"Time Magic! How could he..."
Beneath the eerie glow of the Time Sphere imprisoning Fana, Patolli's expression turned grim.
This unique form of time magic should have only been wielded by the Wizard King, Julius Novachrono.
"Right, this guy supposedly can use multiple attributes... but isn't this a bit too much?"
Patolli found it absurd.
He had no idea that Ethan Hayes could simulate and learn magic at will, freely converting magic attributes.
He simply assumed that Ethan possessed time magic as one of his rare affinities.
But regardless of which type, the truth remained — Ethan had already far surpassed the realm of ordinary mages.
"And earlier... that must've been a clone, right?"
Patolli recalled the first time he fought Ethan — he had been tricked similarly then too.
Sure enough, as the dust at the point of impact settled, another Ethan lay within — battered, bloodied, in a miserable state.
But a moment later, it dissolved into a gust of wind and vanished.
"Captain Yami! Patolli is yours!"
As Ethan's voice echoed, his figure vanished once more. When he reappeared, he was already standing before Vetto.
With Fana — who had previously been casting spells to disrupt his rhythm — now sealed away, Ethan was confident he could handle the rest one-on-one.
"Tch... Kid, are you looking down on me? You're only leaving one for me to deal with?"
Yami pouted, clearly displeased.
But then again, he was probably the best suited for handling multiple opponents.
After all, he didn't have Ethan's speed.
"[Dark Magic – Dark Cloaked: Nameless Slash]!"
With a sweep of his katana, Yami released dark energy like a sharp shockwave.
Light and dark — opposing forces — clashed together fiercely.
BOOM!
BOOM!
The entire temple trembled.
Taking the opportunity, Kahono quickly evacuated the wounded Kiato and the others from the temple.
She understood — battles of this level were beyond her abilities.
She could only pray that Ethan and Yami could repel the invaders and restore peace to the temple.
THUD!
THUD!
Fists collided with flesh — it was raw, brutal.
Ethan and Vetto exchanged blows like brawlers in a back alley.
Every punch that landed on Ethan hurt like hell.
But the pain was manageable, not enough to break bones or cause serious damage.
He couldn't believe that Vetto, without using any magic, could hit with such force.
At the same time, every strike from Ethan made Vetto grit his teeth in agony.
"What kind of monster are you?!"
Vetto was baffled but his blows grew fiercer — shaking the air, shattering the ground.
SWOOSH!
Suddenly, Ethan's figure vanished before Vetto.
In the next second, Rhya appeared, slashing a blade of light at the spot where Ethan had just stood.
But it was too late — not a hair on Ethan had been touched.
"He's still so fast... after all this fighting, his mana hasn't even decreased significantly!"
Rhya's eyes widened in disbelief.
He had chosen the perfect moment for a surprise attack, yet Ethan's mana showed no signs of weakening!
"[Lightning Creation Magic – Chidori: Piercing Lance]!"
Lightning solidified into a brilliant blue pillar, as thick as an arm, shooting from Ethan's palm like a laser.
SPLURT!
Blood sprayed as the lightning bolt pierced through Rhya's left arm.
He paid dearly for his momentary lapse in focus.
But Ethan didn't stop.
In a flash, he was at Rhya's side again, raising his hand to repeat the attack.
"Time Magic – Time..."
But before he could cast the spell, Vetto's massive fist came flying at him like a cannonball.
Ethan had no choice but to dodge, abandoning the opportunity.
"Rades... w-what do we do now?"
Catherine looked toward the battlefield, her face full of anxiety.
Since the start of the battle, they had barely managed to cast five support spells.
Now, she realized they couldn't even get involved.
This was a fight between monsters.
The speed of their movements and spells was beyond what she could react to.
Close-quarters combat like Vetto? She doubted she could survive even one second.
"Ethan! Captain!"
Just then, a familiar voice rang out at the temple's entrance.
Turning around, Catherine saw Asta, Noelle...
Almost the entire Black Bulls squad had arrived without a single one missing.
Their so-called numerical advantage had instantly become a joke.
"Patolli!"
Seeing the situation, Rhya shouted.
Patolli didn't need Rhya to explain.
He understood clearly — this battle had no hope of victory now.
If they kept fighting, their losses would only grow.
"Retreat!"
Hearing the order, Catherine and the others felt like they had just received a royal pardon.
They might not be great at fighting, but every one of them was an expert at escaping with their lives.
"[Light Creation Magic – Blade of Judgment]!"
A colossal blade of light pierced through the mountain wall of the temple.
Patolli was the first to leap out, and the others quickly followed.
"Kid! Your physical strength is insane! Next time, I'll beat you at your own game!"
Vetto roared, throwing a punch that blasted him away using the recoil.
He too jumped out of the temple.
Live to fight another day.
Muscles didn't mean stupidity — Vetto knew this well.
"Don't run!"
"Let them go," Ethan stopped the others from giving chase.
Know when to retreat — that's how you survive.
Even a rabbit will bite when cornered — let alone a tiger.
They had already captured one of the enemy commanders and recovered the gem.
This was a complete victory. No need to push further.
If they forced the enemy into desperation, someone might use a magic self-detonation like in the original story — and Ethan wasn't confident he could survive that.
"Ethan, are you alright?"
Noelle rushed over, her face filled with worry.
Ethan had visible scratches and blood at the corner of his mouth.
"I'm fine... Just surface wounds."
He wiped the blood off and gave her a reassuring smile.
Most of the injuries had come from Vetto.
You could assess someone's magic power with a spell, but judging physical strength? That was much harder.
Driven by excitement, Ethan had tested how strong his body truly was by going toe-to-toe with Vetto.
Though injured, he wasn't disappointed by the outcome.
He had relied solely on pure physical strength, while Vetto had enhanced his with beast magic.
Even so, Ethan had held his own.
"But Ethan, what do we do with this woman?"
Yami's voice drew everyone's attention to Fana, who was still trapped within the Time Sphere.
Her expression was one of shock and fear — just like before.
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