Asta and the others stared up at the sky.
There, Yuuki stood locked in a standoff with Fana—while three other figures dressed the same way as him completely blocked the remaining members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
"Is that the guy who showed up at the Underwater Temple last time?"
Finral asked shakily, feeling the boiling surge of mana overhead make his legs tremble.
"It's him,"
Vanessa replied, nodding as cold sweat formed on her forehead.
"So… what do we do now?" Finral asked quietly.
"Ah—forget it!" Asta suddenly grabbed his hair and yelled, then turned to Finral and Vanessa with a serious expression.
"Since they're holding things off here, let's go deal with the Diamond Kingdom!"
"I don't feel any hostility from them."
Vanessa and Finral exchanged glances, then nodded.
For now, that was their only option.
At the very least, that mysterious man didn't seem hostile toward them.
Asta looked up once more at Yuuki in the sky.
For some reason, the more he looked at that figure, the more familiar he felt…
In the Sky
A flicker of surprise passed through Fana's icy blue eyes.
She hadn't expected a human to be able to block an attack from the Fire Spirit.
"How annoying."
Her expression remained blank and dull as she noticed Asta and the others retreating below.
"Go after them."
One hand rested on the neck of the dragon-like Salamander.
"ROAR!"
Salamander let out a low growl, beating its wings and unleashing a scorching wave of flame toward Yuuki—while simultaneously twisting its head, preparing to pursue Asta's group.
Whoosh!
A silver mana slash several meters long split the blazing wind apart and flew straight at Salamander.
"ROAR!"
Salamander twisted its body, raising a claw to block the strike.
The collision forced it to retreat once again, its attempt to chase Asta thwarted.
"If you want to go after them," Yuuki said calmly, flashing in front of Fana once more,
"you'll have to deal with me first."
He stood there with sword in hand, dense silver mana wrapping around his body like flickering flames—forming a thick layer of Mana Skin.
Fana's scorching mana and Yuuki's heavy, oppressive aura collided in midair.
The air itself grew thick and stifling, pressing down on the battlefield.
For the first time, Fana truly looked at Yuuki.
Her dull, icy blue eyes focused on him.
"Filthy human… die—"
Her voice suddenly stopped.
Her gaze locked onto the Demon-Dweller Sword in Yuuki's hand, and her expression stiffened.
"That sword—why is it in your hands?!"
Hearing her repeat the words filthy human, Yuuki rubbed his ear with mild irritation.
"I know you elves hate humans," he said flatly,
"but hearing that over and over again is just as disgusting as listening to those nobles."
He raised the Demon-Dweller Sword slightly, staring straight at Fana.
"Vetto—the one who died by my hand—asked me the same thing. I don't care who this sword belonged to before."
"But now? It's mine."
Among the Third Eye, it was hard to judge who was the strongest.
But if there was one with the greatest destructive power—
It was undoubtedly Fana.
Among the Four Great Spirits, Salamander was the very embodiment of destruction.
Like Yuno, she was a Spirit Host.
Facing her, Yuuki felt his fighting spirit and excitement surge.
"You killed Vetto?!"
"How dare you!"
Fana's pupils dilated as crimson mana erupted violently from her body.
The surrounding temperature skyrocketed once more.
The information she'd received said Vetto had been killed by the Black Bulls.
Hearing Yuuki claim responsibility caused brief confusion—
But it was instantly drowned out by rage.
Kill all humans.
"ROAR!"
Salamander opened its jaws, firing a massive crimson fireball.
BOOM!
Yuuki surged forward, meeting it head-on.
The Demon-Dweller Sword swung, releasing a mana slash that split the fireball cleanly in two.
"That won't work on me!"
Yuuki shot forward like a silver streak, already closing in on Salamander as he slashed downward.
"Salamander's Talons!"
Salamander lifted its head, wings flaring as its massive body tilted backward.
Its two enormous claws crossed and slashed down.
Crimson claw marks appeared in midair, turning into blazing cross-shaped slashes that scorched the air itself.
BOOOOM!
An explosion erupted in the sky.
Yuuki burst out of the smoke and flames, a look of admiration on his face.
"As expected of Spirit Magic… the power is incredible."
Even if the attack itself could be cut apart, the extreme heat couldn't be sliced away.
Without Mana Skin, an ordinary mage would've been burned alive just from the temperature alone.
But—
Whoosh!
Yuuki vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared above Salamander's head, looking down at Fana.
"Attacks at this level aren't enough!"
Blue light flared from the groove of the Demon-Dweller Sword.
Demon-Dweller — Water Magic Slash!
A massive sky-blue blade cleaved downward with overwhelming force.
Fana's pupils shrank.
Too fast!
"ROAR!!"
Salamander roared as both it and Fana were smashed straight down to the ground.
RUMBLE—!
The impact shook the earth, carving out a crater dozens of meters wide.
"Possessing Zero-Stage power but unable to fully use it… you really are being affected."
Yuuki gazed down at the dust-filled crater, shaking his head faintly in regret.
This body once belonged to a Diamond Kingdom girl also named Fana—discarded as a failed experiment.
At the brink of death, Licht had found her and used the forbidden spell Evil Eye to reincarnate the elf Fana's soul into the body.
However, because the original Fana hadn't died, two souls now coexisted within one body.
That instability dulled her mind—leaving her outwardly vacant and emotionally erratic.
And that inevitably weakened her strength.
Step.
Yuuki descended to the ground, calmly facing the crater.
BOOM!
A terrifying surge of crimson mana exploded upward, blasting the dust away.
Fana rose once more, Salamander beating its wings beneath her.
The wound on her shoulder regenerated instantly under blazing red flames.
RUMBLE—!
The once-clear sky thundered.
Dark clouds spread rapidly, swallowing the heavens.
Everyone across the Witch's Forest battlefield turned toward Yuuki's location in horror.
Even those with weak mana perception could feel it—
An indescribably terrifying presence.
Crack—!
The gem-like ornament on Fana's forehead shattered—
Transforming into a grotesque eye.
Chaotic, violent crimson mana engulfed her body.
At the same time, Salamander began to swell.
Muscle-like mass bulged across its frame, its body expanding rapidly to seven or eight meters tall.
If it once still resembled a lizard—
Now it had fully become a western dragon.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Mineral-like flames bloomed within the inferno.
The surrounding grass and trees turned to ash in an instant.
The earth itself scorched black, crystallizing under the unimaginable heat.
From afar—
It looked as though a god of fire had descended.
This was Fana's true form.
Already a Zero-Stage mage, empowered further by Salamander, her mana warped the very weather.
"Human!"
Fana roared coldly.
"I'll burn all of you to nothing with these flames of hatred!"
Her boiling mana made her clothes flutter violently despite the still air.
"Even with her mind unstable… she's still dangerous," Yuuki muttered.
Despite Mana Skin, the heat washed over him.
His gaze sharpened—
And he vanished in a blur, charging straight toward Fana.
"Salamander's Breath."
"ROAR!"
The dragon opened its jaws, unleashing a torrent of crimson flames.
The moment the fire erupted, it expanded like ignited oil—becoming a tidal wave of fire.
"Hmph."
Yuuki halted mid-charge and thrust the Demon-Dweller Sword forward.
BOOOOM!
The sea of flames was absorbed instantly.
The sword's groove blazed bright red.
In just a few breaths—
Spirit Magic that ordinary mages couldn't hope to stop was completely devoured.
Compared to Vetto, Fana was far less threatening to Yuuki.
The Demon-Dweller Sword was a natural counter to pure release-type mages like her.
"Slash!"
Yuuki roared, swinging the sword and releasing all the absorbed flames as a massive magic slash.
Whoosh!
Fana and Salamander dodged with agility that belied their size, vanishing and reappearing in midair.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Yuuki pursued relentlessly, unleashing slashes that clashed with Salamander's claws, thunderous impacts filling the sky.
The Demon-Dweller Sword's dispelling effect couldn't match Asta's Anti-Magic—
Otherwise, Salamander's elemental form would've been cut apart long ago.
"That weapon is not yours to wield!"
Fana screamed, rage twisting her face as her pink hair whipped violently in the mana storm.
"ROAR!"
Salamander spread its wings wide.
Crimson mana condensed into dozens of fist-sized fireballs around its body.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
They shot forward like artillery shells.
Yuuki didn't slow down at all.
Guided by ki, his body flowed effortlessly through the barrage.
"I told you—"
He slipped through every attack and stopped before Salamander, blocked by a dense crimson mana field radiating terrifying heat.
A circular mana barrier—almost like a crude Mana Zone.
Ordinary mages wouldn't even be able to cast spells within it.
"If her mind were stable," Yuuki thought,
"she might've already used a Spirit Descent-type spell…"
"Even Vetto died by my hand!" Yuuki said coldly, provoking her as he forced the Demon-Dweller Sword through the mana field.
"You think you can beat me?!"
"Then die here—by this human's hands!"
Fana's situation was different from Vetto's.
Yuuki needed to stimulate, not kill her—to awaken the other soul within.
And Salamander had to be separated from her as well.
"You'll die!"
The name Vetto pushed Fana's unstable mind past the limit.
Hatred and fury exploded.
Crack! Crack!
Dozens of mineral scimitars appeared in midair, firing toward Yuuki.
"Mineral Magic?"
Yuuki smiled.
"I can use that too."
Mineral Magic — Scimitars!
Clang! Clang!
Identical blades formed beside Yuuki, colliding with Fana's in midair.
Suddenly—
A crimson blur swept toward him.
Yuuki pulled back instantly.
It was Salamander's tail.
(End of Chapter)
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