Massive structures were decimated by the black blast, sending thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.
"Tch! He dodged it?"
Midnight was irritated that Kael had dodged the reflected attack. He had been looking forward to savoring the look of shock on Kael's face when struck by his own magic.
"Are you okay?"
Lucy rushed to Sherry's side. The moment Kael attacked Midnight, the magic binding Sherry had been broken.
"Cough, cough!"
Sherry's face was deathly pale, her heart still racing. Just a moment ago, she felt as if her own clothes were going to throttle her to death.
"What the hell is with this guy?!"
Lucy looked at Midnight with dread. Their alliance had the upper hand, but in the blink of an eye, Gray and Lyon had been taken down, the Wizard Saint Jura was wounded, and Sherry had nearly been strangled to death. Magic seemed completely useless against him.
"Space-type magic?"
Jura stood back up. The previous attack had left him injured, but not enough to put him out of the fight.
"That's right. My Reflector magic allows me to twist and distort all objects. Not only can I reflect magic, but I can also use light refraction to create illusions."
Lucy covered her mouth in horror. "What kind of magic is that..."
"Kael, I heard that your previous transformation used magic that could stretch distance into infinity, right? I wonder whose magic is superior?"
Midnight's gaze swept past Jura and the others to fix on Kael. He looked eager, as if desperate to prove himself against Kael.
"There's no need. Your magic is exceptional, but even the best magic is only as good as the person wielding it."
Midnight laughed dismissively. "Are you trying to say your control is better than mine?"
Kael said flatly, "No. Not just my control—my magic itself is superior."
Shua!
Kael appeared in front of Midnight, his Moonlight Sword slashing down.
The Moonlight Sword was distorted and bent away.
"I told you, magic is completely... Urgh..."
Bam!
Before Midnight could finish his sentence, Kael's palm slammed onto his mouth, pinning him toward the ground.
BOOM—!
A massive crater was gouged into the earth.
"Gwah!"
Midnight let out a pained cry.
Lucy's eyes sparkled. "Yes!!"
As expected of Kael. She suddenly felt that her previous worries had been completely overthinking. Kael could transform into several monstrous forms, each more terrifying than the last; there was no way he would lose to this guy.
Zing!
Midnight's figure vanished instantly, reappearing a short distance away.
He clutched his face, glaring at Kael with a dark expression. "When did you find out?"
"Find out what? That your magic can't distort a person's physical body? You already showed me that yourself."
Midnight glanced at Gray, Lyon, and Sherry. "You bastard..."
This guy had discovered the flaw in his magic in such a short amount of time.
But it didn't matter. A flaw of this level meant nothing to him.
Midnight waved his hand. "Reflector!"
The space around Kael twisted into a spiraling vortex.
"Kael!"
Lucy grew worried; Gray and Lyon had been taken down by this very move.
Soon, the magic ceased. The surrounding ground was shattered into spiral patterns, yet Kael stood in place, looking completely uninjured.
"No! How is this possible?! How can you be fine after taking my magic head-on?!"
Midnight stared at Kael's unscathed form, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Hmm... how should I put this? Your technique is impressive, but your power is a bit low."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Simply put: your attacks are too weak. You can't even break my defense."
Kael spread his hands. Ulquiorra's Hierro was among the strongest of the Espada. Even in his base state, he could easily block Kisuke Urahara's Shikai attacks and take a Hollowfied Ichigo Kurosaki's Getsuga Tensho with his bare hands while sustaining only minor scratches.
By reinforcing it with a bit of magic power, Kael's defenses became even more impenetrable.
Sometimes, after relying on tricky techniques for too long, brute force was actually more fun.
Midnight's pupils shrank, and his face began to contort with rage. "What did you say?!"
"I said your attacks are weak."
"Reflector!"
Midnight aimed his palm at Kael, and Kael's clothes instantly constricted around his body. This was Midnight twisting the space of the fabric. Sherry had nearly been killed by this exact magic.
"Kael!"
"Kael!"
Jura and Lucy were alarmed by Kael's situation, but Kael waved them off, signaling that there was no need for panic.
Kael stood there expressionless, while sweat began to bead on Midnight's forehead.
"Damn it! You monster—!"
Midnight shouted at Kael, completely fuming. He had just ramped up the intensity; any normal mage would have been crushed into paste under that pressure. Yet this guy acted like nothing was happening. Anyone would lose their cool in this situation.
"Hey now. A fight is a fight, but personal insults are uncalled for."
Kael began walking toward Midnight, completely ignoring the magic as if it didn't exist.
"Bastard!"
Midnight released the magic on Kael's clothes and flicked his wrist. A building was sliced clean at the foundation, and he manipulated the space to hurl the structure at Kael.
Shua!!
Kael swung his Moonlight Sword, effortlessly cleaving the building in two.
Rumble—!
The halves of the building slammed into the ground behind him, shattering and throwing up clouds of dust.
Midnight, fuming, waved his hands repeatedly, hurling building after building toward Kael.
Kael didn't slow his pace, calmly cutting through every structure in his path.
As Kael drew closer, the pressure weighing on Midnight's heart grew heavier.
"Get away! You monster! Stay back!"
Midnight raised his hand and unleashed a spatial shockwave at Kael.
Boom!
The ground beneath Kael's feet splintered, but his body remained unshakeable.
"You..." Midnight started to speak as Kael reached him.
Bam!
Kael drove a kick into Midnight's chest.
"Gwahhhhh!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Midnight screamed as he was sent flying, crashing through several buildings in a row.
Lucy jumped for joy. "Yes! As expected of Kael!"
Seeing everyone taken down so easily—even a Wizard Saint—she had been panicking. Now it was clear that Kael was the most reliable of them all.
"Mr. Kael's strength is even more formidable than the rumors suggested. I am impressed."
Even Jura offered a rare bit of praise; the young man's strength was simply too terrifying.
Sherry muttered under her breath, "Figures. Only a super monster can suppress a monster."
She had encountered Kael on Galuna Island, where they had been utterly crushed. But now, seeing that even the powerful Oracion Seis were no match for him, she felt at peace with her own defeat. Still, she felt a deep sense of gratitude for Kael saving her life.
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