The instant the crimson pupil opened within the blood sphere, it locked its gaze onto Yuuki below.
In that moment—
Yuuki's body swayed, an indescribable sensation of suffocation surging violently into his chest.
Whoosh!
Asta charged in once again with ferocious momentum. The black Demon-Slayer Sword cleaved downward, the shrill shriek of torn air exploding ahead of him.
Yuuki had no time to analyze the Witch Queen's spell. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward, closing the distance and pressing in close to Asta.
The white Demon-Dweller Sword rose by instinct, moving to block the black blade as it always had—
But—
At the instant the two blades met, something was wrong.
The familiar ease with which Yuuki could normally stop Asta's strike was gone.
A violent force surged through the collision.
Yuuki's wrist went weak. For a split second, he nearly lost his grip on the Demon-Dweller Sword.
Asta forced the black blade down, pressing Yuuki's white sword against his own chest, continuing to apply pressure. The edge of the Demon-Dweller Sword trembled, as if it might turn and cut Yuuki himself in the next instant.
In that heartbeat of danger—
Yuuki let out a sharp shout, relying on ki perception to twist his body sideways and shed the force. Mana exploded beneath his feet as he retreated rapidly.
This was the first time Yuuki had actively withdrawn since fighting the controlled Asta.
After pulling back roughly ten meters, Yuuki planted his feet—and staggered slightly before regaining his balance.
That just now was…
Yuuki felt his own condition, his expression changing.
It wasn't that Asta had become stronger.
It was that he himself had become weaker.
Yuuki snapped his gaze upward, locking onto the blood-red eye in the sky. He already understood the spell's effect.
"So you've noticed," the Witch Queen said calmly.
"This magic interferes with the heartbeat. Anyone stared at by that eye will have their heart gradually slowed… until it stops entirely."
Her tone was composed and detached as she adjusted the pale-green, black-feathered witch's hat atop her head.
"Pay the price for your ignorance."
"I'm tired of this tedious battle. Asta—finish him."
She waved her hand dismissively.
Boom!
The ground beneath Asta shattered as he surged toward Yuuki once more.
In the blink of an eye, the two clashed again—
But this time, Yuuki's face had gone pale as he was steadily driven backward.
Under the Witch Queen's spell, Yuuki could clearly feel it:
his heart had stopped beating.
Blood circulation had ceased, and his overall condition was plummeting at an alarming speed.
This kind of curse—one that acted directly on the body—was something Yuuki had never encountered before.
Unlike the overt, overwhelming power of Vetto or Fana, the Witch Queen's terror lay in the sheer strangeness of her magic.
Once a heart stopped beating, an ordinary person would be dead within five to ten minutes—but that was merely the outcome.
In reality, after five seconds, consciousness would rapidly fade.
After ten seconds, the brain would be deprived of oxygen.
At thirty seconds, pupils would dilate and breathing would cease.
Even revival afterward would leave irreversible damage.
With Beast Magic reinforcing his body and vast reserves of mana, Yuuki wouldn't collapse as quickly as a normal person—
But he was still fighting Asta.
And combat only accelerated the consumption of what little oxygen remained.
By now, Yuuki's eyes were bloodshot. Even Asta's movements had begun to blur into afterimages.
Clang!
Another metallic impact rang out.
Yuuki was knocked back again.
"…Troublesome."
He spat out the word curtly.
The spell was undeniably dangerous—but not impossible to counter.
"Lightning Magic — Thunder Fist!"
Crackle!
Raging currents surged across Yuuki's palm. He raised his fist and slammed it violently into his own chest—right over his heart.
Bang!
Blue lightning exploded across his chest. Stimulated by the electric shock, the motionless heart was forcibly restarted.
Yuuki immediately felt the weakness recede.
But as long as the crimson eye remained in the sky, his heartbeat would continue to be suppressed.
Whoosh—
Asta's black afterimage was already upon him again.
Yuuki's gaze sharpened. He met the charge head-on, blades colliding once more.
"Salamander!"
Yuuki barked the command while holding Asta at bay.
Whoosh!
The fire spirit lifted its head and beat its wings, leaving Yuuki's shoulder and transforming midair into a blazing fire dragon as it soared toward the floating crimson eye.
Destroy the spell first!
As a manifestation of elemental mana, Salamander had no heart—and thus was immune to this curse.
But—
Seeing Salamander take flight, Asta immediately disengaged, rocketing into the sky and cleaving the fire spirit apart with a single slash.
"…Looks like I'll have to be a little rough with you, Asta," Yuuki muttered, his aura shifting.
"I'll break the control first."
Under the Witch Queen's domination, Asta had no regard for his own body.
Yuuki couldn't afford that luxury.
With anti-magic in play, he was forced to fight with restraint. Even against the Witch Queen, Asta remained an unstable variable that had to be dealt with first.
Only now did Yuuki truly understand how suffocating it felt to fight Asta—when magic was meaningless and only brute force mattered.
Meanwhile—
The Witch Queen had already approached Vanessa and the others, a faint smile on her lips.
The overwhelming heat from Salamander's Breath had completely evaporated the Blood Execution Ground, breaking the spell that bound them.
The moment they were freed, Vanessa and the others tried to retreat from the Witch's Forest while Yuuki held the Witch Queen at bay.
Unfortunately—
Finral's mana was nearly exhausted. He could no longer open a spatial gate for everyone.
Left with no choice, they fled on foot.
But they hadn't gone far before the lingering effects of Siren's Gaze swept over them again.
Everyone except Vanessa collapsed unconscious.
"Heh… I thought it was incomplete power."
The Witch Queen laughed softly as she walked forward, delighted by the sight of Vanessa standing alone.
"Vanessa, you've finally awakened."
"I've waited for this moment far too long."
She lifted her head, black-marked eyes gazing down with sovereign arrogance.
Compared to anti-magic, regeneration, or even Salamander, Fate Magic was what truly mattered to her.
"Blood Magic — Puppet Blood Tide!"
Excitement surged through her voice as she raised her hand toward Vanessa.
"Ahhh—!"
Vanessa screamed as crimson veins burst from around her eyes, racing across her body in an instant.
"Now you—and your magic—belong to me."
"That power should only be wielded by perfection."
"Fate—stand with me!"
The Witch Queen laughed aloud.
Swish!
The dark-red cat leapt onto Vanessa's head and gave a soft cry.
"Meow."
In the next instant—
The spreading blood vessels froze, then burst into red mist that streamed out of Vanessa's body and detonated in midair.
Puppet Blood Tide — dispelled.
The Witch Queen's laughter cut off abruptly.
The backlash from her interrupted spell forced her to stagger back a step.
"How… is that possible?"
"How can this be…?"
"Without my perfect magic, there should be nothing you can't control!"
Her eyes were wide with disbelief, locked onto the dark-red cat perched atop Vanessa's head.
Impossible.
Whoosh!
A silver streak tore through the air.
In the blink of an eye, Yuuki appeared in front of Vanessa, Asta slung over his shoulder, unconscious.
"Sorry—took a bit longer than expected," Yuuki said, turning to her.
"Yuuki! Asta—?" Vanessa froze.
Yuuki smiled lightly. "Relax. The control spell is gone. He's badly hurt, but no internal injuries. Ordinary healing magic will be enough."
Only then did Vanessa finally breathe out.
"That's impossible!"
The Witch Queen's voice had sharpened, all elegance gone. Blood-red mana surged violently from her body, crushing the air itself.
Vanessa breaking free made sense—Fate Magic.
But Yuuki breaking the control on Asta?
Unacceptable.
"One failure after another pushed her composure to the brink."
"You controlled Asta not because your magic was perfect," Yuuki said calmly,
"but because Asta couldn't control anti-magic yet."
"Asta, who nullifies all magic, is fundamentally immune to magical control. As long as his anti-magic strikes his own body during the process, your spell collapses."
As he spoke, Yuuki swept his hand through the air, opening a spatial gate.
"Wind Magic — Ark!"
Cyclones rose beneath Noelle and the others, lifting them and carrying them toward the gate.
"Go. Now."
Vanessa's eyes lit up as she followed them.
"You won't escape!"
The Witch Queen shrieked.
Boom!
Blood-red mana transformed into a tidal wave, crashing down toward them.
In an instant, the sky turned crimson. A colossal blood barrier enveloped the Witch's Forest, destabilizing the spatial gate itself.
Seeing this—
Yuuki stepped forward.
He planted his foot hard into the ground, gripped the Demon-Dweller Sword with both hands, and poured mana into it.
"Demon-Dweller — Spatial Severance!"
Riiip—!
A massive silver slash tore through the blood tide, carving a path straight toward the Witch Queen.
Seizing the moment, Yuuki unleashed a surge of spatial mana, wrapping everyone within it.
They vanished.
The next instant—
At the border of the Clover Kingdom, the group reappeared in a desolate stretch of rolling hills.
Vanessa steadied herself, glanced around, then collapsed onto the ground as her strength finally gave out.
"We… got away."
She exhaled deeply, then looked up. "Yuuki… thank you."
Yuuki shook his head.
"No need. I still have to return to the Witch's Forest."
"What?!"
Vanessa jolted upright. "We barely escaped—why go back?!"
"The Witch Queen is far more terrifying than she looked!"
"She has a magic stone," Yuuki said quietly.
Vanessa froze.
"That's my business."
She tried to say more—
But Yuuki struck the back of her neck.
Vanessa's eyes rolled back as she collapsed unconscious.
"That was easy," Yuuki muttered, raising a brow as he looked at the dark-red cat.
With Vanessa unconscious, the cat faded away.
"No resistance…"
"Either the attack had no killing intent—or subconsciously, she sees me as an ally."
Yuuki picked up Vanessa's grimoire, deep in thought.
Fate Magic allowed the user to designate its targets.
Vanessa had set it to protect all members of the Black Bulls—never harming them.
The spell hadn't activated earlier because she didn't view Yuuki as an enemy.
Or perhaps because there was no killing intent.
Or both.
"One can never be too careful."
"I'd rather trust myself than anyone else."
Silver mana enveloped the pink grimoire.
Perfect Replication.
Moments later, Yuuki opened his eyes, joy flashing across them.
"…Fate Magic acquired."
He tore out a page, creating a brand-new pink grimoire and placing it beside Vanessa.
"Next…"
He smiled faintly.
"…is my business with the Witch Queen."
Wrapped in spatial mana, Yuuki vanished.
(End of Chapter)
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