As torrents of dark-red mana continued to erupt from his body, Yuuki was lifted into the air, suspended by the surging power that enveloped him completely.
Boom! Boom!
The sea below responded violently, colossal waves rising sky-high under the pressure of his mana. The crashing waters collided again and again, producing thunderous roars that echoed across the horizon.
Yuuki made no attempt to suppress the overflowing mana. Instead, he let it run rampant within his body.
After all, beast magic naturally carried the effect of reinforcing the physical form.
One could call it a passive trait of the magic itself.
As the dark-red mana continued to surge, it washed through his body again and again, steadily strengthening his flesh.
Yuuki's originally lean frame began to show faint but distinct muscle definition—especially along his abdomen, where clear abdominal lines slowly emerged.
This wasn't a transformation into the hulking, beast-like physique Vetto had possessed. Rather, it was a refinement—muscles that perfectly matched Yuuki's build, subtle yet powerful.
At a glance, he didn't look much different. But upon closer inspection, his entire presence had gained a quiet, imposing strength.
"So this is the power of beast magic…," Yuuki murmured.
He raised his arms and clenched his fists. The faint muscle lines along his arms immediately became visible. With a thought—
His figure vanished.
In the next instant, he reappeared over a hundred meters away. Then again. And again.
Afterimages flickered across the air as he moved at terrifying speed.
Yuuki threw a punch.
The air detonated with a sharp sonic boom.
Several moments later, he descended from the air and landed lightly atop the sea. The towering dark-red mana finally began to retract, its color gradually shifting into silver.
When the mana fully settled, Yuuki was enveloped in a silver aura that burned like flame—much like the state Mereoleona entered when fighting.
Mana Skin.
The difference was that Mereoleona's burned crimson, while Yuuki's gleamed silver.
And yet, despite only replicating Vetto's mana origin, Yuuki's mana skin had already reached a level nearly equal to Mereoleona's.
That alone was astonishing.
Mereoleona had honed her mana skin through relentless training—spending nearly three hundred days each year in the wilds and grand magic zone.
And yet Yuuki had crossed that threshold almost instantly.
"So this is what it feels like… to be favored by mana."
Yuuki closed his eyes.
He could feel the mana of the natural world drawing closer, as if cheering in welcome.
It felt as though he had suddenly become… close to mana itself.
Even a prodigy like Mereoleona had needed years of communion with nature to reach this level, eventually awakening the power of Mana Zone.
But elves were different.
They were born under mana's blessing, skipping entirely the arduous process humans had to endure.
Faced with such disparity, it was no wonder humanity had once been consumed by envy.
"Still… talent and effort aren't the same thing."
Yuuki examined his mana skin. Compared to Mereoleona's, his was still slightly loose and unfocused.
That was fine.
With training, it could be refined further. Vetto's mana origin had already saved him an absurd amount of time.
Suddenly—
Yuuki noticed something.
At the very outer layer of his silver mana skin, there was a faint trace of gold.
Barely visible. Almost negligible.
"Gold, huh…?"
Yuuki chuckled softly, recalling the radiant glow surrounding elves after their reincarnation.
It seemed that glow wasn't just proof of rebirth—but a mark of mana's favor.
With a thought, Yuuki dismissed his mana skin. His gaze sharpened.
"Zero Domain–level mana… Against the Magic Knights and the Eye of the Midnight Sun, I finally have power enough to stand my ground."
The only regret—
He still lacked Netherworld-tier magic, something capable of directly harming devils.
Turning his attention back to the sea, Yuuki looked at Vetto's corpse floating on the water.
With a wave of his hand, ice magic spread across the surface, forming a frozen platform.
Yuuki placed Vetto's body atop it, then casually pulled a beach chair from his spatial storage and lay back.
From afar, it looked like a man on vacation—
If not for the corpse beside him.
Deep beneath the sea.
A massive sphere of water magic rose rapidly from the Sea Temple, carrying three figures inside.
"C-Captain… are we really… going after them?"
Noelle asked softly, fear lingering in her pale violet eyes.
As she spoke, she kept stuffing food into her mouth, her words slightly muffled.
During the battle in the Sea Temple, her mana had been completely drained. The food piled inside the water sphere was the last of what Charmy had managed to create to help her recover—just enough to maintain Sea Dragon's Cradle.
"Of course we are! That fight's not over yet!!"
Asta shouted enthusiastically.
Thunk!
"Ow!"
Yami smacked him on the head.
"Shut up, idiot. I should've left you behind."
"Don't say that, Captain Yami!" Asta clung to Yami's leg in panic.
Yami exhaled a cloud of smoke, eyeing the noisy Asta with weary resignation—but his gaze remained sharp.
Originally, he hadn't planned on bringing Asta to the surface.
But Asta's stubborn insistence had swayed him.
Anti-magic was too unique. Against Vetto—or that mysterious third party—it might make the difference.
"Our goal was the magic stone," Yami said lazily. "Now that someone else took it, we're getting it back."
The Eye of the Midnight Sun's involvement wasn't surprising.
But that unknown young man…
He wasn't from the Sea Temple. Not from the Eye of the Midnight Sun. And certainly not a Clover Kingdom Magic Knight.
And according to Yami's intel, no one besides the Eye should've been after the magic stone.
If the stone were his goal, he could've left immediately after taking it.
"So, his target… was Vetto?"
Yami pondered.
Suddenly, he noticed Asta staring intensely at the food Charmy had made.
"If you don't want to drown," Yami warned, "keep your hands off that food."
"I wasn't going to!" Asta shouted—
Though his swallowing betrayed him.
Noelle sighed deeply and continued eating, suppressing her anxiety.
The food tasted fine, but as royalty, eating so crudely offended every instinct she had.
If she could choose, she'd rather face neither the food—
Nor that terrifying monster.
The water sphere surged upward.
As they neared the surface, Yami and Asta's expressions sharpened.
Splash!
The water burst through the calm sea.
Noelle released Sea Dragon's Cradle, panting in relief, and steadied them atop the waves.
"Where are they? Did they leave? Or is the fight already over?"
Asta scanned the area anxiously.
Given Vetto's strength, Asta couldn't imagine the battle ending so quickly—unless Vetto had won.
"If that magic stone ends up with the Eye of the Midnight Sun…"
"Congratulations, kid," Yami said grimly. "You guessed right."
Asta and Noelle turned.
In the distance, a lone sheet of ice floated atop the sea.
Two figures lay upon it.
"That's—"
Noelle's breath caught.
"Did they… kill each other?"
Asta blurted out.
"Idiot!" Noelle snapped. "Who dies and lies down on a beach chair?!"
Her outburst was fueled as much by fear as irritation.
Vetto had been a monster.
If he lost—
Then the man who defeated him was something even worse.
"That guy's stronger than Vetto… That's amazing!" Asta said excitedly. "I met him on the beach before—never thought he was that strong!"
Noelle glanced at Asta, recalling his fearlessness against Vetto.
Her respect for him grew.
Yami remained silent.
Calm.
Too calm.
Like the stillness before a storm.
Moments later, they reached the ice.
Shk!
Yami stepped onto it first, one hand on his katana.
"Looks like we're late. It's over."
Asta stared at Vetto's corpse, the fatal wound in his chest unmistakable.
"So… he's really dead."
Asta's expression was conflicted.
Then his gaze shifted to Yuuki.
"…Amazing."
Noelle, meanwhile, hovered at the edge of the ice, wishing she could disappear.
Crack.
The beach chair creaked.
"Finally. I was wondering how long you'd take."
Yuuki stood up, smiling at Yami.
"I knew simple spatial magic wouldn't hold you."
"You seem to know me," Yami said coolly.
Yuuki didn't answer.
Instead, he waved at Asta and Noelle.
"Hey there."
Noelle immediately looked away.
"You're incredible!" Asta said brightly. "You beat that monster!"
"Your friendliness is rare," Yuuki said with a chuckle.
(End of Chapter)
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