Facing the sudden onslaught—
A dense barrage of weapons formed from both physical blades and magical constructs, appearing out of thin air and raining down at once—
Yuuki's expression tightened.
An attack mixed with real weapons couldn't be bypassed using Permeation Magic.
In an instant—
"Beast Magic!"
Yuuki's muscles swelled slightly as he stepped forward, his body surging ahead. Raising the Demon-Dweller Sword, he swung it rapidly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A storm of metallic impacts erupted in front of him as weapon after weapon was knocked aside.
"We can't fall behind either—Yuno!"
Seeing Yuuki charge head-on, Asta and Yuno exchanged a glance and rushed forward together.
Unlike Yuuki—
The wide-area, high-speed barrage placed immense pressure on both Asta and Yuno.
So instead—
The two leapt into the air, grabbed each other's shoulders, and began spinning at extreme speed, transforming into a spiraling tornado as they plunged straight into the incoming storm.
In that brief moment—
Yuuki glanced upward at the two of them, now resembling a rapidly rotating drill that deflected every attack, and felt a flicker of amazement.
Asta neutralizes the magical weapons. Yuno handles the physical ones.
They're blocking everything—perfect coordination.
Yuuki halted his forward momentum.
His grip shifted from one hand to two.
Both legs pressed down.
Boom!
The ground shuddered—
And Yuuki vanished.
A silver afterimage shot forward, slipping in right behind Asta and Yuno, moving so seamlessly it was as if he had erased himself from existence.
With the two of them shielding the front, Yuuki concealed himself in their wake—ready to strike the Word Soul Devil by surprise.
"If you intend to obstruct me—then I will erase you!"
Asta and Yuno roared in unison as they burst through the storm, closing in on Zagred.
Zagred's expression remained placid.
He casually raised an arm.
In the next instant—
A black and a green flash streaked past.
The combined strike of Anti-Magic and the Wind Spirit's power only left a shallow cut on Zagred's arm.
A single, shallow wound.
Asta and Yuno stared in disbelief.
That attack should have been devastating.
Whoosh—!
At that moment—
Yuuki appeared directly before Zagred, the Demon-Dweller Sword descending from above, following the very wound Asta and Yuno had created.
"Demon-Dweller — Spatial Slash!"
The space-infused blade struck precisely into the cut.
Black, lightning-like energy erupted as spatial mana clashed violently with the devil's power.
Krrrk—! Krrrk—!
The slash cut halfway in—
And stopped.
A shrill grinding sound filled the air.
Yuuki's expression changed.
Even a spatial attack couldn't sever the devil's arm.
That wasn't mere durability—
It was a difference in the quality of mana itself.
The fact that he could injure Zagred at all meant Spatial Magic truly belonged to Underworld-tier magic—but its output was lacking.
The spatial spells Yuuki had replicated weren't offensive-type abilities.
Against humans or elves, they were more than enough.
Against a devil—
They fell short.
"Disappear."
Zagred spoke softly.
The spatial slash vanished instantly.
Yuuki's pupils contracted.
He retreated explosively, spatial mana flashing as he reappeared beside Asta and Yuno.
"Yuuki."
"Yuuki."
Both of them looked grim.
Yuuki nodded.
"This isn't a normal enemy."
"Heal."
Zagred showed no interest in pursuit.
The wound on his arm sealed itself instantly.
"That works too?!" Asta shouted.
So, this is Word Soul Magic…
Yuuki's gaze darkened.
Magic that manifested purely through speech—completely beyond conventional logic.
Among the Underworld-tier magic he possessed, only World Tree Magic could inflict direct damage—but it wasn't suited for fighting devils.
It's just as I expected… elven magic is the most effective.
As the thought crossed his mind, Yuuki's silver mana shifted, transforming into crimson flames.
The Salamander on his shoulder flicked its tail.
"Heh."
Zagred chuckled quietly.
"To wound me—impressive. Two chosen by the elves of this era, huh? Interesting."
"A four-leaf clover grimoire user beloved by mana… and you."
His gaze slid from Yuno to Yuuki, an eerie smile forming.
"Such absurd mana. You've long surpassed the limits of ordinary humans. Your compatibility with the Fire Spirit isn't high… yet you were still chosen."
"You humans truly do produce the occasional anomaly."
Then his eyes shifted—to Asta.
More precisely, to the five-leaf clover grimoire.
"That grimoire was supposed to be mine… an annoying power belonging to my kind."
"Whatever. I don't recognize that devil. You can keep it."
Yuuki glanced sideways at Asta, who looked completely lost.
Zagred wasn't speaking to Asta.
He was addressing the devil dwelling within him.
Of course…
Zagred could instantly identify the source of Asta's power.
Which explained why Julius Novachrono had chosen to fake his death.
Zagred might not know a low-ranking devil—
But how could he fail to recognize Time Magic, wielded by a supreme devil?
Zagred's mouth split into a grin, rows of black, jagged teeth exposed.
"Vacuum Wall."
An invisible force descended.
Yuuki, Asta, and Yuno—midair—were slammed down violently.
Yuuki braced himself with one hand, bones creaking as pressure crushed down. Mana surged from his body to resist.
"Aaagh!"
"Aaagh!"
Asta and Yuno roared, struggling to rise.
"Collapse."
"Rend."
"Destroy."
Cold, emotionless words followed.
Invisible attacks struck in succession.
This isn't magic you can block conventionally…
Yuuki's understanding of Word Soul Magic sharpened instantly.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ground collapsed, burying all three beneath massive slabs of stone.
Zagred glanced once at the ruined battlefield—
Then turned calmly toward Patry, still impaled and bleeding.
"Heh."
Seeing the clover on Patry's grimoire fully transformed into a five-leaf, Zagred smiled in satisfaction.
"When a four-leaf clover bearer falls into absolute despair… a five-leaf is born."
"At last—body and grimoire united."
"I will descend upon this world in my true form."
He took the newly formed five-leaf grimoire into his hand and looked at Patry's vacant expression.
"How delightful."
Leaning close, he whispered into Patry's ear:
"Let hatred and despair run wild."
In an instant—
Patry's eyes turned pitch black.
His skin darkened to ashen gray.
A far colder, more violent mana erupted from his body.
Zagred nodded approvingly.
"A fitting end for a fallen elf."
"Be born… Dark Elf."
On the other side—
Rhya, barely conscious, watched in horror.
He tried to move—but the massive hole through his chest left him powerless.
Only despair and fury remained.
"Such a fine toy. Go on—play."
"Kill every living thing."
Zagred laughed lightly as his black wings beat, carrying him upward toward the higher layers.
In the blink of an eye—
Only Patry remained, floating alone.
Crack.
The Dark Elf twisted his neck stiffly.
His gaze dropped—
Locking onto Mimosa, who had been hiding in a corner, completely overlooked.
The moment their eyes met—
Mimosa froze.
Before she could react—
A black light sword filled her vision, arriving faster than a single breath.
Impossible to dodge.
She couldn't block even Patry's normal light sword—
Let alone this.
But—
A spatial gate opened before her.
Every black blade was swallowed—
Then expelled behind her, flying straight back toward Patry.
Patry vanished in a flash, dodging them all.
"…I'm alive?"
Mimosa collapsed against the wall, trembling, her golden hair soaked with sweat.
Boom—!
The rubble exploded apart.
Yuuki burst out first, hovering in midair, mana flaring as dust was blasted away.
"This really is the worst kind of opponent."
Only now did the true difficulty of devils sink in.
With his Underworld-tier magic, fighting was possible—
But killing one was another matter entirely.
Still—
He wasn't alone.
And a threat like Zagred had to be eliminated first, or none of his plans could proceed.
Sensing surging mana—
Yuuki flashed to Mimosa's side.
At the same instant—
"Demon Light Magic — Condemnation Light Sword!"
Countless black blades flooded the space.
Clang! Clang!
Yuuki swung the Demon-Dweller Sword at blinding speed, shattering each one.
"So even righteous light turns evil… a Dark Elf."
"And Demon Light Magic—far more dangerous."
His eyes locked onto Patry.
Patry's strength had increased by at least an entire tier.
"Th-thank you… Yuuki…"
Mimosa whispered shakily.
"You're Yuno's comrade. No need to thank me."
Yuuki didn't turn back.
Suddenly—
His eyes flashed.
He stepped back and slashed forward.
Clang!
Patry's black light sword collided with Yuuki's blade.
In the next instant—
Both vanished.
They reappeared midair, clashing again and again.
In mere moments—
Their weapons collided over a hundred times.
Realizing he couldn't win, Patry flicked his arm.
The black light sword morphed into a whip—faster, erratic, impossible to track.
"So even without consciousness, his reaction speed is this high…"
Yuuki was surprised—
But calm.
"Against a devil, this would be troublesome."
"But against you—even strengthened—this is nothing."
As the whip closed in—
"Permeation Magic — Invisible Seeker."
Yuuki vanished.
Patry's attack struck empty ground, blasting a crater.
Confusion flickered in his blackened eyes.
Rattle—!
Chains snapped shut around his body.
Yuuki reappeared, watching the bound Dark Elf calmly.
"Finished."
(End of Chapter)
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