A Dead End?

Is that all?

Jiang Bai's voice was soft, yet it struck Wayne's heart like a heavy hammer, slamming into the very heart that he thought he had everything under control.

"What?"

Wayne's smug smile froze on his face before it could fully fade.

The words had barely left his mouth.

Jiang Bai finally made a move.

He was no longer the lazy man he once was; a chilling glint flashed in his half-closed eyes.

He slowly raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers together, pointing towards an empty space diagonally above him.

"Hollow Technique-- "

As if sensing that destructive power, the entire "Magic Power End Magic Circle" began to hum violently.

""Water chestnut"!"

A purplish-black beam of light, indescribable in words and containing endless nothingness, burst forth from Jiang Bai's fingertips.

It didn't bombard Wayne, nor did it attack any visible part of the magic circle; instead, it precisely shot at that seemingly empty point.

The next second.

"Snap--!"

A crisp sound, like shattering glass, rang out.

The massive "Magic Power End Magic Circle," which Wayne was so proud of and had spent years painstakingly creating, had its purple energy shield shattered like a work of art whose core had been precisely destroyed. From that one point, spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across the entire dome!

"Boom!"

The entire magic circle shattered completely, turning into countless purple specks of light that dissipated into the air.

Jiang Bai simply chatted with Wayne from beginning to end.

Or rather, they were using this spare time from chatting to analyze the structure of this complex magic circle.

It has to be said, this guy named Wayne is indeed quite clever.

He actually drew inspiration from Jiang Bai's "Infinity" and reverse-engineered this "Magic Power End Magic Circle".

It does not have a traditional array eye, but instead distributes all the spell nodes evenly throughout the space, forming a perfect closed loop.

The only way to destroy it is to find that one weak point hidden among the countless patterns of rune flow, the one that is out of sync and serves as the energy center.

And this moment is fleeting.

Wayne stood there, his expression incredibly complex.

Shocked, horrified, incredulous.

"N-N-what?! You... how could you possibly open it?!"

He pointed at Jiang Bai, his voice sharp and distorted with fear, perfectly portraying the despair of a plan utterly Crush.

However, just when Jiang Bai thought this farce was about to end...

Wayne's terrified face suddenly changed.

That deep-seated fear receded like the tide, replaced by a deeper, more insane, triumphant smile.

He spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly, his voice filled with icy mockery.

"Do you think I would have that kind of expression?"

After he finished speaking, he smiled.

They laughed unrestrainedly, laughing so hard they were doubled over.

"Haha! Jiang Bai! You've fallen for it!"

The instant Wayne's laughter rang out, a brand new magic circle lit up on the ground beneath Jiang Bai's feet without warning!

If the magic circle we just saw was purple, it was full of the characteristic of devouring magic power.

What's before us is pure, pitch-black, symbolizing absolute confinement and sealing!

Countless twisted, chain-like runes climbed up from the ground, emanating an eerie aura that even Jiang Bai found unsettling!

At this moment, the languor and composure on Jiang Bai's face finally vanished completely.

Instead, a sense of solemnity prevailed.

He could scan the first magic circle clearly with his mental power before landing.

So this is the real killing move, hidden beneath the first magic circle from beginning to end.

At first, he didn't notice at all!

Wayne's morbid, maniacal laughter echoed above the dark magic circle.

This time, Jiang Bai didn't pick his ears again, nor did he show any impatience.

He simply stood there quietly, his eyes, which always carried a hint of laziness, now sharp as a drawn sword.

He glanced down at the black runes that were constantly climbing and twisting at his feet, then looked up at Wayne, who looked like a madman, outside the formation.

Wayne reveled in the thrill of intellectual dominance. He spread his arms wide, like a conductor, and Jiang Bai to his proudest masterpiece.

"I call this magic circle 'Absolute Reflection Prison.' Its activation requires a crucial 'key,' which is the target's magic power. Thank you, Jiang Bai, thank you for opening the gates of hell for yourself."

He pointed at Jiang Bai inside the formation, his smile filled with malicious glee.

"Within this array, whatever magic you cast will be reflected back with 100% accuracy until the array reaches its maximum capacity. Of course, the most crucial point is..."

Wayne's smile turned sinister.

"It will completely negate your shameless 'Infinity' defense! In other words, Jiang Bai, all the attacks you unleash from now on will have to be taken solidly by your own physical body!"

If that were all, it wouldn't be considered a desperate situation.

"Oh, right." Wayne seemed to suddenly remember something, slapping his forehead, "You should be able to feel the air getting thinner, right? In at most a minute, this place will become a complete vacuum."

Jiang Bai's heart sank.

He glanced instinctively at Elfman, who was unconscious from exhaustion of magic, and Lisanna, who was also in a deep sleep, not far away.

He and Mirajane might be able to hold their breath for a long time thanks to their strong physiques, but in a vacuum, the two of them would suffocate to death in less than a few dozen seconds!

This is a dead end with a limited timeframe.

Wayne seemed to enjoy the serious expression that appeared on Jiang Bai's face for the first time, and he continued to slowly and methodically present his design.

"I know you're probably thinking, such a powerful magic circle must have a weakness, right?"

He smiled mysteriously. "That's right, its weakness is obvious. This 'Absolute Reflection Prison' is incredibly fragile if attacked by anyone other than you. Even a D-rank mage could easily break through it."

These words caused a glint of light to flash in Jiang Bai.

But Wayne's next words extinguished that glimmer of hope completely.

"But who still has magic left? One of your companions has exhausted his magic, and the other two are unconscious. What a pity, this enormous weakness is meaningless to you."

Jiang Bai remained silent, his gaze falling on Mirajane, who was struggling to support herself and looking at him with a worried expression.

Wayne caught his gaze.

"What's wrong, Jiang Bai?" Wayne's tone was full of mockery. "Are you thinking of waiting for Mirajane's magic to recover, and then attacking from within?"

"That's a great idea, but unfortunately..."

The smile on Wayne's face turned incredibly cold and cruel at that moment.

"Do you think I, Wayne, would overlook such an obvious detail?"

After saying that, he slammed both hands on the ground!

"Come forth! The third layer of despair!"

With his roar, a purple magic circle, several times larger than the previous two, suddenly lit up, centered on the black "Absolute Reflection Prison"!

The runes and fluctuations of this magic circle are exactly the same as the first "Magic Power End Magic Circle", but its range is wider and its aura is more ominous!

It completely enveloped the black prison, forming an insurmountable, enormous purple halo.

Wayne looked at Jiang Bai, who was standing in the center of the triple magic array, his face finally turning completely grim, and let out a hysterical laugh.

"This enhanced 'Magic Power End Magic Circle' will continuously drain the magic power from all of you! Not only will Mirajane be unable to recover, but even the last remaining trace of magic power within her will be completely squeezed out!"

"Unable to attack, air depleted, external support cut off, magic exhausted!"

"Jiang Bai! This is the perfect, dead end I prepared for you!"

"Enjoy this! Enjoy this death trap that I, Wayne, have personally crafted for you with my own brain—an absolutely unsolvable mystery! Hahaha!"