The sun barely pierced the heavy clouds shrouding the Clover Kingdom, as if nature itself sensed the rising tide of danger. Despite the recent battle during the Magic Knight Gathering, most citizens remained unaware of the looming storm. But within the Akatsuki base, the air buzzed with activity.
Inside the central chamber, Avi stood before an immense magical sphere, dozens of glowing lines crisscrossing inside it like veins. Each line connected a different event — ancient devil ruins, the corrupted glyphs, the recovered spell shard, the fading traces of Zagred, and the shadow of Lucius' schemes.
Avi (thought): "They've begun intertwining. This isn't just a sequence of threats. It's a convergence — a rebirth of ancient calamities masked as isolated events."
He reached forward, and the orb shifted, zooming in on a specific glyph recently found near the Heart Kingdom's border. The glyph pulsed faintly with elven magic.
Avi: "Time to revisit the roots. If Zagred's seal was never fully erased, then what lies beneath the Underwater Temple... may hold more than just sleeping power."
---
Scene: Akatsuki Briefing Room
Asta leaned over a large table covered with maps and scrolls, munching on a mana-charged apple. Yuno stood across, arms crossed, expression focused.
Avi: "Our next mission is unofficial, off the record. We're heading to the Underwater Temple."
Asta: "That place again? I thought it was just some magic game show with that dancing priest."
Yuno: "We sealed a devil's influence there once. Why go back?"
Avi: "Because Zagred's glyph has reappeared — and the mana in that region has become unstable."
Avi waved his hand, projecting an illusion of the temple. The normally blueish waters around it were now black, swirling with corrupted mana.
Avi: "It's being drawn somewhere. The seal beneath the temple might've cracked. If something is awakening, we stop it before it draws real attention."
Yuno: "Or Lucius notices."
Avi (smirking): "Exactly."
---
Scene: Journey to the Temple
Using Avi's spatial passage, the trio arrived at the ocean floor temple without alerting authorities. But as they entered, they noticed something different. Gone were the carefree sea folk. Instead, a heavy silence loomed. Even the sea beasts avoided the temple's boundaries.
Inside, remnants of the temple's old defenses lay shattered. And at the far end — the once dormant seal was glowing... red.
Avi: "We're late."
Suddenly, black tendrils burst from the ground. Creatures formed from cursed coral and dead sea life rose, snarling.
Asta (drawing sword): "Guess we're doing this the loud way!"
Yuno: "Wind Form: Tempest Barrage!"
They launched into battle. Avi didn't move. His eyes glowed.
Avi (thought): "These aren't random monsters. They're ritual constructs... guardians made to delay intruders. Which means someone's inside the core chamber."
He vanished in a blur of shadow.
---
Scene: Temple Core
In the innermost sanctum, a hooded figure chanted before a massive glyph drawn in devil blood. He held a fragment of a devil's horn — a relic once belonging to Morris, twisted by forbidden magic.
Rogue Mage: "With this... I revive Zagred's anchor. His mind, sealed, shall return through thought, through whispers, through us!"
Voice (calmly): "No, you won't."
The mage turned — but was too late. Avi appeared from thin air and slashed through the glyph with a blade made of concentrated origin magic.
Avi: "You think summoning a whisper of a devil is enough? You're a puppet. And your strings... were already cut."
The glyph shattered. The entire temple shook.
---
Scene: Collapse and Revelation
Asta and Yuno rushed in, cutting through the last constructs. They met Avi as he walked out from the sanctum, bloodied but calm.
Asta: "What was that?!"
Avi: "A remnant. A ritual meant to reawaken Zagred's consciousness. It's stopped. For now."
Yuno: "But they'll try again."
Avi: "Yes. And next time... they might succeed."
He held up a cracked artifact — a mask used in the ritual. On it were three runes: Zagred, Morris, and a new one — Beelzebub.
Avi (thought): "They're building a trinity. A pantheon of devils. Each faction, each pawn, pulling strings to resurrect chaos."
---
Scene: Akatsuki War Room – Later
Back at the base, Avi updated the map, connecting new glyphs to locations throughout the kingdom. One line glowed crimson, heading straight toward the Royal Capital's Magic Research Division.
Avi (thought): "They've infiltrated the heart of our kingdom. Time to prepare... for a silent war."
[To be continued in Chapter 17]