"Again, let's keep fighting."
Ryoma and the two others sped towards the direction of the voice.
This was an even larger side hall, but it had already been reduced to ruins.
The ground was covered with large and small craters, broken stone pillars lay scattered, and the air was filled with a thick black smoke.
And in the center of that chaos, Luck's lightning flickered on and off.
Luck's laughter was still manic, but there was a hint of weakness in his voice.
His limbs were bound and enveloped by a large amount of solid black smoke, fixing him firmly in mid-air.
The smoke was constantly eroding his magic and stamina.
Luck's movements had clearly become sluggish, and his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, as if he could fall asleep at any moment.
Asta's eyes were bloodshot, and he let out an angry roar.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pushed off the ground, launching himself forward like a cannonball.
"That bastard!"
Noelle nervously clutched her grimoire.
"Don't rush!"
Ryoma stopped her, his gaze fixed on the other end of the smoke.
There, stood a middle-aged man with a cynical smile on his face, observing his masterpiece with great interest.
The Diamond Kingdom's Mage, Lotus.
Just then, Asta had already rushed in front of Luck.
He leaped high, and the demon-slayer sword in his hand slashed fiercely at the smoke binding Luck.
The solid smoke dissipated silently the moment it came into contact with the demon-slayer sword.
With the bindings removed, Luck fell from mid-air, but his body, eroded by the smoke, was temporarily too weak even to stand.
"Is that Smoke Weakening Magic?"
Ryoma looked at Lotus opposite him.
This magic made the enemy breathe smoke filled with negative effects, or let the smoke directly contact the skin, thereby weakening the opponent's stamina, magic, and even spirit.
"This magic is a bit troublesome," Ryoma stroked his chin, "However, it's just troublesome, it lacks decisive offensive power."
Ryoma took a few steps forward to Asta's side, holding one hand out flat.
Ice Crystal Barrier!
Buzz!
The temperature in the air suddenly dropped, and a huge translucent Ice barrier instantly unfolded before him, like a crystal-clear wall, blocking all the black smoke surging forward.
The cold air spread, even making the black smoke a little thinner.
"Oh?"
Lotus saw this scene, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Ice Magic? To be able to block my smoke, that's interesting."
However, Luck, having escaped, was not grateful.
He shook his still heavy head, the manic smile reappearing on his face, and dangerous lightning flickered in his eyes.
"Don't get in the way!" He growled at Asta who had rushed over, "That guy is my prey!"
Before he finished speaking, lightning burst from his body, and he rushed towards Lotus again, with astonishing speed.
"Do whatever you want, I don't care what you think!"
Seeing this, Asta not only didn't retreat but shouted back even louder, rushing out alongside Luck.
"We're comrades, aren't we?! How could I let you fight alone?!"
He swung the demon-slayer sword, rushing beside Luck, dispelling all the smoke that tried to approach.
Luck's charging figure paused slightly. He glanced at the boisterous youth beside him, who had no mana but rushed faster than anyone, his eyes complex.
"Hmph, meddling."
He said so, but the fighting spirit in his eyes grew even stronger.
"Haha, the bonds of companionship? How touching!"
"Now I am going to get serious."
Lotus flipped through his grimoire, and immense magic surged from his body.
Smoke Creation Magic: Degenerate King's Smoke Prison!
Boom!!!
Black smoke, a hundred times denser than before, spewed from Lotus's grimoire, instantly engulfing the entire side hall.
Visibility was instantly stripped away, and the air was filled with smoke.
"Cough cough... I can't see anything."
Asta's voice rang out in the smoke, as he continuously swung his demon-slayer sword, but the surrounding smoke quickly replenished itself.
"Damn it..."
Luck's lightning dimmed in the thick smoke.
Within the smoke, Lotus's figure completely vanished, only his voice echoing from all directions.
"You can't escape, young ones. Your five senses will be stripped, your stamina drained, and in the end, you can only suffocate to death in endless pain."
"Sigh..."
A clear sigh suddenly rang out in the chaotic smoke.
"Honestly, some people just love to create these flashy, impractical grand scenes."
It was Ryoma's voice.
The next second, an extreme power of ice burst forth.
Buzz!
The Ice Crystal Barrier, which had only been protecting the rear, suddenly expanded several times, forcefully pushing the dense black smoke outwards, forming an absolute safe zone with a diameter of over ten meters.
Asta and Luck instantly felt the pressure lighten, greedily breathing the cold and fresh air within the barrier.
"It's not over yet."
Ryoma's expression was calm, his hands slowly raised, and then slammed down onto the ground.
Ice Path: Grid!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
With his feet as the center, countless intricate ice crystal paths, like a spiderweb, instantly spread out in all directions.
These ice paths laid out a huge grid on the ground, flashing with a chilling cold light, quickly covering the entire area shrouded in smoke.
The icy cold even made the flow of the smoke slow down.
"Luck!" Ryoma shouted without turning his head.
"Pour your lightning into this net!"
Luck was startled at first, then immediately understood Ryoma's intention.
His eyes, which had been somewhat dim due to weakness, were once again ignited with ecstasy and fighting spirit.
"Haha... Hahahahaha! Interesting! Too interesting!"
He burst into laughter, unleashing his remaining mana without reservation.
The dazzling lightning no longer attacked randomly, but was precisely injected into the ice crystal paths beneath his feet.
Sizzle!!!
Wild lightning instantly spread furiously along Ryoma's Ice Path: Grid.
In an instant, a huge lightning net covering the entire side hall formed beneath the dense smoke.
Countless electric snakes darted across the ice surface, emitting terrifying crackling sounds, turning the entire ground into a lightning hell.
"Ahhhhh!"
A shrill scream echoed from a corner of the smoke.
Lotus, who had been moving at high speed in the smoke, was instantly exposed.
He was severely shocked by the electric net beneath his feet, his entire body paralyzed for a moment, and he jumped up clumsily.
The lightning net completely blocked his path for movement using smoke.
"Now! Asta!"
Ryoma's calm voice rang out.
Ryoma didn't even need to remind him. The moment Lotus's figure was exposed, a black shadow had already burst out from the blind spot of his perception.
No mana!
In Lotus's perception, besides the Ice boy and the lightning boy, there was no third person in the smoke at all.
Where did this mana-less monster come from?!
Lotus's eyes widened in horror. He wanted to turn into smoke and dodge, but the paralyzing sensation from the electric shock made him a beat too slow. And that one beat had already decided the outcome.
"Get... out of here!!!"
Accompanied by Asta's full-strength roar, the greatsword fiercely struck Lotus's chest.
Bang!
A dull thud sounded.
Lotus was forcefully cut out of the dense black smoke, tracing a parabola in the air before crashing heavily against the distant wall.
As the source of the magic was interrupted, the Degenerate King's Smoke Prison that had enveloped the entire side hall quickly dissipated as if losing its support.
Asta leaned on his sword, panting heavily.
Luck's lightning had extinguished, and he slowly stood up.
Ryoma dispelled the barrier, looking in the direction where Lotus had fallen.
"Tch."
Luck grumbled, looking at Asta beside him.
"Teamwork really is quite important."