Traps and Regret!

Carl had directly exposed what the two of them were thinking, and Klaus's expression darkened even further.

"Enough, brat from the Black Bulls!"

"How you choose to act is your business. It has nothing to do with us of the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn's foremost priority is completing the mission."

"We came here under the captain's orders, not to be directed by you from the sidelines."

"Besides, our members are nobles with considerable magic power. We won't get into trouble that easily, and we don't need you teaching us what to do."

"Yuno, we continue forward."

Carl gave Yuno a dark look.

Asta, standing nearby, even began to grow angry.

"Yuno, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Did joining the Golden Dawn mean you can just ignore other people's lives now?!"

Asta's roar clearly affected Yuno.

Yuno struggled inwardly for some time before finally turning around and speaking to Asta in a subdued voice.

"The mission comes first."

"Once the mission is complete, I'll search for Senior Mimosa as quickly as I can, Asta."

"I will become the Wizard King."

Asta was instantly furious.

"Then don't become that kind of Wizard King!"

"Yuno, you've changed. You're a disgrace!"

Seeing the tense atmosphere between them, Carl calmly said to Asta,

"Come back, Asta."

Asta still wanted to argue, even wanting to grab hold of Yuno.

But Carl said,

"Everyone has their own ambitions. We shouldn't stop them."

"Their mission is to explore the ruins, while for us, the bond between teammates matters more."

"Right now, we need to devote ourselves to finding the witch Vanessa and Mimosa."

Magna hesitantly asked from the side,

"Carl, then what about our mission?"

Carl turned to Magna with a smile.

"I don't think the mission is that simple."

"Anyway, finding people is what matters. Once the team is together, then we can consider whether we'll be lucky enough to obtain any rewards."

Magna nodded heavily.

Then, at Carl's call, everyone retreated in the direction behind them and began a thorough search for Vanessa and Mimosa.

In the distance, Yuno saw the choice made by Carl and the other Black Bulls, and his expression immediately became extremely unpleasant.

After a moment of silence, Klaus turned to Yuno and said,

"Don't worry."

"Although we really are in the wrong on this matter, a mission is a mission."

"Yuno, I hope you can put aside your prejudice."

"And now that they've begun searching for their teammates, you can worry even less."

Yuno remained silent.

However, his expression became even more uncertain.

Steel Creation Magic continued to force its way forward as Klaus and Yuno traveled through all kinds of passages.

Whenever they encountered somewhere they could not pass through, Klaus would quickly use Steel Magic to bore out a tunnel.

With the support of their magic, the two advanced faster and faster.

Yuno was exceptionally quiet, only occasionally releasing magic to assist.

Klaus had originally wanted to comfort Yuno.

But in the next moment, thick gray smoke suddenly bloomed around them.

It was as though they had punctured something terrifying.

The instant the Steel Magic was withdrawn, dense black mist surged out of the opening and swept toward them.

Yuno's eyes widened in alarm, and he immediately reacted.

However, having been distracted just moments earlier, he was ultimately a beat too slow. In the next instant, the black mist lunged at them like tentacles.

Yuno's Wind Magic surged continuously, trying to disperse the gray mist.

But the mist seemed alive, crawling out from every corner without end.

Klaus's eyes were filled with shock. When Mimosa had disappeared earlier, this mist had appeared as well.

And now, as the two continued their exploration, the mist was more than dozens of times stronger than before.

At this moment, Klaus was thoroughly horrified.

"Steel Creation Magic—Steel Blade!"

Countless terrifying blades instantly formed before Klaus and slashed repeatedly in every direction.

Earth, stone, and rubble were continuously cut away.

Yet the mist seeped in through every opening, continuing to flood this cramped space. Klaus could not even catch a glimpse of the enemy, and he was utterly alarmed.

A flicker of panic flashed through Yuno's eyes.

His strength had clearly increased so much. Why did he still seem so powerless when facing magic like this?

At that moment, Yuno immediately mobilized all the magic power in his body.

The green Four-leaf Grimoire frantically flipped through its pages.

The terrifying wind-element aura it released continuously swirled around Yuno.

It formed a green wind barrier.

Seeing this, Klaus immediately shouted,

"Yuno, well done!"

At the same time, his gaze sharpened, and he roared,

"Steel Creation Magic—Steel Fortress!"

With his roar, the surrounding magic power immediately began to swell.

In almost an instant, the two were enclosed within a steel cage created by Klaus.

They fell into darkness.

Outside the steel cage, however, the gray mist corroded the steel structure like poison.

Klaus's expression shifted constantly.

At this rate, the two of them would not be able to hold out for long. Green light shone from Yuno's body, illuminating them both.

He could not help asking,

"Senior Klaus, what do we do now?"

Klaus fell silent.

Their advance had originally gone extremely smoothly.

And with their strength, even if they encountered formidable opponents, they would have had nothing to fear. Yet this strange gray mist was entirely outside that category.

The enemy had not even revealed itself, yet it was already toying with them in the palm of its hand.

There was no need to even speak of confronting it head-on.

If this continued, the two of them would likely be worn to death here.

Klaus's expression became exceptionally grave.

Steel Creation Magic was indeed outstanding in terms of attack power. In direct combat, he was among the very best in the Golden Dawn. But against this kind of mist-based magic, he had no way to respond at all.

Moreover, the strange corrosion and weakening effects carried by the mist left him completely helpless.

Seeing Klaus's expression, Yuno seemed to understand something.

At that moment, he even felt a trace of regret.

Senior Mimosa's situation was still entirely unknown.

Yet they had recklessly pressed onward. Not only had they gained nothing from the Elves' dungeon ruins, they had instead become trapped here.

It was simply a colossal joke.

If they had gone with Carl and the others to search for their teammates earlier, perhaps things would have turned out differently.

After all, if Mimosa were here, the three of them might have been able to join forces and make one desperate stand. At the very least, when facing this strange corrosion, Mimosa's healing magic would have given them a little more confidence.

But now, every hypothetical was far too late.

Yuno fell silent, facing Klaus in wordless dismay.

The green light around Yuno gradually faded as well.

The two quietly sat within the steel cage Klaus had built with his own hands.

The corrosive power outside continued to intensify.

The steel fortress seemed to be peeled away layer by layer.

Sweat beaded on Klaus's forehead, rapidly evaporating beneath the oppressive effects of corrosion and weakness.