Though the Black Bulls' Finral is looked down on by his own family, Spatial Mages like him are few and far between in the entire Clover Kingdom.
Spatial magic is rare to begin with, let alone someone who can open a gate from the royal capital straight to the border.
In terms of strategic value, ten heavy-assault mages can't compare to one of him. Yami's eye for talent has never been bad.
But transporting the entire Magic Knights to the border? With Finral's mana, that's a dream.
Julius's solution was… to borrow the Black Bulls' base.
With the captains of the squads supplying Henry with mana, Henry used his Assembly Magic to transform the base's exterior into a flying fortress and, at incredible speed, ferried every Magic Knight to Hage Village.
Charles rode on Chongming, just a hair faster, and caught sight of the scene ahead first.
A defensive line of the three former Wizard Kings lay outside the barrier, and let's not forget one of those three can field an army alone.
Farther out was another line formed by Princia's Legion Magic.
Plenty of magic can create soldiers, but few can mint an entire army by themselves the way Princia does.
Even Charles couldn't help being shocked by the densely packed swarm of magic soldiers beyond counting. There were so many it made your skin crawl.
Princia alone leveled the numbers between both sides. No—if anything, Conrad's side held the advantage in manpower now.
The flames on Charles's fists flickered, then drew back into his palms.
Fire condensed to the limit erupted with a roar, blasting a massive hole in the wall of magic soldiers ahead. Half-melted troopers sloughed off the glowing edge and fell.
But when Chongming flew through, the soldiers bodily plugged the gap.
With a cry, Chongming wheeled in the air instead of ramming headlong into that bona fide wall of brass and iron.
Charles estimated that to break this defense, they'd have to wipe out at least sixty percent of the soldiers in one go.
He could do it if he went full throttle, but that would burn too much mana.
"Rend Magic: Reaper's Scythe!"
Just as Charles was debating whether to move, someone else stepped up.
Jack the Ripper, captain of the Green Mantis, swung his arm. A magical slash extended from the sickle-blade grown from his wrist and tore open a gap among the soldiers.
As before, the breach sealed almost immediately. Jack's grin only grew wilder.
"Looks like you're worth cutting!"
Nozel swooped in atop a mercury eagle and said coolly, "We don't have time for you to waste. We need to break through immediately!"
Jack clicked his tongue but held back. He and Nozel don't get along; if it were Yami, he'd trade a few barbs for sure.
Fuegoleon fired a spiral of flame to similar effect and frowned. "No wonder my great-grandfather praised this magic—it's obstinate."
"Leave it to me!"
Golden Dawn's captain, Vangeance, jumped from the Black Bulls base—now a fighter—his grimoire flipping before him.
"World Tree Magic: Mistilteinn's Great Tree!"
Trunk after trunk of woody growth exploded among the magic soldiers, forcibly prying apart their fused ranks and opening a passage.
Seizing the moment, Chongming and the Black Bulls' base slipped through.
A large number of Magic Knights leapt from the base, hurling their spells at the soldiers giving chase.
They hadn't gotten far toward the barrier when Charles sensed a powerful mana reaction below.
Stella's brow twitched—she recognized Princia, the opponent with whom she'd yet to settle things.
Just as she was about to drop to resume their fight, Charles held her back. "Stella, you can sit this one out. Someone already called dibs on Princia. Steal her and you'll be in for it later!"
Even as Charles spoke, a plume of flame dropped from the Black Bulls' base, streaking straight for Princia below.
He'd already spotted Mereoleona, recalled from training at Yultim Volcano by Julius to ensure success. They'd set out the moment they arrived; there hadn't been time to say hello.
And the moment Princia flared her mana, Charles felt Mereoleona's battle lust ignite beyond restraint.
Get between that lioness and her fight now and she'll hound you forever after.
Princia could be left entirely to Mereoleona. Even if the opponent is a Wizard King, that lioness won't lose.
After forcing their way past Princia, the second checkpoint appeared immediately.
The group nearly went tumbling head over heels when they braked— the back half of the Black Bulls' base was flash-frozen into a massive iceberg.
"Briar Magic: Scattershot Briar Lances!"
A flood of green, thorned vines suddenly sprouted and bored into the ice. The hard frost was pierced through, and the Black Bulls' base regained mobility.
Edward's gaze was cold. A mass of ice spires formed beneath his feet and lifted him into the air. With a sweep of his arm, volleys of ice spikes shot at Charlotte, captain of the Blue Rose.
"Dark Magic: Black Hole!"
A black void opened and devoured every last spike.
Yami stepped in front of Charlotte with his katana. "Hey, hey, old man. Be gentle with the ladies."
Charles couldn't help marveling at his captain's invisible flirting stat. Never mind Charlotte's cool façade—inside, she was probably swooning.
Just then, Nozel, Fuegoleon, Rill, and Dorothy flew over.
Fuegoleon said, "Go on ahead. Leave this to us!"
Yami hefted his blade. "Got it, Mr. Serious. If you lose, I'll roast you for it later!"
Without looking back, Nozel snapped, "Who do you think would lose, foreigner!"
Yami shrugged, and the Black Bulls' base surged forward again. Edward's attempts to impede them were smothered by Nozel's mercury shield.
Soon the barrier loomed large, and everyone saw the final roadblock—Jester, the one who had erected the massive dome.
Yami grabbed Asta and Yuno one-handed and tossed them onto Chongming.
"Oi, brats—the last fight's yours. Surpass your limits and win it beautifully!"
Jester conjured a host of barrier-forged weapons and sent them screaming toward the Black Bulls' base and Chongming. Oddly, for such big targets, not a single shot landed.
Vanessa's Fate Magic is just that strong—every strike missed, perfectly.
"Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked—Nameless Slash!"
Yami was already swinging as he charged. The rest of the Black Bulls followed their captain, launching their challenge at the former Wizard King.
Asta clenched his fists. He wanted to fight alongside his comrades, but he knew he had something more important to do.
He went straight into Black form. His single black wing unfurled, and the Demon-Slayer Sword shifted into Black Divider mode.
Anti-Magic lengthened the black blade to dozens of meters. With Chongming's momentum behind it, he drove it hard into the barrier.
It was power designed specifically to counter mana. Even a barrier crafted by a Wizard King split under a single stroke, leaving a gaping breach.
That the barrier didn't shatter outright was only because Jester's level was so high.
Either way, the final line had been broken. The four were about to face Conrad.
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