"Boys, did you understand the way I attacked just now?"
"Which trick? Dark Magic?" Asta looked confused — he didn't even know this magic!
Yami shouted at him with disappointment written all over his face. "Idiot! Of course not!"
"Captain, now's not the time to talk about that!"
Adam was speechless. He really wanted to ditch these two and run. They'd almost been blown to bits, and this guy still had the mood to teach? Unbelievable.
Adam turned to Licht with a serious expression. If that move landed, the entire cave would probably collapse. Running wouldn't help — unless he could teleport or use the Rabbit Talisman.
"It's Ki! I can sense others by reading their Ki — no need to look or use magic to detect them," Yami explained calmly. "It's a move from my homeland. The key is to feel it with your heart. Try it out once this is over."
Yami sighed, raised his sword, and stepped in front of Adam and Asta.
"Let's push our limits right here!"
"Damn…" Adam muttered. The last time he heard that phrase was in some anime where Gohan was teaching his wife to fly.
"Yes, sir!" Asta shouted, pumped up.
Adam shook his head, pushing all stray thoughts away. Time to focus — they were in serious trouble.
"Light Magic: Light of Divine Punishment!"
A massive beam of light erupted, heading straight for them. The sheer magic power behind it could destroy everything in its path.
"Mirror Magic: Full Reflection!"
A huge mirror appeared before Yami and the others, reflecting Licht's devastating beam right back at him.
The leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun was struck by his own magic and sent crashing to the ground.
"Perfect timing," Yami muttered, dropping to the ground and lighting a cigarette.
Adam and Asta both exhaled in relief. Captain Yami was truly one step ahead — he'd asked Finral to return after teleporting the kids to safety.
The timing couldn't have been better.
All the magic power stored in Gauche's left eye had been drained — it was a joint effort between him, Marie, and the children. Without that combined mana, the giant mirror would've been impossible.
Meanwhile, poor Finral was exhausted, having used almost all his Spatial Magic to move everyone. If Gauche hadn't begged him, he might've taken his sweet time instead.
"Dark Magic: Binding!"
Yami used Dark Magic to restrain Licht and his companion, then sat down to wait for Finral's mana to recover.
"Are you ready yet? I wanna see Marie already!" Gauche said, staring at her photo — his nose starting to bleed again.
"Captain Yami! I think I can feel their energy!" Asta shouted excitedly.
"What a pervert," Yami grumbled, eyeing Gauche in disgust.
"These guys…" Adam muttered. He didn't have time for this nonsense. Licht was clearly faking being unconscious, just waiting for backup.
Adam smirked and stepped forward, grabbing Licht by the hair. "Old man, you finally fell into my hands!"
Still pretending, huh? "Guess I'll have to make you talk the hard way."
Before Adam could strike, Yami stopped him.
"Kid, they're bound by my Dark Magic. When we take them back to the Wizard King, we'll figure out their plan. Don't torture him."
Asta also shouted, "Adam! They should face justice, not your fists!"
Adam's mouth twitched. His face looked like he'd just eaten something bitter.
"What do you know? That Binding Magic can't even hold a damn dog, let alone these guys!"
"Are you underestimating my magic?" Yami barked.
"I'm just being honest," Adam shot back.
But before the argument could continue, the space around Licht distorted. A dark portal opened, and three figures stepped out — a woman, a man, and a beast.
"What did you do to Licht?! Fire Magic!"
Fana, the pink-haired girl, waved her arm. Her flames burned through the dark bindings around Licht and Vetto.
Seeing the danger, Adam immediately backed off. "Damn it, this Binding Magic really is the worst magic in the world!"
"You insect! I'll crush your arm!" roared Vetto, the beast-man with the lion's face, charging at Adam with explosive force.
"Beast Magic: Bald Crow!"
"Ox Talisman, Immense Strength!" Adam shouted as they collided.
Bang!
Their fists slammed together, and the shockwave sent both flying back. Adam staggered a few steps farther — his borrowed ox strength wasn't quite enough.
"Hah! Not bad, bug. You're stronger than the others I've killed," Vetto laughed, his beastly grin stretching wide as he lunged again.
"Kid, get back! Dark Magic: Entanglement!"
Yami stepped in front of Adam, blocking Vetto's attack with his katana.
"Captain of the Black Bulls, huh? Nice sword," sneered Rhya, the light-brown-haired mimic mage, appearing beside Yami and touching the blade.
"Dragon Blast!"
Adam fired a massive beam of light straight into Rhya's face.
"Imitation Magic: Nameless Slash!"
Rhya instantly countered, imitating Yami's technique — slicing through the beam and sending the dark blade straight toward Adam.
"Dark Magic: Nameless Slash!" Yami roared, swinging his sword to intercept.
The collision exploded in a burst of darkness and light, forcing both sides to back off.
"Fire Magic: Phoenix Feathers!"
Fana summoned a huge flaming sphere that wrapped around Licht, healing his wounds.
"Sinners, you'd better be ready! These three are the strongest warriors of the Eye of the Midnight Sun — one for each leaf of your Clover Kingdom!" Licht's voice boomed.
He was clearly no longer pretending to be unconscious.
"The opposite of honesty is hypocrisy — Rhya! The opposite of love is hatred — Fana! And the opposite of hope…"
"Oh, shut up already!" Adam snapped. "You people are like damn cockroaches — never die, never shut up!"
"Dragon Blast!" he shouted again, firing another beam at Licht.
Asta drew both his swords, eyes sharp and focused.
Finral and Gauche could only watch helplessly. "No magic left… this is bad."
"Salamander!"
A fiery red spirit appeared on Fana's shoulder, roaring flames that devoured Adam's light beam.
The inferno surged forward, fueled by Fana's rage.
"Dark Cloaked Blade!"
Yami slashed through the flames, his cigarette dangling from his lips.
"Dark Magic: Black Cocoon."
A dark sphere enveloped Adam and the others. Yami exhaled calmly. "They're not on your level. Leave this to your captain."
"Captain Yami! I can still fight!" Asta protested.
"Don't worry," Yami said, eyes narrowing. "I'm gonna push past my limits right here."
Inside the cocoon, Adam clenched his fists, his face twisted with fury. His eyes gleamed with murderous intent — even Finral stopped breathing, afraid to speak.
Gauche and Asta fell silent too.
"I've become a burden… how shameful."