Lia's eyes narrowed as she took position on the flank with her team. The tension in the air crackled like a storm was about to break. Her fingers twitched with the anticipation of battle. As she felt the unsettling presence of the cultists, a familiar surge of mana burned through her veins. With a single fluid motion, she raised her hands and chanted a short incantation under her breath.

"Blazing Cascade"

A torrent of fire burst forth from her hands and like a roaring dragon's breath. It engulfed a group of cultists who had dared to try breaching their side. The sound of the explosion echoed through the battlefield.

Boom!!!

The screams of the cultists were drowned beneath the flames as her team sprang into action. Each student moved with precision, striking down enemies with seamless coordination. They had trained for this. Lia led from the front, her crimson flames dancing in the air as it cut down any enemy who got too close.

"Hold the line…" she shouted over the roar of combat. "We can't let them flank the others.."

Her teammates responded with determination. One launched shards of ice while another summoned wind blades.

Boom!!

A thunderous earth wall rose beside her in a short moment, blocking a spell that had been aimed directly at her side. Lia spared a quick nod to the caster who saved her, before she launched another fireball into the fray.

Whoosh!!!

Boom!!!

The cultists screamed as spell after spell tore into their ranks. The flames painted the ground red and black. It turned the edge of the battlefield into a hellscape. Lia darted through it like a dancer through a storm of ash. She was like a wolf directing her team and tearing through the enemy with extreme precision.

******

Lucas and Dean led their team and took a longer route toward the rear of the pyramid. They moved quietly but swiftly. The sound of Arthur's frontal assault echoed in the distance, giving them cover. The back entrance was less fortified since Arthur was attacking the entrance getting the attention of the majority of the cultists with only a few cultists standing guard in the rear. Dean stepped ahead, raising his hand.

"Get ready," Dean whispered, his voice was calm and commanding.

He stomped the ground.

"Earth Wall"

A stone wall erupted from the earth and immediately caught the attention of the cultists as it surged toward them. Dean took all their attention on him immediately.

"Go!!!!" he shouted.

Lucas darted past him like a bolt of lightning, his spear glowing with crackling energy.

Zaap!!!

Slash!!!!

Lightning surged through his spear as he stabbed it cleanly through a cultist's chest then he spun with a sweeping motion, electrocuting two others. The cultists barely had time to react before Lucas had taken down another three. His movements were fluid, sharp and lethal.

Their teammates followed behind, striking from the sides with elemental attacks. Flames, water jets and stone spikes collided against the cultists with deadly force.

"Push forward," Lucas shouted. "Show them no mercy!"

It didn't take long before the area was cleared.

Dean looked at the bodies with a frown then he turned to Lucas. "We can't rest for a moment. We need to move. Inside might be worse than this."

Lucas nodded. His grip tightened around his spear.

Something gnawed at his instincts. A heavy sensation settled in his chest. Something was off.

'Something is wrong.'

But there was no turning back now.

"I will see it through," he murmured to himself. "No matter what it is."

They entered the pyramid. The inside was drastically different from the outside. The walls pulsed faintly, runes etched in red glowed dimly along the stone. The air was thick, oppressive and it felt like it was alive.

They moved cautiously.

A student behind Lucas whispered, "Why build something like this? What do they want with us?"

Lucas didn't respond. He couldn't

'The summoning ritual. The sacrifice'

His jaw clenched.

He couldn't say it aloud. But he knew. If the demon was summoned, it would be a complete massacre.

They advanced steadily, floor by floor. Each chamber they crossed was filled with cultists. Lucas and Dean led the charge each time.

Dean's shield protected the group from magic while Lucas danced between cultists like a ghost. His spear was slicing and shocking every cultist.

Slash!!!!

Crack!!!

Blood splattered the runic walls. Their enemies fell one after another.

Finally, they entered a chamber deeper within the structure. A large, torch lit room where several students were bound to pillars. Their bodies were covered in cuts and bruises. The scent of blood hung heavily in the air.

"Get them free!" Dean ordered.

A student dashed ahead, breaking restraints with a conjured blade of wind. The captives slumped forward, barely conscious.

Dean went forward and kneeled beside the least injured one student, "Are you okay? What is your name? Can you tell what happened here?"

"I…I am Jaden," the boy said weakly, wincing. "They took us… dragged us in one by one. They tortured us. They said they needed pain… fear… for the summoning of something."

Dean's eyes hardened.

Jaden continued, "They took most of the others… said they were going to use them for the ritual. I heard them talk about the summoning ritual."

Lucas's heart dropped.

'No….. Not this…'

'Not here.'

"We need to find the rest," he said quickly, his voice was sharper than he intended.

Dean glanced at him but didn't question it. "Alright. We are moving."

He turned to a few of the students. "You guys stay here. Protect them. Heal them if you can."

The others nodded.

Lucas stepped forward, electricity surging through his spear as he gritted his teeth. "Let's go."

They rushed deeper into the pyramid, every step a race against time. Lucas's mind raced just as fast.

'I just hope we were not too late'

Lucas's expression was grim. His eyes were fixed forward.

He couldn't let the ritual happen. Not now. Not here…..

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