Rhya lowered his head and glanced at the chest of his Third Eye white robe.
There, clearly imprinted, was a black footprint.
The lazy expression on his face faded considerably.
"Licht really picked up a troublesome one this time."
"I've always hated trouble and never liked fighting," Rhya continued calmly, twisting his neck as a crack echoed.
"But betraying the Eye of the Midnight Sun and killing Fana… that really does make me a little angry."
He raised his head and looked at Yuuki expressionlessly.
Yuuki briefly sensed his surroundings.
Aside from the immense mana radiating from Rhya, there were no other large mana fluctuations nearby.
Licht isn't in the base?
That meant he was most likely in the Clover capital right now, acting under the identity of William, captain of the Golden Dawn.
Yuuki's brow creased imperceptibly before smoothing out again. His gaze returned to Rhya, and a thought surfaced.
This is actually a pretty good opportunity.
According to the Apotheosis Ritual and the Ten Spheres of the Kabbalah Tree of Life,
he needed to choose ten types of magic as the foundation.
That meant all excess mana origins could only be dealt with in two ways:
Either strip away surplus grimoire pages and forcibly excise them from the soul—
or choose one magic capable of gathering all other attributes under itself.
The first magic that came to Yuuki's mind was Key Magic, once wielded by the previous Wizard King, Conrad.
Key Magic could not only seize other people's magic, but also open and close anything.
In effect, it was similar to Nero's Sealing Magic—unlocking and locking—
but Key Magic was clearly far more powerful.
The magic spaces created by Key Magic could even devour magic itself, including magic tools.
Yuuki strongly suspected that Key Magic belonged to Underworld-tier magic.
Because of that, using Key Magic to consolidate all other attributes would be ideal.
The only uncertainty was whether Conrad was still alive after being sealed by Wizard King Julius.
So Yuuki needed a backup.
And that backup was Rhya's Imitation Magic.
While inferior to Key Magic, it could still replicate virtually any magic attribute.
"Rhya, I think there's something you've misunderstood," Yuuki said calmly, his tone suddenly more serious.
"In this kingdom, some people hover on the brink of starvation, while others waste food freely—judging worth by the amount of mana one possesses."
"They harm others freely in the name of justice."
"The Eye of the Midnight Sun exists to correct this rotten kingdom. That's why I joined in the first place."
"I've never betrayed the Eye of the Midnight Sun."
"Because the ones who betrayed it… were you."
The words weren't loud, but they echoed clearly throughout the vast hall.
Rhya froze.
At the edge of the hall, Valtos stiffened and slowly raised his head.
"This is…"
"This is… just too funny."
Rhya looked at Yuuki as if he'd heard an absurd joke, his face darkening as deep disgust surfaced in his eyes.
Because he could tell—
Yuuki wasn't lying.
This brat actually believed that they had betrayed the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
And that was exactly why it was laughable.
The Eye of the Midnight Sun was founded by them.
"You humans always love spouting grand, self-righteous nonsense," Rhya said, covering his eyes as he laughed darkly—anger laced unmistakably into his voice.
If Yuuki had been lying, Rhya wouldn't have been this angry.
It was precisely because Yuuki spoke the truth that memories surged back—
The First Wizard King Lumière.
The screams of the elves, one after another, echoing once more in his ears.
Rhya dragged his hand down from his face.
A crevice opened along the center of his forehead—
And his third eye opened.
Boom!
A torrential wave of mana erupted from Rhya's body.
The violent pressure blasted outward, his Third Eye robe snapping wildly in the surge.
"Don't get so arrogant!"
"Imitation Magic — Sword of Condemnation!"
Countless light swords formed instantly around Rhya.
With piercing shrieks, they transformed into golden streaks and shot forward!
Boom!
Yuuki stamped his right foot and vanished into an afterimage.
In the same instant, the barrage of light swords pierced straight through where he had been, slamming into the ground with thunderous explosions.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The swords relentlessly chased Yuuki's trajectory, detonating in rapid succession.
Rhya's eyes flickered in surprise.
He's dodging that? At this speed?
Compared to the weakling he remembered from their first meeting, the difference was so extreme that Rhya almost suspected his memory was wrong.
Flash!
Yuuki vanished again.
Rhya leapt backward instantly—
The ground where he had been standing exploded violently.
"So you dodged it?" Yuuki emerged from the smoke, sprinting forward like lightning.
"Light Magic really is annoying."
"Imitation Magic — Water Spear!"
As Rhya rose into the air, he clenched his hand.
A high-pressure torrent of water condensed into a spear and shot straight at Yuuki.
"Water Magic — Flowing Body!"
Yuuki's form rippled and dissolved into flowing water.
The water spear pierced straight through him harmlessly, while Yuuki's liquid form accelerated even further.
"Tch, interesting," Rhya muttered.
"Then try my strongest Water Magic!"
"Imitation Magic — Dark Channel's Benevolent Dragon!"
Mana surged violently.
"ROAR!"
A massive water serpent, over ten meters long, formed instantly and lunged down, jaws wide, toward Yuuki's watery form.
"If this is your strongest Water Magic," Yuuki said mockingly as he reformed his body,
"then you really are as lazy as ever, Rhya."
"Fire Spirit Magic — Salamander's Hooked Claw
The Fire Spirit on Yuuki's shoulder raised its claw.
A gigantic crimson flame claw tore through the air, expanding to dozens of meters!
With searing heat, it shredded the water serpent effortlessly and continued toward Rhya!
"Heh."
Rhya sneered.
"I can use that one too."
"Imitation Magic — Salamander's Hooked Claw!"
Behind Rhya, a translucent Salamander apparition appeared.
The identical attack collided head-on with Yuuki's, detonating with a deafening explosion!
"So you can imitate Spirit Magic even without a spirit," Yuuki thought.
Imitation Magic really isn't simple.
Taking advantage of the smoke obscuring vision—
Yuuki instantly suppressed his mana.
Space Magic wrapped around him, and he vanished.
The moment Yuuki's mana disappeared, Rhya's pupils shrank.
He was about to retreat—
When a black spatial rift opened behind him.
Yuuki's upper body emerged from it, both hands aimed forward.
This distance—got you!
"Chain Magic — Demon-Binding Iron Lock Array!"
Countless black chains manifested instantly, surging toward Rhya.
"Imitation Magic — Invisible Seeker!"
At the instant the chains were about to bind him, Rhya vanished.
In Yuuki's perception, Rhya was still there—
yet the chains passed straight through him, as if through empty air.
In a few leaps, Rhya landed atop a distant stone pillar, his body fully reappearing.
"Whew, that was close," Rhya sneered.
Permeation Magic… Gueldre's ability.
"…That's troublesome," Yuuki muttered, appearing atop another pillar with a twitch at the corner of his mouth.
He had almost forgotten—
Rhya possessed Permeation Magic, the very ability Yuuki had always wanted.
Unfortunately, Gueldre was currently imprisoned deep beneath the capital, and with Julius still alive, storming the dungeon wasn't an option.
(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
Bonus Chapter at 2300 powerstones.