"Nice!"
Hearing that, Ethan Hayes' lips curved into a small smile.
Everything he had done, every calculation he had made, was all for this very moment.
Whether Rades actually knew Vangence's true identity didn't matter anymore.
What mattered was that at this place, this time, with Vangence's suspicious behavior and all the captains present to witness it —
All that was needed was for Rades to point the finger at him!
No matter how Vangence tried to explain or deny it, it was useless now.
Because at this moment, everything was aimed squarely at him.
"Rades, you're slandering me," Vangence said, trying to stay composed. "I, the proud Captain of the Golden Dawn, how could I possibly be the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun?"
Although Vangence kept his face calm, inside he was full of confusion and panic.
By all rights, Rades shouldn't have known his real identity.
So why had he accused him so confidently?
It didn't make sense.
It defied logic.
But when Vangence's eyes swept over Ethan and saw that faint, knowing smile on his face—
He suddenly understood.
"It's him... it was all him!"
It didn't matter whether Rades knew or not.
What mattered was that he had been made to say it, under these delicate circumstances.
Right now, even the smallest crack could shatter the fragile balance.
And Rades' accusation was the final straw that broke the camel's back.
"Vangence, I want to believe you," one of the captains said, voice heavy. "But this is too serious. You have to come back with us for an investigation."
"That's right. Come with us. We'll uncover the truth together..."
Despite some captains still wanting to believe in Vangence, the situation left no room for doubt anymore.
Everyone could only hope Vangence wasn't really the traitor — but they would find out the truth back at headquarters.
"Sigh..."
Vangence let out a deep breath.
The grimoire floating beside him began to glow ominously.
Go back for an investigation?
That would be walking straight into a trap.
There would be no escape.
At this point, there was no room left for negotiation.
He hadn't thought that after hiding for so many years, carefully planning everything, he would be exposed by a teenager not even twenty years old.
How ridiculous.
How laughable!
"World Tree Magic — Great Tree of Misteltein!"
BOOM!
Magic power surged, and a colossal tree shot out of the ground, its canopy stretching hundreds of meters wide.
Seeing Vangence attack, any lingering doubts or hesitations vanished from the captains' hearts.
Each one opened their grimoires without hesitation.
Him taking action was the ultimate proof of his guilt.
[Dark Magic — Dark Bind: Nameless Slash]
[Mercury Magic — Blades of Silver]
[Painting Magic — Twin Tempests of Flame and Frost]
Almost simultaneously, seven squad captains attacked.
Countless spells blasted toward the towering tree.
Meanwhile, Ethan quickly pulled Rades aside, retreating to a safer distance.
He knew perfectly well — now was not the time for him to stand out.
A battle between captains was far beyond his current level.
Besides, he had other priorities.
"Take advantage of the chaos and get out of here," Ethan said to Raies. "But next time we meet, don't expect mercy."
Rades glanced at him complicatedly, but without a word, leapt across rooftops and disappeared into the night.
Ethan kept his word — once he made a promise, he stuck to it.
And honestly, Rades wasn't that important to him. Killing him would have been meaningless.
Turning back, Ethan smiled lightly and said,
"By the way, Wizard King — you're not going to intervene?"
He had noticed that the Wizard King hadn't moved.
Neither to stop Ethan from letting Rades go, nor to help the captains against Vangence.
He just stood there, watching.
"He won't get away," Julius said, shaking his head with a weary expression.
The Wizard King understood Vangence's strength — and the other captains' strength — better than anyone.
Individually, Vangence's World Tree Magic was fearsome.
But now it was seven against one!
Even Julius himself would have struggled under those odds.
Catching Vangence was only a matter of time.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Just like Julius said, Vangence quickly fell into a dire situation under the combined assault.
His World Tree Magic was powerful and covered a massive area —
But it had one fatal weakness: lack of speed.
In a fight against multiple opponents, you could get away with weak attacks or even weak defense —
But if you lacked speed, you were doomed.
This was a hard lesson Ethan had learned in his own scuffles.
Without speed, you couldn't retreat, couldn't dodge — you were just a sitting duck.
"Not good!"
Suddenly, a bad feeling struck Ethan.
At that moment, Vangence's body began to shimmer and transform rapidly in front of everyone's eyes.
In the blink of an eye, he changed into someone else!
"Huh?"
"What the...?"
"Who is that?!"
Everyone froze in shock.
Where had Vangence gone?
Who was this new person standing there?
"Careful! That guy is the real leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun — Licht!" Ethan shouted.
Everyone was stunned.
What do you mean?
Wasn't it Vangence just now?
Now this one was too?!
[Light Creation Magic — Blades of Conviction!]
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Blades of searing light came hurtling toward them at incredible speed.
There was no time to think — everyone had to dodge immediately.
And they noticed something else —
Not only had the person changed, but even the grimoire had changed.
Earlier, Vangence's grimoire was a three-leaf clover, glowing green.
Now, this person's grimoire was a four-leaf clover, shining golden with light magic!
"Another time, then!"
With a flash, Licht's body turned into pure light and vanished from the battlefield.
In the next instant, he reappeared hundreds of meters away.
At that speed, unless the Wizard King personally intervened, no one could catch him.
Yet Julius still made no move.
Ethan noticed it too and sighed inwardly.
"Ah well... If we couldn't catch him, at least we forced him out into the open. That's already a big win."
Ethan chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Sometimes you had to know when to be content —
No mistakes had been made, and they had exposed the true enemy hiding in the shadows.
And honestly, even during the battle, Ethan could tell —
The captains like Yami and the others hadn't gone all out.
Deep down, they still clung to a sliver of hope that Vangence might not be the traitor.
It was understandable.
After all, they had been comrades for decades.
The fact that they didn't shelter him and still chose justice —
That was already enough.
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