hasn't it? Have you... learned it?"
Triss immediately shook her head, a bitter smile appearing on her face, and said helplessly: "How could that be possible? The Thunderbolt is recognized as one of the pinnacle advanced spells."
"Its spell structure is complex, the magical guidance and mental load required are far greater than usual."
"Not to mention a few months, even if it takes years... without any guidance,"
"to recite that long ancient incantation completely and accurately and successfully construct the spell chain."
"In the history of the Brotherhood, no one has ever heard of doing it alone. It requires talent, but even more time, guidance, and... a bit of luck."