Salamander's massive tail whipped through the air, producing a deafening sonic boom. Although it failed to strike Yuuki directly, the raging flames coiled around its tail transformed into a roaring fire tornado that continued rushing toward him.
BOOM!
"Mineral Magic — Sword of Victory!"
In an instant, an enormous greatsword of condensed mineral formed above Yuuki's head. It crashed down violently, cleaving the incoming fire tornado apart!
The massive blade swept through the air, its gem-like surface gleaming under the reflected firelight. In the next moment, it flipped abruptly and slashed upward from below, aiming straight for Salamander's head.
"You damned humans!"
Fana snarled in rage.
Salamander roared in unison. Its flaming dragon claws rose together, catching the Sword of Victory mid-strike.
The extreme heat ground violently against the mineral surface, producing a shrill sizzling sound. Under the friction, the blade began to show signs of melting.
"Does this spell feel familiar, Fana?!" Yuuki shouted.
"In the Diamond Kingdom—inside that experimental facility—someone once used this very same magic!"
The words Diamond Kingdom and experiments struck something deep.
For a fleeting instant, confusion flickered through Fana's rage-filled eyes as the reflected light danced across the mineral blade—
But it was immediately swallowed by hatred once more.
"I have nothing to do with you humans!"
"Taste our fury and resentment!"
"I'll kill every last one of you!"
Crimson mana surged violently from Fana's body, driving the already unbearable temperature even higher.
The surrounding forest ignited instantly, the entire area swallowed by a sea of flames.
"This temperature… it's easily over a thousand degrees," Yuuki muttered, his silver Mana Skin emitting wisps of white smoke as his gaze sharpened.
Still not enough.
Whoosh!
Fana and Salamander vanished.
In the blink of an eye, they reappeared directly before Yuuki. Two blazing dragon claws slashed downward as Salamander's massive tail swept in from the side—
A triple pincer attack.
Clearly, Fana understood the Demon-Dweller Sword's nature. She no longer relied on spell barrages that could be absorbed—instead switching to close-quarters combat.
Whoosh!
Yuuki's figure dissolved into an afterimage.
Guided by ki, he read Salamander's movements with ease, slipping past all three attacks. Instead of retreating, he surged forward.
"Mineral Magic — Titan's Heavy Armor!"
An overwhelming torrent of mana erupted from Yuuki like a broken dam. Hardened mineral rapidly spread across his body—
By the time he reached Salamander, Yuuki had transformed into a towering mineral titan nearly eight meters tall, rivaling the spirit's size.
"If this still isn't enough to wake you up—
then I'll hit you even harder!" Yuuki roared.
BOOM!
A colossal mineral fist smashed into Salamander's head, staggering the spirit midair.
Fana nearly lost her balance, but counterattacked instantly. Salamander's massive tail slammed into the mineral titan.
CRASH!
The combined impact and flames tore a massive hole in the titan's body, shards of mineral scattering in all directions.
"I am perfectly awake—I am Fana!"
She screamed back, icy blue eyes brimming with killing intent.
"Diamond Kingdom!"
"Mars!"
"Fana of the Diamond Kingdom!"
Yuuki continued shouting names and memories tied to the human Fana, all while controlling the mineral titan in brutal close-combat with Salamander.
Each collision sent showers of shattered stone flying—only for Yuuki to restore the titan instantly with mana.
Though Salamander was an elemental incarnation, under Fana's control it moved no differently from a living creature—its might fully worthy of one of the Four Great Spirits.
Without Yuuki's vast mana reserves, engaging Salamander head-on with Mineral Magic would've been sheer folly.
But if he wanted to awaken the human Fana—
He had to use the magic engraved deepest into her memories.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions thundered through the darkened sky like rolling thunder, casting a suffocating pressure over the battlefield.
From afar, it looked like two ancient beasts—one silver, one crimson—clashing savagely in the heavens. Each strike made the hearts of those in the Witch's Forest tremble.
In the original story, Fana—though the most destructive of the Third Eye—had never truly unleashed her full power. Even Salamander alone was far beyond what ordinary mages could withstand.
Only Asta's Anti-Magic, which defied all logic, could slice through Salamander as though it were nothing—after all, the spirit itself was a manifestation of mana.
Elsewhere, Asta and the others battling the Diamond Kingdom couldn't help but glance toward the crimson-stained sky.
"What the hell is happening over there…?"
Finral muttered, his hands trembling.
Meanwhile, Rebecca, Mariella, and Neige—along with the remaining Eye of the Midnight Sun members—had all retreated far from the central battlefield.
"So powerful… as expected of Lord Yuuki,"
Mariella said solemnly, glancing skyward before vanishing again to continue fighting.
"That side's in Lord Yuuki's hands. Worrying won't help—let's finish our enemies here,"
she called as she passed Rebecca.
"Fire Magic — Spiral Flame Pillar!"
Rebecca unleashed a blazing column of fire, blasting several approaching enemies away amid screams.
"I understand," she replied, nodding to Mariella.
"Snow Creation Magic — Snow Companions!"
"Water Creation Magic — Piercing Water Needles!"
"Composite Magic — Frozen Companions!"
Neige shouted excitedly from the front lines.
"I won't let you hurt my friends!"
"So talented…"
Mariella thought as she glanced at the swath of enemies Neige had already defeated.
Inside the Witch's Forest Palace
The Witch Queen gazed calmly at several floating projections.
Her magic permeated the entire forest; nothing that happened here escaped her sight.
"Someone absent from my divination… a person without mana…
this deviation has rendered the future itself uncertain…"
Her eyes lingered on the projection showing Yuuki's battle with Fana.
Unlike the others, that image grew increasingly blurred—until it became completely unreadable.
The overwhelming mana radiating from Yuuki and Fana had formed a unique field that interfered with even the Witch Queen's perception.
Yet she remained unmoved.
Divination was merely one of her tools.
"Enjoy yourselves while you can," she said coolly.
"Vanessa… and that brat's Anti-Magic —both will ultimately belong to me."
Her dark gaze shifted to Asta and Vanessa's projection.
Everything unfolding was, to her, nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
BOOM!
The aerial battle raged on.
Salamander's increasingly ferocious assaults shattered the mineral titan repeatedly—but each time, Yuuki rebuilt it even faster.
"You are human Fana—not elf Fana!" Yuuki shouted.
"Mars has lived in regret ever since he thought he killed you!"
"Fana—join us!"
Each call echoed through the explosions.
Fana's emotions spiraled further out of control. Salamander's attacks grew increasingly berserk.
"Why do you keep stopping me?!"
"Why?!"
"Why do humans always hurt us?!"
"So much hatred…!"
Fana clutched her head, her voice filled with rage—and now, unmistakable despair.
"ROAR!"
Salamander roared as if sensing her turmoil, flames erupting skyward.
Crimson mana surged like a tide, staining the heavens blood-red.
Salamander's claws and tail blurred into a storm of savage strikes—
And within seconds, the mineral titan was completely pulverized, fragments raining from the sky.
"Beast Magic — Rhino Armor!"
Exposed in midair, Yuuki showed no panic—his eyes instead lit up.
Silver mana shifted instantly. A dark-red rhino-shaped aura enveloped his body.
BAM! BAM!
A barrage of violent impacts rang out.
Yuuki crossed his arms, blocking Salamander's frenzied assault head-on.
"It worked…"
Seeing Fana clutching her head atop Salamander, muttering incoherently, Yuuki smiled.
Salamander's sudden frenzy was no coincidence—it sensed danger within Fana herself.
Not from outside—
But from the unstable souls within her body.
Under Yuuki's relentless verbal assault, the suppressed human Fana's soul was awakening.
As a result, the bond between elf Fana and Salamander weakened.
"Now!" Yuuki shouted.
He reached into empty space, his Zero-Stage mana tearing through Salamander's mana field as he pulled out a magical tool—
The Barrier Hourglass.
Flash!
The hourglass shot into the air. At the moment Fana's control faltered, a beam of light burst forth, forcibly dragging Salamander into the hourglass's barrier space.
The flames vanished instantly.
Only Fana remained—plummeting helplessly from the sky.
Whoosh!
Yuuki rushed after her.
But sensing danger, elf Fana surged back to dominance. Crimson mana erupted, halting her fall and suspending her midair once more.
"Why did you do this?!"
She demanded, staring at Yuuki with clearer eyes than before.
Basketball-sized compressed fireballs appeared around her and shot forward in rapid succession.
Yuuki didn't answer.
He weaved through the barrage, shattering those he couldn't evade with the Demon-Dweller Sword.
In a blink, he reached her—thrusting his sword forward.
BOOM!
A blazing flame barrier formed before Fana.
The Demon-Dweller Sword tore through layer after layer—only for new barriers to form instantly under her immense mana.
They were face to face now, reflections clear in each other's eyes.
"So, you really did defeat Vetto," Fana said wildly.
"But you'll die with me!"
The third eye on her forehead released a sinister purple aura—
She was preparing to self-destruct.
"You don't get that chance," Yuuki said calmly.
"Magic-Binding Iron Lock Array!"
CLATTER—!
Black chains erupted from the void, binding Fana instantly. Her surging mana vanished.
"How—?!"
She stared in disbelief.
Yuuki caught her falling grimoire, landing smoothly on the ground with her.
"Let me go!"
"You filthy humans!"
She struggled violently.
Yuuki raised the Demon-Dweller Sword and pressed its tip against her third eye.
The moment the sword's dispelling power made contact—
Purple mist poured out.
HUM—
Fana shuddered violently. The madness drained from her eyes, replaced by clarity.
Yet the hatred remained.
This was elf Fana—fully lucid at last, as the forbidden Evil Eye spell neared its end.
"Why…?" she demanded through clenched teeth.
Yuuki met her gaze, his tone unexpectedly gentle.
"Five hundred years of hatred will finally reach its conclusion, elf Fana."
She froze.
He knew.
He understood the truth of five centuries ago.
Elf Fana tried to speak again—but her strength was fading. After one last, searching look at Yuuki, she slowly closed her eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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