BXBX NOVEL Chapter 144: Chapter 144:Conditions [5]
"Well, go ahead then!"
Seeing the four girls completely ignore my sarcastic response, I sighed before dusting the dirt off my pants and stepping back.
Keeping my crow elevated in the air above the forest, I watched with interest as the tip of Ruby's wand turned a dark red, and bouts of fire began to crackle on the ground below here.
Interestingly enough, despite the ground not being completely dry from the water's earlier downfall, Ruby's fire seemed to ignore the wet ground, as it only grew despite the water being right below it.
Instead of creating an elemental reaction between fire and water, the fire seemed to coexist with the water as the two substances basically ignored each other.
Returning my gaze to Ruby, I saw the tip of her wand combust as a small flame formed on it before Ruby pointed the wand at the tree.
The fire on Ruby's wand seemed to expand and expand until a small flame, in terms of width, not length, stretched all the way from Ruby's wand to the tree trunk.
Then, Ruby stepped back before thrusting her wand forward, immediately causing the large fire to explode outward.
Barely managing to keep my eyes open despite the flash bang I had just witnessed, I saw the flame expand to form the figure of a phoenix.
The phoenix made of fire seemed to come to life as its wing flapped, propelling it right at the tree.
With a size comparable to Lily's bubble, the tip of the flame that created the phoenix was barely a centimeter away from me before it moved toward the tree.
Of course, the phoenix made of Ruby's fire did move particularly fast as there were still some lingering water particles in the air, but that just added to the mystical-like scene.
Despite not having to slow down, I saw a phoenix made of pure fire move in slow motion toward a tree drenched in water.
"Hollywood could never do something like this..."
Feeling my body begin to sweat as a result of the fire, I stepped back and watched as the phoenix consumed the tree, completely removing it from my sight.
Then the phoenix disappeared, and the fire that made it up spread to the tree, causing the trunk to burst into flames.
Not just the tree, though... the fire phoenix was so big that several other trees in the vicinity, as well as even the bushes on the ground, caught on fire.
Under the orange sky, the bright fire complimented it perfectly, spreading further up the tree trunk and up to its branches.
...isn't this going to cause a wildfire?
Eh, the loop will just reset tomorrow, right?
But... what if this method of Ruby's actually terminates the loop... and this wild fire just starts burning down trees for real?
...I'm just gonna escape this loop and then think about the repercussions later.
Then, surprising even me, Ruby stepped forward and threw her wand out of her hand and right at the tree.
Looking at the wand resting at the base of the burning tree, Irene walked up beside Ruby and asked.
"What are y-"
*BOOM*
powered-by-MvLeMpYr
But, before Irene could finish her sentence, all the flames stopped spreading... and instead began to restrain itself.
The trees in the vicinity that were previously on fire were now fine as the fire seemed to retreat.
After a few seconds, the vicinity that was previously all on fire was now fine except for a single tree that kept burning.
All the fire had accumulated into one big inferno, forming on the base of the marked tree.
The fire engulfed the entire tree and, like a skyscraper, seemed to go above the clouds, creating a beacon of light in the orange sky.
The next moment, the skyscrapers of flames began to descend as Ruby's wand absorbed the fire, making the inferno shorter and shorter... until it was gone.
The fire had left faster than it had come.
One second, our entire vicinity was on fire; the next, it was all gone except for one tree; and finally, it was all gone.
To say it was amazing would be an understatement.
Even Irene, a fire magic prodigy, could not believe what she had just seen.
The ability to control and form fire so perfectly to create a phoenix, and the way she was able to control it, suppressing all the fire with a single wand throw.
Turning to Ruby, who was walking over to pick up her wand with a smug expression, I smiled and asked.
"So... did that have a purpose, or were you just trying to show off?"
Picking up her wand from the base of the tree, Ruby replied.
"Well, it could have worked, couldn't it have?"
Smiling even wider, I redirected my attention to the tree... and it had been through a lot.
First, it was fine.
Second, it was slashed with a dagger.
Third, it was bombarded with water and drenched.
And finally, fourth, it was attacked by a phoenix made of fire and assaulted by an inferno of flames taller than a skyscraper.
But, despite all that, the tree remained unfazed besides a couple of burn marks on its previous unblemished brown trunk.
Despite all the trouble it was giving me... I had to admire its resilience.
While everyone was focused on the masterpiece Ruby had just performed and how it affected the tree, I took a moment to swap bodies with my crow.
Flying forward from the flipped carriage, I passed through the sky, which had now descended into darkness unnoticed.
Looking downwards as I flew, I turned right back around when I noticed the same flipped carriage below me after a couple of seconds.
Returning to my body, I immediately heard Ruby explaining her logic to Alya, Lily, and Irene.
Pointing at the tree, Ruby began.
"You might not be able to see it... but that tree has a desire. That desire is to be destroyed, so I manifested the phoenix in an attempt to destroy it."