Fate.
Just a simple syllable, yet it represented a force far beyond ordinary laws.
Space, time, fate, causality—
the four great rule-type powers. In Yuuki's eyes, these already bordered on the realm of the divine.
After sinking into suffocating despair and unwillingness, Vanessa's Thread Magic underwent evolution—no, "metamorphosis" was the better word.
Thread Magic: Fate's Scarlet Ribbon.
By weaving a cat out of crimson threads, anyone touched by that cat would have their fate subtly shifted in a direction favorable to the caster—allowing one to manipulate fate itself.
This power wasn't something to merely covet.
It was one of the powers Yuuki had to obtain for his plans.
Even if this was just the tiniest fragment of the fate-rule system, it remained overwhelmingly powerful and terrifying—turning disadvantage into advantage, reversing certain death, making a desperate struggle into a slim chance of survival.
As the Witch Queen of the Witch's Forest had once said, this was the perfect power she pursued.
Of course, the magic was strong—
but the user was not.
This spell consumed a tremendous amount of mana. Against a powerful opponent, shifting fate in one's favor required even more mana.
Once the caster's mana ran dry, Fate's Scarlet Ribbon would naturally dissipate.
"Corpse Magic that touches the soul requires bitter hatred and resentment born during the moment of death… while Thread Magic that touches fate requires deep despair and unwillingness."
"Tsk, tsk. Better to let the users experience those conditions themselves."
Yuuki raised a brow, amused at the thought.
As for the other person who wielded Soul Magic—
His eyes flickered. He wasn't planning to target that one at all.
The gap was far too large.
That person… was the Magic Emperor.
Julius Novachrono, the current Magic Emperor of the Clover Kingdom, was in truth the eldest brother of the Spade Kingdom's Zogratis family. His real name: Lucius Zogratis.
His true magic was Soul Magic. "Julius" was merely a personality Lucius had created through Soul Magic.
Thus, everything the Magic Emperor displayed was both genuine and fake.
His Time Magic wasn't his own at all—it belonged to one of the highest-ranking devils of the Underworld, Astaroth, wielder of Time Magic.
He was the boss of bosses.
It wasn't just Yuuki—
even if all the Magic Knight Captains joined forces, along with Licht and the entire Elf Tribe, they still wouldn't be his match.
This was why Yuuki never dared act recklessly—he was terrified of drawing that man's attention.
To put it more clearly:
If the Magic Knight Captains were comparable to Kage-level shinobi in Naruto—the kind who don't use Sage Mode—
then the Magic Emperor was Six Paths level.
Not a fight you could win.
A fight you simply could not fight.
Yuuki was waiting for the moment when Licht would kill Julius.
Of course, that was merely a fake death.
In Yuuki's opinion, the real purpose was to avoid encountering the true culprit behind the elves' genocide—the Word Soul Devil.
If Julius remained alive, as the Magic Emperor he would inevitably appear to face the Word Soul Devil.
And the moment he revealed himself, the Word Soul Devil would undoubtedly recognize the presence of Astaroth, the Time Devil, hidden within Julius.
That would ruin all of Julius's plans.
So even without using Licht as a convenient "tool," the Magic Emperor would have found another excuse to ensure he never met the Word Soul Devil.
As for the explanation about being revived through ancient magic tools imbued with leftover time magic?
That was merely for show.
If he weren't hiding something, why didn't he appear earlier? Why only after the Word Soul Devil was defeated? Obviously, everything had been planned long beforehand.
And as for the devil inside Asta—why Julius didn't care?
Simple.
Devils had ranks: upper, middle, and lower.
The Time Devil was one of the three highest pillars among upper devils. The devil inside Asta was merely a low-rank devil. Forget upper-rank devils—even middle-rank devils rarely recognized low ones.
"Time Magic, huh… judging by the current situation, the plan should be fine."
A flicker of wariness crossed Yuuki's eyes as he exhaled slowly.
What truly bothered him wasn't the Magic Emperor's strength.
When someone has no secrets in front of you, no matter how strong they are, you feel fear—but not dread.
Before transmigrating, Black Clover had yet to end, but through manga and various other sources, Yuuki had learned a great deal.
According to his knowledge, Lucius could observe the future to a certain extent using Time Magic.
For example, out of thousands of observations, there was only one future where he was defeated by Yuno. Meanwhile, Asta—perhaps due to Anti-Magic, or because he had no mana at all—could not be observed through Time Magic.
That was the part Yuuki truly dreaded.
Normally, with his Replication Magic, reaching Captain level wasn't difficult. Combined with his versatile arsenal, he would absolutely be a force that couldn't be ignored.
Yet Julius had never once appeared before him.
Which left Yuuki with only two possibilities:
To the Magic Emperor, Yuuki poses no threat whatsoever.
He might even die before the plan begins—so there's no need to care.Because he's a transmigrator, like Asta, he might also be outside the range of Time Magic's future observation.
These were the only two explanations he could think of.
And neither could be tested for now.
"Either way… as long as he hasn't noticed me yet, that's all that matters."
Yuuki murmured softly to himself.
If it were the first possibility…
A shadow crossed his gaze.
Regardless, Spatial Magic and Fate Magic were powers he had to obtain. With those two in hand, even if he couldn't win—
He could damn well escape.
Collecting himself, Yuuki summoned a small spatial portal and pulled out a communication grimoire.
"Time to make contact."
He activated Location Magic paired with Communication Magic. A half-body projection appeared from the communication device.
At that moment—
Inside a private training room in the Diamond Kingdom's royal capital—
Mars lifted his head, expressionless, staring at the projected image before him.
(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 700 powerstones.