---
The Tension Mounts
The battlefield had reached a strange stillness. Amidst the ruins of Spade Kingdom's broken capital, the skies rippled with distorted magic while both sides paused for only a moment. Neither heroes nor devils fully understood why they hesitated.
But Avi did.
Inside his dimensional control chamber, thousands of simulation threads wove together like silk. With each breath, he orchestrated subtle pushes—minute magical ripples that no one would consciously perceive.
> [System: Active Dimensional Influence — 93% Stability]
[Anomaly: Lucius Zogratis Temporal Distortion Field — Ongoing Interference]
Avi (calmly muttering):
"We are entering the critical phase now..."
---
The Next Devil Gate
Far across the field, the next gate to the underworld vibrated. The cursed portal twisted the air itself, leaking out malevolent mana, but unlike before — it struggled to stabilize.
> [System Report: Gate Stabilization Inhibited — 23% Success Rate]
Avi's unseen puppets had already corrupted several key leyline anchors. The rituals the Dark Triad worked so hard to maintain were gradually decaying. The devils could sense it. They simply didn't understand why.
---
Lucius Escalates His Game
Inside his own temporal dimension, Lucius Zogratis smiled. His calm expression never shifted.
Lucius (thoughtfully):
"You resist well, Avi Caesar. But every calculation you make costs you more. Eventually, your system will collapse under its own weight."
He extended his hand again, activating a new Time Resonance.
> [Temporal Domination Expanded — Parallel Timelines Observation Extended: +15 Seconds]
Lucius had begun to branch further into parallel possibilities. For a brief window of time, he observed multiple timelines where minor shifts happened—testing which future threads held Avi's manipulation.
---
The Hidden Duel of Predictions
At that very moment, Avi's Origin Mind Eye v3.0 kicked into overdrive.
> [Counter-Prediction Algorithm Engaged]
[Probability Tangle Detected — Lucius Observation Threads Identified]
Their duel was no longer just magical. It had evolved into pure information warfare — two minds battling over fate itself.
Avi (cold smile):
"Observe all you like. Every timeline you see is one I've already accounted for."
Lucius (telepathically):
"Arrogant… but fascinating."
The silent duel raged while the armies remained unaware.
---
Fuegoleon's Turning Point
In the real battlefield, Fuegoleon Vermillion led one of the critical offensives against the rampaging mid-level devils.
But even with Salamander's power roaring behind him, his instincts screamed danger — a high-ranked devil, cloaked in Void Curse Magic, had begun charging a lethal spear of entropy.
The devil grinned.
Devil:
"Flame Lord… die screaming."
The spear launched.
In that instant, an invisible ripple flickered—Avi's work.
A controlled dimensional distortion bent space subtly, delaying the spear by milliseconds. Enough time for an unseen Origin Puppet embedded into Salamander's elemental flow to enhance its reaction.
Fuegoleon's flames surged instinctively, deflecting the cursed spear.
Fuegoleon (gritting teeth):
"Such a narrow miss..."
---
Nacht Begins to Understand
Nacht watched from the shadows nearby. His eyes widened.
Nacht (thinking):
"No ordinary reaction could have allowed Fuegoleon to defend. It's him… Avi Caesar. Even now, unseen, you're protecting us."
Nacht's respect grew—but so did his suspicion.
Nacht (internally):
"What is your ultimate goal, Avi? Why save us while hiding so completely?"
---
The Fragile Balance
> [System Status: 97% Cognitive Load]
[Secondary AI: Puppeteer's Hand Operating Independently — Stabilizing Multiple Threads]
The enormous strain of controlling thousands of variables simultaneously was nearing the system's upper tolerance.
Avi (to himself):
"I can't hold this much longer... but just a few more steps."
He knew that one miscalculation would bring catastrophic exposure.
---
Asta and Yuno's Climb Continues
Elsewhere, Asta and Yuno tore through devil elites like twin storms. But for every victory, the next wave grew more dangerous.
Suddenly, a spatial collapse targeted Asta directly—a distortion generated by Lucius himself testing the battlefield.
The void magic would have swallowed Asta entirely.
A silent pop occurred in the fabric of space—Avi's dimensional interference kicked in milliseconds earlier, causing the spatial collapse to fold harmlessly into a contained pocket.
> [System Note: Asta — Protected Outcome Preserved]
Asta didn't even realize how narrowly he'd avoided death.
---
Julius Feels the Thread Tighten
At Clover HQ, Julius Novachrono continued monitoring the battle.
His gaze flickered uneasily.
Julius (thinking):
"Every disaster... narrowly averted. But not through sheer chance. Someone is intentionally preserving these variables."
Even as the Wizard King, Julius couldn't pierce the manipulative veil Avi wove.
---
A New Threat — The Devil Monarch's Whisper
Suddenly, deep within the underworld, a consciousness stirred.
> [System Alert: Underworld Sovereign — Awareness Activated]
A low voice echoed across the layered dimensions.
Unknown Voice:
"Who toys with fate above my dominion?"
Avi's expression turned serious. The devil monarch — higher even than Lucifero — had become partially aware of Avi's indirect manipulations.
Avi (muttering):
"You weren't supposed to awaken yet..."
> [System Expansion Protocol Suggested: Origin Mind Eye v3.5 Development Pending]
He authorized rapid system upgrades to prepare for the monarch's looming attention.
---
The Gathering of Akatsuki
Back within his secret Akatsuki base, Avi's clones managed logistics, stabilizing supplies, resources, and war contingencies.
Yuno (visiting briefly through a portal):
"We'll win this war thanks to your preparations, Captain Caesar."
Avi simply smiled, hiding the overwhelming tension he bore.
Avi (lightly):
"You're the heroes here, Yuno. I'm just… assisting from the back."
Even Yuno couldn't fully grasp the scale of Avi's manipulation.
---
Lucius Delivers a Final Probe
Back on the battlefield, Lucius sent one last multi-dimensional probe — a projected future where Noelle would fall fatally to a devil's sneak attack.
Lucius observed closely:
"If Avi intervenes here, I'll confirm the thread."
The devil struck — launching a cursed blade toward Noelle's heart.
Avi hesitated.
Avi (internally):
"If I interfere too directly, Lucius will lock onto me. But if I don't… she'll die."
He made his choice.
An invisible Origin Puppet embedded within Noelle's Valkyrie armor subtly shifted a fraction — so minuscule no one would notice.
The cursed blade barely scraped past Noelle's cheek, sparing her.
---
Lucius Confirms the Presence
A brief glint shone in Lucius' temporal eyes.
Lucius (whispering):
"There you are."
For the first time, he locked onto one of Avi's threads — not fully exposed, but partially glimpsed.
The war of shadows escalated.
---
Avi's Unshaken Resolve
Inside his dimension, sweat trickled down Avi's forehead.
Avi (cold whisper):
"You've found one thread. But thousands more remain buried. You'll never unravel my web fast enough."
He activated new dimensional sublayers, fracturing his network into even more complex probability threads.
> [System Note: Web Complexity Expanded — 5000 Threads Active]
---
The Beginning of the Endgame
As the underworld gate trembled harder and the final devil lords prepared their descent, both puppet masters stood at the precipice of their ultimate confrontation.
Heroes fought bravely below—unaware that far above, the real war wasn't just magic versus magic.
It was calculation versus calculation.
Mind against mind.
Avi (smiling):
"This… is the true battlefield."
---
[TO BE CONTINUED]