The temperature of the entire plaza suddenly dropped to a terrifying freezing point. The mist in the sky began to converge wildly towards Heath, forming a giant magic circle emanating the aura of death.
"This is..."
Ryoma's expression changed, and he immediately sensed the nature of that magic power.
Forbidden spell!
This guy planned to freeze and destroy the entire village along with all his enemies.
That magic circle was frantically drawing ice attribute magic power from the surrounding environment. And Ryoma's Ice Crystal Nest was entirely made of ice crystals.
Crack... Snap...
The Ice Crystal Nest began to emit sounds of unbearable cracking. Countless ice crystals detached from the main body of the nest, attracted by that terrifying magic circle, and were swept into the air.
The previously indestructible sanctuary was disintegrating at a visible speed.
"Oh no!"
Ryoma tried to stabilize the magic, but found that the ice attribute magic power was disturbed and had become difficult to control.
Boom!
With a loud bang, the giant ice nest shattered.
Countless sharp ice crystal fragments, like blades, were pulled by the forbidden spell's magic power, transforming into a deadly ice crystal storm that swept towards the defenseless villagers below.
"Ah—!"
"Help!"
The villagers' terrified screams echoed through the plaza.
They had just escaped the threat of death, and now, once again, they faced despair.
Among the fragments of the ice nest, Noelle's figure appeared particularly disheveled. Like the other villagers, she was pale with fright at this sudden turn of events.
Looking at the giant magic circle in the sky emanating an aura of destruction, and at the ice crystal storm approaching like a deadly tornado, her body trembled uncontrollably, and even her limbs began to go weak.
She wanted to do something, wanted to fight and protect everyone like Ryoma, like Asta, like Magna.
But... but I can't do it... I can't control my magic power at all... I'll only cause trouble for everyone... it's always like this.
Every time, every single time it's like this!
She could only watch her companions fight in front while she could do nothing.
A sense of powerlessness and self-loathing engulfed her like a tide.
Just as Noelle's will was about to be completely crushed by fear—
A small hand tightly gripped the corner of her clothes.
"Big sister from the Magic Knight Squad..."
Noelle froze, lowering her head.
A little girl was looking at her with a pair of large, tear-filled eyes, full of fear and pleading.
"Please save us... I'm so scared..."
The girl's voice was tearful, filled with a longing for life.
This cry for help, like a clap of thunder, resounded in Noelle's mind.
Even such a small girl was asking her for help.
She then looked up again, towards the nearby area.
Everyone... everyone is trying their best to protect this village.
"I, Noelle Silva, am a royal of this kingdom!"
"I will protect them! I absolutely cannot run away!"
An unprecedentedly strong will surged from the deepest part of her heart.
She wanted to protect this little girl who had asked for her help. She wanted to protect these innocent villagers. She wanted to be a support for her companions, not a burden who was always protected.
Protection!
This simple yet powerful belief instantly overwhelmed all her fear and weakness.
Buzz!!!
The grimoire in Noelle's hand burst forth with an unprecedented brilliant light. New characters rapidly appeared and formed on a blank page of the grimoire.
"Water Creation Magic—"
Noelle's immense magic power poured out like a breaching flood.
"Sea Dragon's Nest!!!"
"Roar—!"
A dragon's roar, as if from the ancient deep sea, echoed through the sky.
Massive streams of water gushed from the ground, rapidly intertwining and swirling in mid-air, forming a giant, hemispherical dome made of water.
A lifelike water dragon circled above the dome, letting out a majestic roar.
Clang... Clang...
Countless sharp ice crystal fragments violently struck the Sea Dragon's Nest, but only caused ripples.
All the villagers were once again protected by this water barrier.
"This... this is..."
In the plaza, the originally desperate villagers all stared dumbfounded at the magnificent and reassuring scene above their heads.
"Noelle, you can do it when you try!" Magna saw this scene and shouted excitedly.
He no longer had any worries and unleashed all his remaining magic power.
Even more furious fireballs completely suppressed the two members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, preventing them from interfering with Asta.
"Noelle!"
Asta looked back at the giant Sea Dragon's Nest, his eyes full of pleasant surprise.
He grinned, focusing all his attention on Heath in front of him.
Now's the time!
"Ahhhhhh—!"
Asta let out an earth-shattering roar, gripping the demon-slayer sword in his hand, and his speed increased again.
"Disappear!!!"
Facing the magic circle that was almost complete and exuded terrifying power, Asta showed no fear, using all his strength to slash down with that gigantic black blade.
The moment the tip of the demon-slayer sword touched the giant magic circle.
Buzz...
That forbidden spell magic circle, which had gathered all of Heath's life and magic power, was like a pricked balloon, or like a water surface into which a stone had been thrown.
Then, silently, it was annihilated and dissipated.
"No..."
Heath's crimson pupils suddenly contracted, and the crazy expression on his face instantly froze.
His last hope, the magic he had bet everything on, just... gone?
Puff!
The demon-slayer sword, its momentum unchecked, heavily struck his chest.
Heath didn't even let out a scream. His whole body flew backward, blood tracing a tragic arc in the air.
He fell heavily to the ground, his body twitched twice, and then he completely lost consciousness.
As the forbidden spell dissipated, the terrifying pressure in the sky vanished.
On the other side, Magna and Ryoma quickly dealt with the remaining two enemies.
The battle ended, and the Sea Dragon's Nest slowly dispersed, turning into mist.
Noelle's face, for once, carried a rare, genuine smile she had never shown before.
"Thank you... thank you all..."
"Lord Magic Knights! Thank you for saving our lives!"
The still-shaken villagers gathered around, bowing repeatedly to Ryoma and the others, their eyes filled with gratitude.
Magna walked over to the four unconscious individuals, opening his grimoire.
Fire Restraining Magic: Flame Rope Solid Binding Formation!
Four ropes made of flames appeared out of thin air, securely tying up Heath and the other three.
"Alright, once these guys wake up, we'll have to ask them what they were really trying to do here." Magna clapped his hands.
Ryoma nodded, not caring much about this, as he knew that Heath would definitely use the magic tool inside him to commit suicide once he woke up.
He had no intention of stopping it. After all, their deaths were better than their lives, which was also why he dared to mention the name Eye of the Midnight Sun.
Ryoma was about to step forward and confiscate these guys' grimoires first, just in case.
However, just then, another anomaly occurred.
The Water Magister, whom Ryoma had knocked down with a punch and who had been playing dead on the ground, suddenly transformed into a puddle of clear water without any warning.
That puddle of clear water quickly flowed across the ground, escaping towards outside the village at an extremely fast speed.
"Trying to run?!"
Magna's expression changed, and he was about to give chase.
"Don't move! You two watch the villagers and the captives!" Ryoma's calm voice rang out.
"I'll go after him!"
Before his words finished, Ryoma's figure had already turned into a frosty trail, chasing after the stream of water.
Good thing he had left his magic mark on that guy with his punch just now. He absolutely couldn't let him get away. Otherwise, the matter of the Eye of the Midnight Sun would be hard to explain.
He had deliberately shielded the villagers from hearing that name earlier, precisely to avoid trouble.
Moreover, the leader of this organization also served as the captain of the Golden Dawn, so if he ran away, they would definitely be targeted later.