[Mirror Magic – Reflection, Light!]
Zing!… Zing!… Zing!…
With a sudden surge of mana, dozens of mirrors manifested midair within the cave, completely encircling Licht.
"Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. What are you exactly, to dare bully my precious Marie?!"
Whoosh!…
As Gauche spoke, the mirrors all glowed and fired beams of light simultaneously.
Each beam struck another mirror, bouncing and refracting, crisscrossing the space in a deadly web of light.
Licht found himself overwhelmed, unable to counterattack—only barely dodging the reflected beams.
[Light Creation Magic – Sword of Conviction!]
[Mirror Magic – Total Reflection!]
Licht tried to launch a counterattack, but Gauche wasn't giving him a moment's rest.
The fury over Marie seemed to have given Gauche a power-up—his intensity pushed to the limit.
A massive mirror formed before him. No matter how many light swords Licht hurled, each and every one was reflected back with equal force.
"It's working!"
Seeing this, Noelle's eyes lit up with hope.
Why had Ethan Hayes lost? It was because the speed of wind magic couldn't match light magic. In other words, he had lost due to elemental disadvantage.
If not for that, if both were on equal footing in terms of speed, she truly believed Ethan wouldn't have lost to Licht.
Likewise, when it came to Gauche's mirror magic, light magic was being completely countered—no, utterly restrained!
Even children knew that mirrors reflected light.
Whoosh!… Whoosh!… Whoosh!…
Licht moved swiftly, trying to dodge the beams—but he knew well: his element was being completely suppressed.
That didn't mean he was out of options.
Light magic's greatest strength was its speed—not just in attacks, but in movement as well.
Mirrors could reflect light—but not people!
[Light Restraint Magic – Chains of Judgment!]
Licht vanished in a blink and reappeared behind Gauche.
Noelle had just opened her mouth to shout a warning—but she was too late.
Dozens of mirrors hanging midair suddenly vanished. With his magic bound by the glowing ropes, Gauche could no longer cast spells.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you. We're the same kind, after all."
"We're nothing alike! Let me go! I need to avenge Marie!!"
Gauche roared, but the light chains held fast. He was powerless to break free.
Licht then turned his gaze toward Noelle—and the barely breathing Ethan lying on the ground.
"You two, though… you're human. And that means you must die."
Gathering mana in his hands, Licht aimed at them.
But the next instant, he vanished.
Boom!!…
A raging whirlwind descended from above, slamming into the spot where Licht had just been standing.
Four figures dropped down through the crack in the cave's ceiling.
Three of them wore matching uniforms and emblems—clearly from the same squad.
From between the clouds, a golden sun rose. Golden Dawn had arrived!
"Yuno?!"
Licht frowned at the familiar face.
Though he and William Vangeance shared a body, their memories were intertwined.
Vangeance held Yuno in high regard—second only to Ethan Hayes.
"Vangeance? No… You're the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun—Licht!"
Yuno narrowed his eyes at the floating figure in the air.
As acting squad captain, if he wanted to be officially promoted, he needed real achievements.
So his first order had been to lead the effort in hunting down the Eye of the Midnight Sun himself.
Originally, he wasn't supposed to be here—but on the way, he ran into Asta, who had come seeking help due to the missing children.
By sheer coincidence, it led him right to this confrontation.
But…
"Mimosa, start healing Ethan—now!"
Before Yuno even finished speaking, Mimosa had already opened her grimoire.
A wave of life energy spread out. A floral cocoon formed from vines and petals enveloped Ethan Hayes.
As his rival, Yuno knew all too well the extent of Ethan's strength.
Even with all his effort, sweat, and mastery of elven transformation, Yuno doubted he could overpower Ethan himself—let alone leave him in such a near-death state.
But the truth was right there: Licht had managed it.
This enemy was not to be underestimated!
"Asta, Klaus—let's go!"
The enemy might be strong—but backing down wasn't even an option.
If they could defeat the enemy that Ethan couldn't, it would mean they had surpassed him!
[Spirit Magic – Spirit Assimilation!]
Without hesitation, Yuno instantly entered spirit form.
His strength, originally at the sixth tier, soared—approaching the fourth tier's shadow domain.
Beside him, Klaus launched his steel magic, conjuring massive iron spikes.
Asta, of course, leapt forward with his Demon Slayer sword in hand.
He couldn't use magic—but this was his way of showing resolve.
Meanwhile, Mimosa, still trying to heal Ethan, dripped sweat the size of marbles.
He was too badly injured.
So badly injured it was hard to believe he was even still alive.
Even though she was giving it her all, she couldn't stop the bleeding—let alone begin true healing.
A minute? No—maybe thirty seconds.
If things stayed this way, Ethan's soul would soon depart this world!
"Is he… how is he, Mimosa?"
Noelle's voice trembled as she asked. When Mimosa gave a helpless shake of her head, her heart sank.
Dead. Just like that?
Noelle felt like she was dreaming.
No—it had to be a dream!
How could someone so brilliant, so dazzling like starlight, fall so suddenly?
People like him should shine forever—a light hung in the sky for all time.
"I don't believe it! I won't believe it!"
Noelle broke down, screaming uncontrollably.
But Mimosa, who hadn't given up, suddenly noticed something odd.
Ethan's blood… it was golden?
And it had already been over a minute—why hadn't he died?
"There's still a thread of life—but it's faint, like a candle in the wind…"
As she focused, Mimosa realized something truly strange.
Normally, when someone is dying, their life force leaks away like water from a broken bucket.
But Ethan's life force had stabilized—it wasn't leaking anymore.
She'd never seen anything like this before.
Gritting her teeth, she unleashed even more healing magic.
She tried to build on that tiny spark—to nurture and strengthen it.
But it didn't grow. It didn't fade either.
It was as if it had become stone—resisting all influence.
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