The moment his voice fell, the domain-like magic power around Nozel suddenly boiled.
Buzz—
His grimoire at his waist flipped rapidly, finally stopping on a certain page.
A magic power far purer and more condensed than Solid's water magic surged out from the pages.
"Mercury Magic: Silver Blade."
[T/N: Why are you using magic?]
Nozel's voice was devoid of any emotion, like he was delivering a death sentence.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Countless liquid mercury appeared out of thin air, rapidly condensing and deforming in front of his palm.
In an instant, several slender mercury longswords, gleaming with metallic cold light, floated neatly in mid-air.
Each sword was incredibly sharp, its tip precisely locked onto every vital point around Ryoma.
This was Nozel's magic.
It was a unique mercury magic that mutated from the steel magic characteristics inherited from his mother. It combined the unpredictable changes of liquid with the solidity and sharpness of metal, achieving an astonishing level of speed and penetrating power.
"Go."
Nozel's lips parted slightly, uttering a cold word.
Whoosh... Whoosh...
There was no delay. The several mercury longswords instantly cut through the air, creating a series of sharp whistles, and shot towards Ryoma at a speed completely imperceptible to the naked eye.
Moreover, these longswords also had a tracking effect. Once locked on, they would pursue to the ends of the earth unless completely destroyed.
However—
Facing this thunderous offensive, Ryoma remained standing still, without even the thought of moving a finger.
Dodge?
There was absolutely no need.
In his opinion, although this liquid metal magic was strange, it naturally had a certain disadvantage in front of him. It was practically a target delivering itself.
Ryoma's will stirred slightly.
Buzz!
Centered on his body, that ultimate icy magic power erupted again. But this time, it no longer spread indiscriminately, but was highly condensed, forming a small, ice-blue storm around him.
Within the storm, countless tiny ice crystals spun and cut wildly, making a "rustling" sound, like a miniature polar vortex.
The next second.
Those shooting mercury longswords plunged into this small storm.
Crack!
Almost at the moment they touched the edge of the storm, the mercury longswords, which were originally incredibly agile and moving at high speed, suddenly stiffened.
Time seemed to have been paused once again.
The liquid metal, upon contact with the terrifying low temperature, had its fluid properties instantly obliterated. They were frozen from liquid to solid.
But this was only the beginning.
Crack! Crack!
The longswords, frozen into solid ice sculptures, were instantly cut and shattered by the millions of ice crystals wildly churning in the vortex before they could even touch Ryoma's body.
Clink! Clank!
The crisp sound of shattering was incessant.
Several sharp mercury longswords, unable to even touch Ryoma's clothes, were completely disintegrated in mid-air, turning into a sky full of silver ice crystal powder shimmering with metallic luster.
It scattered and drifted down, like a magnificent diamond stardust rain under the brilliant lights of the banquet hall.
"..."
The entire hall once again fell into a dead silence, everyone's expressions frozen on their faces.
If Ryoma's previous move, freezing the combined magic of Solid and Nebra, brought them shock. Then at this moment, when they witnessed firsthand that even the magic of Silver Eagle's Captain, Nozel Silva, was so effortlessly neutralized, what they felt in their hearts was nothing but endless horror and... absurdity.
That was Nozel!
A genius among the royalty, one of the strongest Magic Knight Squad Captains.
His mercury magic, known for its strangeness and penetrating power, was the nightmare of countless enemies.
But now... it was just gone?
Another move?
And it was directly frozen into powder in the same way?
What kind of monster was this black-haired young man?
"..."
Nozel's perpetually icy face finally showed a clearly visible ripple for the first time. His pupils seemed to contract for an instant.
He hadn't used his full power in that attack and it was just a probing strike. But that was his "mercury magic" after all.
It was just broken like that?
This sudden shock quickly fermented in his heart into an even colder, more substantial rage.
This was no longer a provocation, this was humiliation.
A low-class commoner, a lowly worm, not only dared to defy royalty, but also repeatedly, in front of all the nobles, trampled the dignity of the Silva family underfoot and wantonly rubbed it in.
Unforgivable!
Absolutely unforgivable!
"It seems, not an ordinary worm."
Nozel's voice was even deeper and colder than before, the killing intent contained within it almost solidifying.
"But... a slightly stronger worm that doesn't know its place."
Boom!!!
A terrifying magic power, several times stronger than before, erupted from him. This time, it was no longer a domain-like suppression, but a pure, violent torrent of magic power.
The floor of the entire banquet hall began to tremble slightly due to this immense magic power. The air seemed to turn into viscous mud, making all the nobles present gasp for breath.
Nozel was preparing to use even stronger power. He wanted to use absolute power to crush this commoner who didn't know his place, along with his ridiculous ice, into dust.
However, just as Nozel's magic power surged and he was about to launch the next round of thunderous attacks—
A loud, majestic voice, full of an undeniable aura, resounded throughout the entire banquet hall.
"That's enough, Silva family!"
As the voice sounded, another completely different, yet equally suffocatingly powerful magic power, swept in from the entrance of the banquet hall, like an erupting volcano.
If Nozel's magic power was cold and sharp mercury, then this new magic power was scorching, burning flames.
The two terrifying magic powers collided in mid-air, yet strangely, they didn't cause any destruction, merely canceling each other out, causing the heavy pressure that made everyone gasp for breath to suddenly lighten.
Steady, powerful footsteps approached from afar.
Under everyone's surprised and uncertain gazes, a figure passed through the frightened crowd and strode into the center of this messy battlefield.
The newcomer wore a cape embroidered with red, his orange long hair like burning flames, and his face carried an innate majesty and nobility.
Among the Clover Kingdom's Magic Knight Squads, a squad as renowned as the Silver Eagles, and even subtly surpassing it in achievements—
Crimson Lion.
It was their captain, Fuegoleon Vermillion, who had spoken.
Fuegoleon's footsteps stopped between Ryoma and Nozel, forming a three-way standoff.
He first glanced at Alecdora frozen in the ice coffin and the disheveled Silva siblings, then swept his gaze over the layer of silver ice powder on the ground, his brow furrowing imperceptibly.
Finally, his gaze fell on Nozel, whose face was extremely gloomy.