"Nani?"
Patolli's pupils shrank at the scene before him.
His Condemning Light Sword... had been caught—by someone's hand?
"This…"
Even Noelle, the victim here, parted her red lips slightly in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Yes, Patolli was clearly a villain, but power never discriminated between good and evil.
His light magic was so fast that even calling it "instantaneous" felt too slow.
And now, that kind of magic had actually been caught by hand?
It was simply unbelievable.
Staring at the man before her—long black hair cascading over his shoulders, a water drop–shaped mark on his forehead—Patolli frowned and barked, "Who are you?"
Noelle also had no idea.
She searched her memories but found not even a fragment of recognition.
His long hair was unusual enough, but his face—shockingly handsome.
His skin was so flawless it made even her, a girl, feel envious.
But more than that… he looked oddly familiar.
"You're asking who I am? Wasn't I just lying over there…"
Following the man's gaze, Patolli felt like he was being messed with.
Lying over there? Wasn't that Ethan Hayes lying there?
But the next moment, his expression froze.
The Ethan who had been lying on the ground vanished like drifting sand in a breeze.
This startled Mimosa, who had been desperately healing him.
What the—how could someone just disappear like that?
Even death shouldn't be this dramatic!
"Correction: I'm not lying there anymore," the man said with a grin, "I'm standing right here."
A slight curl of the lips, and Ethan Hayes smiled broadly.
He had never expected to survive that.
After all, Patolli's previous attack had struck his vital points.
Realistically, only the Wizard King could have saved him by rewinding time with time magic.
But fate was never limited to one outcome.
His divine bloodline had given him another possibility.
From that bloodline, the fragmented genes within it helped him find a way to survive.
[Power of the Dragon Vein!]
That was the ability contained in one of those fragments.
It could bring him back from the brink of death—restoring him fully in health and power!
But it wasn't invincibility.
Revival took time.
If not for Gauche and Yuno holding Patolli off for a while, Ethan would've been finished off already.
Also, the Power of the Dragon Vein could only be used three times in one lifetime.
After that… death would truly be final.
But that wasn't the only benefit of the divine bloodline.
During his near-death state, he had initiated his transformation into a "divine body," shedding mortality to step toward true divinity.
He could feel the difference within himself.
No, it wasn't that his skin was better or he looked more handsome…
It was that his body no longer held magic power!
Or rather, the form of energy had changed.
In the Clover Kingdom, aside from rare exceptions like Asta, everyone was born with at least one magic attribute—wind, lightning, water, etc.
Their internal magic aligned with that attribute.
That's why mages couldn't use magic outside their attribute, not even the Wizard King.
But now, Ethan felt like he had broken that natural law.
The energy inside him was now chaotic and undefined, yet could change attributes at his will.
Yuno and Asta, battered and crawling out of a crater, saw what was happening—and completely froze.
Zzzzz—
Ethan raised a finger. Blue lightning serpents danced on his fingertip.
Then he opened his hand, forming a sphere of water that shifted shapes as he wished.
One by one, spells of different elements formed in his palms—like a child playing with toys.
Everyone watching was stunned.
"Hey, Yuno... did I count that right? How many types of magic did he just use?"
"I—I don't know. Looked like over twenty…"
"W-what!? That's impossible! How can one person possess that many attributes?"
Even Patolli was wide-eyed, unable to believe it.
As a member of the Elf Tribe, they prided themselves as heaven's favorites—magic's chosen children.
And truthfully, that was often the case.
Compared to humans, their magic aptitude and power were on a whole other level.
A so-called human "genius" was just an average elf.
Even so, elves still followed one rule: one attribute per person!
Previously, the fact that Ethan had two attributes had already been astounding.
But now? It wasn't just two… it was dozens!
Wait… what had this guy said earlier?
He was Ethan Hayes?
Whoosh!
Magic kept shifting in his hands, performing like a master illusionist.
Finally, the chaotic elements converged into radiant golden light!
[Light Magic — Sword of Holy Radiance!]
Light gathered into his palm and burst forth.
In an instant, a golden beam shot straight into the sky.
Patolli's pupils contracted, and he quickly dodged.
"So fast!"
He cursed silently and looked again—but Ethan had already vanished from the spot.
"Looking for something?"
A voice whispered by his ear.
Patolli turned and slashed a light sword behind him—only to hit thin air.
Ethan had already leapt above him.
In his hand, the Spear of Judgment gleamed with golden brilliance.
With majestic force, he struck down!
BOOM!
A thunderous impact.
The Spear of Judgment smashed into Patolli's hastily-formed light shield.
Though he avoided a fatal hit, the massive impact still sent him crashing into the ground.
Stones flew. Dust exploded.
The entire exchange took less than three seconds—but left everyone speechless.
"So strong! So fast! Patolli actually got hit!"
Yuno clenched his fists, face full of awe—and unwillingness.
He had once fought Patolli in his spirit-transformed state and could barely keep up.
Landing a hit like that was nearly impossible for him.
But Ethan?
He did it while laughing and chatting.
It was just…
"Still too slow…"
Floating in midair, Ethan murmured.
But he wasn't referring to Patolli—he meant himself.
He had discovered a problem.
Yes, his new chaotic energy allowed him to switch attributes freely.
But the power of each element… didn't satisfy him.
Despite being in what could now be considered the "Third Domain"—on par with squad captains—his light magic still felt weaker and slower than Patolli's.
That success just now had come from catching Patolli off guard during his moment of shock.
In a fair fight, Ethan's light magic still couldn't match Patolli's speed.
"So where exactly... is the flaw?"
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