Izumi stared at Le Fay unleashing a full planetary bombardment and could only sigh.
She really used the astrology techniques he taught her.
At this rate, Rias and the others would probably die on the spot.
This girl really didn't know how to hold back.
Letting out a long breath, Izumi raised a hand and silently redirected a portion of the incoming damage.
If he didn't intervene, they truly wouldn't survive it.
A deafening boom cracked through the air.
Even with the redirected force, the spell still gouged a massive crater into the beach.
The beautiful shoreline—still intact despite days of battles—was now completely ruined by Le Fay.
Izumi stared at the enormous pit and rubbed his temples.
"This… is getting ridiculous."
Inside the crater, Rias and the others had collapsed, completely unconscious.
There were no physical wounds, but maintaining their defensive barriers had drained every last drop of their demonic power.
Izumi clicked his tongue.
"Still not enough… Le Fay wiped them out with a single barrage."
With that muttered conclusion, he teleported them over and had Asia heal them.
From the side, Rin Tohsaka's cheek twitched violently.
(What the hell…?)
That was the only thought she could muster.
Le Fay possessed infinite mana, on top of absurdly destructive magic.
Who in the world was supposed to survive something like that?
And that was after she transformed, which only boosted her further.
She was basically a mobile artillery battery.
Megumi Kato and the others were just as speechless.
Rias and Sona weren't weak—not at all.
It was simply that Le Fay was too strong.
That swarm of magic circles was enough to give anyone nightmares.
From the sky, Le Fay descended with a sheepish smile as she looked at the unconscious pile of devils.
"Thank you, Izumi-sama. I almost caused trouble there."
She had clearly realized he'd intercepted part of her spell.
Without that, she would've killed them outright.
Izumi's eye twitched.
"You little… I told you to go all out, but not that all out."
"You actually used that spell?"
Many of Le Fay's techniques came from Izumi himself.
The one she just fired was one of the most powerful—no wonder it caused such devastation.
Le Fay scratched her cheek in embarrassment.
She had only wanted to test its power.
She didn't think it would be that destructive.
Izumi sighed and rapped her lightly on the head before moving to Rias and the others.
Their swimsuits had, once again, been blown to shreds.
How many sets had they gone through now?
Every day, a few swimsuits were sacrificed to training.
They were truly pitiful.
Muttering under his breath, Izumi shamelessly took a moment to enjoy the view before using his Thaumaturgical Exchange Magic, channeling some of his own mana into them.
Conversion, transference—his magic allowed him to move parts of his own mana, even fragments of his soul and spirit, into another target.
In practice, this made it an unconventional form of "mana replenishment."
Heh…
Izumi still preferred the other method of mana replenishment.
Whenever Sakura ran out of mana during training and came to him for "refills," he had been delighted.
Perhaps one day he could "research" that method with Rias and the others too.
…Yes. Someday.
After Asia's healing and Izumi's mana supply, Rias and her group finally woke up.
The moment they opened their eyes and saw Le Fay—
"D-Don't come any closer!!"
Rias immediately scrambled away, trembling.
She had nearly died.
The trauma was fresh.
Le Fay froze mid-step, her apology dying in her throat.
She wasn't trying to kill them!
She just… overdid it.
The rest of the group stared at her with equally terrified eyes.
They had literally brushed past the gates of the underworld.
"I–I'm very sorry!"
"I really didn't do it on purpose!"
Le Fay bowed deeply, red-faced.
Seeing how sincere she was, they couldn't blame her anymore.
They simply never imagined her magic would be that monstrous.
Two spells had been enough to obliterate them.
She was more terrifying than Aglorora.
The kind of overwhelming power that crushed hope—they never wanted to experience that again.
After this traumatic episode, training came to a halt.
They were mentally exhausted.
Izumi, meanwhile, was pleased with the break.
He sat comfortably, tinkering with the nearly finished transformation device while Sakura massaged his shoulders.
He examined the pocket-watch–shaped device and whistled.
The accumulated magical power inside was astonishing.
Anyone who used it could instantly rise to the level of a High-Class Devil.
And if a High-Class Devil used it, they could break through into Transcendor-level power.
Ophis's power, Izumi's own power, and the Time Stone—
Once complete, the transformed user would wield overwhelming magic and time manipulation.
Only one final step remained.
Izumi thought for a moment, then used the Third Magic to embed a soul-binding contract inside.
Anyone who used this device would never escape his grasp for the rest of their life.
Furthermore, once the contract was bound, only the contracted user could activate the device.
It was far too precious—he had to secure it.
If someone stole it, the loss would be immeasurable.
This device was meant for Rin Tohsaka, after all.
She was his maid, so giving her such power was only natural.
Izumi grinned.
Thinking about the binding contract inside, he couldn't help feeling a little wickedly pleased.
Was this considered tricking Rin?
As he chuckled, he activated the Second Magic, completing the final step.
But just as he admired the finished pocket watch—
A soft blue glow pulsed from it.
The device activated on its own.
Izumi blinked.
"Huh? That's not right."
Before he could touch it, a magic circle burst forth from the watch.
Time power surged violently.
And then—
The pocket watch vanished.
Izumi reacted instantly, trying to seal space and grab it—
But it was already too late.
The transformation device was gone.
"What the—!? Oi!! What the hell!?"
"It ran away!?"
Izumi was dumbfounded.
The device… had escaped?
It was absurd.
Hearing Izumi shout, everyone turned to look, confused.
Beside him, Sakura stared blankly, stunned speechless.
What just happened?
Where had the pocket watch gone?