The skies above the Clover Kingdom had taken on an ominous hue. What once felt like the calm after a battle had quickly transformed into the uneasy stillness before a hurricane. Avi, perched high atop the central watchtower of the Akatsuki palace, overlooked his vast, living dimension. His thoughts were scattered between immediate threats and long-term schemes. But above all, he remained rooted in his role—the invisible guardian of fate.
Avi (thought): "Fuegoleon was supposed to fall… and he nearly did. That attack by Licht was aimed to sow chaos. But I diverted just enough of that light blade's path. He's wounded, but alive—and now more motivated than ever. Good. That single change... will ripple across the kingdom."
Behind the scenes, Avi had been working relentlessly to ensure the timeline held firm to the canonical events, while quietly dismantling threats that could alter everything. He never took credit, never showed his true strength, and instead let his wood clones and illusions dance in the place of his presence.
---
A week had passed since the Magic Knights' Gathering and the ensuing attack that shook the capital. In that time, multiple squads were undergoing reconstruction and strategic reassessment. The Wizard King himself had placed extra eyes on regions affected by devil magic.
Meanwhile, in the Akatsuki Base, Asta and Yuno stood in front of a magical bulletin board where their newly assigned missions had begun appearing via enchanted scrolls.
Yuno: "Another batch? The kingdom doesn't seem to be slowing down."
Asta: "Good! That means we're needed. Let's show them Akatsuki isn't just a cool name!"
Avi: "Pick missions wisely. The Kingdom's enemies are getting smarter. Not every cry for help is genuine."
Avi knew this batch of missions included more than just rogue bandits or corrupted beasts. Hidden among the list was a mission linked to the Elves—specifically, a ruin discovered deep beneath a dried lakebed that emitted strange mana at night. It was a bait set by a few surviving cultists attempting to revive the forbidden reincarnation ritual.
Avi (thought): "I'll send Yuno and Asta. But I'll cloak them in blessings and hidden protection. If this mission awakens even a sliver of an elf's soul... I'll intervene silently."
---
Elsewhere, in the Spade Kingdom, Lucius Zogratis stood in front of a crystalline mirror, observing timelines in fractal glimmers. His brows furrowed.
Lucius: "The Asta anomaly continues to grow. Yuno... unnaturally precise in every mission. But who is this... Avi?"
He waved his hand. Avi's face emerged, blurred, surrounded by swirling fog.
Lucius: "No clear record. No magical signature stable long enough to track. He's... hiding behind layers of forged fate. Intriguing."
Lucius tapped into a hidden relic—Zagred's corrupted grimoire fragment—and began summoning residual data.
Lucius: "Let's see if the Word Devil left behind anything useful."
---
Back in the Akatsuki base, Avi summoned Asta and Yuno for a strategy meeting. Using the central magical map, he pointed to three key sites: the lakebed ruins, a dungeon recently unearthed near the Clover-Heart border, and a faint magical spike in a forbidden zone under lockdown.
Avi: "We'll split up. Asta, you and I will handle the ruins. Yuno, I need you to lead a support team to the dungeon. Be sharp. I sense distortions."
Asta: "I've got your back, Avi!"
Yuno: "Understood. I'll take a clone with me. If anything deviates from the plan, I'll signal immediately."
Avi (thought): "Good. He's grown into a commander. Just as the future demands."
---
At the ruins, Avi and Asta found a surprisingly tranquil landscape—dry, cracked earth with what looked like ancient elven carvings embedded in the surrounding rocks.
Asta: "You sure this place isn't just... ancient art?"
Avi: "Trust your instincts. Mana lingers here. Foul mana."
Suddenly, a blinding pillar of green light erupted from beneath the lakebed. Chains of magic shot out toward Asta.
Avi: "Move!"
Asta dodged, but just barely. From the pit emerged a skeletal figure, cloaked in old priest robes, eyes glowing with an unnatural emerald fire.
Dark Cultist: "The vessel has arrived. The Soul Exchange Ritual... will begin again!"
Before Asta could attack, the cultist summoned remnants of elven souls—fractured and hollow, but filled with rage. Four twisted figures surrounded them.
Avi: "I'll handle the cultist. You cleanse the souls."
As Asta fought, each soul took on the visage of an ancient elf. He struggled—not because of power, but because of hesitation.
Asta: "They're suffering... not evil."
Avi (thought): "Good. He sees more than enemies. That's what separates a weapon from a hero."
With a subtle flick, Avi summoned a runic seal underneath the cultist—his system-enhanced spell unraveling the ritual and scattering the corrupted mana. Asta, empowered by anti-magic, absorbed the residual force and purified the lingering souls.
As the battle ended, Avi turned to the shattered altar and marked it with a blood seal.
Avi (thought): "One less foothold for Lucius."
---
Meanwhile, Yuno's team was ambushed at the dungeon. A group of rogue mages—former Diamond Kingdom soldiers—had used the dungeon's unstable mana to power themselves. Yuno, despite his composed nature, found himself strained.
Just as one rogue was about to cast a fatal spell from behind, a spectral tree emerged and blocked the attack. A soft voice echoed in Yuno's mind.
Avi (via clone): "Don't let your guard down, Commander."
Yuno smirked. "Thanks, shadow."
With renewed resolve, Yuno overwhelmed the remaining enemies and secured the dungeon's core, recovering a corrupted relic later traced to Zagred's influence.
---
Later that night, the trio returned to the Akatsuki base. Avi stood once more atop the central tower, watching as stars twinkled in the artificial sky of the dimension.
Avi (thought): "We are entering the true storm. The Elves are waking. Zagred's echoes grow louder. And Lucius is watching me now."
He opened his hand, revealing a flickering black crystal.
Avi: "You wanted to revive an age of despair… but I've rewritten your prophecy. The future belongs to those who stand in the light. And from the shadows, I will shape that light."
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[To be continued in Chapter 26...]