Seeing such a powerful enemy dispatched so effortlessly by Yami—
"So strong, Captain!" Asta clutched his wound and couldn't help shouting in excitement.
Leopold was equally stunned. "So this is the strength of the Black Bulls' captain…"
Noelle finally let out a sigh of relief.
"What are you idiots standing around for? Hurry up and take Fuegoleon to the medical unit!"
Yami barked, noticing Asta still frozen in place.
Leopold snapped back to his senses, rushed to his brother's side, and prepared to carry him toward the center of the capital for treatment.
Whoosh!
At that moment—
A sharp tearing sound cut through the air. From the distant sky came a silver sphere, which landed right in front of them in the next instant.
The mercury-like shell receded like a tide, revealing the magic knights who had been teleported away moments earlier by a transport magic circle.
"Yami?"
"Is it already over?"
The captain of the Silver Eagles, Nozel Silva, was the first to see Yami. He froze for a beat, then noticed the Eye of the Midnight Sun members strewn across the ground, and finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
Beside him, Charlotte Roselei, captain of the Blue Rose Knights, saw Yami and immediately changed expression. She instinctively turned her head away, looking off in another direction.
"Fuegoleon?!"
Charlotte's cool voice was filled with shock.
Only then did everyone notice Fuegoleon Vermillion, missing an arm and on the brink of death.
Every magic knight present wore an expression of disbelief.
"Captain Fuegoleon!"
As a fellow royal, Mimosa Vermillion rushed out of the crowd at once and cast her healing magic on him.
"How unsightly for a captain."
"So the House of Vermillion has fallen this far. As fellow royals, that's truly embarrassing."
A mocking laugh rose from the crowd.
"We didn't even participate in the battle—yet we're even more disgraceful than he is!"
Nozel suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse yet commanding.
The jeers vanished instantly, and the area fell silent.
"Yeah, yeah, that's right. Pretty pathetic. A captain getting played so easily by the enemy,"
Yami drawled as he took a long drag from his cigarette, his lazy tone laced with ridicule.
Nozel's expression darkened.
Charlotte parted her lips, wanting to explain, but at the last moment she realized her position made it inappropriate. She swallowed her words and said nothing.
Sensing the tension, the others shut their mouths, not daring to speak.
"These guys aren't the ones who injured Fuegoleon, are they?"
After a brief silence, Nozel asked calmly, ignoring Yami's mockery.
"Nope," Yami replied lazily.
Trash like these, taken out on a whim, couldn't possibly have done that to Fuegoleon.
With that thought, Yami sighed inwardly.
He had warned Fuegoleon long ago—had even subtly urged the other squads to prepare.
And yet it still came to this.
Nobles never change.
Boom—
"Defensive positions!"
Yami's expression changed sharply as he roared.
At the same time, Nozel and Charlotte unleashed terrifying surges of mana!
Swords of Convicting Light!
In an instant, the entire area seemed to blaze with brightness.
Countless blades of light rained down, moving so fast that most people only saw a flash.
When the glare finally dimmed—
Aside from Yami and the three captains, and the four people he had shielded behind him—Asta, Noelle, Leopold, and Mimosa as she healed Fuegoleon—
Every other magic knight lay on the ground, light swords piercing their bodies.
Fwoosh—
The sound of robes fluttering in the wind came from above.
Clad in the robes of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, his body faintly aglow, Licht descended slowly from the sky.
"You sinners… to harm my brethren to this extent."
His gaze swept over the Eye of the Midnight Sun members scattered across the ground, before settling on Yami and the two captains. His tone was calm—yet everyone could feel the fury beneath it.
Nozel and Charlotte also looked at the fallen magic knights, their expressions grim.
The speed of that attack had been overwhelming—there was no time to defend the others.
"Asta, Noelle—take Fuegoleon and leave. Now."
Yami spoke without turning his head, eyes locked on the newly arrived enemy.
Nozel and Charlotte instinctively fixed their gazes on Licht as well. The mana surrounding him was unfathomable—strange, yet overwhelmingly vast.
Flash!
Licht vanished, reappearing an instant later beside the unconscious Valtos. He swept his right hand downward.
Light Recovery Magic — Healing Light Particles!
A gentle, warm radiance enveloped Valtos. In the blink of an eye, he awoke.
"Licht-sama…"
Valtos stared at him in surprise, then lowered his voice in shame.
"There's no need for self-blame," Licht said gently.
"Leave things here to me. Take our brethren and withdraw."
Realizing they were still within the Clover Kingdom's capital, Valtos hurried to his feet.
"The one who injured Fuegoleon… that was you, right?"
Yami gripped his sword again, cigarette still in his mouth.
"Since you dared to invade the capital, none of you are leaving today!"
Mercury Creation Magic — Silver Rain!
Without another word, Nozel launched his spell.
Instantly, countless mercury droplets formed in the sky, raining down like bullets toward Licht.
"What a filthy power."
Disgust and cold disdain flickered in Licht's eyes. Without any visible movement, innumerable swords of convicting light erupted around him.
The two forces collided midair, explosions ringing out in rapid succession. Each blade of light erased several mercury droplets.
Licht not only blocked Nozel's magic—he still had the leisure to attack the other magic knights, sending attacks toward Asta and the fallen knights.
Yami had no choice but to step in again, shielding Asta and the others while urging them to retreat with Fuegoleon.
Meanwhile, Charlotte used her Briar Magic to pull the injured knights behind her, forming a barrier to prevent further harm.
As Licht continued releasing swords of light, their number and speed increased, forcefully suppressing the three captains.
"Let's go!"
Seeing the terrifying battle unfold, Asta and the others knew staying would only hold them back.
Enduring the pain, Leopold hoisted his brother onto his back, while Mimosa stayed close, continuously casting healing magic to stabilize his condition.
Asta and Noelle guarded the rear as the four of them fled at full speed.
On the other side, Valtos repeatedly used Spatial Magic, sending the unconscious Eye of the Midnight Sun members into warp gates one by one.
Before long—
Both sides had withdrawn their people.
Only Licht and the three captains remained, along with the magic knights protected within Charlotte's briars.
At the same moment, both sides ceased their attacks.
With no allies left to worry about, they could finally fight without restraint.
"Not leaving with Spatial Magic was the biggest mistake of your life,"
Nozel said coldly, killing intent pouring from his surging mana.
"You invaded the capital—today, you die here."
"Nobles? Royals?"
Licht's eyes remained filled with contempt as they passed over Nozel and Charlotte.
"Insects, the lot of you."
"So could you shut that filthy mouth of yours?"
Yami raised an eyebrow.
Nozel's face twisted with rage.
As a royal, this was the first time anyone had ever called him filthy.
On a rooftop—
Yuuki watched the terrifying clash of four immense mana signatures in the distance, his expression first thrilled, then tinged with regret.
A battle of this level was incredibly rare—something no one should miss.
But he also knew his true objective.
"Forget it. The grimoire comes first," he muttered.
"Licht's appearance is more than enough to draw everyone's attention."
Shaking his head, Yuuki vanished, chasing after the direction Asta's group had gone.
(End of Chapter)
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