Elsewhere—
after leaving Asta and the others behind.
Yuuki glanced at the fountain pen and the signed sheet of paper in his hand. With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed them into subspace, his expression returning to calm neutrality.
He hadn't come here to listen to Kahono sing.
Nor was it to exchange pleasantries with Asta and Noelle.
And certainly not to ask for an autograph.
Through the brief contact with the paper, he had already planted a tracking magic mark on Kahono. As long as she returned to the sea, locating the Underwater Temple would be effortless.
Back at the inn—
Yuuki drank a cup of warm milk, lay down on the soft, comfortable bed, and closed his eyes. Nothing important would happen before dawn. Getting enough sleep mattered more.
After all, he was only fifteen—still at an age where proper rest was essential for growth.
Not long after, however, he sensed a massive surge of Water-attribute magic. After a brief moment of awareness, he dismissed it and continued sleeping.
With Kahono's guidance, Noelle would likely comprehend Sea Dragon's Cradle soon enough.
Magic itself was born from a mage's will and heartfelt desire.
The next day.
The rising sun broke through the early dawn over the sea, illuminating the sky. The ocean shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight, just as it had the day before.
"Yaaawn—"
Yuuki stretched as he got out of bed and walked to the window, lazily gazing at the sunlit beach below.
"The mana signatures of the Black Bulls are gone. They've already set off for the Underwater Temple."
He murmured softly after sensing the surroundings.
Once he confirmed their departure, Yuuki showed no urgency. Instead, he calmly washed up—because he was still waiting for another group.
And that wait did not last long.
Sudden screams erupted from the beach outside, causing Yuuki to pause mid-brush. He quickly resumed, though his gaze had turned sharp.
In that instant, he sensed a terrifying, overwhelming mana descending upon the shore—like a lion long restrained, finally unleashed. It was violent, aggressive, and utterly feral.
This was technically his second time facing Vetto.
The first had been when he'd just joined the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Back then, he'd been far too weak to truly comprehend Vetto's power.
Only now did Yuuki fully grasp just how monstrous that strength was.
"…That makes things even more exciting."
Stepping out of the inn, Yuuki found the beach littered with fallen magic knights—some unconscious, some gravely wounded, some already dead.
Walking past the bodies without pause, he stopped at the shoreline and gazed into the sea, his eyes deep and unreadable.
"The most important actor has finally taken the stage."
He muttered quietly.
Thud.
A panicked sound came from behind. A man who had been hiding behind a rock stumbled out clumsily—Sekke, his face pale with fear as he stared at Yuuki.
"Y-You… you…"
Sekke swallowed hard, his body trembling as he looked at the calm, slender young man before him.
He had seen everything.
A beastlike man had appeared out of nowhere and effortlessly crushed every magic knight on the beach—including several senior mages.
Thankfully, Sekke hadn't been noticed and had avoided disaster. But before he could even catch his breath, this seemingly ordinary traveler had appeared.
At first, Sekke thought Yuuki was just a civilian. Even frightened, he'd intended to warn him—those monsters might come back at any moment.
But Yuuki's behavior erased that thought entirely.
Any normal person would have panicked at the sight of so many fallen mages.
Yuuki, however, remained utterly unfazed.
That alone made one thing clear—
He was anything but ordinary.
Could he be with them…?
When Yuuki looked over, Sekke shrank back instinctively, terror written across his face.
Yuuki didn't think much of it. If anything, he felt the bronze-magic user was absurdly lucky to have survived.
The next moment—
Boom!
An immense surge of magic burst from Yuuki's body. Water elements formed a protective barrier around him as he shot into the air and plunged straight into the sea.
Only after Yuuki vanished completely did Sekke collapse to the sand, limbs weak.
"S-So strong… another terrifying monster… What in the world is going on…?"
With the tracking magic left on Kahono, pinpointing the Underwater Temple was simple.
Yuuki sped through the depths, unfamiliar fish and sea plants flowing past his vision in a dazzling display. As a strong-magic region, the seabed wasn't dark at all—instead, it gleamed with a unique brilliance distinct from land.
The elemental barrier around him resisted crushing currents, allowing him to advance at even greater speed.
Before long—
A colossal vortex barrier appeared ahead.
Its sheer scale was immense. The fusion of its own powerful mana with the natural mana of the strong-magic region caused space itself to warp slightly.
Rather than slowing down, Yuuki accelerated.
At the instant he reached the barrier, the Demon-Dweller Sword appeared in his hand, cleaving open a gap as he slipped inside.
Boom!
Yuuki landed lightly on solid ground.
Though surrounded by the deep sea, the space beyond the barrier contained normal, breathable air.
"So this is the Underwater Temple…"
Standing atop a pale stone ridge, Yuuki gazed at the distant structures—palaces built atop coral formations shaped like drifting clouds.
Kahono's tracking signal was coming from within the palace.
With a flick of his wrist, Yuuki donned an invisibility cloak. Wind magic wrapped around his body as he flew forward.
The closer he drew to the temple's core, the more clearly he felt Vetto's terrifying mana.
The battle between the Eye of the Midnight Sun and the Black Bulls had already begun.
He also sensed a peculiar magic enveloping a large area—something akin to a domain.
"…Game Magic."
Yuuki's eyes glinted with interest.
The High Priest of the Underwater Temple, Gifso, wielded a unique form of Game Magic—capable of freely altering terrain within a designated area, creating sea creatures through imagination, and even establishing game-like rules while monitoring the entire field.
Even Yuuki found it impressive.
From his perspective—having experienced countless games in a past life—this magic's potential was being severely underutilized.
"…Later."
He shook his head, refocusing.
He had no intention of intervening immediately. Before acting, he needed to retrieve one specific item—only then could he avoid Yami and create a battlefield solely between himself and Vetto.
Obtaining Beast Magic was his true objective.
Yuuki increased his speed.
Deep within the Underwater Temple—
inside the High Priest's bedroom.
A black Anti-Magic Bird flew in through the window. Its eyes glimmered with unmistakable intelligence as it scanned the lavishly decorated room.
Flapping its wings, it searched carefully before fixing its gaze on a wall embedded with countless gemstones.
"Chirp."
The bird darted forward, plucking an unremarkable stone from among the jewels.
Just as it turned to leave—
A figure appeared silently before it, blocking its path.
"Hand it over."
Yuuki smiled gently, extending his palm toward the startled bird.
This Anti-Magic Bird was Nero.
With her ability to sense magic stones, following her was the simplest method.
"Chirp—chirp."
A flash of panic crossed Nero's eyes, but she quickly composed herself, tilting her head innocently as though she didn't understand him.
The next instant—
A staggering pressure exploded outward from Yuuki.
The air in the room sank, turning thick and oppressive, like an invisible cage snapping shut.
No matter how desperately Nero flapped her wings, she couldn't move an inch—completely restrained by raw magic.
Yuuki kept one hand extended while raising the other.
Crimson flames bloomed in his palm.
The temperature in the room rose rapidly.
"You don't want to become a roasted Anti-Magic Bird, do you?"
He said lightly, a faint smile on his lips.
Nero's eyes widened ever so slightly.
If she'd been uncertain before—now she was sure.
This man knew she could understand human speech.
Impossible…
"Chirp…"
As the flames drew closer, Nero hesitated—then loosened her beak, letting the magic stone fall.
Yuuki caught it effortlessly. The flames vanished, and the crushing pressure dissipated instantly.
"Relax. I'm only borrowing it for a while."
With that, Yuuki vanished from the room.
Nero fluttered in place, her small eyes unable to hide the shock within.
He really knew.
Not only that—he knew far more than he should.
For the first time in her five hundred years of existence, Nero felt genuinely at a loss.
(End of Chapter)
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