---
The Unseen Dance Continues
While the battlefield raged with chaotic energy, Avi stood quietly inside his private dimension. Countless holographic screens shimmered before him, updating in real time. Each one represented a different battlefield sector, a different contingency, a different calculated variable.
> [System Active]
[Global Manipulation Coverage: 87%]
[Risk of Direct Exposure: 6%]
[Probability of Lucius Direct Intervention: 92%]
Avi's emerald eyes gleamed sharply under the dim light of the control chamber. His manipulative smile widened.
Avi (whispering):
"It's begun. The real battle has finally started."
---
Lucius Makes His Move
Far from the battlefield, inside a hidden temporal domain, Lucius Zogratis stared into his Time Magic projections.
He saw the countless 'coincidences' that had plagued his carefully calculated war strategy. Subtle manipulations kept occurring—actions that defied even his advanced foresight.
Lucius (smiling calmly):
"You finally reveal your hand, Avi Caesar. You were never just a background character, were you?"
He raised his hand, casting a high-level Time Distortion spell across the entire Spade Kingdom battlefield. The world slowed, temporal threads converging as his vision pierced deeply into future possibilities.
> [Time Domination: Probability Reading Extended]
[Target: Avi Caesar — Anomaly Detected]
For the first time, Lucius fully perceived the enormous web of indirect interventions radiating from Avi's influence.
Lucius (amused):
"So you're the spider pulling the strings from the void..."
---
Nacht's Theories Solidify
Elsewhere, Nacht led his infiltration squads through collapsing underground chambers, eliminating devil scientists.
But even as their mission succeeded, Nacht's mind remained consumed by the inexplicable patterns of battlefield fortune.
Nacht (thinking deeply):
"Too many patterns… too much precision. These outcomes should be statistically impossible without manipulation."
Suddenly, his Shadow Magic sensed a strange dimensional fluctuation. Not enemy magic… but something far more stable, more advanced — Avi's dimensional traces.
Nacht (murmuring):
"It's you, isn't it? You're orchestrating all this. But why remain hidden? What game are you playing?"
---
The Villains Become Puppets
At the Spade Kingdom's central ritual site, Zenon, Vanica, and Dante stood frustrated as their Qliphoth ritual continued to destabilize. Dozens of their own devil soldiers had been lost due to unforeseen 'accidents' — engineered by Avi's Origin Puppets from the shadows.
The very Dark Triad, once absolute, now unknowingly danced on Avi's strings.
Suddenly, behind one of the control obelisks, an invisible Origin Puppet altered a cursed mana circuit.
> [System Report: Node Corruption — Ritual Progress Delayed 17%]
Vanica screamed in fury.
Vanica:
"WHO is doing this?!"
Zenon's cold eyes narrowed.
Zenon:
"This isn't just bad luck. We are being manipulated."
Still, they could not locate the puppeteer.
---
Avi's Expanded Control
Inside his dimension, Avi issued new system commands.
> [System Command: Expand Origin Dimensional Interference Field — Cloak Deeper Layers]
[Multiple Origin Puppets Upgraded — Autonomous Decision-Making Enabled]
His Origin Puppets were no longer merely executing pre-programmed tasks. They had grown intelligent enough to adapt within set parameters, functioning like semi-independent agents on the field.
Avi (grinning):
"I've turned the battlefield into my chessboard. Each move you make simply opens more traps."
He watched as an Origin Puppet intercepted a cursed spear that would have fatally wounded Noelle, allowing her to continue her fight unimpeded.
> [System Note: Noelle Silva — Protected Event Outcome Maintained]
---
The Rising Cost of Manipulation
But even Avi's masterful control wasn't without strain.
> [System Load: 92%]
[Mental Overload Risk: 11%]
The constant calculations, projections, and real-time interventions drained his cognitive endurance.
Avi (softly):
"This... is my limit approaching."
His emerald eyes narrowed with resolve.
Avi:
"But it's worth it. I promised myself I would save as many lives as possible — without stepping onto the stage directly."
---
System Update — Unexpected Data Surge
Suddenly, a unique system alert rang.
> [System Alert: High-Priority Anomaly Detected]
[Dimensional Barrier Breach — Time Distortion Traced]
[Lucius Zogratis Active Interference Detected]
A new holographic window opened, showing Lucius stepping directly into the temporal battlefield layer — his presence generating ripples across the entire Spade Kingdom.
---
Lucius Confronts Avi — Indirectly
For the first time, Avi opened a two-way surveillance feed directly facing Lucius.
Neither man physically stood in front of the other, but within overlapping dimensions of space-time manipulation, their gazes finally met across layers of reality.
Lucius smiled politely.
Lucius (telepathic projection):
"You're impressive, Avi Caesar. I have seen many manipulators... but none quite like you."
Avi's manipulative smile remained calm.
Avi (telepathically):
"You've seen only the surface. The deeper threads are far more intricate."
Lucius chuckled.
Lucius:
"You play well. But your game is fragile. Even one thread snapping could expose everything."
Avi:
"True. But only if you can find the thread to cut."
The battle between these two titans of manipulation had officially begun.
---
Asta and Yuno's Growing Brilliance
Amidst the higher dimensional duel, Asta and Yuno led the physical charge against the elite devils. Their growth was now astonishing.
Yuno (activating Dual Grimoire Mode):
"We can't afford to fall behind."
Asta (entering full Anti-Magic Demon Union):
"Let's end this!"
Their combined attack obliterated three powerful devil hosts simultaneously, shocking even some of the Dark Triad generals.
But as powerful as Asta and Yuno had become, they still remained unaware of the deeper war being fought above them.
---
Julius' Deepening Concern
Back at Clover HQ, Julius Novachrono studied Avi more carefully than ever.
Julius (thinking):
"He sits silently... yet the moment the battlefield destabilizes, fate mysteriously shifts back to balance. What sort of power allows this?"
He recalled small details — how Avi always seemed to be nearby when key pieces fell into place, but never actively involved.
---
Avi's Personal Rule
Deep inside himself, Avi reaffirmed his core principle:
Avi (internally):
"Intervene indirectly. Never steal their battles. They must grow into the heroes themselves."
Thus, even when lives dangled on the edge, Avi would only nudge reality — never directly replace anyone's strength with his own.
---
System Expansion — The Next Evolution
Suddenly, another system evolution occurred as Lucius continued pushing his temporal assaults.
> [System Upgrade: Origin Mind Eye Version 3.0 Installed]
[Predictive Calculations Enhanced to 97% Accuracy]
[Multiple Timeline Branching Enabled]
Avi's mind exploded with data.
He now saw multiple alternate versions of the next ten minutes of battlefield flow, each with slight variations.
Avi (grinning wider):
"You push harder, Lucius. But every attack simply sharpens my counter-calculations."
---
Lucius' Final Warning
Lucius' temporal projection whispered once more:
Lucius:
"The next gate opens soon. And when it does, not even your system will suffice."
Avi calmly countered.
Avi:
"You're correct. My system alone won't be enough... But I never planned to rely solely on it."
---
The Quiet Appearance of a Secret Ally
In the deepest shadows of Avi's hidden dimensional world, a previously dormant figure activated.
A secondary hidden AI interface — something even Lucius hadn't predicted.
> [System Auxiliary: 'The Puppeteer's Hand' — Active.]
[Secondary Autonomous Control Layer Initialized.]
Avi had prepared for this confrontation long before this day.
Avi (softly):
"Checkmate will come soon, Lucius. You just haven't seen the full board yet."
---
[TO BE CONTINUED