No matter how fast Jork was, he couldn't outpace Sene's instant-cast magic.
It was no surprise; the strong acid staff, a creation of the formal dark sorcerer Mosido, had a cooldown of merely twenty hours since its last use. Now, it was fully charged and didn't even require Sene to channel additional energy into it.
This is one of the most notable features of high-level magical artifacts. Under Mosido's alchemical design, the staff could self-regenerate energy through its internal magical runes and elemental cores.
While it could only be used once per charge, the brief recharge time made it immensely valuable—it's no wonder that high-level apprentices like Liliana were intrigued by Sene's staff, as such magical tools were rare even for them.
The corrosive acid capable of easily melting the scales of high-level magical beasts would have no trouble dealing with Jork.
In a flash, the surrounding dark apprentices hardly grasped the situation before they heard Jork's agonized scream. Jork was indeed robust, but he was no match for any high-level beast.
The strong acid cast from Sene's staff targeted Jork's chest. If the hit landed, even though he was a mid-level apprentice, his body would be left as nothing more than a puddle of yellow water.
Yet Jork was a mid-level apprentice, and his reflexes far surpassed those of Ilk, whom Sene had just taken down. His stronger mental power allowed him to twist his muscular build at the last moment, saving him from certain death.
The corrosive acid struck the wooden frame of a nearby shop with a resounding "sizzle," releasing a cloud of white corrosive smoke. Only then did the bystanders grasp the predicament Jork found himself in.
"Ugh!" A low-level dark apprentice gasped in shock.
In his view, Jork's entire right arm had been corroded into a mushy pulp. The sword he had been wielding—still emanating faint waves of fire elemental energy—had rotted along with Jork's flesh and was reduced to iron sludge.
That sword was just a decent-quality mundane weapon, not even a magical one; how could it withstand the assault of Sene's strong acid staff?
Fights between magical apprentices typically concluded swiftly due to their limited means and low defensive capabilities.
Given the abruptness of the confrontation, not only were Jork and his crew caught off guard, but even the casual passersby and shopkeepers on Black Street had yet to react.
The explosion of nearly twenty small fireballs sent thick clouds of smoke spiraling into the air, accompanied by cries of despair and agony.
Besides Jork, the most unfortunate were the low-level apprentices who were caught in the mayhem.
But this was not the end. With Lina finally finishing her spell incantation, a beam of pure black energy, nearly two meters in diameter, suddenly coalesced in front of her bracelet and shot forward.
As a high-level apprentice, the power and methods of Lina's magic attacks were worlds apart from those of average mid and low-level apprentices.
Unlike Sene's corrosive acid, the two powerful spells Lina unleashed were both area-of-effect attacks!
This madwoman showed no signs of restraint even in this chaotic setting of Black Street.
Once again, two spine-chilling screams pierced the air. These came from two mid-level male apprentices standing in the vicinity.
Only the female apprentice who had cast Siren's Scream managed to retreat in time and was the sole mid-level apprentice left standing among those attacking Sene and Lina.
While Sene and Lina had claimed a resounding victory, they themselves were not unscathed.
Beyond enduring part of the Siren's Scream, the two male apprentices whom Lina had struck down also unleashed their spells before collapsing.
"Stone Spike Impact!" and "Fire Chain Blade!" exploded around Sene and Lina.
Sene was fortunate; out of three stone spikes, only one grazed his arm, while the Fire Chain Blade left him with severe burns on his left side—his black magic robe had been burnt away by a third.
Lina's situation wasn't much better; this was a mutually damaging fight.
Fortunately, the low-level apprentices were generally slow to react, and many were still hesitant about casting magic in the chaotic environment of Black Street.
Besides those two lesser fireballs and a basic water bubble spell, no significant magic attacks had impacted Sene and Lina.
This battle spanned no more than two minutes, but the destruction and cacophony it caused exceeded anyone's imagination.
This was the power of magic—the radiant glory of elements.
Numerous shops were aflame, the ground cracked, and groans and cries for help echoed in the air.
Sene, having utilized the instant-cast magic from his strong acid staff, still had some energy left to spare.
A small Incendiary Fireball appeared in Sene's palm, notably larger than those fired by two nearby low-level apprentices. This indicated that his mental power and magic energy were edging ever closer to mid-level apprentice status.
Could fighting serve to stimulate his mental and magical capabilities?
In truth, before venturing into the domain of the brackish water giant crocodile, his magic and mental power had not seen such a marked improvement.
With the Incendiary Fireball at the ready, Sene clearly intended to eliminate Jork right then and there.
Sorcerers' reasoning and judgement were fairly good, and Sene realized that Jork had likely been the one to inform Ilk about him, leading to their fateful encounter in the white crow forest the previous day.
To show mercy to an enemy was cruelty to oneself.
At that moment, Sene couldn't care less about the repercussions of executing a fight in public and the potential punishment for killing someone on Black Street; he simply wanted to erase Jork from existence.
This was a mindset shared by beings who managed to survive in the harsh realities of the underground world—an innate ruthlessness.
At this moment, Jork's pale face was awash with fear and disbelief.
His eyes darted from Sene's strong acid staff to the increasingly hot Incendiary Fireball now in Sene's palm.
Gone was the arrogance and malice; instead, Jork desperately stammered through gritted teeth, "You can't kill me! Fights are forbidden on Black Street, and…"
Before Jork could finish his threat, three booming voices resounded from above, "Stop!"
Three owls with wingspans exceeding a meter hurtled toward the scene. The severity of the disturbances on Black Street had warranted the arrival of three academy overseers.
Jork's threats did nothing to deter Sene; the presence of the three overseers only steeled Sene's resolve, prompting him to act quickly.
Allowing Jork to live would bring only trouble for Sene. It would be far better to silence him now, with the possibility of later finding a way to maneuver around any backlash.
However, Sene was taken aback when, as his Incendiary Fireball hit Jork's head and a splash of bright blood burst forth, two other significant noises erupted around them.
Far quicker than Sene, Lina acted.
She was indeed not one to be underestimated; under her command, two mid-level apprentices fell to their deaths.
As Lina mustered her remaining magic power to target the third female mid-level apprentice, the academy overseers finally arrived in time, ensnaring Lina with a chain of wind.
Sene's hands were similarly bound by the wind chains, but before that could happen, the explosion echoed, and in front of Sene, Scarface Jork had already been reduced to a lifeless corpse—headless and armless.
This incident would undoubtedly rank among the most shocking and severe in recent years on Black Street and within the Dark Magic Academy.
The three academy overseers were undoubtedly furious. However, before they could punish Sene and Lina, one of the owls suddenly froze.
It was the very owl that had crossed paths with Sene just yesterday.
Though the three owls looked alike, Sene failed to recognize it. The owl recognized him, however.