The Golem Mage Chapter 1092: Chaotic Countdown 4.

Bang!!!!

The gunshot this time boomed far more intensely, with a densely packed blood round slicing through the sky as Alec unleashed it with deadly accuracy. The second it slammed into Dragov’s chest, the stark contrast became immediately apparent.

This strike differed vastly from the earlier ones; the sheer force hurled Dragov skyward, propelling him backward through the air.

In the next instant, Dragov commanded the nearby winds, harnessing pressure to steady himself while airborne prior to touching down. Upon landing, his eyes dropped to his chest.

Blood poured forth profusely, marking the first true wound he’d sustained since the fight’s outset.

Not even the duo of his wind veil and dragon scales could completely halt that assault.

Luckily, those dual defenses had still blunted the injury considerably, preventing the shot from boring clean through his torso. He raised his gaze to Alec, a subtle smirk curling his lips, as if declaring: I’m not down yet.

“You know, Dragov, fighting me was never the most important thing in this battle.” Alec stated coolly,

“You have just been acting like you want to defeat me properly... that you’ve already lost sight of what this battle format is really about.” Alec paused briefly before finishing—

“The format is about who controls the most rune points.”

Dragov’s brow furrowed in evident bewilderment at Alec’s timing, until Alec’s eyes flicked suddenly to a nearby rooftop.

“Brandon... the fish is on the hook.” As soon as those words escaped him, the earth under Dragov gave way abruptly, with sand surging into a ferocious whirlpool that sought to pull him under.

From his perch on the rooftop, Brandon extended his left hand toward Dragov, mirroring how his right hand aimed at Damien’s spot, manipulating the trap remotely.

Right then, he was simultaneously holding back two of Bloodline Academy’s top mages, though Damien had completed his incantation setup.

He lifted his hand toward Brandon’s location, right before unleashing it—

[ Mid Bloodline Spell – Blood Bank ]

Even as he nearly sank in the quicksand, Damien hoisted his hand sufficiently to target Brandon, summoning a blood brand into existence in midair.

In a flash, it hurtled toward Brandon’s position, only for Endrick to materialize in its path, causing the blood brand to affix itself to Endrick instead.

Brandon’s face tightened at the scene; he recognized this as Endrick’s final life, yet Endrick had chosen to protect him without knowing the spell’s effect.

[> Mid Bloodline Spell - Crimson Reversal. <]

The instant the brand attached, Pale’s voice echoed from deep within the sand. Endrick’s complexion drained rapidly. After five seconds, he appeared decades older.

Moments later, he withered into a shriveled corpse. Witnessing this, Alec—who’d been watching Dragov—redirected his shot at him. Dragov countered by lifting his left wing, but the shell’s power only sank him further into the binding sand.

As Dragov dropped his wing, he noticed Alec had vanished from his front—Alec had soared aloft already.

“Brandon, focus all your attention on Drago—” Alec’s command cut short midway, as he urged Brandon to pour every bit of mana into burying Dragov under the sand, when Damien’s quicksand abruptly exploded outward.

Pale, who’d been frantically delaying Connor and Kira via the trapped areas, finally succumbed. With three Bloodline Academy mages now loose, Alec muttered a curse quietly. The instant Damien reached the central rune point,

The timer ought to have commenced, yet a bolt of lightning flashed by first, batting him aside effortlessly.

“I’ll take care of him!” The lightning gathered into a humanoid shape—Lucas, now confronting Damien directly in his blue spirit gear set.

Damien was encircled by a newly formed blood pool that swirled around him like flowing crimson ribbons. He radiated far greater menace this time.

“I see you’ve come for round two!” Damien bellowed, charging ahead in a hazy blur, as Lucas replied with a sweeping glaive strike.

At the same time, Alec faced the immediate danger before him, with Connor and Kira assaulting him. Connor dove from overhead, talons extended, while Kira struck from below, slashing fiercely with her curved dagger.

Alec retreated a fraction, angling his neck precisely to dodge Connor’s claws.

Next, he unleashed a sweeping low kick from his right leg straight into Kira’s face, his limbs sheathed in scarlet flames. The impact detonated like a mini-blast, jerking Kira’s head back violently and sending her eyes fluttering as consciousness slipped away.

Connor attempted a right-hand jab, but Alec merely leaned his neck leftward and snagged Connor’s shoulder with his right hand, linking their grips firmly.

With their forms entwined, Alec jammed his gun barrel against Connor’s flank.

Bam!

A single blast sufficed, ripping a massive gouge from Connor’s side.

“Arrrgh!” Connor howled in torment, yet Alec pressed on. Maintaining his shoulder hold, he thwarted Connor’s escape.

He allowed the gun to dip momentarily, then racked the pump swiftly up and down to load fresh ammo.

He flipped the gun upward casually and snatched it midair with his left hand, then wedged the stock against their clasped arms, leveling the muzzle at Connor’s head.

[ Mid-Tier Spell + Skill – Marked Execution Round ]