"Flame Creation Magic: Lament of the Candle Flame."
It was a gun.
But it wasn't the cold steel long spear familiar to Mages.
Mimosa watched the strange weapon, condensed from magic, appear in Gosen's hand.
It was entirely made of flames, yet had no sharp points. It was hard to imagine that this pipe-shaped weapon could have much destructive power, let alone be able to attack from 1500m away and destroy an enemy's magic crystal.
"This is?"
"A gun," Gosen replied concisely.
If Bai En were here now and saw the weapon in Gosen's hand, he would definitely yell, "Holy crap!" and then seriously ask Gosen where he came from, and if he knew some special codes.
For example: Twinkle, twinkle, little star... Because Bai En was extremely familiar with the object in Gosen's hand. It was a sniper rifle. What else could someone be who could create such a thing with magic, if not a transmigrator?
"A gun?"
"How can a gun look like this?" Mimosa asked repeatedly.
"Hmm..." Gosen scratched his head, "It's a bit troublesome to explain now, but those guys from the sea call it a gun. Specifically, I think it's called a flintlock? A snipershot?"
"No, no, a sniper rifle... That's right, those missionaries called it a sniper rifle."
"Before, I originally wanted to find a blacksmith in the Royal Capital to forge it along with the flintlock, but after joining the Magic Knights, I was so excited that I accidentally lost the blueprints. So I only forged the flintlock."
Gosen continued, "Didn't I sign up for the Royal Knights Squad? I thought I should train a bit more, so I completed this magic based on my memories and adjustments."
"A sniper rifle? Are you sure this thing can attack that far?" Mimosa was still a bit skeptical of the unfamiliar object.
"Of course!"
Gosen lay prone on a rock and aimed the gun. The distance was too great. From afar, Zora and Nancy's figures looked like tiny black birds flying in the air, like two black dots.
Mimosa wrapped vines around the gun barrel. Plant Magic—Magic Flower's Beacon—was subtly adjusted, providing Gosen with positional information like a telescope.
Holding his breath, Gosen pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
A huge sonic boom erupted. Compressed flames burst from the Lament of the Candle Flame. The fiery bullet's trajectory was invisible in the air, and with a "whoosh," it barely grazed the magic crystal.
Glistening fragments scattered.
Zora and Nancy were stunned, 'What was that?!'
But very quickly, they both moved. Nancy slapped the ground, and earth rose into a wall.
Several more humming sounds rang out.
Compressed fiery bullets were fired one after another, piercing directly through the earth wall and landing near the magic crystal behind it. Fortunately, the bullets didn't precisely hit Nancy and Zora's magic crystals, otherwise they would have been directly eliminated.
Gosen, continuously pulling the trigger, muttered a few complaints, "How can this be? I saw it clearly, and I aimed at the position, so why did I miss?"
"What's going on?"
"It worked perfectly during the tests at the base, so why is it always just a little off here?"
The continuous attacks allowed Nancy to guess the location of the Mage. Since Zora was still by her side, she handed over her magic crystal and quickly attacked Gosen and Mimosa.
Her swift approaching figure made Gosen vigilant. He began to attack the person coming towards them.
Just as Zora was guarding the magic crystal alone...
A few mushrooms sprouting from a nearby patch of grass observed everything. Noelle and En Ringuard, like orioles, were ready to snatch the final prize.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Black and red lines bloomed with flames and wind pillars. The person suspended in the air was Asta, who had entered his Devil Assimilation state.
There was no excessive communication.
Asta swung his demon-slayer sword at Bai En. Between Yuno and Bai En, he chose the more difficult opponent, Bai En, because Anti-Magic wasn't as effective on him!
The falling Yuno stabilized himself, taking a powerful step on the air and flying upwards.
A storm in his hand struck first!
The long, swirling storm hummed.
Their attacks converged on Bai En, seemingly forming a temporary alliance to take out the toughest opponent first.
But... a strong person never cares about numbers!
Xiao Tong danced, using Magic Conversion to dissipate the storm released by Yuno, while Bai En confronted Asta, who was swinging his greatsword.
It was obvious.
Bai En sensed that Asta's power in his devil state had increased significantly, now matching his own strength.
"How's it, Bai En?"
"This is my new power!"
Asta smiled, retracted his sword, and moved swiftly, swinging his blade at Bai En again. The continuous attacks were like a surging tide.
'His strength and speed have both greatly increased, he has the ability to float, and even Anti-Magic has started to overflow around him. It's a good buff.'
'But does he think he can win with just this?'
'He's thinking too much!'
Bai En's breathing quickened, his lungs greedily drawing in oxygen from the air, his blood flowing faster. Blue splashes of water bloomed from his cheeks, and patterns appeared.
"Take this! Take this!"
Seemingly retaliating for Bai En's earlier suppression on the flat ground, Asta attacked with abandon, so much so that he ignored the changes on Bai En's face. He swung his sword horizontally, but Bai En parried it with a single slash.
Asta was a bit stunned.
The situation did not improve.
Bai En's attack came again, his blade cutting a red line in the air.
"This...?"
After that, Asta, in his devil state, was like a fish on a chopping board. Bai En's figure flickered repeatedly, his blade inflicting new damage on Asta again and again.
And Asta was like a buzzing mosquito, his demon-slayer sword unable to even touch Bai En.
Yuno on the other side wasn't doing much better.
His released magic was repeatedly dispelled. Xiao Tong chased Yuno in the air, sharp slashing lines flying wildly.
Both were suppressed simultaneously.
It was at this moment that Asta and Yuno realized that Bai En had not used his full power in their previous exchange!
'Where? Where?'
Asta, with his Ki and Transparent World fully active, desperately tried to predict where Bai En would strike next.
He didn't know why his Ki and Transparent World, which had been foolproof against all previous opponents, seemed so powerless, even when facing the Three-Eyed Mages who were as strong as the Captain!
'I absolutely cannot give up!'
'React faster!'
Asta roared, "It's not over yet!"
"Right here... I'll surpass my limits!"
"I'm going to be the Wizard King!"
Although it was a reckless shout, it was unusually effective. He observed Bai En's movements with increasing calmness, even as new wounds constantly appeared on his body.
He didn't even notice himself that in his vision, Bai En's movements had slowed down slightly.
The black and red patterns reflecting Anti-Magic on his face now had an additional base color...
...