Boom!
Victor made a sharp move, swinging a telescopic stick drawn from his back and slamming it down on the head of a believer in the dark church, causing the Dormammu follower to collapse onto the ground.
At the same time, Abel seized the wrist of a dark church member who had punched him from behind, yanked him toward himself, and delivered an elbow strike to his abdomen before landing an upward punch to his chin. The attacker fell to the ground alongside Victor's opponent, both unconscious.
After dispatching his adversary, Victor turned to Abel to see if he needed assistance, only to find that Abel had already handled another foe. Victor raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded, saying, "I thought you were just a wizard with magical power. It turns out you're also skilled in combat."
"No one says that a wizard must stand in one place and bombard enemies with magic. For powerful sorcerers like the Ancient One and Agatha, they can channel their magic through their hands without needing to fight physically. But for me, at this stage, using a degree of physical skill is more suitable for my situation."
Victor, looking at Abel, who was similar in age, felt a sense of pride but remained silent. In his heart, he appreciated Abel's perspective. Having never had a friend his age, Victor developed a trace of goodwill for Abel for the first time.
With a slight smile, Victor nodded at Abel, and the two rushed forward again.
Utilizing a combination of small magic and physical skills, Abel and Victor made short work of the ordinary dark church believers, who lacked any real power.
Victor's magic primarily focused on illusions, while Abel supported him with wandless spells.
Just as they cleared the last of the enemies, they encountered a different type of opponent—a dark church believer with a red mark on his forehead and eyes that looked burned, showing cracks across his face. This distinctive appearance indicated that the individual had absorbed the power of the dark dimension.
Upon seeing the figure, Victor clasped his hands together in front of him, murmuring a low mantra. A faint fire flickered between his hands as he crouched down, placing one hand on the ground and the other against a nearby wall. Suddenly, fiery cracks spread from his palms along the ground and wall, racing toward the dark church believer.
In an instant, the cracks reached the opponent, followed by a blinding explosion.
Boom!
Flames erupted, and Victor's mouth formed a triumphant smile. However, that smile quickly faded as the fire vanished as if it had been swallowed whole. In its place was the dark, red glow radiating from the believer's forehead, accompanied by a pitch-black aura swirling around his body. This dark aura absorbed the explosion's power and flames, leaving the dark church member relatively unharmed.
Although Victor understood the dark church was formidable, this was the first time he faced an opponent genuinely wielding the dark dimension's power, which left him feeling unsettled.
"Master Abel, be careful. He's strong," Victor warned.
"I understand. I've encountered others with dark dimension powers before, so I know exactly how formidable they can be."
Abel drew his wand from his waist and held it firmly in his hand.
Victor noticed the wand in Abel's grasp and could sense that it had formed a magical connection with him. Abel's magical power—both strength and stability—rose several levels as a result.
With countless types of magic in the world, Victor didn't underestimate Abel. He glanced at him, nodded, and said, "Since you know their strength, let's not waste time—let's join forces to take him down!"
"Okay!" Abel replied.
After a brief exchange, they turned their attention to the dark church believer rushing toward them. Abel whispered a word of power, firmly planted his feet, and waved his wand in front of him. The ground began to distort, shifting like the ebb and flow of ocean tides, making the dark church believers unsteady as they struggled to maintain their balance.
Seizing the opportunity, Victor generated intense heat in both hands, summoning two fireballs that shot toward the opponent one after the other.
However, as the fireballs approached, the dark church believer unleashed numerous black tentacles to intercept them. Taking advantage of the distraction, he propelled himself off the ground, landing against the wall and charging toward Abel and Victor.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Abel chanted silently, pointing his wand at the target. The dark church believer seemed to be lifted into the air by an invisible force, his body suspended while the dark tentacles struggled to keep him stable.
Victor capitalized on this chance, joining his hands together as electricity flickered between his fingers. He thrust his hands forward, unleashing a brilliant arc of electricity that struck the dark church believer. This time, the black aura failed to absorb and weaken the rapidly moving lightning. The dark church believer's body became charred, emitting white smoke as he fell to the ground, defeated.
With a wave of his wand, the ground returned to normal.
Both Abel and Victor admired each other's skills, but they didn't linger on the moment and continued onward, quickly making their way toward the village's core area.
At that moment, in the alley where the two were hastening, a dark shadow spread rapidly, resembling a massive black curtain enveloping them.
When Abel opened his eyes again, he found himself no longer in the alley. Victor had vanished, replaced by a dimly lit hall filled with flowing colors reminiscent of the vastness of the universe.
There was no doubt—this unique space was the manifestation of the dark dimension. Unbeknownst to Abel, he had entered an area extremely close to the dimensional rift connecting the dark dimension and the real world!