At the heart of the Witch's Forest, the battlefield lay submerged beneath crimson tides.
Blood Magic had dyed the ground a deep, horrifying red, the sight alone enough to chill one's spine.
The Witch Queen stood quietly at the center of the blood-soaked land. The pale green magic hat atop her head had been split in two, lying broken on the ground.
More striking still was the shallow cut on the left side of her fair cheek. A single drop of blood seeped out, sliding slowly along the wound.
It was the kind of injury she could have healed instantly with recovery magic—yet she made no move to do so.
Blood-red mana surged violently around her, forming an overwhelming pressure that blanketed the entire Witch's Forest. The very air seemed to grow heavy and oppressive.
The witches hiding along the outer edges of the battlefield trembled uncontrollably as they sensed the terrifying aura radiating from the center.
They didn't know what had happened—but they knew one thing for certain.
The Witch Queen was furious.
Humiliation.
Whether it was Vanessa and the others escaping right before her eyes, or Yuuki managing to injure her—even slightly—both were unforgivable insults.
"Very good. Very good!"
Rage simmered beneath the Witch Queen's expression, her eyes dark and oppressive.
Buzz—
A ripple of mana spread through the air.
The Witch Queen narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze toward the direction where Vanessa and the others had vanished.
Silver light flashed.
A spatial gate opened once more, and Yuuki stepped out.
For the first time, the Witch Queen froze.
Genuine surprise flickered across her pale face.
"Witch Queen," Yuuki said calmly, smiling as if the suffocating blood-red mana meant nothing to him.
"Didn't expect me to come back?"
He glanced at her cheek and sighed lightly.
"You look rather disheveled."
Boom!
Blood-red mana erupted.
Countless black crows burst forth, converging into a stormy cloud above Yuuki's head. In the next instant, they dove like falling arrows.
"Salamander," Yuuki said evenly.
Whoosh!
Towering crimson flames erupted as the fire spirit opened its jaws, transforming into a blazing wave that collided head-on with the descending crows.
Shrill cries and explosive bursts echoed across the sky.
Yet neither Yuuki nor the Witch Queen paid the clash any mind. Their eyes remained locked on each other.
"You still dared to return," the Witch Queen said coldly.
"Good. This time, you won't escape."
She raised her slender arm and clenched her hand toward the sky.
Boom!
The massive blood-red barrier that had enveloped the Witch's Forest fully sealed itself, forming a dome like an inverted bowl. Arcane runes shimmered faintly across its surface, layering the seal even further.
Yuuki immediately felt it.
Space itself was being suppressed.
Long-distance spatial magic, in particular, felt unstable—its coordinates blurred and unreliable.
Blood Magic combined with spell formulas…
Yuuki flicked his eyes toward the barrier, understanding dawning on him.
"I think you've misunderstood something," he said with a gentle smile.
"I didn't leave earlier to run away."
"I simply didn't want outsiders interfering with the transaction I intended to have with you."
"A… transaction?"
The Witch Queen scoffed, as if she'd heard a joke.
"Do you really think you're qualified to bargain with me?" she sneered.
"Don't get ahead of yourself just because you broke the control over Asta, human brat."
"I'll turn you into a puppet first. Then I'll capture everyone who escaped and make them puppets as well—so you can keep each other company."
"No one escapes my Blood Magic."
Boom!
Her voice fell, and her mana exploded.
The earth cracked apart, stones levitating under the sheer pressure. It felt like facing a rising, unstoppable tide.
And yet—
At that very moment, another surge of power erupted.
Yuuki's mana burst forth in response.
"I expected as much," he said with a helpless sigh—though his eyes gleamed brightly.
From the very beginning, he'd known this would happen.
With someone as proud as the Witch Queen, a deal could only exist between equals.
Silver light shot skyward, tearing through the crimson hue cast over the forest by the blood barrier.
The two monstrous waves of mana collided, thunder roaring across the heavens.
The shockwave alone was enough to knock unconscious several weaker witches lingering at the forest's edge.
"So much mana…" Yuuki muttered, eyes sharp.
With the power of both Vetto and Fana's mana sources, reinforced by Salamander, he was already pushing the limits.
And yet, the Witch Queen still held the advantage.
As expected of someone who's lived for five hundred years.
"You were hiding your strength?" the Witch Queen said, disbelief flashing across her face.
To match her mana head-on—this alone placed Yuuki beyond the level of Clover Kingdom's Magic Knight captains.
A glint of interest appeared in her eyes.
Vanessa… you truly were naïve.
Trusting someone without even understanding the depth of their power.
Such strength could only hide an enormous secret.
In the next instant, the Witch Queen swept both arms outward.
"Blood Creation Magic — Blood Execution Ground!"
The same spell—yet its scale was entirely different.
The earth erupted like a volcano, torrents of blood surging upward. In moments, the battlefield transformed into a vast sea of crimson.
Yuuki had already leapt into the air. He had no intention of touching that blood—every drop carried unknown curses.
"In that case…"
"…I'll stop holding back."
Yuuki shouted, mana surging wildly.
"Wind Magic — Tempest Tower!"
"Wind Magic — Crescent Kamaitachi!"
"Ice Magic — Heavenly Frost Fang!"
"Mist Magic — Phantom Fog Vortex!"
"Mineral Magic — Sword of Victory!"
"Food Magic — Glutton King's Banquet!"
"Ash Curse Magic — Snickering Ash!"
"Fire Magic — The Radiance of the Little Sun!"
"Fire Creation Magic — Great Flame Lion's Roar!"
"Plant Magic — Mandrake's Cradle!"
"—!"
"Fire Spirit Magic — Salamander's Roar!"
One devastating spell after another rained down from the sky, as if mana itself were limitless.
In mere moments, the barrage overwhelmed the Witch Queen's Blood Magic.
"What… is this…?" the Witch Queen murmured, shock plain on her face.
Even with centuries of experience, this was a sight she'd never witnessed.
Though she quickly adapted, Blood Magic simply couldn't perform at its full potential against so many opposing attributes—especially fire and ice, which naturally countered it.
The forest shook as deafening explosions continued without pause.
The battle dragged on for half an hour, neither side showing signs of exhaustion.
"Witch Queen," Yuuki called out from the sky,
"Are you sure you want to keep going?"
"I don't mind—but at this rate, your Witch's Forest won't survive."
The Witch Queen's expression darkened.
She swept her gaze across the ruined forest. Over half of it lay in devastation.
Continuing would only mean mutual loss.
Slowly, the terrifying blood-red mana receded.
Yuuki exhaled quietly in relief.
The fight had been brutal—even for him.
Silver light flashed.
Yuuki descended, landing before the Witch Queen.
"…Very well," she said at last.
"You have earned the right."
Yuuki smiled.
"You're after Fate Magic, aren't you?" he said casually, resting the Demon-Destroyer Sword at his waist.
At the words Fate Magic, the Witch Queen's eyes hardened.
"You dare target Vanessa?"
"No," Yuuki replied calmly, shaking his head.
"I'm offering Fate Magic as the price."
He snapped his fingers.
"Thread Magic — Crimson Thread of Fate."
A familiar mana surged from Yuuki.
The Witch Queen's eyes widened.
"Meow~"
A soft cry echoed.
A dark-red cat appeared on Yuuki's right shoulder.
"…Fate Magic?"
Impossible.
The Witch Queen lashed out instinctively.
A massive blood-red hand formed in midair and slammed down toward Yuuki—
"Meow~"
The hand veered aside mid-strike.
Boom!
It smashed into the ground beside Yuuki, missing him entirely.
"…It's real," the Witch Queen whispered.
"My magic is Replication Magic," Yuuki explained patiently.
"I can copy others' magic into my own grimoire."
"And I can also replicate it into someone else's grimoire."
Silence fell.
Understanding dawned.
No wonder he could wield so many attributes.
"…Such magic truly exists," the Witch Queen said quietly.
"Still—I don't believe you."
She gestured toward the forest.
Moments later, a witch was pulled from the trees and dropped before them.
"W-Witch Queen!" the woman said hurriedly, bowing.
Without looking away from Yuuki, the Witch Queen spoke coldly:
"Replicate that Fate Magic… onto her."
Yuuki raised an eyebrow.
Careful as ever.
(End of Chapter)
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