While Asta and Yuno were sprinting towards the summit of yul Ultium Volcano, in the Royal Capital, Bai En was clashing with Nozel, the strongest member of the Royal Family and the captain of the Silver Eagles.
Scarlet beams of light struck Nozel, and his shimmering, flowing mercury shield glowed brightly. Under the immense impact, he skidded backward along the street.
A black track was left on the ground as Nozel ultimately used his Mercury Magic to withstand the rapid-fire "Heh" from Bai En.
The flowing mercury overflowing from his arm trembled slightly.
Nozel looked up at the black-robed figure with a fox mask on the rooftop, his expression unusually gloomy. He was already annoyed by the Star Festival incident, and now he was subjected to a sudden, inexplicable attack.
"Tch… how irritating!"
"No matter who you are, you must have been prepared, so die!"
The silver cross on his forehead braid swayed slightly, and his grimoire, glowing with silver light, floated beside him. "Mercury Magic, Silver Rain."
In the dark sky, a whole shower of silver raindrops fell, the suspended particles dense and numerous, emanating a chilling, deathly cold light. In the blink of an eye, the heavy rain poured down.
In Nozel's gaze, the masked figure on the rooftop did not dodge. Instead… he strangely reached out to touch the falling mercury.
"Seeking death!"
He had originally intended to use area-of-effect magic to force the masked man to reveal an opening while dodging, and then quickly launch an attack… But now, it seemed that such trouble wouldn't be necessary.
The mercury raindrops of the Silver Rain were not only sharp but also contained potent poison. Upon contact, the skin would fester, leading to incapacitation.
Watching the attacker bathed in the Silver Rain, Nozel had already determined the outcome of this battle.
But… "What are you looking at?"
The old voice from behind him, and the hand resting on his shoulder, made his heart skip a beat, and cold sweat appeared on his forehead. 'When did he get there?'
Bai En, wearing a red-striped fox mask, followed Nozel's gaze to the rooftop, then calmly said, "There's nothing there? What's so interesting?"
"Mercury Magic, Silver Sword!"
A silver longsword appeared in Nozel's hand. The longsword was thrust diagonally backward, and the black-robed figure tapped his toes on the ground, retreating two steps.
'I clearly saw this guy's hand touch the mercury just now, so why is he completely fine?'
'And…'
'How did this guy suddenly appear behind me? Magic sensing… I didn't sense him at all, it was like natural magic. This guy… is very strong!'
Nozel slowly turned around, his silver eyes filled with cold light. He asked again, "Who exactly are you?"
'Could it be someone from Midnight Sun, who knew about our plan in advance and launched a surprise attack tonight?' Nozel's thoughts began to wander.
Bai En still didn't answer his question; instead, he apologized to him: "Oh~ I'm sorry, I instinctively dodged."
"Could I trouble you to cast your magic again?"
"Don't worry, I definitely won't dodge this time."
"…"
Nozel's expression was utterly cold, and he angrily shouted, "You bastard, what kind of joke is this?!"
The silver-glowing grimoire beside him began to turn its pages.
"Mercury Magic, Silver Spear, plus, Silver Imperial Spear!"
Two spells were cast simultaneously.
Dense silver light clusters enveloped Bai En, who was dressed in black robes. Long spears emerged sharply from the light clusters, and at the same moment, Nozel waved his large hand, and a Silver Imperial Spear, much larger than the surrounding mercury spears, shot straight towards him!
Just as Bai En said, he did not dodge.
But… all the spears aiming at Bai En, the moment they reached right in front of him, stopped as if encountering an inexplicable resistance. The mercury spears suspended in the air could not advance another inch, no matter what.
"This…?"
Nozel froze for a moment. 'What kind of magic is this guy using?'
Before he could ponder further, the figure, wrapped like a porcupine by the spears, had vanished. Bai En punched Nozel squarely in his cold face. The hammer-like blow instantly knocked Nozel to the ground, and blood scattered from his mouth into the air.
Bai En continued his actions, delivering another heavy kick to the fallen figure.
The flowing mercury trembled, forming a silver shield in front of Nozel. But even so, Nozel was still kicked flying.
His body, bursting like a cannonball, skidded along the street, crashing directly into a wall at the end of the street, scattering shattered stones everywhere.
Bai En, beneath his mask, looked at Nozel lying in the shattered wall and wondered if he had picked the wrong experimental subject, someone too soft. Perhaps he should have ambushed a stronger member of the Order of Knights.
For example: Dorothy Unsworth of Dream Magic, Yami Sukehiro of Dark Magic… In his impression, Nozel, the captain of the Silver Eagles, apart from easily defeating the demon-corrupted Patry in the Shadow Palace, had always been in a state of being beaten, with no outstanding achievements.
Even during the Elf Reincarnation, if not for Noelle's help, he would probably have been killed by the elf reincarnated into his squad members.
Thinking of this, Bai En coldly spoke, "I thought you would be stronger, but I didn't expect you to be only this level? Your magic control is very precise, but it lacks significant power. If the enemy's magic is weaker than yours, you might hold your own, but if they're at the same level…"
"Tsk tsk… I guess it would be very difficult for you to win, wouldn't it?"
Bai En unhesitatingly commented on Nozel's strength.
"If this is all you've got, forget about avenging your mother. When you encounter a demon, just run, Captain of the Silver Eagles!"
The already somewhat cold night became even colder after Bai En's words.
"You… what are you talking about?"
Nozel broke free from the shattered wall, his entire body enveloped in mercury condensed from magic. His silver eyes were full of rage, as if to completely devour Bai En. "If you dare, say it again!"
"What if I say it again?"
Bai En spread his hands. "In battle, only the weak scream in anger, isn't that right?"
"I'll kill you!"
Under the chilling words, at the street's exit, a sharp slash tore through the ground, heading towards Bai En. The keen slash seemed to completely rip apart everything in its path.
But… the slash that landed on Bai En, like the Silver Rain released by Nozel earlier, caused no actual damage.
"Heheheh…"
A lean figure, licking the blade on his arm, walked in. He surveyed the disheveled Nozel and laughed, "I wondered why there was such a commotion? Turns out the Royal Family member was beaten so badly he couldn't stand up straight."
"How pathetic."
"Since that's the case, how about you let me tear him apart? Haha…"
"Jack the Ripper?" Seeing the newcomer, Bai En murmured. After a moment, he looked up at the rooftop, where an old man with curly hair and an Purple Orca cape was still standing.
"Three captains, this time… it seems I've played a bit too much."
...