The giant light swords began to fall.
Below, people froze in despair, their bodies locked as hope of escape vanished.
El teleported above the descending blades, a white card dissolving and merging into his body. His black pupils turned red.
[Deducted 5,000 Xeni Coins]
Ability Holder: Ryomen Sukuna
Spell: Cleave
Effect: Cursed slashes that deliver decisive cuts.
Weakness: The will of the original Conqueror may attempt to take over your mind and drive you to commit evil acts, as the original user of this technique is an evil incarnate…
Condition to make permanent: Claim the lives of 10 million innocent people and offer their souls to Sukuna-Sama. Only then might he spare you and accept you as his disciple.
'I decided to not use this ability again but I don't have any other suitable ability to stop this attack… I resisted you once and I can do it again.' Committing in his mind El spread his both hands in the air.
As the card fully dissolved, tattoos spread across El's body. His thoughts began to blur—but once again, he held firm, an evil laugh escaped his lips but ignoring it, he spread his Ki.
A three-dimensional map of the surroundings formed instantly in his mind.
The light swords were already halfway down and he couldn't intercept them all, so his mind began to make necessary calculations.
Another second passed and his hands moved in a blur.
The light swords closest to him began to shatter as the invisible attack pressed forward spreading outward.
Ten… twenty… thirty—
Within three seconds, over forty Cleave attacks were fired from his fingers.
But at the fifth second, he canceled the ability on his own.
His mind was slipping—overrun by violent, twisted urges. For a moment, he nearly turned on his own allies below, who were still struggling to defend themselves.
The invisible slashes met the descending blades head-on, cutting through them, each one destroying two or three light swords before fading.
Not all slashes were perfectly aimed, a few went astray, carving deep gash into a distant castle, its future repercussions unknown.
The entire exchange lasted barely six seconds, some empty buildings were destroyed when the golden swords struck—but El had made that choice because saving lives mattered more to him than preventing structural damage.
And because of that choice not a single person died.
To others, it felt like a glitch in time—one moment the light swords were descending, the next they were violently split apart midair. At the center stood El, his hands moving erratically in a blur as invisible slashes spread outward, some precise, others veering off unpredictably, carving through anything in their path.
Asta was able to track some of the slashes, not with his eyes, but through instinct and the half learned Ki he had practiced with El.
Realizing the sheer scale at which they spread, he knew that if even one had been aimed at him, he wouldn't have had the chance to blink before dying, never realizing what hit him.
El slowly descended to the ground, clutching his head as Sukuna's fleeting will still strained his mind.
Even now, Sukuna's laughter echoed in his mind, dark and relentless. The intrusive thoughts clawed at him as he struggled to steady himself.
It took several more seconds before his vision cleared and by then, his friends had already surrounded him.
"Hey… El, what happened to you?" Asta asked, his voice tense.
"Is there a healer here?!" Noelle looked around in panic as Leo rushed off to find one.
"No need for that." El said.
He slowly rose to his feet, opening his red strained eyes, blood trickling from his nose from resisting Sukuna's will and forcing out power far beyond his body's limits.
The last time he had used it against Captain Jack things had been different.
Sukuna had wanted to defeat the captain, their goals aligned—so the burden hadn't been this heavy. But today, El understood the true weight of this power, one he couldn't wield for even five seconds.
Soon, a massive eagle formed from mercury and fusion magic descended from the sky, its metallic wings glinting over the ruined capital as it hovered above them. One by one, powerful figures stepped off, surrounding the group.
Leo rushed forward, quickly briefing them on everything that had happened after they were teleported away.
The colossal light swords seen from afar, how his brother Captain Fuegoleon had nearly been killed… and how El had intervened, treated him in time and saving hundreds of other lives.
"We captains are grateful for your contribution, El…" Captain Charlotte spoke, her tone steady. "It was shameful of us to be caught off guard and teleported away. In our absence, you did well."
"C'mon, sis… are you really praising a man?" Sol nudged her with a grin.
"It doesn't look like he protected anything…" Solid spoke with his cunning smirk, glancing at the still-burning noble realm, where mages struggled to contain the flames.
Before Noelle could respond a sharp slap rang out.
Solid was sent crashing to the ground, eyes wide in shock. His brother had never struck him before.
"We weren't even here…" Nozel said coldly. "And I doubt we could've achieved what he did even if we were. If you can't show gratitude, at least keep that useless mouth of yours shut."
His voice carried restrained anger, whether at Solid's words or his own incompetence to let his rival almost die, it wasn't clear.
"Hey, El," Asta called, pointing toward the distance. "That guy using light magic told us to show you that wall when you arrive then he just disappeared."
El turned.
In the distance, symbols were etched across a cracked wall. The moment his eyes fell on them, he understood.
Ancient Elven tongue.
"Margott Robbie… Scarlett Johnson…" he read under his breath. (Three days from now, meet us near the demon skull. Alone.)
The wall crumbled soon after, collapsing along with the already fractured structure.
But El's focus had already shifted.
A window flickered into existence before his eyes.
[Mission: Catch Them If You Can : Failed]
El didn't take the loss to the heart but moved forward assessing the situation.
Thanks to Yuno's efforts, one intruder had been captured but the rest escaped, leaving behind a clear message.
Soon, the dust settled. Those below the rank of captain moved to aid, working to contain fires and tend to the injured.
Meanwhile, Captain Nozel, Captain Charlotte, senior Magic Knights of the Golden Dawn, Leo, Asta and Noelle teleported to the medical facility with El.
When they arrived, Captain Fuegoleon lay unconscious.
The head healer Owen stood beside him, along with the healing staff. Mimosa was there as well, a small dryad spirit perched on her shoulder. Her expression was tense…
"What is his condition?" Nozel asked, his tone strict but beneath it lay concern.
"We've done everything we can," Owen replied. "His physical injuries have been healed and Ms. Dryad has assessed his 'spirit'."
"It appears he has suffered severe mental shock which has caused his spirit to become unstable."
He hesitated but explained further.
"He has fallen into a coma. We don't know when he will wake up." Nozel's entire body stiffened.
"Hello there, everyone… it seems the enemy did quite a number on us."
The Wizard King materialized out of thin air behind them. Three time spheres floated, each containing imprisoned mages, members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
"Wizard King…" The supporting staff bowed deeply, while the captains and Magic Knights saluted.
"I must apologize for my absence," he said. "I raided their base of operations but it seems it was merely a diversion. Their true aim was to lure me away and attack the capital." His voice carried quiet regret.
"All of you Magic Knights performed admirably. Though the capital has suffered structural damage, initial reports confirm no lives were lost." As he spoke, his gaze lingered on El.
"…thanks to all of your swift actions." After the discussion concluded, squads began to disperse but Mimosa stepped toward the Black Bulls group.
"Mimosa, what is the meaning of this?" Alecdora's voice rang out sharply. "Earlier, you acted without orders, joining the Black Bulls and now you intend to leave with them again? You could be suspended for such insubordination." Mimosa paused.
She was about to respond but someone interrupted her.
"I believe there has been a miscommunication." The Wizard King spoke.
"At my request, Mimosa has been temporarily assigned to the Black Bulls in the capacity of a healer. Captain William has already approved this decision, Senior Magic Knight Alecdora." Alecdora froze.
"…Understood Wizard king." He bowed immediately, offering his apology, the members of the Golden Dawn stood stunned.
"Woahhh—welcome to the squad, Mimosa!" Asta cheered, grabbing both her hands.
Mimosa's cheeks flushed red, caught off guard by his enthusiasm, while Noelle stood beside him frozen, still trying to process what she had just heard.
"I have something to discuss with the Wizard King. You guys can wait outside." Asta, Noelle, and Mimosa stepped out, leaving El alone.
El explained what he had learned from summoning Zuno about the purpose of the Spade Devils.
"So they intend to abduct William and Yami to open the gate to the underworld…" the Wizard King said slowly. "How credible is this information?"
"I confirmed it with my sister," El replied. "Such a method does exist."
For a brief moment, a strange light flickered in the Wizard King's eyes, gone as quickly as it appeared.
"I see… I'll make the necessary arrangements." El didn't press further. The man already carried too much responsibility.
"And thank you for accepting my request." El thanked wizard king for transferring mimosa to black bulls.
"Thank you for having my back." Wizard king also thanked him for preventing today's disaster.
El chose not to mention his upcoming meeting with the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
Instead, his thoughts shifted.
Today's battle had made one thing clear, he couldn't rely on borrowed, fleeting abilities anymore.
The stakes were higher now and he needed to grow stronger too.
El summoned the white feather he had recovered from the underworld, the remnant of a devil, obtained after defeating Lilith and Naamah and searching the entire first floor.
Nudging his ring, he called Nacht, seeking his help to unravel its mystery, what kind of devil it belonged to.
At the same time he summoned and looked at the Black S Rank card.
It was time to summon the S-rank spirit, Mohoraga.
And tame it.