The cold, wicked, oppressive magic that had filled the air—
Vanished along with the destruction of the Word Soul Devil's heart.
As his body disintegrated, so too did that suffocating presence.
Licht, Patry, Lumiere, and the others stared blankly at the place where the devil had disappeared.
Relief.
Complexity.
Regret.
Their expressions varied.
"…We did it."
"We really did it!"
Tears streamed from Nero's eyes. She covered her mouth with both hands as she looked toward Yuuki, Asta, and Yuno floating in the air, exhausted.
"Thank you… thank you…"
In a lower chamber—
Yami stood gripping his katana tightly, poised to strike, his senses sharpened to the extreme.
But as the devil's presence completely faded—
He blinked.
His arms slackened.
"Guess I won't be needed after all."
He leaned on his blade and grinned.
Meanwhile—
Yuuki stared at the place where the devil had vanished.
He exhaled in relief—
Then suddenly stiffened.
His eyes narrowed sharply.
There.
A faint, black, intangible residue lingered in the air.
It was slowly fading.
…The Word Soul Devil's soul.
Yuuki's mind sharpened instantly.
He scanned the surroundings.
No one else had noticed.
Not even the possibility that a devil's soul could be captured.
His eyes flashed.
"Corpse Spirit Magic — Soul Abductor."
Without hesitation, he used what little mana he had left.
Taking advantage of the moment of collective relief—
He formed an almost microscopic spatial gate, no larger than the tip of a needle.
Through Corpse Spirit Magic, he guided the devil's fading soul into that tiny passage—
Transferring it directly into the Imperial Sword and sealing it within.
During the process—
Yuuki faintly felt resistance.
The soul… was struggling.
Weakly.
But undeniably.
He was stunned.
After death, souls normally entered an unconscious state.
This meant—
The devil retained a fragment of will.
However—
Under Corpse Spirit Magic, which specialized in soul manipulation, the dead devil had no means to resist.
The mana fluctuation was faint.
Subtle.
No one noticed.
Yuuki had just captured a devil's soul.
"We won!"
Asta shouted, his enlarged Demon-Slayer Sword shrinking back to normal.
His face was exhausted—but glowing with joy.
The black anti-magic receded from his body.
The moment the battle ended—
His strength gave out.
He began to fall.
Instantly—
Yuuki and Yuno each grabbed one of his arms, supporting him midair.
"Thanks, you two," Asta said weakly, grinning.
He had long since reached his physical limits.
Only sheer willpower had carried him through.
Now that the greatest enemy was gone—
The fatigue crashed down on him all at once.
"No need to thank us," Yuuki said gently.
Yuno smirked. "Looks like I'm still closer to becoming Wizard King than you, Asta."
At those words—
Asta immediately began protesting at full volume despite his exhaustion.
For a brief moment—
Laughter returned.
But it did not last.
Because—
Even though the devil had perished—
The black-blue gel covering the Shadow Palace had not disappeared.
It continued corroding the structure.
The palace trembled violently.
It was collapsing.
Everyone's expressions changed.
"We must leave immediately!" Licht shouted.
If the Shadow Palace collapsed completely—
They would be trapped forever between the human world and the underworld.
"My mana won't last much longer!" Lumiere said grimly.
The white radiance around him dimmed.
The protective light across the palace weakened rapidly.
Once it vanished—
No one would withstand the gel's consumption.
"Figures," Yuuki muttered dryly.
Then he closed his eyes.
Pushed his senses to their absolute limit.
"Spatial Magic — Mass Teleport!"
One spatial gate after another opened.
In a single motion—
Yuuki transported every remaining person in the Shadow Palace to the topmost chamber.
When he finished—
His body swayed.
His aura weakened noticeably.
Guess I'm seeing this through to the end…
He glanced at the suddenly crowded upper hall.
Lumiere smiled brightly.
"To bring everyone here at once… extraordinary."
"Perhaps not entirely," Nero murmured beside him, casting Yuuki a complex glance.
She had always sensed something mysterious about him.
But he had never harmed the Clover Kingdom.
And he had fought with everything he had.
"Yuuki! Asta!"
Noelle's relieved voice rang out.
Yuuki lazily waved in response.
Then looked to Licht and Lumiere.
"We should leave. Now."
"Right. Everyone, through the exit!"
Before the Shadow Palace collapsed—
They escaped.
Light flashed.
They reappeared—
In the ruined center of the Clover Kingdom's capital.
Explosions still echoed across the city.
The reincarnated elves continued fighting.
Licht's golden eyes filled with remorse.
The devil was gone—
But the chaos remained.
Patry stepped forward.
"This began because of me."
"If we use William's World Tree Magic within me… we can gather the kingdom's mana and life force."
"…Perhaps we can undo the reincarnation."
He hesitated.
"…But we need William's grimoire."
"I have it."
Yuuki reached into his spatial storage and tossed the World Tree grimoire to him.
Patry caught it, stunned.
"Picked it up," Yuuki said casually.
Patry looked at him deeply.
Then turned to Asta.
"Use the Demon-Dweller Sword on me."
"…Are you sure?" Asta asked.
Patry smiled faintly—
And pressed the blade to his own chest.
A red magic circle appeared—
Then faded.
His appearance changed.
Long white hair shortened.
William Vangeance stood before them.
"I'm sorry," William said quietly.
"I failed to fully trust the future Julius envisioned."
A seed appeared in his palm—
Sprouting instantly.
"At least… allow me to lay the foundation to end this."
Licht stepped behind him.
Placed a hand on his shoulder.
The Demon-Dweller Sword glowed brilliantly.
Yuuki watched silently.
He could hear the weight in Licht's sigh.
As the elf leader—
He carried five hundred years of guilt.
Yes, the devil had manipulated events.
But the Clover Kingdom's royals had slaughtered his people.
Yet Lumiere had been his dearest friend.
Such contradictions—
Perhaps even Licht himself could not fully untangle.
But he knew—
The hatred had to end.
That was why Yuuki respected him.
"Combined Magic — Demon-Dweller Sword: Spirit Light Tree!"
A colossal luminous tree appeared above the capital.
Threads of light extended—
Connecting to every reincarnated elf across the kingdom.
Licht closed his eyes.
It was time.
"Asta," he said softly, "pierce the tree."
Asta nodded firmly.
He drove the Demon-Dweller Sword into it.
Forbidden Spell — Release.
Across the Clover Kingdom—
Reincarnation was undone.
Only Fana, Vetto, and Rhya remained.
"Our souls are bound permanently," Rhya said softly. "This is our second reincarnation. These bodies had no souls of their own."
Licht smiled faintly.
"Then live on… for our sake."
Suddenly—
He turned to Yuuki—
And tossed the Demon-Dweller Sword to him.
Yuuki caught it.
"I'm returning the sword you lent me."
"It was always yours," Yuuki replied calmly.
Licht said nothing more.
The white glow faded.
His body fell.
The luminous tree dissolved into countless green motes—
Lighting the sky.
Only Yuuki could see the ascending elven souls.
If he used the Imperial Sword—
He could capture them all.
But he did not.
"This five-hundred-year grudge… ends here."
He spoke softly.
Licht chose to fade with his people.
Perhaps that was the resolve of the truly strong.
Power could be pursued—
But losing oneself in its pursuit was something else entirely.
Stone cracked.
Lumiere's body began to crumble.
"…At last," he said peacefully.
Everyone exhaled.
It was over.
Then—
Yuuki's voice cut through the air.
"Over? It feels like this is only the beginning."
All eyes turned toward him.
He looked upward—
Searching among the ascending souls.
He found the one he sought.
Patry.
The others, he could let go.
But not Patry.
That was a personal matter between leaders of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
And besides—
Among the Ten Underworld Magics he intended to collect—
How could Light Magic be missing?
(End of Chapter)
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