"Nani?"
"What?!"
" Valtos!"
The others were all taken aback.
In that split second, Ethan Hayes moved with a speed that surpassed their imagination.
Even the fastest among them, Patolli and Vetto, couldn't react in time.
"One down."
Expressionless, Ethan drew his Spirit Blade. At this point, the strength of Valtos and the others no longer meant much to him.
But even so, they weren't decorations—they were still fighters, not empty air.
A one-on-one fight? That wouldn't be a challenge. But now there were seven of them.
Every additional enemy added complexity—more combinations, more angles of attack. The balance could shift rapidly.
And eliminating just one would already tilt the odds in his favor.
"Watch out, Rades!"
Patolli charged forward with his Light Blade, clashing with Ethan's Spirit Sword.
Rades, who had just been frozen in shock, finally snapped back to reality.
Ethan was now less than a meter away from him.
Had Patolli not intervened just in time, Rades would've shared Valtos' fate.
Fana, manipulating her Fire Spirit, unleashed a breath of flames toward Ethan and Patolli.
"Fire Spirit Magic – Dragon's Breath!"
Within seconds, flames spread out in a ring about a hundred meters in diameter, surrounding the two at its center.
"Trying to trap me in a confined space?" Ethan mused internally.
It was a sound tactic.
By reducing the space, his speed advantage would be limited. And the enemies' magic accuracy would increase.
But that was a double-edged sword.
The same restrictions applied to the other side, and missteps could cause friendly fire.
"Beast Magic – Black Bear's Claw!"
From above, Vetto's giant palm came crashing down toward Ethan, who was locked in a blade duel with Patolli.
But just then, a wall of wind materialized over Ethan's head.
Although it began to shatter under Vetto's savage strength, it bought Ethan a brief moment to breathe.
"Copy Magic – Light Magic!"
Seizing the opportunity, Rhya, one of the Third Eye trio, touched Patolli's light magic grimoire.
In an instant, his originally blank-colored grimoire transformed, mimicking its target exactly.
"Light Creation Magic – Judgement Sword!"
Shing!
Shing!
Countless Light Blades rained down. Normally, Ethan could've dodged them easily.
But now, with Patolli, Vetto, and Fana all keeping him under pressure, even the slightest misstep could mean a barrage of coordinated attacks.
"Whew… This kid might still hold out for a while…"
At the temple's entrance, Yami Sukehiro took a puff from his cigarette, observing the chaos unfolding inside.
Not long after Ethan entered, Yami had arrived as well.
If it were Asta, he'd have already charged in with his greatsword, roaring.
But not Yami.
Charging in would only add one more person, possibly a liability, and wouldn't shift the tide decisively.
Better to bide his time.
If nothing else, he could provide a critical rescue if Ethan fell.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Inside the fiery ring, the four continued their rapid skirmish.
Facing just Patolli and Vetto, Ethan could hold his own.
But with Rhya now copying Light Magic, the pressure became overwhelming.
Shing!
Seeing a brief window, Ethan unleashed a fierce wind blade, forcing the trio to retreat momentarily.
At the same time, he channeled his energy—causing the ground to rise like crashing waves beneath his feet.
A fierce sandstorm erupted!
"Hmm? Rhya, be careful!"
Vetto responded instantly.
Even though the sandstorm obscured vision, his beast instincts locked on to Ethan's location.
The ground cracked beneath him, and he burst forward with blinding speed.
Just as Ethan's Spirit Sword was about to pierce Rhya—
SMASH!
Vetto's fist crashed into Ethan's torso.
Ethan's body flew like a severed kite, smashing into the mountainside nearby.
Fana didn't hesitate. The fire spirit on her shoulder roared, spewing another flame blast.
"Light Creation Magic – Judgement Sword!"
Almost simultaneously, Patolli and Rhya fired off more Light Magic, seizing the moment to finish Ethan.
The entire temple shook violently.
This sudden turn stunned even Yami, still observing from the shadows.
His cigarette fell from his lips.
"What the hell?"
What was Ethan doing?
From his judgment, this fight should've lasted well over a hundred exchanges.
But now, all of a sudden...
"This isn't good—this kid's gonna die!"
Taking that many direct hits from high-level magic… Not even someone with Ethan's freakish durability could survive.
If he'd known, he wouldn't have sat back like an audience member watching a play.
Shwoooosh!
Yami's Dark Magic Grimoire hovered to his side, and his katana was halfway drawn.
But as he prepared to charge in—he stopped.
His eyes widened as he noticed the figure behind the girl controlling the fire spirit.
"Time Magic – Time Stasis!"
The voice rang out beside Fana's ear, freezing her in shock.
She had only heard that voice once before—but she'd never forget who it belonged to.
Ethan Hayes!
BOOM!
A glowing sphere of time magic enveloped Fana and her fire spirit, suspending them in a frozen second.
Inside the stasis, time repeated endlessly—her expression still stuck in the same stunned moment.
Though mentally aware, she couldn't move her body at all.
She couldn't understand it.
Ethan was supposed to be the one under heavy fire… How could he possibly appear behind her?
"Fana!"
Patolli and the others reacted quickly, but still too slow.
They rushed to intercept Ethan, but a slash of dark sword energy cut off their path.
"Tch. I thought you were gonna wait for the movie to end before showing up," Ethan smirked at Yami.
Though he didn't know exactly where Yami had been hiding, he was sure he was close.
Yami wasn't the reckless type—he had a strategic mindset.
"Hmph. I thought you were dead already," Yami grumbled, lighting another cigarette.
For a second, he'd genuinely thought Ethan had been done for.
After all, he'd watched him get hit squarely by Vetto and then overwhelmed by attacks.
He didn't know how Ethan pulled off the illusion escape.
But damn—it was a flawless play.
-------------------------
To Access 30+ Advance chapters head over to Patreon:
patreon .com / Samorash
~~Do leave a comment!