"Yuno, I heard you fought that prince in the Magic Knight Selection Exam," Klaus said, his tone restrained but tense. "The rumors about him severing Captain Jack's arm… are they true?"
Despite many witnessing the spar, disbelief remained. Some brushed it off as rumor, while others accused the Wizard King of poor judgment for letting a commoner like Jack and Yami rise to captain, calling it a stain on the honor of every other captain.
"It's true," Yuno replied calmly. "He defeated all seventy-six participants without a single one landing a hit and Captain Jack's arm was severed in a single move."
Klaus didn't respond immediately. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
If someone possessed that level of strength, they wouldn't fear an enemy stealing what's theirs. It's the enemy who should be afraid.
The group continued deeper into the dungeon, the mana density growing heavier.
"Mimosa," Yuno asked after a moment, "you seem to know him already?"
"Yes," Mimosa answered. "My brother and I visited the Heart Kingdom several times. That's where we met him."
"What kind of person is he there?" Klaus asked, irritation seeping through. "Is he always like this?"
"He's respected," Mimosa said after a brief pause. "He's considered one of the Heart Kingdom's strongest guardians, alongside Gaja."
"He doesn't interact much with their people," she continued. "He's usually away on missions while Gaja stays behind to protect the kingdom. Still, everyone respects him."
"And," Mimosa added, adjusting her staff, "since he can teleport, there's no point trying to outrun him to the treasury. Not that he seemed interested in doing so anyway."
Without waiting for a response, Yuno accelerated the wind beneath them, a quiet but fierce competitiveness stirring in his heart toward El.
***
The second floor of the dungeon was a long rectangular tunnel where gravity behaved erratically. From the walls to the floor and even the ceiling, every surface was layered with traps waiting to be triggered.
It was the perfect environment to temper rookies.
After teleporting to the end of the tunnel, El motioned for Asta and Noelle to make their way through.
Explosions rang out one after another as hidden mechanisms activated. Blades shot from the walls, gravity shifted without warning, and sections of the floor crumbled beneath careless steps. Yet the week-long training they had endured showed clear results.
Asta relied on instinct and reflex, while Noelle carefully read the flow of mana in the surroundings. By the time they crossed the second level, neither of them had suffered a single injury.
The treasure chest waiting at the end turned out to be nothing more than a prank mechanism.
Without lingering, they descended to the third floor, where the first batch of enemies awaited.
"Prepare yourselves," El said calmly. "There are five mages ahead. Four are insignificant. The fifth appears to be their leader."
Asta straightened immediately. Noelle's grip on her wand tightened.
"But how can you tell? Is it mana sensing?" Noelle asked.
"Yes, but not only that. I can also sense Ki," El replied. "It's a different perception altogether—more precise than mana sensing. Even someone with zero magic can learn it."
Asta's eyes sharpened.
"Does that mean—"
"Yes. Captain already told me to teach you," El cut him off. "After this. Focus on what's in front of you."
He quickly explained the plan.
In the next moment, all three disappeared.
They reappeared on the third floor where several Diamond Kingdom mages were mining mana stones while clearing traps in their path.
Noelle materialized first at the far end of the chamber. A hooded mage had just slain a dungeon beast when a concentrated water ball slammed into his side, sending him crashing into the stone wall and knocking him unconscious instantly.
The impact drew the attention of the remaining mages.
Before they could even cast a spell, Asta materialized behind them. His anti-magic sword struck the backs of two of their necks with full force.
Though the blade itself was blunt, the physical strength behind each swing was overwhelming. Bones cracked under the impact, and they collapsed, incapacitated and unable to continue.
The fourth mage attempted to retreat toward their leader but a blurred figure appeared behind him and he vanished.
The leader was left standing alone, confusion evident on his face as he tried to comprehend how his four subordinates had been erased in mere seconds.
"Well, well… this is quite unexpected," he said lightly, adjusting his cloak. "It seems the Clover Kingdom has sent capable mages. Perhaps I should surrender?"
"That would be wise," a voice echoed throughout the chamber. "But your thoughts do not match your actions."
The origin of the voice was impossible to determine, and for the first time since entering the dungeon, an uneasy feeling rose in the heart of the Diamond Kingdom mage known as Lotus of the Abyss.
"Isn't it basic manners to greet someone older than you?" Lotus asked lightly, his eyes scanning the chamber while his smoke slowly spread outward, probing for the enemy's position.
"Isn't it cowardly," El's voice echoed from nowhere, "to fill a room with poisonous smoke and attempt a sneak attack on junior Magic Knights? Especially for an experienced mage like you, Lotus Whomalt… or should I say, Lotus of the Abyss? You dishonor your title—and by extension, the Diamond Kingdom."
For a brief second, something unreadable crossed Lotus's face.
The next moment, he abandoned the forming spell and leapt backward, mounting his smoke carriage in one smooth motion.
El clapped once.
In an instant, Asta and Lotus switched places.
Lotus found himself back in the center of the chamber—boxed in from four directions. Asta now stood where he had tried to escape.
El had infiltrated the Diamond Kingdom once before, back when rumors of the Spade Kingdom's alliance had begun circulating. Although he had abandoned the idea of forming any alliance after discovering the darker truths behind their experiments, he had memorized the faces of most high-ranking mages—including several of the Eight Shining Generals.
Lotus was one of them in influence, if not in title.
"Running is useless," El said calmly. "Answer my question, and I will let you leave unharmed. Try anything funny, and you will surrender your life here."
El still hadn't revealed himself. Asta and Noelle stepped forward slightly, magic gathering around them to reinforce the threat.
Lotus exhaled slowly. "The new generation truly is terrifying," he muttered. "Very well, I'll answer. But shouldn't you at least show yourself? Or are you simply blu…?"
Before he could finish the thought, something cold pressed against his neck.
A Broken cursed blade.
It hadn't even been activated, yet the mere presence of the weapon sent a chill down his spine. The edge rested just firmly enough to remind him how easily his head could part from his shoulders.
"Does this feel like a bluff?" El asked quietly.
Lotus swallowed.
"Very well. I quit."
His floating grimoire closed at once, and he returned it to its cover in a clear sign of surrender.
"For starters," El continued, "Where can I find the mage named Morris?"
At the name, Lotus's pupils shrank.
"Morris?" he repeated carefully. "I have no personal ties to him, and I don't particularly like the man. His… activities have escalated in recent months. I would rather not discuss the details in front of children."
"Who are you calling children, you jerk?" Asta snapped, pushing his sword closer. "We're Magic Knights!"
"I'm aware," Lotus replied dryly.
"I already know what he does," El said evenly. "I want to know where he is."
For the first time, genuine disappointment flickered across Lotus's face.
"He disappeared last week. Left behind his research and vanished. The entire kingdom has been searching for him since then, but there's been no trace."
Lotus raised both hands slightly. "That is the truth."
'Of course he's gone underground since we defeated Lilith and Namaah… and I already know where he ran off to,' El thought calmly. Spade Kingdom.
"Who is the Shining General accompanying you? And what is his ability?" El asked.
"Kid, are you telling me to sell out my comrade?" Lotus replied with a thin smile despite the blade at his throat. "Well there are no generals here… he's a newly recruited brat named Mars. He uses Crystal Magic."
As he spoke, one of his fingers shifted ever so slightly.
El's blade pressed deeper into his neck.
A thin line of blood slid down.
"My next—"
"Look, kid," Lotus cut in, his tone changing slightly. "I'm starting to doubt your promise. How can I be sure you'll let us leave safely? I'm cooperating, but—"
Before he could finish, El placed his other hand on the back of Lotus's neck.
An intense golden bolt of lightning surged through his body.
It was the Thunderbolt ability El had obtained that very morning.
The one-in-a-thousand lethal trigger activated on its very first use.
Lotus's body convulsed violently. The crackling discharge burned through him, charring cloth and skin alike. In an instant, eighty percent of his mana and life force were drained, his body collapsed to the floor, smoking faintly.
'Damn… this is incredibly effective,' El thought, watching him fall. 'No matter how strong the enemy is, if that critical chance activates, eighty percent of their strength disappears.'
His gaze lowered slightly.
"Didn't we promise to let him go?" Noelle asked, her voice carrying clear disapproval.
"I lied," El replied without hesitation. "I was never going to let them leave. We'll take them back to the Clover Kingdom and interrogate them further. How naive would I have to be to release enemy operatives like this?"
Asta still looked troubled.
El turned toward him.
"To make it simple — what do you think they would have done to us if we had been caught infiltrating the Diamond Kingdom?" Silence followed and understanding slowly settled on both their faces.
"…I understand," Asta said at last, moving to gather the fallen mages.
Noelle used Water Binding Magic, streams of water coiling tightly around their bodies to restrain them completely.
A distant surge of mana echoed through the dungeon and El's eyes shifted toward the deeper levels.
"It seems the fun time is over," he said calmly. "The Golden Dawn has engaged the enemy."
A faint smile appeared.
"It's time to begin the main act." All of them vanished once more.
***
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