Chains slithered like venomous serpents, crushing rocks as they relentlessly chased after Charles.
"So damn clingy!" Charles muttered in frustration.
He'd wanted to quickly take care of this guy, but he had to admit—the so-called "top-tier chain mage" wasn't weak.
After all, he was one of the sacrifices Patri had prepared to activate the forbidden magic. Every member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun possessed considerable mana.
This chain mage's abilities in offense, defense, and speed were solid—easily on par with a Senior Magic Knight.
The worst part was, Charles couldn't afford to use his high-output spells like Dragonblood Mode yet. He needed to conserve strength for the upcoming fight with Vetto.
So, defeating this guy quickly was proving harder than expected.
Charles's restraint only made the chain mage more arrogant. "What's wrong? What's wrong?! Keep stalling and my chains will catch you!"
Charles paused—not because the taunt got to him, but because he knew time was running out.
Abandoning all restraint, he suddenly surged with full speed. The chains that had been tailing him were instantly left in the dust.
"Dragon Slayer Magic: Flame Dragon's Talon!"
He kicked out, only to strike a dense cocoon of interwoven chains. The chains had wrapped tightly around the chain mage, forming a near-impenetrable sphere for defense.
"Pointless! Pointless! You'll never break through my chains!" the chain mage cackled.
"Never break through? You've got to be kidding me. My mana's just about where it needs to be."
Charles took two steps back as a red magic circle appeared in front of him.
"Flame Dragon's Roar!"
A massive pillar of fire engulfed the chain ball. The chains, meant to protect, had become a blazing oven.
Screams echoed from inside the inferno—but they only lasted a few seconds before going silent.
Charles ended the spell without a glance back and resumed his pursuit of Vetto.
At last, he saw light at the end of the dark passage. He accelerated.
The space opened up—and Charles took in the battlefield.
Only Vetto and Noelle were still standing. Noelle was aiming her wand at Vetto, ready to unleash a spell.
Her expression was more focused and resolute than ever. Tremendous magical energy gathered at her wand, forming a spiraling torrent of water.
"I will defeat you! Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Roar!"
A huge water dragon burst forth, slamming into Vetto's beast-claw spell and driving him back.
The torrent crashed through the stone wall, dragging Vetto with it. When the water cleared, everyone saw Vetto's condition.
"I did it!" Noelle gasped, her voice a mix of fatigue and exhilaration.
Vetto's right arm was gone. Half of his upper body had been shredded. Noelle's strike had clearly landed hard.
Charles dropped down from the ceiling, landing in front of the exhausted Noelle.
"Nice work. I'll take it from here."
Noelle looked puzzled, about to ask what he meant—when suddenly, a chilling magical pressure filled the air.
She turned—only to see Vetto, still standing despite his wounds. Ominous magic surged from him.
A third eye opened on his forehead.
Now, Vetto looked more like a demon god from legend, a destroyer of mankind. The aura he emitted made Charles's skin crawl.
Vetto grinned, baring razor-sharp teeth. "So you actually forced me out, human."
"Beast Magic: ΛΣΦΠΞΔ!"
The words were an incantation in a forgotten language. Charles couldn't understand them—but the effect was obvious.
A glowing magic circle appeared over Vetto's mangled shoulder, and his flesh began to regenerate at a terrifying pace. In mere seconds, a new arm formed.
As far as Charles knew, healing magic in this world had limits—it could close wounds but not regrow limbs. Vetto's magic defied that entirely.
"Ancient curses, huh... That magic is insane," Charles muttered as he summoned his own mana.
Vetto raised a hand toward him, voice cold. "Here's a little gift. Beast Magic: ΣΞξ!"
A bestial head emerged from a magic circle. It opened its mouth and unleashed a beam of purple magic toward them.
It was said that even the drool of legendary beasts was poisonous—Charles had no intention of finding out how deadly this cursed beam was.
"Flame Dragon's Roar!"
Charles's fire clashed with the purple beam, the two forces locking in a violent deadlock.
Eventually, both attacks canceled each other out, and the residual energy shattered the cave's protruding rocks.
"Now begins true despair!" Vetto roared. "But before you taste it, I'll sweep away the trash!"
The beast head reappeared, firing another beam—this time aimed at Kahono.
Charles didn't move to intercept.
"Figured you wouldn't just stay down," he muttered.
The deadly beam streaked across the floor—but midway through, it was cut in half.
Standing there was Asta, wielding his Demon-Slayer Sword in his left hand—his dominant right arm hung uselessly at his side.
The injury was from their earlier battle. Charles didn't sense any cursed energy, so it was likely just a regular wound.
"What despair?" Asta said. "We're not giving up. You said not giving up was my weakness... But it's our only weapon!"
Vetto sneered. "Is that so? Then I'll show you just how powerless that weapon really is!"
"Beast Magic: ξζηψΘΣ!"
Vetto unleashed a storm of fangs forged from cursed magic—his targets: every wounded ally lying on the ground.
But before they struck, threads whipped through the air, yanking everyone to safety and out of the blast zone.
Even Vetto himself was caught in the strands.
"My my! So this fuzzy brute is the one Captain said was so dangerous, huh? I'm thinking I need a good drink before we go any further," Vanessa said as she walked onto the battlefield.
Charles chuckled. Asta had inspired more people than he realized. Whether it was mission partners like Magna and Luck or new teammates like Vanessa—everyone was becoming stronger.
Even Finral's mana had stopped retreating. He must have found the courage to face himself at last.
"As hot-blooded as ever..." Charles smirked. "But now I'm fired up too!"
"Dragonblood Mode—Activate!"
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