Karl's smile widened slightly. "Then come and take it yourself."
Asta's expression was extremely grave, his voice tight with agony. "Karl, watch out!!"
At this moment, Yuno was tightly bound and encircled by chains, unable to make a single sound. Yet, his face was utterly icy.
From that expression alone, one could see just how much he loathed his own sense of powerlessness.
Further away, hidden in the shadows, the green thorns of the Blue Rose were endlessly entangled with a large tree, almost merging into one.
Charlotte's gaze was blazing, fixed intently on the three youths and the thief named Revchi. Her eyes were filled with nothing but icy killing intent.
Just as I thought, she mused. That guy had his eyes on these three youths the moment they awakened.
The magical power in Charlotte's hands continuously condensed. The long thorns grew wildly, gradually transforming into a thorny longsword shimmering with green light.
Just as she prepared to pounce and slay the thief on the spot, Karl's bold words caused her movements to pause slightly.
Could it be... Karl still has a trump card?
She had already sensed the drastic change in Karl's physique earlier. But what abilities he truly possessed, she genuinely did not know.
At this moment, Charlotte felt a surge of intense curiosity toward this youth who had boldly caught her in his arms.
Endless thorny vines crept silently along the ground, gradually approaching the battlefield where Revchi stood. Charlotte's gaze was fixed intently on everything.
Yet, Karl merely let out a cold laugh. "Let's see if you have the skill for it."
Around Revchi, countless silver chains danced wildly, raining down like a storm, relentlessly assaulting Karl.
Steel Creation Magic: Chain Raging Serpent!
However, Karl simply snorted coldly in his heart.
Eight Gates Formation—First Gate, Gate of Opening, Open!
The power within his body instantly surged. Karl's speed skyrocketed, almost surpassing the limits of human vision.
Asta, lying on the ground, let his jaw drop. His eyes were filled with utter shock.
"K-Karl... He actually trains his body too?!"
And his physical prowess was even a notch stronger than Asta's own! Asta felt as if he had met a true kindred spirit, his eyes shimmering with boundless excitement.
How wonderful it would be to have a proper fight with Karl... Unable to stand, Asta could only cheer wildly from the sidelines.
Yet Revchi's expression gradually turned livid. "Kid, you're all so damn weird... You, and that short ash-blond brat, just what kind of monsters are you?"
In this magic-supreme world, encountering two body-training monsters in a row created a sense of dissonance that was simply indescribable.
Revchi snorted coldly. "Your limit ends here, doesn't it?"
The chains trembled violently. Two chains suddenly shot forth like silver arrows, aiming straight for Karl's body.
Asta immediately let out a warning cry; he had lost to this very sneak attack earlier.
Yet Karl shifted his position in an instant. His hands shot out, grabbing both chains firmly! The magical light erupting from the chain tips was sharp and menacing.
But Karl simply gave a fierce tug.
Crack!
The magic chains were actually torn apart by his pure brute strength!
Under the shocked gazes of Asta and Yuno, Karl flung his hand back. The broken chain that had hooked Yuno's magic stone necklace was directly flung toward him.
The magic stone necklace landed precisely in Karl's hand.
Sensing the dense aura within it, Karl revealed a faint smile. Simultaneously, a system prompt rang in his mind.
[Ding!] [Congratulations, Host, for activating Mission 3: Obtain Magic Stone Fragment.] [Current skills cannot awaken the innate technique of the Eight Gates.] [A Purple Special Skill has been awakened for the Host.]
Boom!!
Karl's tattered four-leaf grimoire erupted with intense radiance.
Meanwhile, Revchi seethed with intense frustration. "One after another, none of you let me rest easy! Why couldn't you just let me catch you and hand over the grimoires?!"
"You forced me to go all out!"
A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Revchi's mouth. In the next instant, the magical power within his body seemed to ignite completely.
Whoosh——
Boundless light suddenly erupted. The silver-white chains, as if thoroughly enraged, unleashed power two or three times greater than before.
A hint of despair surfaced in Yuno's eyes. Asta's eyes revealed a strong sense of unwillingness.
This damn thief... He was actually hiding such formidable power!
In the distance, Charlotte's heart nearly leapt to her throat. In the dark corner, countless thorns had coalesced into incredibly hard spikes. If Karl showed the slightest sign of faltering, she would instantly intervene to preserve his life.
Yet Karl merely showed a faint, contemptuous smile.
He cast an apologetic glance toward Yuno in the distance. "Consider this magic stone as payment for saving your life. Really sorry about this, Yuno."
The necklace was in Karl's hand, but the magic stone itself slowly dissipated into raw energy, absorbed into his body. In the end, only the metal necklace remained.
The corner of Karl's mouth lifted slightly.
The metal cover of his grimoire slowly floated before him, continuously enlarging. The four-leaf magical patterns seemed fully illuminated, becoming like an indestructible shield.
Countless magical patterns converged wildly upon it.
Revchi's eyes revealed undisguised disdain. "What kind of trash is this? Do you really think you can use a magic book as a physical shield? Pierce through it!"
Innumerable silver chains wildly entangled, finally coalescing into a massive spinning spear wrapped in terrifying magical power. It thrust straight forward.
Steel Creation Magic—Chain Overlord Spear!
Yet Karl threw a fierce punch, slamming his fist directly onto his own grimoire.
With a smile on his lips, he shouted in a low voice: "Fire Attribute Creation—Dragon Fist!"
In that instant, the grimoire seemed stimulated, causing the magical power in the air to violently tremble.
The moment Karl's fist shot out, blazing flames erupted! Flames surged along his arm, ultimately condensing into a massive fiery dragon head. It roared as it charged straight toward the silver spear!
Boom——!
A terrifying explosion of sound erupted. The intense magical shockwave filled Revchi's eyes with disbelief.
"You... Besides physical techniques, you actually know Fire Creation Magic too?!" Revchi screamed. "Grrraaahhh! So what?! I will definitely kill you!"
Yet before his words even finished, Karl once again delivered a fierce kick onto his grimoire.
"Earth Creation Magic—Dragon Claw!"
Immediately after, without pause, Karl delivered another furious slam, roaring: "Water Creation—Divine Dragon Tail Sweep!"
Dragon Fist! Dragon Claw! Divine Dragon Tail Sweep!
Three massive attacks flew out almost simultaneously. And what terrified everyone most was that these three attacks actually contained three completely different magical attributes—fire, earth, and water!
Three types of Creation Magic erupted simultaneously, as if perfectly fused.
Amidst the roaring, the intertwined silver spear shattered instantly!
Revchi's eyes were filled with utter disbelief. "No... impossible! How can this be?!"
At this moment, the chains completely disintegrated. The surrounding magical aura seemed to lose its source entirely.
Charlotte, who had been ready to act, froze her hand mid-air. Her expression was incredibly complex.
Her gaze was fixed intently on Karl. Bathed in the glow of magical light, Karl's figure seemed to grow infinitely more imposing.
A full three magical attributes. All simultaneously displayed on Karl alone!
What other secrets did that tattered four-leaf grimoire hold? And Karl's terrifying physical prowess was even more astonishing. Even Asta, whose muscles seemed to have grown into his brain, was slightly inferior.
Standing in the darkness, Charlotte's expression was vivid with shock.
After a long while, she gently bit her lip.
"The Capital's Knight Squad selection... perhaps it really will be interesting. Maybe I can give him a chance to join the Blue Rose."
As soon as this thought surfaced, Charlotte startled herself. She shook her head vigorously.
"No, absolutely not! What would the other sisters think if they found out I invited a man?"
Yet once this idea appeared, it refused to fade. Charlotte fiercely patted her slightly flushed cheeks.
"Calm down, Charlotte. You mustn't do this. It would be mortifying! Ugh... my magic power is bottoming out again, damn this curse!"