Yuuki's teasing tone—and the mention of Yuno's name—
made Asta's body tremble slightly.
Despite his eyes being rolled white and his consciousness suppressed, his lowered head showed signs of lifting.
He still had awareness?
The Witch Queen sensed Asta's reaction. A flicker of surprise crossed her cold eyes before vanishing once more into indifference.
Her slender fingers—painted black—curled toward Asta.
Whoosh!
Asta's struggling consciousness was instantly crushed again. He returned to a vacant state, the Demon-Slayer Sword pointing straight at Yuuki.
"The future revealed by divination may have deviated somewhat," the Witch Queen said calmly,
"but the outcome is even better than expected."
"You actually possess recovery magic of this level. Excellent."
"Do you regret not escaping?"
"From today onward, you too will become my puppet—used to atone for your insolence."
A satisfied smile appeared on the Witch Queen's face.
A sword that rejected all magic.
A Spirit Host capable of regenerating severed limbs.
And Vanessa, who had awakened Fate Magic.
Even someone as emotionally restrained as the Witch Queen couldn't help but smile at this chain of good fortune.
"Cut off his limbs."
Her low, merciless command echoed.
With a single flap of his black bat-like wing, Asta turned into a streak of black light and shot toward Yuuki once again.
The chaotic surges of anti-magic filled the air with crushing pressure, making Vanessa and the others instinctively tense as they watched Yuuki with anxious expressions.
After all, Yuuki had already been defeated once—he had even lost an arm.
Anti-magic, which nullified all spells, was the natural nemesis of every mage.
If Asta were on their side, he would be the most reliable ally imaginable.
But under the Witch Queen's control—
he had become a disaster.
Slash!
In an instant, Asta appeared at Yuuki's side. Lightning-like black anti-magic wrapped around the Demon-Slayer Sword as it came crashing down.
The hearts of the Black Bulls—and even Mars—jumped into their throats.
Until Fate Magic could be fully understood, Yuuki was the only one they believed capable of standing against the Witch Queen.
Clang!
A deafening metallic crash rang out.
The ground cracked.
Yuuki's feet sank slightly as he raised the white Demon-Dweller Sword in his left hand, blocking the black Demon-Slayer Sword head-on.
His arm dipped.
Feeling the immense force transmitted through the blade, Yuuki was momentarily surprised.
His body had already been reinforced by Beast Magic—strong enough to crater the ground with a casual punch.
Yet even so, Asta's strike still pressured him physically.
Surprising—but only slightly.
Yuuki had never underestimated anti-magic. And with the Witch Queen's blood magic having strengthened Asta's entire body, this level of power was only natural.
Yuuki's eyes widened slightly.
A silvery mana skin instantly covered his body, his aura shifting.
Screech—
With the shrill sound of steel grinding against steel, Yuuki's left arm jolted, knocking Asta's sword aside.
Whoosh!
Seeing his attack deflected, Asta flapped his wing again, flashing above Yuuki's head.
The black sword came down once more.
Clang!
Another piercing impact.
Yuuki's Demon-Dweller Sword intercepted the strike again.
Swish! Swish!
Asta's form blurred.
To Vanessa and the others, he became a swarm of black afterimages, surrounding Yuuki from all sides.
Black light streaked through the air.
White afterimages followed in response.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two swords collided repeatedly, sparks flying as shockwaves rippled outward.
There were no grand spells.
No overwhelming magic.
Only pure power colliding with pure power.
Boom!
The ground beneath them shattered again and again, unable to withstand the impact of their clashes.
Vanessa and the others stared blankly at the scene.
Finral's eyes were wide, his throat unconsciously bobbing as he swallowed.
Such ferocity.
Such violence.
To him, the two of them were already on par with Captain Yami.
Even the Witch Queen showed a flicker of astonishment.
She had assumed that since Asta had defeated Yuuki before, subduing him again would be effortless.
After all, against anti-magic, no spell—no matter how powerful—should matter.
Yet Yuuki was blocking Asta.
That hadn't been part of her expectations.
If Yuuki could block him now, then what exactly had happened earlier—when his arm was severed and he was blown away?
Boom!
An even heavier collision rang out.
Yuuki, eyes sharp and focused, still held the Demon-Dweller Sword in one hand, stopping another brutal strike.
"Your power is strong," he said calmly.
"Your speed is fast."
"But—"
He shifted his grip, holding the white sword with both hands.
Muscles flowed into sharp relief as both arms exerted force.
With a sudden surge of strength, Yuuki forced the black blade back.
Locking eyes with Asta's vacant gaze, Yuuki spoke evenly:
"But under control, your attacks are far too straightforward."
"In truth—you're weaker now."
Asta's true strength had never come solely from anti-magic or Black Form.
It was also his swordsmanship.
His beast-like instincts.
His unyielding will.
And the ki sensing he'd learned from Captain Yami.
Each of these drastically enhanced his combat ability.
Under the Witch Queen's control, all of those were effectively gone.
To Yuuki—who also mastered ki—
Asta's movements were mechanical, rigid, predictable.
So of course he was weaker.
Whoosh!
Yuuki lifted one leg, turning it into a whip-like kick.
The flowing silver mana skin erupted with force as his foot slammed into the left side of Asta's chest, the only area not covered by anti-magic.
Crack!
A sickening sound rang out as ribs fractured inward.
Boom!
Asta was launched away like a black meteor, crashing deep into the forest.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Yuuki flicked his Demon-Dweller Sword, its tip pointing downward, and turned to face the Witch Queen.
"There's no such thing as perfect magic in this world—let alone a perfect mage."
"Anti-magic is powerful, yes. But Asta isn't."
He lifted his chin slightly, his tone calm.
"As long as someone is faster and stronger, anti-magic stops being a threat. That's Asta's weakness."
"And under your control, he may look stronger—but to me, he's clearly weaker."
Before mastering anti-magic, Asta could still be defeated through range, tactics, or technique.
But once anti-magic was fully unleashed, only one path remained:
Overwhelming speed and strength.
The simplest solution—
and the most effective.
Hearing Yuuki speak so casually about Asta's "weakness," Finral and Mars exchanged uneasy looks.
Easy to say.
Given the speed and power Asta had just displayed, how many people in the world could truly match him?
Mars knew better than anyone.
Even back in the Dungeon, a much weaker Asta had already pushed him to his limits.
Now?
In Mars's view, only close-combat–specialist mages stood a chance—and those were exceedingly rare.
And even then, most relied on magically formed weapons.
Against anti-magic, such weapons were tantamount to suicide.
A truly physical blade was required.
In a world dominated by magic, how many mages even used pure physical weapons?
It was obvious to Mars—
Yuuki was suppressing Asta precisely because of that white sword.
A weapon that rejected magic.
Utterly unreasonable.
"…Monster," Mars muttered.
The word described Asta—
but even more so, Yuuki.
At least Asta could be analyzed.
Yuuki, on the other hand, was shrouded in mist.
Thinking of the wager involving the Diamond Kingdom, Mars's heart sank.
If conflict truly arose with Yuuki, even all Eight Shining Generals together might not prevail.
"The sword…"
The Witch Queen's icy gaze fixed on the white Demon-Dweller Sword.
Too many things had gone wrong today.
"Who do you think you are, speaking to me in that tone?"
"Your blasphemy—will be punished!"
Her killing intent surged. Crimson mana like liquid blood spread around her.
"Blood Magic — Puppet Blood Tide!"
Terrifying power erupted.
Countless vein-like crimson threads burst forth, swarming toward Yuuki.
"Fire Magic — Vortex Flame Pillar!"
Yuuki shouted.
The fire salamander flicked its tail.
A torrent of flames exploded outward, a towering vortex of fire rising into the sky and incinerating the incoming blood threads.
With Salamander's support, Yuuki's fire magic was amplified threefold—especially its temperature, which surged to nearly 1,000°C.
And this was only ordinary fire magic.
Spirit magic would push it even higher.
Scorching heat swept the battlefield, evaporating the blood constructs instantly.
"Even blood magic contains water," Yuuki said coldly from within the inferno.
"And water can be evaporated."
"Fire Spirit Magic — Salamander's Breath!"
"ROAR!"
Despite its small body, Salamander exhaled—
and a flood of flames erupted like a breached dam, instantly becoming a sea of fire.
BOOM!
The blaze swallowed everything ahead.
"Too hot!" Finral yelped, squinting and shrinking back.
"This temperature's insane!"
Noelle stared into the inferno, face pale.
Even outside the spell's range, the heat felt like it was burning their skin.
"We'll be roasted if this keeps up!" Finral gasped, drenched in sweat.
Vanessa clenched her teeth.
They were still bound by the Blood Execution Ground. Even Noelle, though freed, was trapped in the blood mire below.
"Meow~"
The dark-red cat appeared atop Vanessa's head.
In an instant, the oppressive heat vanished for them.
"What kind of magic is this…?" Noelle murmured in disbelief.
Before Vanessa could answer, they sensed the Blood Execution Ground weakening—rapidly evaporated by Yuuki's flames.
Within the inferno, the Witch Queen snorted coldly.
A crimson spherical barrier emerged, expanding outward and extinguishing the flames in its path.
Moments later, the fire was gone.
The Witch Queen stood unharmed.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, brat."
"You don't understand what perfection is."
She swept her sleeve, contempt in her eyes, and clenched her hand.
The expanding barrier suddenly collapsed inward, forming a blood-red sphere the size of a basketball.
"As expected of the Witch Queen," Yuuki muttered, eyes narrowing as he glanced at the sphere.
Whoosh!
A black streak shot out of the forest.
Asta returned.
The Demon-Slayer Sword cleaved down, dispersing the flame pillar and revealing Yuuki.
Clang!
Yuuki drew his blade back, the two swords colliding once more.
"Through endless years, Blood Magic has become the most perfect magic," the Witch Queen declared.
"This is not a power that flames can burn away!"
"Feel it—this perfection!"
She clenched her fingers toward the blood sphere.
"Blood Creation Magic — Siren's Gaze!"
Thump—thump.
The blood sphere pulsed—twice.
Suddenly, everyone felt their hearts sync with its rhythm.
Then—
The sphere stopped.
So did their hearts.
Slash!
The Demon-Slayer Sword skimmed across Yuuki's chest, slicing open his clothes and exposing his torso.
Bang!
Yuuki twisted sharply, using the rotation to knock the blade aside with the Demon-Dweller Sword.
The pulse had disrupted even his heartbeat—slowing his reaction by a fraction.
"…A curse?"
Yuuki snapped his gaze upward.
From the center of the blood sphere—
a crimson eye slowly opened.
(End of Chapter)
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSims
Next Bonus Chapter at 1800 powerstones!