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Bartley froze in place, completely dumbfounded. Then he roared, "Stop messing around!"
Countless beams of light magic burst from his hands and shot straight toward the demon.
The demon just murmured softly, "Word Magic—return."
And just like that, every single beam of light reversed direction and flew straight back at Bartley.
Yuno turned into a gust of wind, swooping in to grab Bartley and the fallen elves before the light blades hit.
"I'm not letting anyone lay their filthy hands on that body!"
(The elves had revived using human bodies. Even though their minds were those of elves, the bodies belonged to Yuno's human comrades.)
"I was planning to deal with you all later," the demon sneered, "but this unexpected mess is kind of interesting. Still, one thing's for sure—this demon is trash."
Yuno clenched his teeth. "Then all we need to do is beat him. Once he's down, it's over."
"Let me finish this myself. Mana Zone—Spirit Storm!"
A massive surge of green wind roared toward the demon.
The demon calmly whispered, "Word Magic—Vacuum Wall."
A white barrier appeared before him, effortlessly blocking Yuno's attack.
"In front of my Word Magic," the demon said confidently, "everything you do is meaningless."
Yuno's eyes went wide. "Word Magic? That kind of spell's totally broken!"
He gritted his teeth. "Even after getting stronger, I finally get it—I can't beat him. Not alone."
Just then, two figures dropped from the sky—Asta and Mimosa.
"Yuno!!" Asta shouted.
Yuno smiled. "You're late, Asta."
Asta stared at the demon, horrified. "What the hell is that disgusting, pitch-black thing?!"
He squinted. "Wait a sec… why does it look kinda familiar?"
The demon looked up at them lazily. "More uninvited guests? Whatever. I'll deal with you later."
He turned his head slightly. "Word Magic—come here."
In an instant, Bartley found himself standing right next to the demon, completely stunned.
(Word Magic—whatever he says becomes reality. He just recreated Lord Ronny's exchange magic!)
Bartley roared, "Stop kidding around!"
"Light Creation Magic—Whip of Judgment!"
A golden light whip appeared in his hand, lashing toward the demon—
"Word Magic—disappear," the demon said softly.
And the whip vanished mid-swing.
"Word Magic—Iron Spears."
The ground erupted with countless black iron spikes, piercing straight through Bartley's body.
"ASTA!" Yuno yelled. "That disgusting thing is the real culprit behind everything!"
Wind swirled violently around Yuno as he shot toward the demon.
Asta drew his sword, his body half-demonized as he charged in alongside Yuno.
The demon just smiled. "Word Magic—Blade Storm."
The sky filled with countless razor-sharp blades flying toward them.
Asta slashed furiously, deflecting one after another. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Some of these are real weapons mixed in! My anti-magic can't erase them!"
(Asta's five-leaf grimoire grants him anti-magic power that can nullify any magic—but not physical attacks.)
Yuno darted through the air, barely dodging. "Damn it! I'm using everything I've got just to avoid getting shredded!"
The demon's tone turned cold. "Word Magic—Vacuum Wall. Crush them. Flatten them. Destroy them."
An invisible force slammed into Yuno and Asta, pressing them deep into the ground.
The demon strolled toward the impaled Bartley. "You awake yet?"
"Thanks to your efforts, time that had long been frozen has finally started moving again."
"Five hundred years ago, that meddlesome Wizard King and Elf King stopped my transformation."
"But ever since then, I've been waiting—for my next vessel."
"You, blessed with mana, young and easily swayed… my perfect new sacrifice."
"Tragedy and a sense of duty—those two things alone were enough to make you cast that forbidden reincarnation spell."
Bartley stared in disbelief. "What… what are you talking about?! It was Lord Licht who revived us!"
"He used forbidden magic because he wanted to entrust his last hope to us!"
The demon chuckled darkly. "Wrong."
"It wasn't Licht who brought you back—it was me."
"You led your little band of fools exactly down the path I designed for you."
"Truly impressive."
"But the future you reached wasn't what Licht wanted."
"It was the one I needed—for my soul's rebirth and my new flesh."
Bartley trembled. "No… no, that's not true! Licht and I were both chosen by four-leaf grimoires!"
The demon smirked. "Yes, chosen—because you were bright, strong… and stupid. The perfect pawn."
Dark magic enveloped Bartley's body as his golden light began to twist and turn black.
The demon laughed mockingly. "How pathetic. Humans, elves—it doesn't matter. Your dreams, your desires—they're all just my favorite toys."
Suddenly, Yuno's furious voice cut through the air. "Cut the crap!"
"You crawl out of nowhere and start wrecking everything like you own the place!"
Yuno and Asta burst out from underground, standing shoulder to shoulder.
Asta pointed his sword at the demon. "You're crazy strong, yeah, and creepy as hell—but who the hell do you think you are?"
"Either way, you seriously piss me off!"
...
Comment Section / Cross-World Chat
Natsu (Fairy Tail):
"Word Magic?! That's cheating! You say something and it happens? My Dragon Slayer magic looks lame now!"
Nagato (Naruto):
"That demon's ability is terrifying. If words become reality, how do you even fight that?"
Might Guy:
"Then let him taste my Fist of Youth!"
Goku (Dragon Ball):
"Man, that's strong! If he says it, does my Kamehameha just vanish? There's gotta be a limit to his power though. Still, pretty fun opponent!"
MetalSeadramon (Digimon):
"That move breaks every rule I've ever seen!"
Angewomon:
That dark, cold energy around him makes my circuits crawl."
Black Zetsu (Naruto):
"Unmatched power and a cunning mind. A dangerous combination indeed."
Danzo (Naruto):
"A convenient ability. Sometimes, to achieve your goals, you must use any means necessary."
Sengoku (One Piece):
"What nonsense, Danzo! Another wicked man like you deserves a cell."
Akainu (One Piece):
"Figures. That ninja world's got no sense of justice!"
Inuyasha:
"Why's every world got some freak like this? He's as twisted as Naraku!"
Luffy (One Piece):
"Let the Super Saiyan God from Dragon Ball beat that creepy demon up!"
Whitebeard:
"Hey, magma brat, why don't you test that demon's strength yourself?"
Aizen (Bleach):
"My blade doesn't care what kind of magic you use. A demon like that—one strike and it's over."
Kenpachi (Bleach):
"Heh. A demon like that? Sounds fun to cut down!"
"..."
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