Ryoma listened in silence to Heath's condescending remarks, without anger or rebuttal. He just gently tugged at the Black Bulls cloak he was wearing.
Then, he finally spoke, "So noisy."
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly echoed throughout the entire square.
"And the 'beasts' you speak of..."
Ryoma's gaze swept over the terrified villagers in the Ice Crystal Nest.
"...are far more decent than you, you piece of trash."
Heath's face instantly darkened. But before he could react, Ryoma's next words made him tremble.
"It seems the Eye of the Midnight Sun isn't entirely made up of commoners and lower-class citizens who have been oppressed by the kingdom and harbor resentment."
"It also takes in these 'noble' scumbags like you, with twisted hearts and eternal dissatisfaction with the status quo."
Eye of the Midnight Sun!
These words exploded in Heath's mind like a clap of thunder.
His pupils suddenly constricted, and he subconsciously glanced at the subordinate beside him who had just escaped back using a Water Clone.
The member's face was also filled with shock and confusion.
Did he expose it?
No! He didn't even have a chance to say that much!
Heath's gaze instantly returned to Ryoma, the killing intent within it dozens of times more intense than before.
This name was the core secret of their organization.
Where did this man, wearing a Black Bulls cloak, learn of it?
No matter who he was, no matter how he knew, today, he must die here. He absolutely cannot be allowed to leave alive.
"Attack!"
Heath let out a low growl.
"At all costs, smash that ice shell for me!"
"Kill him! Kill everyone inside!"
The moment the order was given, Heath himself moved first.
The grimoire in his hand glowed brightly, reacting even more violently with the surrounding mist barrier.
Ice Mist Compound Magic: Cage of Infinite Hail!
It was that move again. But this time, the scale was several times larger than before.
Buzz!
Countless ice cones, thicker and sharper than before, rapidly condensed in the mist, densely packed. The target was no longer just the villagers, but Ryoma was completely covered as well.
At the same time, the other three members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun also raised their grimoires simultaneously. Three different types of magic, from three different directions, fiercely bombarded the giant Ice Crystal Nest.
They wanted to force Ryoma to split his attention. Either he abandons the villagers and faces Heath's attack alone. Or, he defends the Ice Crystal Nest to the death, caught in a pincer attack from Heath and the other three, and is slowly exhausted to death.
This was an open scheme.
Facing such a situation, Ryoma's expression finally showed a slight change.
He glanced at the pale-faced, trembling villagers inside the Ice Crystal Nest behind him.
"Tsk."
Troublesome.
He lightly clicked his tongue, and without the slightest hesitation, turned and stepped out, his figure instantly retreating into the interior of the Ice Crystal Nest.
Rumble!
Almost the very next second after he entered, thousands of ice cones and three elemental torrents had already violently crashed onto the Ice Crystal Nest.
The entire Ice Crystal Nest vibrated violently, letting out a mournful groan, unable to bear the weight.
Cracks began to spread across the thick ice wall.
The villagers inside the Ice Crystal Nest let out even more desperate screams, fearfully clutching the people beside them.
Ryoma stood in the center of the Ice Crystal Nest, one hand pressed against the ice wall.
Vast magic power surged out like a tide, instantly pouring into the entire Ice Crystal Nest.
Crack, crack, crack!
The cracks that were about to collapse were refrozen and repaired at a visible speed, even becoming thicker than before.
"It's useless."
Outside the Ice Crystal Nest, Heath's voice was cold and cruel,
"Let's see how long you can last."
He frantically urged his magic power, and more ice cones formed in the mist, like an unending downpour, washing over the Ice Crystal Nest again and again.
The other three members also gritted their teeth, pouring out all their magic power. They knew very well what kind of trouble would arise once the name of the Eye of the Midnight Sun was leaked.
This Magic Knight must die!
Inside the Ice Crystal Nest.
Ryoma's brows furrowed slightly.
The situation was even more difficult than he imagined. This large-scale defensive magic consumed an extremely terrifying amount of magic power.
Facing the full-force attacks of four Mages simultaneously, one of whom was a Mage of the same attribute as him, was a huge burden for him. If this continues, it will only be a matter of time before his magic power is exhausted.
He must counterattack!
Ryoma took a deep breath and raised his other hand.
Refractive Prism: Deflection!
Buzz!
Countless tiny ice crystal prisms silently penetrated the Ice Crystal Nest's barrier, floating in the air outside. They quickly combined and arranged themselves, forming a deflection field that was difficult to detect with the naked eye.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The ice cones controlled by Heath, which were shooting in a straight line, instantly underwent a strange deflection in their trajectory the moment they entered this area.
A large number of ice cones collided with each other in mid-air, turning into a sky full of ice shards.
Some were refracted onto nearby houses and open ground, creating a series of roar. The number of ice cones that could truly hit the Ice Crystal Nest was reduced by two-thirds.
Heath's face changed, and he immediately noticed the abnormality of the magic. But Ryoma's actions were not over yet.
Ice Water Illusion!
He utilized the dense water vapor permeating the entire village, as well as the countless ice crystals generated after the ice cones shattered.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three illusions identical to Ryoma appeared out of thin air at different positions outside the Ice Crystal Nest.
One illusion raised its hand, condensing an ice longbow, aiming at the Fog Mage.
One illusion clasped its hands together, creating two ice daggers, charging towards the Water Magister.
The last illusion charged towards Heath himself.
However, within this mist barrier, a simple illusion could not deceive the opponent.
This time, Ryoma's illusions were composed of real water vapor and ice crystals, carrying magic power fluctuations almost identical to his main body. This made it impossible for the two members to distinguish them for a while, and they could only frantically divert their energy to deal with the illusions' attacks.
Although Heath was unaffected, he was also delayed for a moment by the illusion charging towards him.
For a moment, the pressure on the Ice Crystal Nest suddenly lessened.
But Ryoma's brows furrowed even tighter.
No.
This mist barrier interfered too much with his illusion magic.
Moreover, Heath was also a user of ice-attribute magic, with extremely strong control over ice crystals and water vapor, and would soon be able to dismantle his mirages.
As expected.
In just a few seconds.
"Shatter!"
Heath snorted coldly, and a cold current swept through, instantly collapsing the three illusions, which turned back into water vapor and ice crystals.
The other two members reacted and refocused their firepower on the Ice Crystal Nest. The attacks once again became frantic.
Both sides thus fell into a strange stalemate. Neither could do anything to the other.
Heath's face grew increasingly agitated and ferocious as time passed.
He couldn't accept it!
He, a dignified elite of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, with multiple subordinates, was actually held up here for so long by a mere member of the Black Bulls.
"Useless! Are you all useless?!"
"Increase your magic power! Crush him and those pieces of trash into powder for me!" Heath's roar echoed over the square.
—
At the same time.
In the forest several kilometers away from Sosshi.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Take this! Final blow!"
Asta let out a loud roar, wielding the demon-slayer sword in his hand, and fiercely knocked down the last wild boar.
Around him, seven or eight huge wild boars were already lying haphazardly on the ground.
"Phew... Finally done."
Asta plopped down on the ground, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Seriously, why are these guys so good at running?"
"Alright, mission accomplished."
Magna stood up and clapped his hands. "Speaking of which, where did that Ryoma guy run off to? Haven't seen him yet."
Asta hoisted a wild boar onto his shoulder and thought for a moment and said, "Ryoma seemed to have gone towards the village earlier."
"What?"
Magna was startled, then showed an "I knew it" expression.
"That guy must have found it troublesome and ran back to the village by himself to slack off."
"Let's go. Let's hurry and take these things back."
Magna indignantly hoisted a wild boar, and Asta followed suit, hoisting four or five.
The trio quickly headed towards Sosshi.
(End of Chapter)
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