Belarus's malicious grin widened as he taunted, "So there were five of you mages, huh?... Oh, my mistake, it's just down to four now."
The remaining warriors were consumed by anger.
"Avenge her!" the flame mage bellowed furiously.
The earth mage thrust both his arms on the ground, chanting, "Earth spear!"
From the ground, a sharp triangular rock shaped like a spear surged forth, aiming straight for Belarus's chest.
However, the stone spear failed to even pierce Belarus's skin.
With a casual motion of his hand, he shattered the rock spear instantly.
Meanwhile, a fellow warrior attempted to attack from Belarus's blind side, lunging with jaguar-like paws with all his might.
Yet, the impact only resulted in his own claws breaking against Belarus's seemingly invulnerable skin.
In a swift retaliation, Belarus whirled around.
"Allow me to demonstrate how real claws function!"
As he said so, Belarus's arm transformed, scales sprouting forth, and his arm grotesquely morphed into a monstrous claw.
With this formidable claw, he punctured the jaguar mage's abdomen, then effortlessly flung the wounded warrior aside,
"That's how a real claw works!"
"Meril!" his comrades cried out, seeing their wounded comrade.
One of their warriors dashed forward to aid the wounded jaguar mage.
At this point the warrior's face was disgruntled.
The earth mage raised his arms and shouted "Earth lock."
From the ground, rock pillars erupted encasing Belarus in a pyramid-shaped prison.
Their fire mage not waiting a moment spread his arms, "Inferno Blaze!"
Powerful Flames surged around the pyramid cage, engulfing the cage and Belarus with it.
The intensity of the flames was so overwhelming that even the nearby village houses started getting ignited. The villagers fled in a frenzy trying to escape the searing heat and running into the woods.
The psychic bug mage carried the injured Jaguar warrior to safety from the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Jaguar warrior was bleeding profusely from the deep gash in his abdomen. He already lost a lot of blood and it was very difficult to save him.
The flame mage continued to channel all his mana relentlessly into his spell. Even the solid pillars of the earth began to liquefy and transform into flowing lava under the sheer heat.
The fierce flame spell lasted for a whole minute.
Exhausted, the fire mage finally ceased his spell, his breath ragged.
"Is he finally dead?" mumbled the earth mage, weariness evident in his tone.
The flame mage panted heavily, too drained to reply.
Peace seemed to have been restored and it looked like a victory for the warriors or so they thought.
To their dismay, the molten lava resonated with the echoes of laughter.
"That was a neat trick there, boy," a deep, terrifying voice reverberated.
It was different from Belarus's usual voice, possessing an eerie, resonating quality.
Emerging from the molten lava was a tall humanoid figure, its body covered in crimson scales. Long, grotesque claws extended from its hands, and its head resembled a monstrous beast, complete with jagged jaws and horned appendages.
Unbelievably, the creature was none other than Belarus himself, having assumed his transmutant form.
He stepped out of the lava with a fluid grace, as if it were a mere swimming pool. The flames had seemingly left no impact on him as if he was inherently immune to their scorching effect.
Belarus's monstrous form cast a glance toward the fire mage, his expression impassive,
"You, young one, possess quite the talent for mana. Being able to use such a spell even without contracting a divine spirit is commendable. Sadly your opponent happened to be me."
Dumbfounded, the warriors stared at Belarus's displayed invincibility.
It was clear that Belarus, being a half-fire dragon since birth, was far beyond the warrior's league.
The realization that they never stood a chance against him settled in, rendering them powerless.
Belarus suddenly materialized before the fire mage as if he had teleported, gripping the flame mage's neck in his hand.
The fire mage barely had time to react, "Lemme show you, what real flames are like," Belarus muttered, his tone ominous.
Before the flame mage could utter another word, flames surged from Belarus's body, engulfing the mage in a torrent of fire.
The intensity of the flames was blinding as if Belarus himself had transformed into an inferno flames.
The fire mage's agonized shriek echoed across the village, a momentary cry of pain before he disintegrated into ashes and vanished.
Amidst the chaos, the earth mage finally grasped that their efforts were futile against this force.
Quickly he slapped the earth and tall walls rose from the ground, encasing Belarus in a confined space.
Belarus spoke, his voice laced with irritation, "You still have more spells left? Impressive."
The earth mage didn't hesitate and started running away.
He quickly rushed toward the bug mage, "We are leaving!"
"My legs! They are not moving," said the bug mage terrified.
The earth mage hefted him onto his shoulder, "We are leaving now!"
"What about Meril? We have to take him along!" asked the bug mage on his shoulder,
The bug mage finally came to his senses,
"Meril's already left this world. Instead of rescuing his remains, we must save our lives to avenge him later." replied the earth mage as he ran to the woods.
As they retreated, the earth mage's expression was a full mix of fury and pained sorrow. This was the first time they had faced such a crushing defeat.
Inside the enclosed earth walls, Belarus waited, his patience wearing thin. He was still anticipating another fierce spell but nothing happened.
He was more than ready to face the spell head-on instead of dodging.
A minute dragged by, and still, no attack came. Annoyance painted Belarus's features,
"Don't tell me~ you're attempting to flee," he roared, his rage palpable.
He arched his back, and two wings, dragon-like, sprouted from his back. With a single powerful flap, he ascended into the sky, breaking free from the earthen walls.
With now a great view of the surroundings he looked for the fleeing earth mage.
It didn't take him long, he spotted the earth mage carrying his comrade running deeper into the jungle, seeking refuge.
The sight only fueled his fury. "Instead of seeking vengeance for your fallen comrades, you flee like cowards. Pathetic!" Belarus said furiously.
Belarus extended his palm, summoning a crimson fireball that hovered before him. With his other hand, he clenched his fist as if preparing for a punch.
Then with full might, he punched that crimson fireball as he shouted, "Crimson Retribution!"
A colossal explosion erupted, giving birth to a searing beam of fire that consumed everything in front of Belarus. A bright flash of fire beam swept across the forest like a meteor destroying everything and anything in its path.
The spell was powerful and so bright that it blinded everyone present in the forest for a second.
The devastation left in its wake was beyond measure, with a trail of scorched earth, molten lava, and utter desolation.
Not a single person or vegetation survived the colossal fire beam. That spell also destroyed Kraven's Ice Cage and traveled deeper into the forest.
The very landscape of this forest was altered, as the forest was transformed into charred remains. The spell fire beam was so immense that even a distant hill was razed to the ground leaving a big circular hole.
The once-vibrant forest now had a big deep wound-like gash that turned into a smoldering wasteland, marked by burning flames and the haunting silence of obliteration.