"Damn it, I'm still too weak!"
As soon as Adam flew out of the banquet hall, he saw a woman riding a broom not far away, wearing a witch's hat.
"Dragon Blast!"
Adam fired a wave of energy. The woman didn't have time to react and was instantly knocked down.
"Ahhh!"
The old witch screamed and fell toward the ground.
She had been maintaining her youthful appearance by sucking away human essence. All the innocent people around her were turned into withered, zombie-like figures after being drained of their magic.
"I'm very angry!"
White smoke began to rise from Adam's body. His skin turned red, and his pupils gradually blurred as his dragon power surged.
"Electric Eyes! Dragon Blast!"
Adam rushed at the old witch, blasting through the zombie-like figures along the way and saving many civilians.
"Light Magic: White Hall!"
A glowing magic circle suddenly appeared in front of Adam. Before he could react, it sucked him in completely.
"Which unlucky bastard ran into my attack this time?"
Adam opened his eyes, dazed.
He looked around. The place was completely white—an endless void with nothing else in sight.
"Who are you!"
A figure appeared before him—a man dressed in white, strange red markings on his face.
"Unstable factor."
Licht didn't waste a second. Light burst from his hands as he launched his attack toward Adam.
"You've got to be kidding me—light waves?!"
Adam roared as his aura exploded outward.
Bang!
The two forces collided, shaking the entire white space.
"Dragon Blast!"
"Light Magic!"
Adam and Licht clashed fiercely, their fight crashing from sky to ground.
"Hahahaha! That feels great! This is the first time I've felt this good!"
Adam's grin twisted unnaturally, his expression almost feral.
"Madman."
Licht remained calm, but his eyes grew colder. The intel was wrong—this guy, Adam, was far more dangerous than expected.
His magic reserves were monstrous, but his control was rough.
Licht blurred into the surrounding light, turning nearly invisible.
He disappeared in an instant, and the only sounds echoing through the white space were Adam's manic laughter and violent explosions.
"Hahaha! You scared, huh?"
Whoosh!
Licht appeared silently behind Adam, blasting a condensed ball of light at his back.
"Hiss! That's unethical!"
Adam had no time to dodge and took the hit squarely.
Whoosh!
Licht repeated the trick, appearing behind him again and launching another attack.
"Cool!"
Adam screamed, his face twisting further into madness.
"Dragon Blast! Electric Eyes! Space Control!"
Licht's constant sneak attacks pushed Adam into a rage. His eyes, hands, and mouth erupted with light, locking onto Licht the moment he appeared.
"This isn't sustainable…"
Adam wasn't made of iron. His magic was draining fast.
"Let's push our limits right here."
He forced himself to keep going, pushing his dragon power to its peak.
After what felt like forever, Adam could only manage one last Dragon Blast with his right hand. He was on the verge of collapse.
"Let's end this," Licht muttered. He'd wasted too much time here.
Adam, panting, couldn't even turn around to block the next strike.
"Is this the end for me? No!"
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
Adam's eyes snapped open. His grimoire flipped to the tenth page on its own, the Rooster Talisman blazing with golden light.
Perfect Rooster Power!
"Even if it costs everything, I'll make you feel pain!"
Adam roared. "Proud Rooster! Grant me the power to control everything!"
Telekinesis — Absolute Stillness.
"Why… can't I move?" Licht's eyes widened. The light sphere behind Adam froze in place. For the first time, fear flashed across his face.
"Are you afraid too?"
Adam's expression turned ice cold. He redirected the light ball straight toward Licht.
BOOM!
Blood splattered as the explosion engulfed him. His white robes were stained crimson.
"Deal with you!"
Adam raised his hand, telekinetically crushing Licht's head.
"Who is this monster…" Licht's skull crackled under the pressure as his magic flared wildly.
"Go to hell," Adam said coldly.
"I'll remember you!"
Licht burst out with intense magic, breaking free of Adam's telekinesis in a flash of blinding light.
"If I can't stay, your loved ones will."
But Adam was faster. Just before Licht vanished, he struck with a final burst, crushing his happiness—his last blow.
Licht's agonized scream echoed through the void as he escaped.
Adam collapsed to the ground, flipping open his grimoire. The rooster sigil had dimmed.
This meant one thing: he had lost his rooster power.
"Ah! You little bastard with the talisman face—I'll make you pay."
He'd been dragged into a strange dimension, forced into a fight for no reason, and came out weaker than before.
Having lost the rooster's flight, Adam was now grounded.
"It's still not enough. I need the power of the other Zodiac Talismans."
Right now, he only had the Dragon Talisman and the Pig Talisman—both at their first-stage full circle. His main abilities were Dragon Blast and Electric or Laser Eyes.
Without flight, he was nothing more than a stationary turret—and not a very strong one.
Licht's escape was expected. At this level, Adam wasn't even on par with a Vice Captain. He could only fight a Captain-level opponent by burning himself out.
"Ugh… how the hell do I get out of here?"
The endless white around him showed Licht's intent: trap Adam here to kill him.
"Damn it… I lost so much…"
Outside, in the Royal Capital, the Magic Knights had stabilized the situation.
Yuno defeated the old witch and gained the favor of the wind elves.
Charmy—Adam's personal chef—was instantly smitten with this hypocrite Yuno.
Adam: I have to correct you!
The exiled member of the Purple Orca squad who controlled zombies was defeated by Asta, Noelle, and the Spartan brothers, Leon and Leo.
The crisis in the capital had been resolved.
But there was a heavy cost. Fuegoleon Vermillion, Captain of the Crimson Lion Kings, was gravely injured by Licht, lost an arm, and fell unconscious.
Asta was taken away by the Eye of the Midnight Sun—his fate unknown.
The most frustrating part? The Wizard King was nowhere to be found.
King Clover lay comfortably in his chambers, surrounded by women and guarded by the Wizard King's personal guards, showing no concern for his people's suffering.
If Adam had obtained the Snake Talisman, he would've visited that useless king every day to teach him a "lesson."
But Adam knew nothing of this.
He was trapped in the white void, stomach growling.
"I could eat a cow right now…"
The kid was starving.