Divination Is Ineffective Against Devils!
Neige's mana had never been inferior to that of the Magic Knights to begin with.
The combination of Snow Magic and Water Magic not only produced far more powerful compound spells—it could also give rise to a third attribute: Ice Magic.
Yuuki had conducted experiments on this himself. A single soul could bear two mana origins at most. If a third were added, the soul would inevitably collapse. At least for now, he had yet to discover anyone capable of enduring three mana origins simultaneously.
Mariella activated her spatial magic. In a flash, she vanished together with Rebecca, Neige, and Fana.
Once the four had departed,
Yuuki glanced at the fire salamander sprawled lazily on his shoulder. He withdrew his gaze, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.
At present, his plans had succeeded by half. As for what came next—whether successful or not—the likelihood of keeping his identity hidden had already dropped to almost zero.
Mana could be suppressed with magic tools. The fluctuations of qi could also be controlled. Appearance was the simplest of all—whether through a mask or transformation magic, it could easily be concealed.
Only the fire salamander posed a problem.
There was simply no way to hide it.
That was precisely why Yuuki had sent Mariella and the others back in advance to prepare their defenses. He had no concerns about the Eye of the Midnight Sun—what truly demanded his attention was the Magic Knights.
"Heh… in a world where strength reigns supreme, even the Magic Knights will compromise."
A calm smile touched Yuuki's lips as he let out a soft chuckle.
So long as the Wizard King Julius didn't personally intervene, nothing else would pose a real problem. Still, a clash with the Magic Knights was unavoidable.
With his current strength, even if his identity were exposed ahead of time, it wouldn't matter. In fact, that was part of his plan.
Suddenly—
"That mana… the Witch Queen?!"
Yuuki sharply twisted his head toward the depths of the Witch's Forest. With a step, his body shot into the air, vanishing from sight.
Near the central region of the Witch's Forest!
A terrifying, overwhelming wave of mana blanketed the sky above Asta and the others.
"Blood Creation Magic — Crimson Execution Ground!"
The Witch Queen's cold voice rang out.
Asta and the others, who had only just finished their battle with the Diamond Kingdom forces and hadn't even caught their breath yet, were instantly swallowed by a surging tide of blood.
The viscous blood made it impossible for anyone to break free at once.
The next instant—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One blood-forged cross after another rose from the crimson tide.
Noelle, Finral, Vanessa—and even the Diamond Kingdom's two commanders, Mars and Ladros—were all bound to the blood-red crosses, completely unable to move.
An oppressive, deeply unsettling aura of mana radiated from the Witch Queen.
Among everyone present, only Asta had not been bound to a blood cross.
"You showed up out of nowhere—I thought you were planning something else!"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Seeing the scene before him, Asta immediately spun around and shouted at the Witch Queen.
She gazed down at him with contemptuous indifference. In response to his roar, she merely narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Ah!"
"Gah—!"
Asta suddenly realized he had lost all control over his body. He stood frozen in place as veins bulged across his muscles. The intense pain forced a scream from his throat.
The agonized cries made everyone bound to the blood crosses pale in shock.
"Asta!"
Vanessa's face darkened as she shouted his name.
"Controlling blood—that is my magic," the Witch Queen said calmly.
"Ever since I cast my spell on you, I've been able to freely manipulate your blood."
"I am a queen. Why would I do as you please, simply because you ask?"
She raised her palm toward Asta. With a slight twitch of her fingers, Asta's body was forced into one unnatural motion after another.
Then—
Asta's black grimoire suddenly opened, floating before him as his eyes rolled white and he completely lost consciousness.
"The one being manipulated… is you."
A faint smile curved the Witch Queen's lips.
"Blood Magic — Puppet Blood Tide!"
Thud!
Asta lifted both hands and drew the Demon-Slayer Sword from his black grimoire.
"Anti-magic is a power that should not exist in the first place. Only a defective being without mana like you can wield it," the Witch Queen said coolly.
"If you were to die, it would only become troublesome for me."
She looked at Asta's body, covered in wounds both large and small, then swept her arm toward him.
"Blood Recovery Magic — Curse-Annihilating Blood Cocoon!"
Sizzle! Sizzle!
From the blood tide below, thin crimson conduits formed one after another, linking directly to Asta's body. An astonishing amount of mana surged through the blood and poured into him.
Before everyone's eyes, Asta's injuries healed at a visible speed. His body and muscles were reshaped into a near-perfect state.
Even the hidden injuries he had accumulated over years of relentless training were completely eradicated.
One high-level spell after another left everyone bound to the blood crosses staring in terror.
This was a terrifying power of an entirely different order.
Yuuki had already arrived at the edge of the crimson tide, an invisibility cloak draped over him as he watched with a grave expression.
"So this is the Witch Queen… truly monstrous mana. Compared to the elves, it's on an entirely different level."
As he evaluated her strength, Yuuki's gaze swept over the figures bound to the blood crosses.
When his eyes paused briefly on Mars and Ladros—two members of the Eight Shining Generals—there was no surprise on his face.
The Diamond Kingdom's forces had finished their battle even earlier than Yuuki's side, entirely because Mars and Ladros had turned on each other mid-fight.
Yuuki had received intelligence about the Diamond Kingdom's assault on the Witch's Forest long ago. Mars had intended to use this opportunity to defeat Ladros and draw him over to his own faction.
Judging by Ladros's severely weakened, gravely injured state, Mars had likely succeeded.
In the original anime, Ladros had grown powerful only after absorbing Fana's strength. This time, with Fana already dealt with by Yuuki, Ladros never had that chance. In pure strength, he was no match for Mars.
"After the Witch Queen's meticulous recovery, not only have Asta's accumulated injuries been erased—even his physical constitution has risen to an entirely new level."
Watching Asta suspended in midair, encased within a translucent barrier of blood, Yuuki smiled.
The process might have been painful, but being healed with full force by someone of the Witch Queen's caliber—what was a little suffering in comparison?
Under normal circumstances, the Witch Queen would never bother with something so laborious.
Benefits like this were reserved for Asta alone.
"Since I can't wield the anti-magic sword myself, I'll simply control both the sword and its wielder. It will still become my power."
"I have already fully observed the best way to handle you."
"From this moment on, you are my sword—bound to me for life."
The Witch Queen spoke with calm composure as she gazed at the fully restored Asta.
Step—
Asta descended from midair and landed back on the ground, unconscious, the Demon-Slayer Sword held firmly in his hands.
What?!
Finral, Vanessa, and Noelle all froze in shock, their faces turning deathly pale as they finally grasped the Witch Queen's true intent.
Oh?
Yuuki narrowed his eyes, his gaze growing deep.
From the current situation, it was clear that the Witch Queen's focus lay not on Asta himself, but on the Demon-Slayer Sword. To her, Asta was nothing more than a tool to wield it.
She clearly didn't realize that anti-magic was the power of a devil.
"So… divination of the future is ineffective against devils after all."
Yuuki's eyes flickered as the realization settled in.
Even the Four Great Kingdoms possessed records—however limited—about devils. There was no way the Witch Queen was unaware of their existence.
And yet everything before him indicated that she had never associated Asta with a devil at all.
To her, anti-magic was simply another unusual form of energy.
(End of Chapter)
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