"Ah—!"
Ryoma had just managed to shake off the negative emotions filled with resentment and sorrow, barely falling into sleep.
But before he could rest for long, he was forcefully pulled awake by that ear-splitting shriek.
"Ugh..."
He groaned irritably, feeling like his entire head was filled with lead, incredibly heavy.
Which scoundrel wasn't sleeping in the middle of the night again?
With a full heart of morning grumpiness, Ryoma put on an outer garment and walked out of his room with heavy steps.
The lights in the downstairs hall were already on. Clearly, he wasn't the only one woken up.
As soon as he reached the stairwell, he saw a familiar scene in the hall.
Yami, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, was single-handedly holding someone by the head, lifting him off the ground.
The person being held, with a ridiculous hairstyle, was flailing his limbs, struggling desperately, and letting out muffled cries for help.
It was Sekke Bronzazza.
That guy who always made 'Fuhha' noises.
"Hey, you, what are you shrieking about in the middle of the night?"
Yami exhaled a smoke ring and asked in a low voice, sounding as if he was about to crush the other party's head.
"Are you here to collect a debt? Hmm?"
"N-no! I'm a Magic Knight!"
Sekke was almost in tears, gesturing with both hands and feet, trying to explain.
But Yami clearly didn't hear a word.
"I don't care what big deal it is. Daring to come here and make a ruckus, you've got some nerve."
Ryoma rubbed his forehead. Looking at this familiar yet absurd scene, his chaotic thoughts instantly cleared up considerably.
He remembered that there was a very troublesome event scheduled to happen tonight.
If he remembered correctly, Asta and Gauche should currently be fighting two brothers who kidnapped children to extract their magic power in a certain small town.
This was another matter that was inextricably linked to the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
Ryoma's brows furrowed unconsciously.
Sally, that mad scientist, failed to capture Asta or get samples of his body during the last attack on the Royal Capital. Given her personality, with such a good opportunity now, she probably wouldn't let it go easily.
Just thinking about that woman gave Ryoma a headache.
She was a madwoman who would stop at nothing for her research, extremely dangerous.
While Ryoma was lost in thought, Sekke finally exhausted all his strength. Before Yami could squeeze him unconscious, he finally managed to explain the whole story.
"What?!"
Yami's hand paused at the news, his brows instantly furrowing.
"Something happened in Nairn?"
He threw Sekke to the ground, then unreasonably blamed Sekke, "Why didn't you say something so important sooner, you idiot?"
"I... I wanted to say it from the beginning." Sekke defended himself aggrievedly.
"Still talking back?!"
Yami stared coldly at Sekke, cutting off his words.
Ryoma watched all this speechlessly.
This unreasonable behavior...
As expected of Captain Yami.
Although he always said "so troublesome" and "don't want to bother," Yami still straightened up and looked around the empty hall.
Vanessa was already passed out drunk on the sofa.
As for the other two, relying on this unreliable bunch was out of the question.
Yami irritably ran his hand through his messy hair, finally turning his gaze to Ryoma, who was standing at the stairwell.
"Hey, Ryoma."
"Here."
"Go kick Finral out of his bed for me." Yami's tone was unquestionable.
"Tell him to open a gate."
Finral's Spatial Magic was undoubtedly the most useful at a time like this.
"Okay." Ryoma nodded and turned to go upstairs.
"Wait." Yami called out to him again.
Ryoma turned back, a little puzzled.
Yami, with a cigarette in his mouth, pointed at him with his chin. "You come along too."
He glanced at the half-dead Sekke on the ground, and clicked his tongue, looking somewhat impatient. "None of the remaining guys here are reliable, it'll be faster if we go ourselves."
"Me?" Ryoma pointed to himself.
"Of course, you're the only one who looks like a normal person right now." Yami glanced at him. "Hurry up, don't dawdle."
What else could Ryoma say?
Soon, Finral, dragged out of bed by Ryoma, his eyes still heavy with sleep, yawned and complained as he reluctantly opened a spatial gate.
"Seriously... can't a person get some sleep in the middle of the night..."
"Less talk, faster."
Yami kicked him in the butt and was the first to step inside.
Ryoma followed closely, passing through the distorted spatial passage.
However, their timing seemed even more coincidental than expected.
No.
It should be said, perilous.
They seemed to have arrived a crucial step earlier than in the original plot.
Not far away, an old nun was seen spreading her arms, resolutely blocking Asta's path.
And opposite them, a young man floated in mid-air, hundreds of light swords appearing behind him.
Those countless light swords instantly transformed into streams of deadly light, pouring down like a torrential rain towards Asta and the old nun.
Too late!
The light swords were too fast!
Swish!
Countless light swords poured down like a torrential rain.
Finral's face turned pale at the sight.
Just at this critical moment—
"Tsk."
"Hmph."
A slight click of the tongue and a cold snort sounded simultaneously.
The two acted almost at the exact same moment.
Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Avidya Slash!
Yami instantly drew the katana from his waist, covered in ink-black Dark Magic, and swung it forward fiercely.
A massive black slash swept out, intercepting more than half of the light swords.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Darkness and light fiercely collided in mid-air.
And at the same instant Yami made his move, Ryoma had already stood by his side.
He raised his right hand, aiming at the deadly rain of light.
Ice Thorn Shield!
The moisture in the air instantly condensed, and a massive ice shield, its surface covered with countless ferocious ice crystals, rose from the ground, blocking all the remaining light swords.
Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink!
Countless light swords frantically impacted the ice shield, emitting a series of crisp and dense sounds, scattering countless ice crystals.
The power of the light swords continuously eroded the thickness of the ice shield, and cracks began to appear on its surface. But in the end, it held.
Crack!
The ice shield and all the light swords that impacted it reached their limit at the same time, collapsing with a roar.
Countless tiny ice crystals and specks of light intertwined and danced in mid-air, then slowly dissipated.
The deadly attack was neutralized.
The strong wind blew, ruffling the corners of Yami and Ryoma's clothes.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the two who had suddenly appeared.
Theresa stood frozen, looking at the two reliable figures in front of her. She was almost completely unharmed, aside from her magic power being heavily depleted.
"We finally... made it." Ryoma gently exhaled a puff of white air.
What a pity, though.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that although Gauche had avoided vital points, his right hand and right foot were each pierced by a light sword, bleeding profusely.
This guy, after all, still couldn't catch this good timing.
(End of Chapter)
Read 50 Chapters ahead on
patreon.com/astralicity