"Awooo!"
"Awooo!"
"Awooo!"
"...!"
The howls of black wolves erupted in an instant, echoing across the entire sea.
The black wolves—varying in size—lunged the moment they appeared, tearing toward Vetto. The closest ones clamped down immediately on his arms, legs, shoulders, even his head.
They tore and gnawed relentlessly. Every bite stripped away a portion of Vetto's mana, and with each bit of mana devoured, the wolves grew stronger.
"With magic at this level, you think you can hurt me? A pile of filthy insects!"
Faced with the wolves swarming over him—biting and tearing yet failing to pierce his skin—Vetto's beastlike, twisted face showed nothing but disdain as his surging mana exploded outward.
Under that overwhelming pressure, the encroaching black wolf pack was once again blasted to pieces by sheer mana alone.
"A mage's battle is a battle of mana," Yuuki said calmly, straightening atop the sea as he looked at Vetto, "but magic itself is never something you can ignore."
As his voice fell, the wolves that had just been obliterated reappeared—smaller than before.
Among them was one no larger than a fist. And the smaller they were, the faster they moved. The wolves, great and small, surged like a black cloud, charging Vetto once more.
Awoooo—!!!
The howls grew denser, sharper, more frenzied.
"No matter how many times you destroy them, they won't disappear. Instead, they'll become more numerous, smaller—and stronger."
"Endless hunger will drive them onward, until your mana—until your very body—is completely devoured."
"This… is Gluttony Wolf."
Yuuki's indifferent voice carried over the waves.
"Get lost!!"
Within those few short lines, Vetto roared and annihilated the wolves several more times. With each destruction, the Gluttony Wolves shrank further.
Dense and countless—like black smoke.
Like ants, they gnawed ceaselessly, bite by bite, devouring the vast, violently erupting dark-red mana around Vetto's body.
This was Yuuki's super-composite magic—developed over time with Food Magic as its core, combined with Ash Curse Magic and Hunting Magic. It could just as well be called a true composite spell.
Exactly as he had said.
No matter how many times the Gluttony Wolves were destroyed, they would return—more numerous, smaller. By devouring the opponent's mana, they would grow larger and stronger again, forming a vicious cycle that would only end once the enemy's mana was completely exhausted.
That was the terror of this spell.
At a glance, it seemed almost unsolvable—but there were no such thing as true absolutes in this world. For example, Asta's Anti-Magic could shatter this spell outright.
Setting aside such bug-like Anti-Magic—
A mage's battle was, at its core, a contest of mana.
Maintaining the number of Gluttony Wolves consumed Yuuki's mana. The more wolves there were, the greater his expenditure.
However, a portion of the mana they devoured was fed back to Yuuki. Unless the opponent could wipe out all the Gluttony Wolves in a single instant, this spell would grind them down—slowly, inevitably—until death.
"Annoying magic. Then I'll just kill you instead!"
Seeing that the Gluttony Wolves only multiplied despite being destroyed repeatedly—and feeling his own mana steadily drained—Vetto finally grasped the spell's true nature.
He stopped wasting attention on the endlessly pestering wolves and fixed his gaze back on Yuuki.
If the spell couldn't be broken, then kill the caster.
"I'm done playing this boring little game!"
Vetto stomped on the sea, his figure turning into a dark-red afterimage as he charged forward at blinding speed.
BOOM!
His fists fell like a raging storm—countless dark-red fist shadows engulfing Yuuki completely.
"Die! Die! DIE!"
Vetto howled madly.
Faced with the sky-filling barrage, Yuuki didn't defend.
Instead, he raised his own fists—and struck back.
Yuuki and Vetto clashed head-on, fists colliding again and again in midair. Every impact detonated with a thunderous blast as their figures crossed and recrossed above the sea.
Pure, brutal, head-on combat.
"Too slow! Too slow!"
In this high-intensity, bare-knuckle brawl, Vetto's beastlike eyes burned brighter with excitement and madness, his attacks accelerating further and further.
Yet Yuuki showed not the slightest sign of faltering.
His fists and legs struck without pause—faster, harder—keeping pace every step of the way.
At least, that was how it looked to Vetto.
A savage punch smashed into Yuuki's face, snapping his head sideways. Blood and teeth sprayed from his mouth—yet Yuuki ignored it, driving a heavy punch into Vetto's chin in return.
BAM!
The force snapped Vetto's head back, his own fangs flying free in a spray of blood.
Even so, neither of them stopped.
Their blows only grew heavier, more vicious. Their fists were slick with blood—each bearing both the enemy's and their own.
"Again!"
"Again!"
Yuuki and Vetto roared in unison.
The ferocious clash sent constant explosions rippling across the sea. Between their colliding mana and the Gluttony Wolves surging from every direction, the magic saturating the ocean grew increasingly violent.
Towering waves rolled outward from the two as the epicenter, sweeping in all directions.
As the battle intensified—
Vetto began to feel something was wrong.
No matter how violently he erupted, Yuuki kept up with him.
It was unthinkable.
Judging from Yuuki's mastery of multiple attributes, he should have fought like Rhya—switching elements, overwhelming foes through versatility.
And yet here he was, trading blows head-on like a pure brawler—and matching Vetto strike for strike.
Impossible!
…No.
It wasn't that Yuuki had grown stronger.
It was that he had grown weaker.
Vetto's pupils contracted as realization struck.
"So you've finally noticed?"
"Gluttony Wolf doesn't merely devour mana. Every attack carries a weakening curse. Your vision, hearing, touch, smell—your five senses are being eroded bit by bit."
Seeing the change in Vetto's expression, Yuuki stopped hiding it. A cold smile tugged at his lips.
This was the power of Ash Curse Magic.
The weakening curse from a single Gluttony Wolf was negligible—but once their numbers piled up, those curses accumulated rapidly.
It was a countermeasure Yuuki had devised after being utterly suppressed in his battle against Mereoleona—a way to deal with close-combat mages.
"You're the one losing now."
Yuuki's assault grew fiercer still, pressing Vetto back.
Vetto could now clearly feel it—his senses dulling, his reflexes slowing.
Lose.
The word echoed in his mind.
Vetto's pupils dilated, panic flashing through his eyes—something he had never felt before.
How could he lose?
How could he lose to a filthy human?!
(End of Chapter)
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