The enemy on the left was the first to summon his Destiny Ring. Spirit Runes concealed by the fog flickered with light, and a mirror appeared in his hand, swallowing the Light of Imprisonment. The enemy on the right was only a Fifth-Ring Arcanist and had only recently advanced to the fifth ring. He tried to use some relic in his hand to shatter the silver halos, but merely drove them away briefly.
The five halos were knocked away like the boomerangs from before, but the automatically tracking thaumaturgy locked onto him again. When they flew back, his relic was temporarily unusable, and the five halos slipped one after another around his neck and limbs, knocking him to the ground and leaving him unable to move.
The brief clash in the fog had been silent. The fallen man's companion, the man to Shade's left, muttered a curse that Shade did not catch, apparently complaining about his companion's incompetence. He discarded the illusory water mirror in his hand and swung his left hand in an exaggerated motion. A swarm of buzzing black mosquitoes flew from the circle traced by his palm.
"Miracle Technique - Plague Insects. Don't let the swarm get close."
The Apothecary Miss behind Shade warned him, but when she tried to rummage through her bag for a potion, she discovered that Shade had already vanished from where he stood.
The well-informed Sorceress raised an eyebrow, rating Shade even more highly in her heart. The Seventh Ring man, meanwhile, stood alertly in place and held his breath. His senses, muddled by the White Fog, failed to let him discover at the first moment that Shade had appeared behind him. But when the crimson short knife in Shade's hand pierced his body, his body shattered into mirror fragments.
Behind those