"I don't rember hearing anything about Magic Knights coming out here!"
"Must be so unauthorized mission!"
"And how the hell did they break through our mist barrier?!"
The three flunkies each took turns shouting in disbelief. The saying "villains die by talking too much" definitely held water—Charles hadn't needed to interrogate anyone, yet they'd already spilled valuable intel.
For instance, their remarks hinted at a connection between them and soone high up in the Magic Knights, allowing them to know internal mission details.
The man with the pocket watch sneered coldly, "Black Bulls. The outcasts of the Magic Knights. Not even worth our ti. Five minutes. Kill off these worthless, ignorant peasants, then find what we're looking for."
"Don't you ignore !" Asta had had enough of their arrogance and charged with his sword.
"Mist Magic: Phantom Fog Vortex!"
One of the flunkies raised a hand, summoning thick fog toward Asta.
"You think you can approach Lord Xyss so easily? Fool! Lose yourself in the mists of illusion!"
He even exposed their leader's na—Xyss. That was so real overconfidence if he thought they'd wipe out everyone before it mattered.
And to be fair, the spell was quite effective—combining natural mist magic with psychological interference. It might render an average mage helpless if caught off guard.
Unfortunately, his opponent was Asta. This kind of wide-range magic had no effect on him at all.
"Like hell I'd get lost!"
Asta swung his sword, cutting a wide swath through the mist and charging right through it.
Of course, that gave away the nature of his anti-magic sword. There would be no elent of surprise from now on.
Asta didn't press the attack; instead, he glared at Xyss. "I asked you—why are you killing innocent villagers?!"
Xyss exhaled and slowly stood, addressing Asta with detached calm.
"This kingdom is divided into layers: the Royal Capital for the king and nobility, the Common Realm for peasants, and the Forsaken Realm for filth.
Sosshi Village lies in the Forsaken Realm. The people here possess barely enough magic to help with daily chores. They're no better than wild beasts—worthless trash.
I simply wish to eliminate those beasts who might soday waste my ti. You Magic Knights are only here because of so mission, right? Deep down, don't you also think these people are expendable?"
Before Asta could unleash his fury and rebuke him, a crimson blur cut across the field.
"So fast!"
Xyss's frozen mask finally cracked, and his arrogance slipped. For the first ti, he showed surprise.
A fla-cloaked fist smashed into his jaw. Blood and a couple of white teeth flew out as Xyss was sent tumbling across the plaza.
Charles still stood in his punching stance, face deadly serious.
"I've had enough of your tired speeches. That foul stench reeking from your rotten bones makes sick. Shut up already."
Xyss's words had triggered a flood of mories in Charles—of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
While the group had been created by Patry to revive the elven race, only he and the three leaders—the Third Eye—were actual reincarnated elves.
The rest were ordinary human mages, many of them fanatical cultists.
But they didn't worship a dark god—they worshipped magic itself. To them, magic defined human worth. Those with weak magic were garbage to be discarded.
They joined the Eye because Patry promised a new world ruled by the supremacy of magic. Xyss was one of these zealots.
Add in others who bore grudges from suffering under the Clover Kingdom's rigid system, and you had a ready-made revolution.
In the end, though, Patry would sacrifice all of them to complete the reincarnation spell. Divine retribution, really.
Then Patry himself would be betrayed by the devil Zagred. That whole plot arc was like a thousand-layer betrayal cake—only rivaled by that mont from a certain ninja tale.
But Charles had no patience for letting these cultists et their end naturally.
Xyss staggered up from the rubble, pushing aside his subordinates and spitting blood. "Why?! Why would soone like you, with so much power, side with those beasts?!"
Charles answered coldly, "I already told you—your stink offends . If you believe the strong can strip away the weak's lives just because of their magic…"
Blazing flas erupted from Charles, forming a roaring dragon behind him.
"Then my magic is stronger than yours—so you'd better lie down and die quietly."
Xyss wiped the blood from his mouth, eyes contorting with rage. "Pity. You've chosen the wrong path. If we let you live, you'd hinder our great plan. So I'll eliminate you now.
And you've got terrible luck—here, I'm invincible!"
His grimoire flew open. Together with his three flunkies, he cast a compound spell.
They released an overwhelming amount of mist, swallowing the entire square and everyone in it. Within the mist, countless icicles ford.
"Ice-Mist Compound Magic: Endless Shard Gauntlet!"
With Xyss's command, the icicles began to fall. As soon as one landed, another took its place. A barrage of ice rained down like a storm.
"Damn it!"
Asta roared and raised his sword, deflecting several of the falling spears back toward Xyss.
But—
"Dispel."
Before the ice even reached Xyss, it turned back into mist.
Clearly, this guy wasn't just powerful—his control was precise.
"Oh? That sword can erase magic and reflect it? Fascinating. But you've only got one sword, right? You can't protect everyone!"
Asta's heart dropped. Xyss's spell didn't just target them—it blanketed the villagers too.
He was exploiting their weakness as Magic Knights—protecting civilians above all.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
"Exploding Scatter Shot Fireball!"
Fortunately, Asta wasn't alone. Charles and Magna attacked in unison, shattering the ice above the villagers.
Asta quickly joined them, hacking away at incoming icicles.
Charles frowned. In the original tiline, he hadn't been here. Magna had been low on mana. How had they protected everyone before Noelle awakened her defensive spell?
Were the icicles smaller back then? Had Xyss ramped up the spell's power and range?
If so, this wasn't ant to wipe them out—he was trying to drain their mana.
Charles gritted his teeth. He wanted to strike at Xyss directly—but none of them could spare even a second.
Any lapse would an villagers getting killed.
"Which ans it's up to you, Noelle." Charles muttered.
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