After obtaining the magic stone, Yuuki immediately set off toward the center of the Underwater Temple. The positioning mark he had left on Kahono was right there.
He could already sense that within this underwater barrier, the originally stable natural mana had begun to stir violently, converging toward the temple's core!
Vetto had completely unleashed the power of Zero Domain!
Under normal circumstances, Vetto—using Beast Magic—was already among the strongest at captain level within the Clover Kingdom. Once he invoked the second layer of Beast Magic—Demonic Beast Magic—his strength could easily reach Zero Stage.
In Yuuki's eyes, Demon Beast Magic was nothing less than an evolved form of Beast Magic, a power the High Priest of the Underwater Temple had described as not belonging to this world.
With that thought—
Yuuki accelerated once more, hoping Asta's side could hold on.
Asta and Yuno could lose to enemies—but the only ones who could truly make them admit defeat were the three of them themselves. As for everyone else—
A cold glint flashed through Yuuki's eyes.
At this very moment, the battle at the temple's center had fully erupted.
Vetto, his entire body radiating horrifying dark-crimson mana, bared beast-like fangs and glared savagely at the Black Bulls.
"Mirror Magic: Multiple Reflection!"
Gauche roared, activating his grimoire and releasing all his remaining mana in one go.
In an instant—
Countless mirrors of varying shapes appeared around the battlefield. At the same time, they fired dazzling beams of energy at extreme speed!
Yet even under an onslaught coming from all directions, Vetto effortlessly weaved through the attacks.
"What's wrong, you bugs? Trying to hit me with numbers?" Vetto's coarse laughter echoed, dripping with malice and mockery.
He wanted these Clover Kingdom Magic Knights to experience the deepest, most terrifying despair—to understand the absolute gap in power and die in fear.
"Cotton Creation Magic: Sleeping Sheep—Combo!" Charmy shouted.
A gigantic horned sheep, its eyes blazing red with fury, began raining down massive punches on Vetto.
Boom! Boom!
Each blow shook the ground violently.
But if even Gauche's lightning-fast mirror beams couldn't hit Vetto, the slower cotton attacks stood even less of a chance.
Still, with every punch from the Sleeping Sheep, thick white mist spread across the area, rapidly engulfing Vetto's position.
Puff—puff—
Amid bursts of white smoke, countless Asta figures appeared, surrounding Vetto like clones as they charged forward with thunderous shouts.
Vanessa used Thread Magic to control Asta's movements, while Finral continuously opened spatial gates to let Asta hide within the mist.
A closer look revealed that aside from their size, these "Asta" figures had subtly distorted features—Gray's Transformation Magic at work.
By now, the Black Bulls' mana reserves were nearly depleted. There was no excess mana for fine details—everyone was pouring everything they had into creating an opening for Asta.
Against a monster as overwhelming as Vetto, only Asta's Anti-Magic could hurt him!
"AAAH!!"
With a furious roar, Asta burst out from the mist, wielding the Demon-SlayerSword with both hands, turning into a streak of black light!
The Black Bulls roared together, desperately restraining Vetto so he couldn't evade Asta's strike.
"Despair? I don't have time to think about that!"
Asta's shout shook the battlefield.
With everyone's full effort combined, the Demon-Slayer Sword came within mere centimeters of Vetto's chest—
But…
Vetto, who appeared overwhelmed by the barrage, suddenly twisted his head. His grotesque face wore a radiant, mocking smile—the look of someone gazing at the dead.
"You think this is enough to beat me?"
With derisive laughter, Vetto vanished at the instant the sword was about to pierce him, reappearing beside Asta as if teleporting.
He kicked the Demon-SlayerSword out of Asta's hands, then grabbed Asta's arm with a thick hand and squeezed.
Crack!
Crack!
The sound of bones snapping rang out alongside Asta's scream. Every Black Bull's face turned pale.
"Do you really think your pitiful power can work on me?"
"Hey—did you notice? I did that on purpose earlier. Just to deal with your weapon!"
Vetto's dark-crimson mana boiled even more violently, his silver hair dancing wildly in the air.
The sheer pressure of his mana plunged the battlefield into deathly silence, broken only by Asta's cries of pain.
In Vetto's eyes, none of them posed a threat—except for the sword that nullified magic. Unfortunately for them, the Demon-Slayer Sword was far less convenient than the Demon-Dweller Sword he'd faced before.
Avoiding it was easy. There was no longer any risk of being stabbed.
Watching their final effort collapse completely, despair filled everyone's widened eyes.
How could they possibly win like this?!
"When all hope is lost… the densest despair is born!"
"This—this screaming—is what I want to hear from you humans… absolute despair!!"
Vetto reveled in the despair saturating the air, his grin twisted with madness.
Natural mana in the air roared and raged under his influence, responding to his insanity.
The oppressive magic made the air itself heavy, as if a massive stone pressed down on everyone. Powerlessness and despair flooded their hearts.
"Damn it!"
Outside, trapped by spatial magic, Yami could only watch through a projection.
His katana was already drawn, yet he couldn't break through the space barrier. His expression grew darker by the second.
At this rate, his squad would die.
"So this is one of the Three Evil Eyes of the Eye of the Midnight Sun…"
Recalling the intel given by that mysterious informant, Yami tightened his grip on the hilt.
Just then—
The frightened High Priest Gifso cried out, "Someone else has entered my Game Magic!"
Yami's gaze sharpened. Aside from Vetto, all Eye of the Midnight Sun members should've been dealt with—so who was this now?
No matter who it was—
Even space has its limits. I'll surpass them!
Back at the battlefield's center—
Still laughing madly, Vetto casually tossed the broken-armed Asta aside and scanned the Black Bulls, who had clearly lost the ability to resist.
"Die in despair."
He clenched his fist and sneered.
Asta lay on the ground, arms shattered, yet he still strained to push himself up with his shoulders, gritting his teeth.
"Oh?"
Vetto raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, quickly swallowed by brutality.
Just as he lifted his foot to crush Asta's head—
Step.
Step.
Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed from a passage outside the battlefield.
They were clearly intentional. Each step resounded loudly—and as the sound drew closer, an equally powerful mana presence flooded into the battlefield!
Facing this blatant provocation—
"Heh."
Vetto let out a low chuckle and stopped mid-step, turning his head. His lion-like face was cold and bloodthirsty.
He could feel the vast mana the newcomer was releasing—and was genuinely surprised. Aside from Yami, there was another powerful mage here?
The sudden development snapped the Black Bulls out of their despair.
Vanessa and Finral quickly used Thread and Spatial Magic to pull Asta back to safety.
"Asta, are you okay?" Finral asked urgently, exhaling in relief.
"Th-thank you, Vanessa-senpai… Finral-senpai…" Asta gasped, forcing himself upright. "Wh-what's… going on…?"
Seeing Asta still unbroken despite such injuries, Vanessa felt shaken—but answered quickly.
"Someone with incredibly strong mana showed up. Doesn't seem to be with Vetto."
In moments, the Black Bulls regrouped, watching Vetto warily while turning toward the approaching passage.
Already at a disadvantage, they wouldn't act rashly without understanding the new situation.
Finally—
The figure emerged.
A slender young man with an utterly ordinary face—the kind you'd forget after a second glance.
But now—
Powerful, unrestrained mana erupted from him, forming visible shockwaves that rippled outward.
Silver mana, nearly three fingers thick, flowed across his body like running water, circulating in a precise rhythm that radiated mystery.
At that instant—
The oppressive pressure in the air eased noticeably. Two completely different auras collided, dividing the natural mana into two distinct domains—something ordinary mages couldn't even perceive.
On Vetto's side, the natural mana was violent and raging.
On Yuuki's side, though still surging, it was calm—almost gently gathering around him.
Even without sensing natural mana, Asta and the others felt the stifling atmosphere lift the moment the young man appeared.
"It's him!"
"It's him!"
"It's him!"
Asta, Noelle, and Vanessa spoke in unison, stunning the rest of the Black Bulls.
None of them had imagined that the ordinary young man they'd met on the beach was hiding such overwhelming power.
Elsewhere, Yami—still watching through the projection—narrowed his eyes at the flowing Mana Skin around Yuuki's body.
He's refined Mana Skin to this level…
"You had someone like this hidden in the Underwater Temple?" Yami asked the High Priest.
"N-no!" the High Priest shook his head frantically. "He's not from the Underwater Temple!"
"Hm?" Yami froze.
"Another human? Disgusting mana! A thief who stole our power!!"
Sensing the heavy, surging mana from Yuuki, Vetto immediately assumed he was a noble and roared in fury.
(End of Chapter)
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