Tale of a Hedonistic wizard-Chapter 462: Flame of the deity

More creatures surged forward, learning from their fallen companion's mistake.

They attacked from multiple angles, their forms shifting between solid and spectral with each movement.

Jaegar stopped using lightning and focused for a minute.

Jaegar's hands traced complex patterns in the air—not the conventional sigils taught to apprentices, but the ancient forms of the Immemorial Arts of Empyrean Magic.

His arcane energy responded; orange-coloured sigils transformed into a maelstrom of erratic energy that encircled him like a living shield.

When the next wave of shadow creatures struck, the empyrean shield didn't block them—it transformed them. Their darkness became light, their formlessness became structure, and their hunger became sustenance for Jaegar's magic.

"They're adapting," he called to Angelina, who was observing with analytical precision. "These aren't mindless constructs—there's intelligence directing them."

His grandmother nodded, her eyes darting toward Elsbeth, who stood at the edge of the marketplace, fingers weaving intricate patterns that controlled the shadow beings. "Focus on the creatures," Angelina advised. "I'll handle the puppet master."

Around them, the battle raged.

Veronica and Ewen had been cornered by three massive Blackhounds, their riders wielding enchanted wands that crackled with dark energy.

The Ministry representatives fought with unexpected skill—Veronica's defensive magic forming barriers of golden light while Ewen's offensive spells struck with precision.

A laigur leapt toward Veronica, jaw unhinging to reveal rows of teeth that seemed to multiply as it attacked. Veronica's barrier held for a moment before beginning to crack under the magical beast's assault.

Ewen pivoted, abandoning his own opponent to aid his colleague.

A beam of concentrated magical energy erupted from his wand, catching the laigur mid-leap and sending it crashing into a market stall.

The rider rolled to his feet, drawing a curved blade etched with runes of binding.

"Watch your flank!" Veronica shouted, extending her barrier to protect Ewen from his original opponent's counterattack.

Jaegar registered this peripheral battle while facing his own growing problem.

The shadow creatures had multiplied, learning from each destroyed companion. They moved more cautiously now, probing his defences rather than attacking directly.

Time to show them something new, he thought.

Drawing on his second affinity, Jaegar called forth the lightning that ran through his bloodline. Electricity crackled around his fingertips, but this was not the control he used earlier.

The lightning interwove with his empyrean magic, orange-coloured arcane energy and electric blue energy spiralling together in impossible harmony.

Where conventional magical theory claimed these forces should annihilate each other, Jaegar's unique magical signature allowed them to coexist, to strengthen one another.

The ancient magic and lightning ability are completely different, but Jaegar used them at once thanks to his control over the powers.

He quickly adjusted himself and sent a bolt of lightning towards the one attacking the Arcnytes duo.

Veronica looked at Jaegar briefly, then returned to her fight.

At Jaegar's side, three shadow creatures attacked simultaneously, their forms merging into a tidal wave of darkness.

Jaegar thrust both hands forward, releasing a torrent of chaos-infused lightning that illuminated the entire marketplace. The shadow wave fragmented under the assault, creatures screeching in a frequency that vibrated the very air.

But Jaegar wasn't finished.

As the lightning subsided, he transitioned seamlessly into his third affinity—the Red Flame Conjuration. It's a red flame which he acquired a few months ago.

Now, he welcomed the crimson fire, which he hadn't used in a while.

Angelina, Elsbeth and others were momentarily startled at the discovery. They all knew it wasn't just an ordinary flame.

Angelina, Elsbeth and Norimar recognized the flame instantly, and they all muttered at the same time.

"Flame of the deity."

Norimar, who was engaged in combat with the witches, stopped and laughed audibly. Even the council witches looked at the flames with wide eyes.

They also knew about the flames, but it was their first time seeing them.

"Jaegar Gadfraye, you are far more interesting than your father," Norimar shouted loud enough for Jaegar to hear him.

Jaegar's eyebrows twitched at the mention of his father, but he didn't turn his head, and he just focused on his flames.

It erupted not just from his hands but from his entire body, a corona of vivid scarlet flames that danced with unnatural intensity. The heat radiated from him became more intense, melting everything around him.

Unlike normal fire, these flames didn't consume oxygen—they fed on arcane energy itself, burning brighter in the presence of Elsbeth's dark creations.

"Immolate," Jaegar whispered, an ancient invocation from the Empyrean texts.

The red flames responded, shooting outward in concentric rings that expanded with devastating precision.

Each ring targeted only the shadow creatures, passing through the street, burning everything in its path. The charred cobblestone was left behind.

Where the red fire touched shadow, the creatures didn't merely burn—they were unmade, their magical essence converted into pure arcane energy that Jaegar absorbed back into his flame.

It was like the fire was eating the shadow creatures. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Across the marketplace, Angelina had engaged Elsbeth directly.

The two witches circled each other, decades of arcane knowledge manifesting in increasingly complex spellwork.

Angelina's magic was classical, refined—each gesture perfect, each incantation precise.

Elsbeth's was wild and innovative, breaking rules that had stood for centuries.

"You have a marvellous grandson there," Elsbeth said, pointing towards Jaegar.

Angelina didn't respond.

Instead she straight attacked her.

"You've lost your edge, Reverend," Elsbeth taunted, shadows coiling around her arms like serpents. "Too many years locked away in that tower."

Angelina didn't respond with words. Her next spell spoke volumes—a cascade of silver light that sliced through Elsbeth's shadow armour, forcing the witch to retreat several steps.

"Some fundamentals," Angelina finally replied, "never fade."

Jaegar caught glimpses of this duel while continuing his systematic destruction of the shadow creatures. With each creature he unmade, he felt his understanding of red flames deepen.

Jaegar was beginning to predict the creatures' movements. His red flames now anticipated their attacks, crimson barriers forming microseconds before claws of darkness struck.

But the shadow creatures were still learning, still evolving.

One particularly massive specimen hung back, observing, adapting. It had absorbed aspects of its fallen companions, growing larger with each sacrifice. Now it towered over the marketplace, a colossus of living darkness that blotted out the afternoon sun.

"Jaegar!" Angelina called, sensing the gathering threat. "It's a Black Amalgam—they're sacrificing the lesser shadows to create something more dangerous!"