"GO!" she screamed.
The students didn't need to be told twice. They scrambled up the stairway like ants on a branch, ascending toward the blinding crimson circle above.
As soon as they touched it, their bodies shimmered and vanished one by one.
The fortress shook again.
Down below, nearly one thousand feet away from the fotress, Victor was thrown backward by the shockwave of Aiz's next attack.
He crashed through a molten wall, rolled, and barely managed to push himself back to his feet. His body trembled from exhaustion.
Commander Aiz stalked toward him, leaving cracks of molten lava on the ground with each step. "Meaningless. Putting your life on the line is futile."
Victor wiped a trail of blood from his lip and chuckled weakly. "You're becoming too chatty for my liking. Do all magma heads talk this much?"
Aiz snarled and slammed his halberd into the ground.
