Bang!
A bizarre aura suddenly surged from Asta's body.
Asta—whose injuries had been completely healed by the Witch Queen—began to erupt with jagged arcs of black, lightning-like energy all over his body.
Boom! Boom!
The wildly rampaging black lightning seemed to break free of all restraints. The moment it appeared, it blasted apart the ground around him, explosions roaring endlessly.
For the first time, Yuuki's expression turned serious—grim, even.
This was an energy that carried no trace of mana at all.
No—
This wasn't mana in the first place.
Within Yuuki's perception, the black anti-magic spilling from Asta's body sent a bone-chilling sensation crawling through him.
It wasn't the kind of cold felt on the skin, but a piercing, icy pain that seemed to seep directly from one's bones.
Yuuki was already highly sensitive to the flow of natural mana in the air, and with his additional perception of qi, he could sense it more clearly than anyone present—
the sheer terror and danger of Asta's anti-magic.
If Asta had posed no threat to him before, then now—
every inch of Asta's body radiated lethal menace.
Hiss—hiss—
After its brief eruption, the black lightning rapidly contracted back into Asta's body.
His entire right arm turned pitch-black, vein-like markings spreading across the right side of his body.
At the same time, his originally greenish-brown right eye transformed into a deep crimson.
Whoosh!
A bat-shaped black wing unfurled from the right side of Asta's back, dense anti-magic energy swirling across its surface.
The overwhelming power even dyed the Demon-Slayer Sword itself a pure, inky black.
Anti-Magic — Black Form!
"So this is anti-magic… or rather, the power of a devil."
Yuuki narrowed his eyes, murmuring inwardly.
This was his first indirect glimpse of true devil power.
As the saying went—to see one speck is to know the whole.
From this alone, the strength of the Word Soul Devil, Zagred, could easily be imagined.
After all—
When Zagred had appeared, he hadn't been facing only an Asta who fully mastered Black Form, nor merely Yuno in elf form with a mana zone.
He had confronted the Magic Knight Captains of the Clover Kingdom, the revived First Wizard King, and the elite Sephirah of the elves—all at once.
Yuuki knew very well that if he faced such a lineup now, there wouldn't even be a need to fight.
And yet Zagred had overwhelmed them all, suppressing the entire group with crushing dominance.
If Asta hadn't awakened a new power—Black Divider—at the final moment, the outcome would have been impossible to predict.
And that wasn't all.
Among the high-ranking devils who appeared later, Zagred wasn't even considered top-tier.
Yuuki forcibly pushed those thoughts aside.
"The Witch Queen's blood magic control broke the restraints on the anti-magic hidden inside Asta's body, allowing it to surge forth like a flood and cling to him."
"In other words—once the lock was opened, all Asta needed was to control the flow using qi to fully master Black Form."
A faint smile tugged at Yuuki's lips as he looked at Asta.
Flight capability—gained.
Physical abilities—explosively enhanced.
Only now could Asta truly be said to have taken a single step to the heavens, finally catching up to Yuuki and Yuno.
"This opportunity… can't be wasted."
Yuuki glanced at the fire salamander perched on his left shoulder, his gaze flickering.
Bound to the blood-red crosses, everyone stared in disbelief at Asta's transformed state.
"An extraordinary power indeed."
For once, a faint smile appeared on the Witch Queen's cold face—before her tone turned icy.
"Now then, your first task—kill that hidden man."
The moment her words fell—
BOOM!
The ground beneath Asta exploded.
Like a black meteor, he shot across the battlefield, tearing through the air in a flash of lightning toward the edge of the crater—
straight toward Yuuki.
Crash!
A massive pit detonated at the edge, rubble flying everywhere.
Asta stood at the center, eyes rolled white, his single black wing beating as he raised the Demon-Slayer Sword.
Caught on the blade was a shredded white cloak.
"That was close," Yuuki's voice said calmly.
Having shed the invisibility cloak, Yuuki appeared openly before everyone.
The familiar masked figure instantly lit up Vanessa, Finral, and Noelle's eyes.
They knew how strong Yuuki was—and from the Underwater Temple and the battle with Fana, it was clear he bore no hostility toward them.
"Asta's being controlled! We have to break the control!" Vanessa shouted urgently.
Yuuki shrugged, his voice carrying faint helplessness from beneath the mask.
"I'd really rather not oppose the Witch Queen."
As he spoke, he kept one eye on Asta—who had paused his attack—while turning toward the Witch Queen.
"That said, I did help your Witch's Forest repel the Eye of the Midnight Sun. No gratitude is fine—but this level of hostility seems excessive."
The Witch Queen didn't look at Yuuki at all.
Her gaze was fixed solely on the fire salamander on his shoulder, surprise flickering in her eyes.
"So Salamander chose you… It seems you're hiding quite a few secrets."
Only then did she look at Yuuki himself.
Salamander had originally belonged to the red-haired girl of the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Yet from the magical projections she'd observed, this masked man hadn't used Fire Magic at all.
That Salamander chose him was anything but normal.
Unfortunately, the violent mana fields from his earlier battles had disrupted her projections, preventing her from seeing the full exchange.
The Witch Queen's interest rose briefly—then vanished.
"Before this, I might've enjoyed controlling an Spirit Host and slowly unraveling your secrets."
"But now—you have no value to me."
With Asta as her "sword," even the power of spirits no longer mattered to her.
"So… it really comes down to a fight," Yuuki sighed.
"I am the queen. I require no one's help," the Witch Queen said coldly.
"Anyone who dares step into the Witch's Forest will die."
Her gaze toward Yuuki was that of someone already dead.
Whoosh!
Asta moved again.
In a single breath, he appeared directly in front of Yuuki, the black Demon-Slayer Sword cleaving downward with overwhelming force.
At that instant, the fire salamander snapped its crimson eyes open—
A blazing inferno erupted around Yuuki.
"Salamander's Talon!"
Yuuki stomped down, shouting sharply.
A compressed crimson claw of flame formed out of thin air, radiating terrifying heat and mana as it slashed toward Asta.
This was an attack capable of annihilating countless ordinary mages—
Yet before anti-magic, it was meaningless.
The black sword split the flames effortlessly, shredding Yuuki's fiery barrier and descending upon him.
Yuuki showed no panic.
He shifted slightly to the right—
letting the strike fall not on his chest, but his left shoulder.
The fire salamander twisted its head in shock, staring at Yuuki.
Yuuki returned a helpless look.
You insist on sitting on my left shoulder—guess I have no choice.
Better to commit fully to the act.
Thud!
The Demon-Slayer Sword pierced straight through Yuuki's shoulder.
Under anti-magic, flames and mana defenses alike were as fragile as paper.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed skyward—along with an arm.
Salamander was dispersed by the anti-magic, vanishing instantly.
Of course, as a manifestation of mana, it wasn't injured—it would simply take time to reform.
BOOM!
Yuuki was blasted away, crashing deep into the forest. His presence rapidly weakened… and vanished.
Asta raised the sword, eyes blank, making no move to pursue.
Plop.
The severed arm fell into the pool of blood.
"A perfect sword…"
"What exquisite power."
The Witch Queen spread her arms, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Anti-magic that ignored all magic—
Even Spirit Magic was irrelevant before it.
This was the power she desired.
Meanwhile—
Finral was drenched in cold sweat.
Noelle stared in disbelief.
Vanessa's face drained of color, despair creeping into her eyes.
If even Yuuki could be defeated so easily…
Only Mars, bound nearby, felt something even stronger than shock.
Impossible.
He knew Yuuki's strength better than anyone.
And that calm man—defeated so easily?
What are you doing, Yuuki…?!
The Witch Queen turned back to the captives, her excitement fading.
"Kill them all."
"Start with that royal girl."
Asta roared like a beast, appearing before Noelle, sword raised.
"Asta!!"
Her cry went unanswered.
As despair peaked—
A brilliant light burst forth.
Vanessa's pink grimoire floated before her, pages flipping open as words filled a blank page.
A small, dark-red cat leapt out and landed on her head.
"Meow~"
Elsewhere—
Yuuki lay in a ruined crater, blood soaking half his body.
Ignoring the pain and blood loss, he focused inward—purging the lingering anti-magic.
He had taken that blow deliberately.
To erase the forbidden soul-sacrificing spell etched into his body.
(End of Chapter)
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