When Mars appeared, a complicated expression crossed Fanzell's face.
"…It's been a long time, Mars."
Fanzell raised a hand in greeting, though the movement was slightly stiff.
He had taught Mars for a short time when the boy was still young. Not long after that, Mars had been taken away, and they had never met again.
They might once have shared a bond as teacher and student, but by now, that relationship had long since faded.
"It really has been a long time, Teacher Fanzell," Mars said, bowing slightly as he spoke with solemn resolve. "I hope I can work together with you to change the kingdom—so that children will never again be turned into weapons of war."
That Yuuki had managed to find Teacher Fanzell and even persuade him to help was something Mars truly hadn't expected. With Fanzell joining them, his chances of success rose noticeably.
To be honest—
Because of the earlier wager, Mars had thought Yuuki might not necessarily give his full support. He had even suspected Yuuki might deliberately add more conditions along the way. Now, it seemed he had been worrying for nothing.
Of course, there was another possibility.
That Yuuki had believed from the very beginning… that Mars would lose.
The thought flashed through Mars's mind, yet his expression remained unchanged.
Until the very last moment, who could truly say who would win and who would lose?
Fanzell was already tempted.
His ideals had failed in the past. He had completely offended the nobles, been branded a traitor, and hunted relentlessly by the Diamond Kingdom. He had long believed he would never be able to return.
And yet now—an opportunity had appeared.
Not only could he return to the kingdom, he might even be able to continue putting his ideals into practice. How could Fanzell not be moved?
"Why are you helping us?"
Fanzell didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned and looked seriously at Yuuki.
He didn't believe this mysterious, frightening young man would help them without reason.
The fact that Yuuki had managed to extract Eight Shining General Yagos from layers of encirclement—after three other generals had already been defeated—gave Fanzell a much clearer understanding of Yuuki's strength.
Faced with Fanzell's probing, suspicious gaze, Yuuki merely smiled faintly.
"There's no need to be so wary. Whether you succeed or fail, it doesn't harm me in the slightest."
"If you succeed, I gain a naturally powerful ally. If you fail…"
Yuuki paused, his gaze shifting to Mars as he smiled.
"Then I gain an Eight Shining General as my subordinate. Either way, it's a win."
A flicker of astonishment passed through Fanzell's eyes. He instinctively looked toward Mars—only to find that Mars showed no intention of refuting the statement.
"So that's the price Mars is paying?" Fanzell asked.
The exhaustion on his face vanished completely, replaced by a sharp, piercing gaze.
"You could see it that way," Yuuki replied, nodding without confirmation or denial.
Fanzell's expression shifted subtly. In the end, he raised a hand and rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"Looks like I really am out of touch. The way you young people think… it's hard to wrap my head around."
There was complexity in his voice.
The two sides clearly came from enemy nations. In the eyes of both kingdoms' royalty and nobility, they were practically insignificant figures—yet the plans they were laying now were enough to make one's blood run cold.
If this were told to anyone else, no one would believe it.
After all, they were nothing more than minor characters in the eyes of two great kingdoms.
Fanzell looked at Yuuki, then at Mars. The long-dead fire in his heart stirred once more.
"I won't let Mars lose."
Yuuki was momentarily startled by the sudden firmness in Fanzell's words.
"I'm looking forward to it," Yuuki said with a smile.
"The way you change your kingdom will be valuable reference material for me as well."
"What do we do now?"
Having decided to assist Mars, Fanzell no longer hesitated. His gaze fell on the unconscious Eight Shining General Yagos.
"Give me the grimoire," Yuuki said.
Though puzzled, Fanzell handed it over.
Whoosh.
"Wait a moment."
Holding the grimoire, Yuuki stepped into a different dimension.
He needed to replicate Fanzell's grimoire first, then bestow Yagos's magic upon him.
As for Yagos's own grimoire—it had already been devoured when Yuuki rushed here.
Watching Yuuki leave with the grimoire, Mars's eyes flickered slightly. He hadn't forgotten that he was still bound by some unknown method Yuuki had used.
Did he tamper with the grimoire?
Mars's heart tightened. Perhaps he would need to examine it carefully after returning to the kingdom.
"Is Fana doing well?"
With only the two of them left, Fanzell tried to ease the atmosphere by starting a conversation.
Mars instinctively opened his mouth, then remembered Yuuki's words—that Fana wasn't dead. After a brief hesitation, he shook his head.
"I don't know."
Fanzell frowned, about to ask more—
When Yuuki reappeared and tossed the grimoire back to him.
Boom!
Fanzell caught it instinctively. In the next instant, an overwhelming surge of magic burst uncontrollably from within him.
Mars's expression sharpened, suspecting Yuuki was up to something.
"This is… Yagos's magic?" Fanzell muttered.
As the immense magic power surged through him, transparent slime flowed out from his body, shifting freely into various forms under his control.
"You now possess Yagos's magic," Yuuki said with a smile.
"Combined with the magic tool Miss Dominante created—one that allows you to change your appearance—you are now Eight Shining General Yagos."
Fanzell stood there in shock.
Mars was no less stunned.
This was the first time he had realized Yuuki possessed such an ability. No wonder he had been able to impersonate Yagos so effortlessly from beginning to end.
The realization sent a chill down Mars's spine—along with memories of Yuuki's ability to wield multiple magic attributes.
"I've done what I needed to do," Yuuki said calmly.
"The rest is up to you."
He could feel the shock radiating from both Mars and Fanzell.
Yuuki knew Mars must now be forming countless theories about his magic. But without understanding the core of replication magic, all that speculation would only deepen his confusion.
As Yuuki vanished—
Silence fell.
"Yagos's grimoire is gone," Mars said at last.
"I saw it," Fanzell replied.
Studying the changes in his own grimoire, Fanzell finally understood why Dominante held Yuuki in such high regard.
With an ability like this, Yuuki could easily assemble an elite magical army—or quietly replace the upper nobility with his own people.
Transferring one person's attribute magic to another.
Such magic had never appeared in the history of the Four Great Kingdoms.
A chill ran over Fanzell's arms, raising goosebumps.
"If he were born a noble," Fanzell said gravely, "he would undoubtedly become the next Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom."
There was something he didn't say aloud.
Yuuki was a commoner. The royal family and nobility would never allow someone like him to exist.
Because his power threatened the very foundation of their rule.
"Heh. 'What a pity' doesn't apply to him," Mars said coldly.
"The ones who should be afraid are the nobles of the Clover Kingdom."
If Yuuki had never grown strong, that would be one thing. But now that he had—and had hidden it so deeply—the unlucky ones would be everyone else.
"Just thinking about an enemy like that is terrifying," Fanzell said, nodding.
"By the way… how did you even meet him?"
"He came to me on his own," Mars replied flatly.
An unpleasant memory surfaced as he reached into the air.
Crack!
A mineral weapon condensed in his hand.
Without hesitation, Mars plunged it into Yagos's chest.
Blood sprayed vividly.
Fanzell watched the scene in silence, his expression complicated.
Elsewhere — An Open Valley
Rebecca thrust both hands forward, flames coiling around her arms.
"Fire Magic: Flaming Lion's Palm!"
Whoosh!
Roaring flames condensed into a pair of blazing claws nearly a meter long, striking Yuuki from both sides.
"Your movements are too obvious."
Yuuki's body was wrapped in a layer of magic skin. With a light step, he vanished—reappearing before Rebecca as he evaded the attack.
So fast!
Rebecca's eyes widened as she instinctively stepped back.
"Ice Magic: Ice Pillar!"
Whoosh!
A crimson spatial gate opened beside her, and a thick pillar of ice burst out, slamming toward Yuuki.
Facing the incoming strike, Yuuki smiled and drove his magic-reinforced fist straight into it.
BOOM!
The ice pillar shattered into countless fragments, scattering everywhere.
As Yuuki prepared to press the attack, his brows flickered. He twisted his foot and spun aside—
The black shadow lunging from the side missed completely.
"As expected of Lord Yuuki," Mariella said seriously, her hands never slowing.
"Even without killing intent, you avoided that perfectly."
"Ice Magic: Shattered Ice Storm!"
Rumble—!
A violent blizzard erupted, sharp ice shards swirling within it as the storm rapidly expanded, engulfing Yuuki.
The temperature plummeted visibly. The ground and surrounding vegetation froze solid within moments.
The closer to the center of the storm, the colder it became.
"This spell has decent power," Yuuki said, eyes lighting up.
Magic skin deflected the relentless hail of ice.
Then—
Boom!
Yuuki stomped the ground.
Cracks spread outward from beneath his foot as a terrifying shockwave erupted, dispersing the storm instantly.
Pure magic pressure—overwhelming and absolute.
"Fire Magic: Explosive Flame Rain!" Rebecca cried from behind.
In an instant, scorching magic surged skyward, lighting up the heavens.
Countless fireballs rained down. Due to the frigid air left behind by Mariella's ice magic, the flames detonated just two to three meters above the ground—
The world vanished beneath blinding firelight.
"Rebecca… I didn't expect you to develop a fire spell at this level," Yuuki's voice echoed from within the blaze.
"That's a pleasant surprise."
The next moment—
All sparks extinguished. The rain of fire vanished.
Rebecca and Mariella suddenly found themselves pulled in front of Yuuki, who was smiling at them.
They exchanged glances and exhaled in relief.
The sparring session was over.
Lord Yuuki was simply too strong.
Even without using spells, his raw magic power alone crushed them both.
"Rebecca, your combat awareness still needs work," Yuuki said kindly.
"But your improvement has been significant—especially developing magic on your own."
The spell she had used clearly wasn't one of Fuegoleon's techniques, and its style was entirely different.
Even with the same magic source, different users could develop entirely different spells.
Rebecca's cheeks flushed with joy.
Her efforts hadn't been wasted.
"Watch closely, Rebecca. This spell is called 'Radiance of the Little Sun.'
It boasts incredible speed and terrifying penetration through extreme compression."
Yuuki raised his hand.
Flames surged, collapsing inward rapidly—
In the blink of an eye, a red point of light the size of a thumb formed.
A sense of dread washed over both girls.
Whoosh!
A blazing beam shot forward, piercing the forest ahead before erupting in a massive explosion hundreds of meters away.
Towering flames soared skyward.
Even from this distance, Rebecca and Mariella could feel the shockwave.
"So… amazing," Rebecca murmured.
An attack like that couldn't be blocked—or even dodged.
After explaining the key principles behind Radiance of the Little Sun, Yuuki turned his gaze toward Mariella.
(End of Chapter)
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