"You dragged me out of bed just to bring me to such a dangerous place?"
Finral looked at the man in mid-air unleashing Light Magic. Feeling the terrifying magical power fluctuations from him, his legs began to tremble.
What kind of monster was that?
Any one of those overwhelming light swords just now could have taken his life.
All he wanted now was to go home, burrow into his warm bed, and cuddle with cute girls, not face an enemy he clearly couldn't beat here.
"Finral-senpai!"
Asta, not far away, saw him and shouted as if he had found a savior.
"Great! Quickly use your Spatial Magic to take Gauche-senpai, and sister away from here! They're injured!"
Finral's eyes lit up instantly at these words.
That's right. Send the injured away. This was a legitimate reason, an excellent chance to escape.
"Okay! Leave it to me."
He agreed faster than anyone, already thinking he could use this opportunity to just slip back home and never return.
However, how could his little schemes escape Yami's notice?
A chilling gaze swept over, instantly freezing Finral's movements.
"After you drop them off, get your ass back here." Yami didn't even turn his head, his voice filled with an undeniable command.
"Huh?"
Finral's face instantly fell.
He had to come back?
Are you kidding me?
Just as he was momentarily stunned, the Light Magic user opposite seemed to sense his intention.
A sharp light sword silently tore through the air, heading straight for Finral's head.
"!"
Finral's pupils suddenly constricted, his mind went blank, and he couldn't even form the thought of dodging.
Clang!
The katana in Yami's hand struck and severed the light sword.
"Hey."
Yami glanced at the enemy in mid-air, asking in an unfriendly tone, "What do you think you're doing to my chauffeur?"
Finral: "..."
Chauffeur?
He just wanted to cry right now. He felt that if he didn't leave soon, even a few lives wouldn't be enough.
"Yes! I'll be right back!"
Finral shouted, frantically tearing open a distorted spatial gate in front of him.
He pulled up Gauche from the ground, then supported the tottering Theresa, and rushed in without looking back.
The spatial gate closed instantly.
The entire battlefield fell silent once more.
Now, only the three members of the Black Bulls and the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun remained.
Yami slowly returned his katana to his waist, then turned his head to look at Asta, asking in a very casual tone, "So, who is that person?"
Asta scratched his head and answered very honestly, "He seems to be the boss of the Eye of the Midnight Sun."
"Oh, I thought it would be a muscle monster that could eat a whole cow." Yami nodded, as if merely confirming a trivial matter.
"..."
Ryoma watched this conversation from the side, somewhat speechless.
Aren't your reactions a bit too calm? That's a BOSS-level character.
Patolli's gaze swept over Yami, finally resting on the katana at his waist. Wrapped around it was Dark Magic, completely opposite to his Light Magic.
Light Magic: Light Sword of Judgment!
Patolli stopped talking nonsense, raising his hand as countless light swords once again emerged behind him. This time, the quantity was even greater than before.
Whizz!
The countless light swords, like a commanded swarm of bees, transformed into golden rays of death, shooting towards Yami from all directions, blocking all his escape routes.
"Hmph."
Yami snorted coldly, not retreating but instead taking a step forward.
A solid and majestic surge of magic power erupted from his body.
The magic power flow enveloped his entire body, his muscles slightly bulging, and his physical abilities experienced an explosive increase in an instant.
The next moment, Dark Magic as black as ink instantly covered his katana.
The long katana in his hand traced mysterious and unpredictable trajectories in the air.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Intense metallic clashes rang out in a continuous stream.
Those light swords, too fast for the naked eye to catch, were all cut down and deflected by him without missing a single one.
Dark slashes and brilliant light swords furiously collided in the confined space, erupting in dazzling light and scattered magical shockwaves.
Ryoma stood a little further away, quietly watching this scene.
As expected, he's a melee mage type.
Just then, Patolli's figure suddenly vanished in mid-air. The next instant, he appeared behind Yami.
The extreme speed brought by Light Magic!
The light in his hand condensed into a form and struck Yami's back without hesitation.
However, Yami seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Without turning, he swung his katana back, slashing upwards at an extremely tricky angle.
Clang!
Light Magic and the dark blade collided again.
Patolli's figure was almost hit by that strike, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
'Is this the power of a heretical Grand Magic Knight? What excellent technique.' Ryoma praised inwardly.
That wasn't magic, nor was it just pure combat intuition. It was a technique called "Ki," which could enhance combat intuition.
Patolli's speed advantage was at least halved in front of Yami. There was absolutely no hesitation whatsoever.
Yami looked at Patolli, feeling a sense of familiarity.
"I think I've seen you somewhere before."
He stomped on the ground, launching himself like a cannonball towards Patolli in mid-air.
The katana, wreathed in Dark Magic, transformed into streaks of inky black, furiously slashing towards the opponent.
Patolli, relying on the agility of Light Magic, continuously flickered through the air, easily dodging Yami's slashes.
At times, he would create distance and launch a saturation bombardment with countless light swords.
At other times, he would use his speed advantage to launch close-range surprise attacks, trying to find Yami's weaknesses.
For a time, darkness and light fiercely intertwined in the night sky, the two fighting back and forth, inseparable.
The entire upper part of the cave was churned upside down by the aftershocks of their battle.
"Let me tell you a fable."
Amidst the fierce battle, Patolli's calm voice rang out.
He spoke while unleashing deadly Light Magic, "Once upon a time, in a certain village, there was a group of people with very strong magic power. They were people favored by magic."
"They could change the climate, manipulate the earth's ley lines, possessing god-like power."
"However, gradually, people began to fear their power, to envy them, to want to become them, and basely and unexpectedly killed them, seizing their power."
The light swords behind him became more violent and sharper.
Listening to these words, the fragmented images Ryoma had seen through the grimoire not long ago resurfaced in his mind.
That grand wedding... that male elf... that light descending from the sky, destroying everything... and that towering hatred capable of burning souls.
Recalling the scene of the elves' destruction five hundred years ago, a complex emotion welled up in his heart.
Ryoma unconsciously murmured aloud, "The elves..."
His voice was very soft, almost inaudible, instantly drowned out by the roar of the battle.
However, it was these two faint words that caused the figure fiercely battling Yami in mid-air to suddenly pause.
Patolli's face showed expressions of shock and bewilderment for the first time.