At this moment atop the high platform, everyone was gazing into the distance, where Rades was wreaking havoc across the city.
At the same time, they received a piece of news that made their hearts sink:
Vangence had disappeared from the monitoring team's sight — and left the Golden Dawn!
"I know, it's hard to believe. A friend you've fought side by side with, shared life-and-death missions for ten or twenty years, turns out to be a spy, a traitor. But that's the truth. From the very start until now, every step, I've called it correctly. I've been reasoning according to his criminal logic. Of course, you can still deceive yourselves, saying it's all a coincidence. It's up to you how you want to think about it," Ethan Hayes' voice rang out, his gaze fixed on the distance.
This was the outcome he had anticipated.
Langris' failure meant that Vangence had lost his last chance to control the situation.
In order to keep his secret from being exposed, he would have no choice but to take action himself.
Of course, accidents happen during a fight — afterward, he could claim he simply couldn't hold back.
But all of this was already factored into Ethan's plan.
"Wizard King, it won't be long before Vangence shows up. If I'm right, he's coming to silence witnesses. When that happens, it's up to you!" Ethan reminded him.
A traitor was a traitor, but Vangence was still strong — he was the captain of the strongest Magic Knight squad, the Golden Dawn.
His magical power was at least Third Domain level — something Ethan couldn't match right now, much less rescue someone from him.
But the Wizard King could!
Not only was he at the Zero Domain, but with his time magic, he was the perfect person to carry out a rescue mission.
Upon hearing this, the Wizard King didn't answer, his face extremely solemn as he watched events unfold.
His heart was in turmoil.
As a friend, someone who had watched Vangence grow up, he didn't want to see Vangence standing across from him.
But as the Wizard King, he had to face it.
Only by rooting out this instability could the Clover Kingdom find peace again.
The other captains were thinking similarly, all wearing heavy expressions.
"He's coming!" someone shouted.
In the distance, Vangence's figure appeared, making everyone curse under their breath.
The Wizard King's figure disappeared from the platform the very next second.
Ethan wasn't worried at all.
If there was anyone in the Clover Kingdom who was truly impartial, it was the Wizard King.
For the Kingdom's peace and prosperity, he would even sacrifice his own life without hesitation.
That was Julius.
That was the Wizard King!
In midair, flying toward Rades, Vangence opened his grimoire.
Massive magical power erupted, causing the heavens and earth to lose their color.
"World Tree Magic — Descent of the World Tree!"
A colossal magical tree, swirling with storm clouds, descended from the sky with overwhelming force.
Rades, sensing the mortal danger, didn't hesitate.
"Necromancy Magic — No. 0: Michel Kaiser!"
He summoned his strongest undead puppet — a towering, mask-wearing giant.
The puppet stretched out both arms, using two different types of magic to block the falling World Tree.
This earned Rades precious seconds to flee.
His heart sank.
Rades snapped out of his earlier bloodthirsty mood.
"Tch... World Tree Magic... Captain of the Golden Dawn!"
This was an opponent he couldn't possibly handle.
He needed to escape the capital and question Licht directly!
"You're not getting away!"
Vangence controlled the magical tree, causing vines to spread.
Even though magic types could counter each other, when the difference in magical power was this vast, attribute advantages meant nothing.
Rades, whose magic barely reached the Fifth Domain and focused mainly on summoning, had no chance against Vangence.
In just a few breaths, the situation turned dire.
Even Michel Kaiser, his strongest puppet, was crushed to pieces by the World Tree's vines.
Rades himself was soon bound up tightly like a dumpling, unable to move.
Sharpened vines lunged at him — Vangence's eyes gleamed coldly.
All he needed was to kill Rades, and his secret would be safe.
As for explaining his presence here, he could easily claim he was protecting the capital during the chaos.
After all, Rades was a fugitive from prison — killing him was perfectly justifiable.
As long as Rades died, everything could be spun accordingly.
The vines closed in on Rades' throat.
Just as they were about to pierce through him, time around them suddenly slowed.
A familiar voice rang out, making Vangence's face change:
"Time Magic — Time Freeze!"
There were no dazzling special effects — everything seemed plain and ordinary.
Yet the vine, less than a centimeter from Rades' throat, froze in place.
In the next instant, the Wizard King appeared beside Rades, carrying him away.
Time resumed its normal flow.
The Wizard King sighed inwardly as he looked at Vangence, a complicated expression on his face.
Just as Ethan had said — he really had intended to kill.
Vangence had already subdued Rades; there was no need to strike a killing blow.
Yet he chose to do it anyway.
This clashed with his earlier behavior — trying to prove his innocence by keeping everything under surveillance.
If he were truly innocent, he would have had no reason to kill Rades.
Choosing to silence him could only mean one thing:
There was a secret involving Rades that Vangence couldn't allow anyone to know.
And what secret could exist between a cop and a criminal?
Only collusion.
Or perhaps, just as Ethan said — Vangence was the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun!
"Wizard King, you're just in time," Vangence said calmly. "Rades tried to escape from the prison — not sure what the guards were doing, letting such chaos break out..."
"Save it," Ethan cut in coldly. "There's no point in acting now. The moment you decided to take matters into your own hands, you had already lost!"
As Ethan spoke, the other Magic Knight captains gathered beside the Wizard King, all wearing heavy expressions.
The facts were right in front of them.
Vangence's behavior didn't fit the logic of someone trying to prove their innocence.
And more importantly — Ethan had predicted every step correctly.
Watching Vangence remain calm, Ethan couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration.
Even now, the man stayed as steady as a rock.
But it was useless.
Today, his false mask would finally be torn off.
"Rades," Ethan called out. "You know what to do if you want to live."
Rades looked at Ethan deeply, then shifted his gaze to Vangence.
He didn't know the full story between Ethan, the captains, and Vangence.
But Ethan's offer had been clear: accuse Vangence of being the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, and he would live.
Of course, Rades, who had met Licht personally, knew Vangence wasn't the real leader.
But what did it matter?
Let them fight among themselves.
He just wanted to survive — to question Licht face-to-face.
At this point, he didn't hesitate anymore.
"Fine. I'll tell the truth.
Yes, he — Vangence — is the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun!"
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