A faint, transparent white light flickered.

Each card shimmered with a translucent glow as mirrors, each over two meters tall, emerged from them.

Creating so many mirrors on the spot would have been impossible with Ed's limited mana. However, activating the spells pre-inscribed on the cards made the task far easier.

The mirrors quickly combined and connected.

In an instant, Nivek was trapped within a maze of mirrors.

Everywhere he looked, he saw his own reflection and the image of Ed. He couldn't determine Ed's actual location, which was intensely frustrating. To make matters worse, the mirrors shifted according to Ed's will.

The creation of each spell card reflected the maker's mastery and comprehension of the magic.

Take, for example, the blue [Spiral Water Chain] card. Top-tier creations, like those made by Jack, had gradient-colored backs that looked incredibly sophisticated. Ed, however, could only manage a solid aquamarine back, his technique was lacking, and his mastery of the spell was not yet proficient.

This resulted in vastly different effectiveness when using the same cards to restrain Nivek.

Of the three spells at his disposal, he hadn't been a practitioner long enough. He was only truly familiar with the [Spiral Water Chain], which allowed him to create a spell card from it. The other two, while usable, couldn't yet be transcribed into cards. Casting them directly would consume too much of his magical power.

The [Mirror] spell was different.

Ed had already begun learning it while examining the treasure, achieving perfect compatibility. Consequently, he had poured considerable time and effort into it, and the spell had lived up to his expectations, rapidly ascending in his repertoire.

While learning two spells simultaneously, Ed had already perfectly imprinted the [Mirror] spell onto a card. The imprinting process itself hadn't required much time or effort. This was the immense advantage of a self-taught spell.

At this moment, Nivek broke the water chain around his waist, completely regaining his freedom. He stared at the surrounding mirror maze; Ed seemed to be right in front of him.

But he knew a little about magic and recognized this as an illusion. He could only keep turning, left and right, staying vigilant against Ed's attacks.

"With your magical mastery, can you really see through this?" Ed's mocking voice, somehow altered, seemed to come from all directions.

The surrounding mirrors, positioned at clever angles, reflected countless images of Ed, all seemingly staring at Nivek.

The clown, eyes wide with anger, spat, "Just keep hiding behind these mirrors. Once I pull you out, I'll make sure you don't even have the strength to cry."

I know, I know, you're going to feed me my own dick. How many times are you going to repeat the same thing? Be creative and say something else, Ed's reflection in the mirror shook his head helplessly. Then, he suddenly raised his right hand, a metal card glinting between his fingers.

He flung it toward Nivek.

The tightly connected mirrors reflected the card's trajectory. Nivek frantically swayed left and right, trying to dodge.

Whoosh!

He spotted the metal card and immediately dodged to the side, successfully avoiding it. However, Ed hadn't thrown just one card.

Another metal card struck Nivek's thigh.

"Damn it!" He angrily ripped the card out. The profusely bleeding wound began to heal slowly, aided by the crimson thorns.

He then lunged forward, arms outstretched, swinging them wildly.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of shattering mirrors filled the air. Nivek was destroying mirrors everywhere; he had literally become a bulldozer. He decided to use brute force against this annoying magical skill. If he could destroy the mirrors faster than Ed could remake them, he could turn the tide.

Just then, another card flew over and slashed at Nivek's buttocks.

"Aaaaaaah!"

The extremely humiliating attack completely overwhelmed Nivek's rage. He turned and charged toward the direction of the attack, only to find himself facing another mirror.

"With such a hot temper, are you sure you chose the right profession? The character of a clown doesn't seem very suitable for you. You can indeed make people cry from pain, but making them laugh... that is not your cup of tea."

Ed's voice sounded from all directions. The shattered mirror he had just turned from had somehow been restored.

Nivek began his indiscriminate assault. He was like an out-of-control bull, not caring about anything else, just wanting to dig Ed out from behind the mirrors and eat him alive.

Several more cards flew over and embedded themselves in his body. He didn't even bother to remove them, letting them hinder his wounds' healing and allow his blood to flow freely.

This is troublesome, Ed watched Nivek's exaggerated recovery speed, feeling a headache coming on.

Although Nivek was incredibly frenzied, his movements remained controlled above his shoulders. This allowed him to protect his head and heart at all times. While seemingly insane, his attacks were methodical and purposeful. He knew his advantages perfectly well.

Ed needed an opportunity to strike hard.

In the mirror, Ed raised his shotgun. As Nivek shattered that mirror, Ed suddenly raised the gun and fired at Nivek's head.

Nivek instantly became alert, raising his hand to protect his head. But to his surprise, his wrist shattered in the process. The left hand used to shield his head was almost severed at the wrist, held together only by a few strands of skin, flesh, and fascia.

The blood-red thorns on his hand emitted a frenzied crimson light, but the repair process was extremely slow.

Ed, who had just appeared in front of Nivek, quickly darted to the side, and countless mirrors reappeared. Nivek lost Ed's position once more.

Were severed wounds almost impossible to heal?

Looking at the scene, Ed smiled slightly. Another card appeared in his hand. The back of the card was a gradient silver. As Ed poured his magic into it, silver light condensed at the card's edge.

With a swing of his hand, it shot out rapidly.

Seeing this, Nivek frantically retreated. This was a card he had never seen before; he didn't know its function.

"This is the difference between a clown and a magician. The level ceiling of both professions is worlds apart. A clown can only dance before others," Ed's voice echoed.

The silver card pierced through mirror after mirror, slashing toward Nivek's neck from behind. Everything in its path was pierced; its flight was silent. A silver flash streaked across the ground.

Nivek froze.

He knelt on the ground, his body slowly slumping forward. His right hand, which had been protecting the back of his head, was severed cleanly at the forearm, crashing to the ground with his body. A round object, bathed in blood, rolled away.

Nivek's expression was a mixture of anger and disbelief.

The cut surface was unusually smooth. The silver card, having drawn a straight line, embedded itself in the vault wall.

The mirrors that had appeared around them began to shatter on their own, turning into specks of light that disappeared into the air.

Ed's figure appeared, still holding the shotgun, ready to fire at any moment. However, the power of the silver card had exceeded his expectations; he had only anticipated severing Nivek's hands, but it had directly ended the battle in one go.

He holstered the shotgun on his thigh and came before the corpse.

"A perfect farewell. Hopefully, you will suffer more in hell. Your death was a bit too cheap. If only I were more powerful, I could show you what true torture means," Ed said coldly, kicking Nivek's head a few times to vent his anger. After all, he had suffered greatly because of this madman. Giving his opponent a quick death left him feeling unsatisfied, but sadly, there was nothing he could do. The weak don't have the right to choose.

Ed then put away his hat, picked up the storage bag, and immediately crouched down to continue filling it with the surrounding treasure, the task interrupted by the mad clown.

Only after finishing did he return to begin looting Nivek's body, searching for anything of value.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.