The wind on their return journey felt colder than before.
After passing through the deep corridors of the underground sanctuary and climbing the spiral stone staircase, Cedric and the others finally emerged before dawn. The faint morning light fell across their tired bodies, but it did nothing to ease the weight in their hearts.
They did not stop to rest. Instead, they moved straight toward the Clover Kingdom's Royal Capital.
The mission of the Black Bulls was not over.
Even though the seal had been reinforced, Cedric knew one thing for certain. The consciousness within the chakra fruit had not gone silent. At the final moment, it had whispered to him.
It was not a threat.
It was a prophecy.
Since leaving the sanctuary, something else had been wrong. The flow of mana in the air felt unstable, as if an unseen force was quietly disturbing the balance of the world.
"Do you feel that?" Noelle Silva suddenly stopped as they reached the old road at the edge of the wasteland. "It feels like someone is following us."
Her Water Magic spread silently into the ground, expanding her detection range.
Asta tightened his grip on his swords. "I do not sense anyone, but my Anti-Magic is reacting. It feels like a warning."
Cedric closed his eyes. His Rinnegan slowly rotated as his perception extended beyond the physical world.
There it was.
In a hidden layer of space, a faint trail of black mist crawled along the ground like a snake, always keeping a fixed distance from them.
"It is not human," Cedric said quietly. "Shadow Eroders. Servants of the Ōtsutsuki Clan created from residual chakra. They should not exist here unless someone is controlling them."
"So the seal is already weakening?" Luck Voltia asked, energy crackling around him.
"No," Cedric replied. "Someone is searching for a weakness. They know we reinforced the seal, and they want to break it before we report to the Wizard King."
Before he could say more, the sky darkened.
Gray-purple clouds spread overhead, lightning flickering silently within them.
"Move!" Cedric ordered. "Something has already happened in the Royal Capital!"
Three hours later, they arrived at the outer watchtower.
The place was silent.
Doors were broken, windows shattered, and the ground was marked with scorched magic. But there were no bodies.
No signs of resistance.
"It is too clean," Noelle said, kneeling as she touched the ground. "It is like everyone disappeared instantly."
Asta examined a mark carved into the wall. It was a symbol of three curved lines surrounding a closed eye.
Cedric stepped forward, his gaze sharpening. "That is the Ōtsutsuki emblem. They were here, but they were not here to destroy anything."
"Then what were they doing?" Luck asked.
"Watching us," Cedric said as he looked toward the top of the tower. "They wanted to confirm whether we would reinforce the seal. Now they know. Next comes their real move."
At that moment, the Six Paths jade pendant at Cedric's waist began to tremble. A line of blood-red text appeared across its surface.
The Wizard King has been altered.
"What?" Asta shot to his feet. "That is impossible!"
Cedric's voice turned cold. "He was not defeated. He was replaced. The Ōtsutsuki specialize in possession. They do not need to kill him. They only need to take control."
He turned toward the Royal Capital. The towering spire in the distance now emitted a faint chakra presence that did not belong in a world of magic.
"We were misled," Cedric said quietly. "The sanctuary was never their true target. From the beginning, they were after the Wizard King."
Night fell as they approached the outskirts of the capital.
Far below, in the abandoned sewer tunnels, dark figures moved in silence. These were the Ōtsutsuki remnants, cloaked in gray robes, their eyes marked with Six Paths patterns, their bodies infused with both chakra and magic.
The man leading them lowered his hood, revealing a face eerily similar to the first Wizard King.
"The wielder of the Rinnegan has returned," he said with a faint smile. "Let him strengthen the seal. The stronger it becomes, the more devastating its collapse will be. When the chakra core within the Wizard King awakens, this world will return to the Ōtsutsuki order."
"What about the Black Bulls?" one of them asked.
"Let them come," the man replied. "Let them witness the moment their precious Wizard King destroys the world with his own hands."
He raised his hand, revealing a black fruit, a corrupted Rinnegan seed infused with magic.
"Send the Shadow Eroders to track them. I want to know everything they do. Let them watch their world crumble."
The figures vanished into the darkness.
Above ground, Cedric stopped and looked at the sky.
A streak of light crossed the night, falling toward the Royal Capital.
The words of the White Snake Sage echoed in his mind.
Cedric clenched his fists, both his Rinnegan and Six Paths power flaring to life.
"So that is your plan," he muttered. "You do not want to break the seal. You want me to become the next Sage of Six Paths and release the chakra myself."
Asta stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever happens, we are with you."
Noelle gave a small, confident smile. "The Black Bulls do not abandon their own."
Luck grinned. "And we still owe you a celebration after all this."
Cedric glanced at them, silent for a moment before a faint smile appeared.
"Alright. Then we go together."
His gaze hardened as he looked toward the capital.
"Let us meet the Wizard King who is no longer the Wizard King."
The wind howled as dark clouds gathered.
In the distance, the lights of the Royal Capital flickered like dying stars.
The real storm had only just begun.
...
📢 Author's Note
The full completed version of Black Clover: I Awakened the Naruto System is now available on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
✅ Complete — 149 Chapters
Join the journey of a boy from Hage Village who gains the mysterious Naruto System and rises beyond the limits of magic, changing the future of the Clover Kingdom.
🔥 I also have additional **18+ fanfics** available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you all for your continued support and happy reading! 💙